ROSEMONT, IL - Opportunities for attendees to learn about emerging design, business-changing trends and the evolving consumer at the International Home + Housewares Show will be marked with the fair's new, easily identifiable "inKNOWvation" logo. The show is being held March 14-16, 2010 at Chicago's McCormick Center.
"The new concept is a way to consolidate what can be an overwhelming amount of information at the show into a clear statement of what drives the housewares industry through good and bad times," said Phil Brandl, president of the International Housewares Association, which owns and manages the show. "More than ever, the industry must rely on high design and true innovation to meet consumer needs. Consumers are changing. Old concepts are falling by the wayside and the best way to understand how that translates to products on the market is to understand how the three legs of the housewares stool--Design, Trends and Change--work together."
Housewares Design Theater: Leading designers, trend spotters and marketers will be sharing their insights and ideas in 19 presentations over three days. This year, the Theater will move from the Lakeside Center, Level 3 Lobby onto the Wired + Well exhibit floor in the Lakeside Center.
Design Directions - Going Green: Visitors to the display, now located in the Clean + Contain Expo in the North Building, will see a wide selection of green products and materials, and will be able to ask experts on hand about greener directions for any business.
Design Defined: What defines great design? At the 2010 Show, teams of design professionals will fan out across the exhibit floor in the Clean + Contain Expo to find notable, well-designed products. A display in the Grand Concourse Lobby will feature products selected in 2009. Products that receive the coveted recognition in 2010 will be announced on Monday, March 15 and featured in a slide presentation that will play at the display throughout the rest of the show. Who knows design better than designers?
Global Design: Buyers can stop at several specified sites on the show floor arranged by country, including Brazil, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Turkey. The Global Crossroads Expo, located in the North Building, will features hundreds of products from China, Hong Kong, India and Taiwan.
Student Design Competition: The Student Design Competition, sponsored by IHA in partnership with the Industrial Designers Society of America, is recognized by professional designers and educators as a valuable contribution to industrial design education. The winning products and their designers can be found in the Housewares Design Center exhibit in the Lakeside Center, Level 3 Lobby.
Pantone ColorWatch: Located in the Lakeside Center, Level 3 Lobby, this is an annual must see for hundreds of buyers and other visitors to the Show who want a concise overview of the color palettes representing the strongest home furnishing trends for 2011. The display complements Monday's color trends seminar by noted color expert Leatrice Eiseman.
New Product Showcases: Located in the Buyers Clubs in each building at the show, these showcases present hundreds of the new products being introduced at the fair.
For more information on the new inKNOWvation concept, visit www.housewares.org.