From homewares and small appliances to home interiors and retail merchandising, international lifestyle trends will be the focus of several presentations in the Innovation Theater at the 2017 International Home + Housewares Show. The 2017 Show will be held March 18 to 21 at Chicago’s McCormick Place complex.
More than 20 sessions will be offered in the Innovation Theater over the four days of the Show and cover the broader trends of international lifestyle trends, the Smart Home and connected products and age and gender marketing. The theater is located in Room E350 in the Hall of Global Innovation in the Lakeside Center.
Offering their perspectives on how changing consumer lifestyles affect retail trends and housewares products around the world will be experts from global trend agencies including Euromonitor, GfK Retail and Technology GmbH and Trend Bible.
On Saturday, March 18, Naomi Shedden, senior trend strategist at Trend Bible, a U.K.-based home and interiors agency, will present “Home and Interior Trends 2018.” Her presentation will include an introduction to trend forecasting for the home and interiors market, along with inspiration and future design direction for houseware products and kitchen trends for 2018. In addition, Shedden will reveal two major trends, Rebellious Energy and Iberian Spirit, as published in Trend Bible’s Spring Summer 2018 Trend Book.
“Global Trends in Homewares and Appliances to 2021” is the topic of Euromonitor International’s session on Sunday, March 19. Bob Hoyler, a research associate in Euromonitor’s Home and Tech section, will provide an overview of current market sizes and growth rates for key categories within homewares and appliances in 42 countries with analysis of the largest and the fastest growing categories; examine the major consumer and retail trends in North America and their impact on homewares and appliance sales; and offer a five-year forecast of projected growth in homewares and appliance sales through 2021.
On Monday, March 20, Daniela Strebl, regional director of small appliances, Latin America at GfK, will explore “The Latin American Market for Small Appliances.” Many U.S.-based small appliances suppliers are focusing on expansion into Latin America. Strebl will explain how Latin American countries are quite diverse and undergoing growing pains, whether economic or political or both, and that housewares companies who better understand these markets will have opportunities for growth in the long run.
Closing out Monday’s Innovation Theater program will be a panel of the IHA Global Innovation Award (gia) judges, Wolfgang Gruschwitz, Scott Kohno, Anne Kong and Henrik Peter Reisby Nielsen, offering their perspectives on “Top Ten Retail Trends for Consumer Engagement.”
The 2017 Show will feature more than 2,200 exhibitors from around the globe showcasing their new products throughout five expos and 62,000 total attendees. Show badge registration is now available at www.housewares.org.
Further information about all of the Innovation Theater programs is available on the IHA website.
