By: Marie Kulik, Manager, Exhibitor Business Development
The 2011 International Home + Housewares Show will be held March 6 – 8 at McCormick Place, Chicago USA. This year we are pleased to announce our co-location with The Travel Goods Show, which will be located on Level 1 of the North Building. Strategic Alliance: International Home + Housewares Show and The Travel Goods Show Co-Location.
Being aware of some key deadline dates will save your company time & money.
Space Application/Contract – Contracts for the 2011 Show were mailed the week of May 10th. Companies that returned their contract and payment before the June 25th deadline date received a $.50 cent discount off the booth space rate. The member rate is $13.50 per sq. ft. and the non-member rate is $18.50 per sq. ft. Companies that wish to become members of IHA can take advantage of the membership rate on booth space. Companies that exhibited in the 2010 Show had the option to complete their application online this year.
Space Assignment – Space assignment will begin on July 12th. Companies that participated in the 2010 Show and also returned their contract by the June 25th deadline will be assigned first. New companies will be assigned on a first-come, first -served basis once all 2010 exhibitors have been assigned.
Exhibitor Education Website – Assigned companies will have access to an educational website designed to help exhibitors get the most out of their show experience. Information on the website is broken into easy to use categories, including:
Online Show – As companies are assigned they will have access to their Online Show listing. The Online Show is a simple search tool that expands the three show days into a year- long sales tool. The sooner you complete your profile, the sooner you will be able to promote your company to the half million annual visitors to our website using this tool. See what the Online Show Tool can do for you.
Booth Design – Once your company is assigned, you can begin designing your booth. We work with our general contractor, Freeman, to bring you discounted booth packages. Visit www.housewares.org/pdf/show/assigned /Booth_Design_Packages.pdf to learn more.
Show Marketing – The Show offers many free marketing services to help promote your company. Services include free buyers & news media lists, free buyer postcards, free lead retrieval and complimentary marketing webinars. Marketing services are available starting in November.
Reaching Consumers – In 2010, the Show reached more than 266 Million U.S. consumers with a combination of print, Internet and broadcast media through a five-month pre-Show public relations effort. The results of this effort bring potential consumer exposure for every Show exhibitor. Exhibitors can also get year-round press exposure in the media capital. IHA-sponsored press events are held in New York in June, October and January. For more information regarding these and more media opportunities visit http://www.housewares.org/iha/benefits/press_events.aspx or contact Debbie Teschke dteschke@housewares.org. You can also read a blog post about June’s “Hot Housewares for the Holidays” Press Event.
To take advantage of these and the many other opportunities the International Home + Housewares Show offers, submit your contract today! Any questions regarding the Show and how we can help grow your business can be directed to me at mkulik@housewares.org.
