The Inspired Home Show 2024, to be held in March in Chicago, will undergo several changes to Show length and layout, in response to industry feedback.
The International Housewares Association (IHA) board of directors has decided to reduce the overall length and to optimise the Show layout to create the most productive and efficient trade show experience possible.
The Show will now open on March 17 and close on March 19. The majority of exhibitors and retailers indicated on recent surveys and in discussions that three full days at the Show is sufficient with business being more concentrated over that timeframe.
IHA president and CEO, Derek Miller said, “Making the move from four days to three full days will not only make the Show more productive and dynamic but will also reduce costs for both the exhibitor and retail audiences, something frequently cited throughout discussions.
IHA chairman and Honey-Can-Do International CEO, Steve Greenspon added, “I’m excited for the changes; it’s great for the industry. A three-day Show will help both retailers and exhibitors better control their expenses while getting a more fulfilling Show experience. Condensing the Show will make it more efficient to see all the exhibits and displays.”
Changes to the Show layout include the Wired + Well Expo moving from the Lakeside Center to the North Hall co-located with the Clean + Contain Expo to create an active and dynamic destination at the Show. Housing all three of the Show’s primary Expos, which includes Dine + Décor, together in the North and South Halls will bring the industry’s core categories together into a central location that is easier and more efficient to navigate with quick trips between two halls now being possible.
The North Hall will be divided into two halves with Wired + Well occupying the right-hand side and Clean + Contain continuing to occupy the left-hand side. Both Expos will be reconfigured with exhibitors being placed in each based-on seniority number. Additional details will be provided to returning and new exhibitors in the coming weeks.
The Discover Design Expo will be disbursed with current exhibitors being placed within their appropriate categories. Discover Design was created in 2011 to concentrate and highlight design-driven companies that wanted to exhibit in a central location. With design-forward products now being widespread and found throughout the Show, there is no longer a need for this specific area. Current exhibitors from Discover Design will be contacted directly regarding the space assignment process.
The Travel Gear + Luggage category will move into the South Hall to give this new area room to grow and develop. Additional details about this category’s development will be released in the near future.
The International Sourcing Expo will return to the Lower North Hall, a location previously occupied by that group of exhibitors in 2019. Exhibitors without branded products and US distribution will be grouped in this area together to create product sourcing opportunities for the industry.
While the overall size of the Show will not decrease, with these re-location plans the Show will no longer occupy the Lakeside Center. Exhibits and displays located in the Lakeside Center Lobby, such as the Smart Home Pavilion and the Inventors Corner, will be relocated later in the year into the North and South Halls.
Coming out of Covid, the 2022 Show was successful but smaller than the 2019 event.
“As the 2023 Show built upon the previous year’s success with large increases in the number of exhibitors and retail attendees, there is no doubt that the trajectory for the Show is extremely positive. The changes being made will be a further propellent to create a trade show that is more productive, highly efficient and tremendously successful for the entire industry,” Miller added.