IBC Global Forum

The IBC Global Forum brings together strategic planning and pragmatic international information to facilitate sales and business development in key export markets. Extensive networking with housewares buyers, industry professionals and seasoned IBC members presents vast opportunities to increase your housewares industry network and sales.

LIVE from the IBC Global Forum: Jonathan Knowles, Rethinking the 4 P’s — From Selling Products to Selling Solutions (Part II)

by Vicki Matranga, Design Programs Coordinator (Jonathan Knowles continued) Participants Share Common Issues and Discover Relevancies in Workshop Exercises After tabulating the morning’s exercise worksheets during the lunch break, Knowles presented a simple analysis at the afternoon session. He commented on different dynamics at companies of varied sizes: smaller companies…

LIVE from the IBC Global Forum: Jonathan Knowles, Rethinking the 4 P’s — From Selling Products to Selling Solutions

by Vicki Matranga, Design Programs Coordinator Tuesday, June 17, 2014 IHA’s Global Forum kicked off with Jonathan Knowles’ engaging presentation that updated the traditional 4 P’s of marketing—product, price, place and promotion—for a fresh approach to marketing in today’s global business-to-business environment. Those earlier strategies lead marketing and sales teams to…

International Housewares Business Leaders Meet Today in Rosemont

by Vicki Matranga, Design Programs Coordinator IHA opens its Global Forum, the essential annual meeting for sales professionals and companies looking to grow their international business, on Tuesday, June 17 at the Intercontinental O’Hare hotel. Participants will hear market overviews by retailers from Kuwait, China, Russia, Brazil, Czech Republic and Australia and will learn…

Australia Home & Housewares Market Overview: Insight to Consumer Buying

IBC Members have access to the Australian Home & Housewares Market Report prepared in September 2013, highlighting specifics makeup of the market in Australia as well as demographics influencing consumer purchasing. In addition to the many Australian retailers described within the Australian Home & Housewares Market Report, members are encouraged to review the…

Helpful Tips for Domestic Licensing

American companies have been successfully manufacturing high quality OEM products in China for decades. Many of the goods produced at their Chinese partner factories are immediately exported back to America or other international markets for outside consumption. With China’s ever-growing middle class and government policies aimed specifically at increasing domestic consumption,…

Housewares Export Council Becomes International Business Council

The HECNA Board has approved a rebranding of the Housewares Export Council to the IHA International Business Council (IBC). This will be officially announced just after the 2014 International Home + Housewares Show. In addition, the IHA Board has approved an elimination of dues for IBC beginning with the new membership year that will begin April 1, 2014. The elimination of…

HECNA Global Forum: Rethinking the 4 P’s

In today’s business-to-business environment, sticking to the traditional four P’s of marketing – product, place, price and promotion- has fostered narrow, product-focused strategies. Those strategies lead marketing and sales teams to stress product attributes that are no longer differentiators but are now simply the cost of market entry. Richard Ettenson, using insights from…

Retail News from Around the World

Target will add 33 Canadian stores by year-end Target plans to open 33 stores next month in Canada, to end the year with 124 locations north of the border. The retailer has struggled to keep shelves stocked since entering Canada this year, and customers familiar with U.S. stores have been disappointed to find higher prices at home. "They're doing a better job of getting…

Helpful Hints for HECNA Travelers

HECNA members who travel frequently should check out the following websites for intel and tips on how to be a safer and smarter traveler: Skift is a travel intelligence company that offers news, information, data and services to professionals in the travel industry and professional travelers to help them make smart decisions about travel. Simply put: Skift is the…