Whew – just made it out of Chicago before the real
slipping and sliding started. We had spent the last 3 days there attending the
International Home and Housewares Show and flew out as the blizzard moved in
behind us. Hugged a palm tree when we got back.
The IHHS is a mammoth once a year event held in the
beautiful McCormick Place on Lake Michigan. If you have never been there, it is
the largest convention center in North America with 2.6 million square feet of
exhibit hall in four buildings, and this show fills three of them (North, South
and Lakeside). Soaring 50 foot ceilings, sweeping curves, fountains, even
decent food options – it is by far my favorite show venue. And the IHHS with
over 2100 exhibitors is a pretty impressive show too.
This is a shot of one quarter of the South building from
an elevated restaurant in the middle – just a fraction of the total show.
The Housewares Show is a little different from most
others in that it’s a bit more formal – we have always said it’s a “suit” show.
Literally. The place is awash with men in dark suits because that’s still largely
the nature of the home and housewares business. Casual is the exception. The
exhibitors cover an amazingly wide variety of categories, from the expected
tabletop, cookware and kitchen accessories to appliances, cleaning products, storage,
food vendors, pet products and much more. This show is also THE place to see
new innovative products and beautiful industrial design. It’s everywhere, but I’m
tellin’ ya nothing energizes your creativity like a walk through the High
Design section, the ergonomic OXO displays, or especially the Inventor’s
Corner. The show is a hotbed of smart innovation and it’s contagious – we find
ourselves stopping constantly to discuss and make notes about “what if” ideas
as we walk the aisles. A host of the “As Seen On TV” type companies are hawking
their latest crop of “miracle” products – some of which are actually quite
clever and useful. There is even an area called the “Hall of Global Innovation”
displaying the IHA Innovation Award projects, some winning design student
projects, a Going Green area and the Pantone Color Watch exhibit with 9 large
panels of color and inspiration matched up to actual products found on the show
floor.
So much great information, so little brainspace...
Lots of candy colors in evidence, many shades of pink and
green, a lot of yellow
Licensing is a big part of the home and housewares
business. Most of the time the
licensor/licensee matchup makes sense, but once in a while you just shake your
head and wonder “who thought THAT was a good idea?” Art, product design, celebrity, entertainment
and brands all find their way into and onto products. Most artists in licensing
tend to limit their thinking to the “onto” part of that equation, but it can be
a lot bigger than that. There is unlimited licensing opportunity for someone
who can not just make something LOOK better but can make it WORK better. A new
shape, a better widget, a new twist on an old concept… artists are uniquely well
suited to master these creative tasks, and you can teach and train yourself to
get better at it. Work on your product development skills, beef up your
creative chops, become good at seeing what others don’t and you can write your
own ticket in the business.
Thank you very much for the fun tour and the great info about this show Jim. I haven't seen it yet but your post inspired me to further look into it; although I am new to this business, I can totally see what your saying about developing top-notch skills at product development. I started to truly believe that's the real ticket!
ReplyDeleteChicago in March - Brrr! Speaking of match-ups that leave you scratching your head... the other day I saw a set of cooking knives in Tuesday Morning bearing the name Isaac Mizrahi. Really??
ReplyDeleteHey Beej. It is just plain silly sometimes, some more of my favorites:
DeletePaula Deen mattresses, Trump for bedding, "The Good Wife" furniture, the "True Blood" cookbook, "Revenge" for apparel, jewelry, perfume, food and games, and Tide for dry cleaners. Thankfully most of the out-there matchups seem to disappear pretty quickly - as they should.
I guess some consumers buy into that? To me, when a "celebrity" puts their name on something that makes no sense with "their brand", it just appears like they're going for the quick buck-grab. And that feels kinda...I dunno...cheap & slimy?
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