The Inspired Home Show 2021 – Interview with Derek Miller, President IHA

With new dates announced for 2021 due to COVID-19, Derek Miller answers key questions regarding plans for the show

As The Inspired Home Show launches, now in August 2021, please remind the industry about why the IHA decided to change the name of the Show

The International Home + Housewares Show was rebranded to The Inspired Home Show to better reflect the realities in today’s marketplace. In the early 2000s, price was the determining sales factor. We then saw functionality with design become increasingly important. And now, as lifestyle is the next step in the evolution, we will be out in front of this movement. After all, if the best designed product found at the right price does not fit within the lifestyle of the targeted consumer, a sale will not be made. The reimagined Show will help retailers understand how design and function fit into their customers’ lifestyles and find ways to inspire those consumers to purchase products that complement their lifestyles.

What will be the most noticeable differences/new features to attendees at the 2021 Show?

The Show will continue to feature a diverse assortment of products showcased in five Expos: Dine + Décor featuring tabletop, cookware, bakeware and home décor; Clean + Contain featuring cleaning, organization and clothing care items; Wired + Well featuring home, kitchen, health and personal care electrics; Discover Design featuring design-driven products from all Show categories; and International Sourcing featuring value-priced products from China and Taiwan.

To help retailers think about products and lifestyles, we have created some new Show features and experiences and have enhanced others. Several special exhibits will move to new locations and have been reimagined to better align with the consumer lifestyle vision. Our IHA Global Innovation Awards (gia) for Product Design and Discover Design displays will move to a more to a more prominent centralized area in the Grand Concourse Lobby of the North Building and will feature all finalists and winners rather than photos. The IHA Student Design Competition is being brought under the gia umbrella and the display also moves to the Grand Concourse Lobby. Our partnership with Pantone continues and the ColorWatch by Pantone exhibit will move to Level 2.5 of the Grand Concourse to highlight the on-trend, color-coordinated vignettes of consumer living that are curated for that space.

In the Hall of Global Innovation in the Lakeside Center, the attendees will find the IHA Smart Home Pavilion as well as the Inventors’ Corner and Inventors Revue. We are also developing trend-driven product areas so that retailers can marry the consumer trend insights from our educational program with the products that fulfill those consumer trends. New displays in the Hall of Global Innovation this year are a Smart Retail Experience exhibit providing a live, interactive display showing retailers what the store of the future could look like and Social Central offering Show attendees and exhibitors opportunities to meet with social media consultants on influencer and digital marketing.

And retailers can expect to find several enhancements to the ways that the Show curates and shines a spotlight on what’s new. We will have dedicated areas throughout the Show that make it easy for attendees to quickly and efficiently locate the newest products in each housewares category. In addition, there is a keynote session revealing our annual IHA Market Watch report – highlighting the biggest consumer-driven trends that will impact the home and housewares industry in the next year along with implications for each individual product category. A new display in the Hall of Global Innovation will feature products illustrating each of these trends.

What can you tell people about plans/protocols/contingencies/etc. for The Inspired Home Show 2021?

2020 is shaping up to be the year of big decisions with IHA just announcing that we will shift next year’s Show dates to 7-10 August 2021. The additional five months will give the healthcare system more time to develop treatments and possibility a vaccine to rid the world of this threat.

Even post-pandemic, the world will likely look different than before with a high degree of health and safety precautions remaining in place. As such, we continue to work with McCormick Place and our vendor partners to plan the Show to comply with safety procedures from the CDC, State of Illinois and City of Chicago, while also meeting the needs of our industry.

McCormick Place has received certification from the Global BioRosk Advisory Council (GBAC), following clearly defined cleaning and disinfecting practices. They also have updated their air exchange to increase the air circulation within the halls, and they have increased their staff training and emergency personnel, so they have the right people with the right knowledge on hand. IHA will also do our part by increasing sanitization at registration, product displays and buyers’ clubs and enforcing social distancing through decreased seating at educational sessions and restaurants. We’re also looking at floorplan layouts to determine what needs to be done to increase social distancing through wider aisles and perhaps having one-way traffic in select areas.

The one thing that is certain is that the path to 2021 is through 2020…and the path to 2022 is through 2021…we’re taking each day as it comes, solving each problem at hand, while also looking to the future to ensure IHA remains a meaningful partner with and service provider to the home + housewares industry.

We are dedicated to creating a safe and productive event for the industry.

Find out what's in store for The Inspired Home Show 2021 in the show flyer which contains everything you need to know about the largest business-to-business housewares show in the world. Click the link to learn more - Reconnecting the industry around innovation and inspiration.

For contact information, please click the IHA and The Inspired Home Show links below:

The Inspired Home Show - Reconnecting the Industry Around Innovation & Inspiration

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The Inspired Home Show 2021 – Interview with Derek Miller, President IHA

As The Inspired Home Show launches, now in August 2021, please remind the industry about why the IHA decided to change the name of the Show

What will be the most noticeable differences/new features to attendees at the 2021 Show?

What can you tell people about plans/protocols/contingencies/etc. for The Inspired Home Show 2021?

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