Education

Learn about educational events, informative webinars and special reports, designed and prepared to help members stay up-to- date on current business topics, trends and issues!

Celebrating 80+ Years of Housewares History

The International Housewares Association and the Housewares Industry have a rich history dating back more than 80 years. In honor of IHA’s 80th Anniversary, here is a look back at some of the highlights: 1906 First house furnishing exhibition in the U.S. is held in New York’s Madison Square Garden. It is conceived by Isbon Scott, editor of House Furnishing Review,…

There’s No Business Like Show Business! Part 2

By Vicki Matranga, Design Programs Coordinator This is part two of a two part series. Read part one: There's No Business Like Show Business! Part 1 Pots, Pans and Prosperity: Biggest Gadget Show on Earth From 1939 to 1991, the National Housewares Manufacturers Association (NHMA), based in Chicago, mounted two shows per year. For nearly 40 years, its national housewares…

There’s No Business Like Show Business! Part 1

By Vicki Matranga, Design Programs Coordinator It’s January, and our calendars are focused on March, when our 121st Show will unite the industry. The current International Home + Housewares Show has evolved into a busy four-day gathering in Chicago, from a complex family tree of Show names, dates and predecessor sponsoring organizations. For 79 years, IHA has been…

From Hotels to McCormick Place: A History of the International Home + Housewares Show – Part 3

Author: Vicki Matranga, Design Programs Coordinator and Housewares Historian, IHA For parts one and two of this three part series, see: From Hotels to McCormick Place: A History of the International Home + Housewares Show - Part 1 From Hotels to McCormick Place: A History of the International Home + Housewares Show - Part 2 New Era on the Lakefront More than 900…

From Hotels to McCormick Place: A History of the International Home + Housewares Show – Part 2

Author: Vicki Matranga, Design Programs Coordinator and Housewares Historian, IHA This post is one of a three part series. Read part one: From Hotels to McCormick Place: A History of the International Home + Housewares Show – Part 1 NHMA, the antecedent International Housewares Association, resulted from the 1946 merger of the New York Housewares Manufacturers Association…

From Hotels to McCormick Place: A History of the International Home + Housewares Show – Part 1

Author: Vicki Matranga, Design Programs Coordinator and Housewares Historian, IHA Markets and trade fairs have taken place throughout civilization, but the twentieth century's first House Furnishing Good Exhibition was held in New York's Madison Square Garden in 1906. The modern housewares exposition was born in 1927 when members of the National Home Furnishings Buyers Club…

Stats: Shopping Makes Consumers Anxious

Retail therapy isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. A new survey shows that shopping, especially around the holidays, makes Americans anxious. The survey gives specialty retailers a glimpse into the minds of their customers during the busiest business time of the year, but also holds up after the tinsel and decorations are put away. Even though they enjoyed the holidays and…

Keep Up with the Smart Home at the Chicago Show

Consumers’ increasing embrace of the smart home and the automation that is transforming the way they live offers the housewares industry opportunities to expand its implementation of smart technology to new categories and products. From Millennials to Gen Xers to Baby Boomers, consumers are looking to fill their spaces with connected products for every room in the home and…

UPS Releases Pulse of the Online Shopper Survey

UPS has released the 2017 UPS Pulse of the Online Shopper survey, the sixth annual study conducted by UPS and fielded by comScore, Inc., revealing a changing retail landscape where online shoppers purchase more from international retailers, shop more on mobile devices and rely more on marketplaces. The survey is presented as a five-volume series covering consumer profiles,…