International Housewares Association

Company Name: International Housewares Association
Contact: Perry Reynolds, Vice President, Marketing & Trade Development
Address: 6400 Shafer Court, Suite 650, Rosemont, IL 60018
Phone/Fax: 847-292-4200, 847-292-4211
E-mail: preynolds@housewares.org
Web site: www.housewares.org

COMPANY HISTORY
The International Housewares Association, The Home Authority, was established in 1938 as the National Housewares Manufacturers Association. The IHA is a not-for-profit, full-service trade association with approximately 1,700 member firms engaged in the manufacturing or marketing of housewares through a variety of distribution channels.

At the center of the IHA's activities is the International Home & Housewares Show which has been held in Chicago since 1939. The 2007 show will be held Sunday–Tuesday, March 11–13, 2007 at McCormick Place in Chicago. The show provides a marketplace for manufacturers and buyers from around the world to meet to conduct business, discuss trade practices, formulate ideas, and discover new opportunities.

PRODUCTS
The International Home & Housewares Show is a world-class marketplace, attracting 60,000 attendees from more than 100 countries. It's the world's largest home products showcase introducing thousands of new products and designs from over 2,100 exhibitors from more than 30 nations. Among the show's exhibitors, over 30 percent are from outside the U.S. Nearly one-third of attendees are from outside the U.S.

The show is divided into categorized expos to make it more productive for attendees. The four expos are: A) Dine & Design, featuring tabletop products; cook and bakeware; kitchen accessories; giftware and home décor; and the Gourmet Home & Food District (GOHO); B) Wired & Well, featuring electrics and home health care; C) Clean, Contain & Outdoor Domain, featuring cleaning products; products for home organization; products for outdoor living; and the newest show category, Promotion in Motion, featuring traffic-building promotional products and programs; and D) Global Crossroads, featuring pavilions and products from exhibitors from around the world.

GOHO features exhibitors of gourmet specialty foods and unique food preparation tools. The exhibit includes demonstrations by celebrity chefs scheduled in the GOHO Cooking Theater and food tastings presented by the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade.

Retailers of all sizes will find thousands of new products and ideas at the show. In addition to the opportunity to see the entire industry and meet with current or new vendors, attendees can also attend free seminars on color, design and innovation, visit the ColorWatch Display by Pantone for the latest in color, visit the Inventors Corner, view award-winning merchandising from best-in-class retailers from around the world, and meet the student designers who are creating the future of homegoods design.

Nearly 75 percent of U.S. retail buyers attending the show represent specialty channels. To better serve this growing attendee group, the show has created the Specialty Retailer Specialist Program, which identifies exhibitors particularly or exclusively interested in working with specialty stores. Identified in the Show Directory and in their booths, these exhibitors have individuals specifically identified as Specialty Retailer Specialists. This program also offers specialty retailers additional educational and support opportunities: a full-day pre-show educational program and free individual consulting sessions with experts on staff training, store design and PR during the show.

As the Home Authority, the IHA is a primary source of industry information. The Association sponsors an annual State of the Industry Report. Worldwide, housewares represented a U.S. $265-billion market.

The IHA also makes available information in the quarterly newsletter Housewares MarketWatch, tracking point-of-sale and consumer data for both electric and non-electric housewares categories. The Housewares Export Council is a special-interest IHA member group dedicated to helping members market and sell their products through exporting. They provide networking opportunities and offer programs to assist, support and educate members on exporting issues.

The IHA's Business Solutions Initiatives offers members group-buy discounts on LTL transportation, FedEx, container freight and other business services.

The IHA's Web site, www.housewares.org, provides a single point of access to an extensive list of industry search tools. The Web site also provides easy access for retailers to register for the International Home & Housewares Show online, receive further information on show programs for specialty and independent retailers, browse a directory of members, and find a source for specific product needs.

MISSION STATEMENT
The International Housewares Association is the premier not-for-profit trade association serving the housewares industry. The IHA, on behalf of its members and the housewares community, is committed to maximizing the success of the industry by bringing together industry constituencies, providing a world-class trade show marketplace, advocacy, facilitation of global commerce, and Web-based access to essential market data and business-support services.