International Home + Housewares Show Changes 2013 Show Hours

After a successful Saturday opening for the 2012 International Home + Housewares Show, in 2013 the show will open at 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 2, and run through 3 p.m. Tuesday, March 5, the International Housewares Association (IHA) announced.

"The decision to adjust the hours slightly was made after a full review of all the buyer scan data and listening to all of our customer segments through surveys, exhibitor and retailer advisory groups and one-to-one conversations," said Phil Brandl, president of the IHA. "Lengthening the 2012 Show to a four-day pattern was extremely well-received by our retail customers. Survey data shows the average length of stay for a buyer increased by almost one-half day."

Exhibitors also appreciated the extra show time. 

"We felt the extra day was a win-win for us," said Bruce Kaminstein, CEO of Casabella Holdings LLC. "We were very busy on Saturday afternoon and did not feel we had a drop-off on Tuesday afternoon. Additionally, the buyers were not as rushed during their visits."

Peter Cameron, CEO of Lenox, said his company also benefited from the extended hours during this year's test. "I found the larger customers seemed far less frantic in their meetings and visits, and that we had much more time to spend with the customers we didn't have relationships with and [to] explore new opportunities. This was particularly helpful with the international buyers, as you have to spend more time with them. No serious industry shows worldwide [are] only three days, so we have aligned ourselves appropriately with the other great shows globally."

Cameron added that the new start time makes sense because there were a lot of buyers queued up and ready to enter the show in the past before the official opening at 12:30 p.m. "But," he warned, "the risk of taking it down at 3 p.m. on Tuesday is something we have to be vigilant about. If the 3 p.m. closing facilitates people getting out of town a day earlier, that's good, but if it means they start to disassemble at 11 a.m., that's not good. That's one area the industry and show management have to watch so that disassembly doesn't happen early."

For more information about the International Home + Housewares Show, and to pre-register for the 2013 show in Chicago, visit www.housewares.org.