Innovation is the lifeblood of product success and the innovation continuum is in constant motion and flux. How do successful housewares suppliers define innovation and implement it throughout all aspects of their business? Three housewares executives will explain how they manage innovation’s opportunities and obstacles during the annual “Housewares Hot-Seat” panel discussion to open the 2015 Chief Housewares Executive SuperSession (CHESS), Oct. 6-7 in Rosemont, Ill.
Answering “Lessons Learned Along the Innovation Continuum” will be John (JC) Collins, president, global marketing & sales, Neatfreak; Alejandro Peña, president USA, Jarden Consumer Solutions; and Will Symonds, president, DKB Household USA Corp. Peter Giannetti, editor-in-chief of HomeWorld Business, will moderate the discussion.
CHESS is the strategic and networking event for industry leaders. It is designed for chief officers of all IHA member companies and their top decision-makers. This year’s theme of “Concept to Consumer: Innovative Strategies for Reaching Your Market” will cover sessions on design and innovation, brand marketing, eCommerce, the Chinese market, supply chain revolution, retail trends and more.
Featured speakers include Carmen Nestares, director and category leader, Kitchen, at Amazon, who will explain how to reinvent brand marketing by going after “share of heart” instead. In her presentation, “Share of Heart: A New Way to Grow Your Business,” Nestares will draw on her extensive experience in consumer product marketing and her position at Amazon to explain how other companies have moved from trying to get a bigger piece to growing the total size of the business, and offer housewares executives insights on how to better work with Amazon.
Other sessions include:
- Day 2 Keynote presentation, “The Future of Retail: Implications for the Housewares Industry,” by Dana Telsey, retail analyst, CEO and chief research officer at Telsey Advisory Group. A regular guest analyst on CNN and CNBC, Telsey will cover macro trends impacting the consumer, providing sub-sector perspectives from dollar stores to specialty retail and insights into disruptive retailers such as jet.com and PIRCH.
- “Brand Shift: The Future of Brands and Marketing” by futurist David Houle, who will look at brands and marketing and what marketers must do to navigate the current and future disruptions of the next 5 to 10 years. Attendees will receive autographed copies of his book, “Brand Shift: The Future of Brands and Marketing.”
- “Crowdfunding: The New Multi-Billion Dollar Launch Pad,” a panel discussion moderated by Evan Dash, CEO, Storebound, and featuring Terry Romero of Kickstarter; Mark Dziersk, managing director, LUNAR; and Michael Liebowitz, founder, Solid Design.
- “China Rising: How to Prepare for What’s Ahead” by John Manzella, president of Manzella Trade Communications, who will offer strategies for companies doing business in China and analyze the issues causing friction, including the emerging bilateral political and economic landscape.
- “The Supply Chain Revolution” by Lee Clair, partner, Zubrod/Clair, who will explore the implications of eCommerce on the housewares supply chain and what companies must do to perform up to consumers’ expectations.
- Networking breaks, luncheons and a cocktail reception and dinner also provide time for attendees to network and meet informally with speakers, industry service providers and their colleagues—the most valuable part of the program according to past participants.
To register for CHESS or for more information, visit the CHESS website at www.housewares.org/chess or contact Judy Colitz of IHA at jcolitz@housewares.org.
