Two critical International Housewares Association educational summits, CHESS: Chief Housewares Executive SuperSession and the International Business Council’s Global Forum, will be held in-person this fall along with a new event by the recently formed Housewares Credit Group (HCG). Under the banner Housewares Homecoming, the three events will take place together for the first time, uniting industry alumni, veterans and peers for insights and discussions around the most critical topics facing home + housewares suppliers today.
CHESS and the Global Forum will take place Sept. 22 & 23 at the Westin Hotel in Rosemont, Ill., near O’Hare Airport. The HCG meeting will be held Sept. 21 at IHA’s offices in Rosemont and with a hybrid virtual option.
CHESS
CHESS is IHA’s strategic and networking event for industry leaders. It is designed for chief officers of all IHA member companies and their top decision-makers and features sessions on critical issues affecting housewares, this year including an economic outlook discussing the markets and mid-term elections; e-commerce brand control; consumer valuation; optimizing physical retail; and creating opportunities on Web 3.0.
Other sessions will include the annual Housewares Hot Seat panel featuring housewares supplier chief executives discussing remaining proactive in a reactive marketplace. The panel will include Luke Peters, president & CEO, NewAir, and Jacob Maurer, CEO, The Americas, The Cookware Company. Peter Giannetti, editor-in-chief, HomePage News, will moderate the session. In addition, The NPD Group will offer a post-Covid playbook for retail and the home industry, and market research and analytics specialists CivicScience will discuss macro consumer trends impacting home goods.
Phillip Neuhart, senior vice president & director of market and economic research at First Citizen’s Bank Wealth Management, will examine current economic and market conditions and share his outlook. Market-driving topics will include Fed policy, inflation, the labor market, consumer spending, economic growth and the mid-term elections.
CHESS is sponsored by Pattern, CIT, Oracle Netsuite and The Lakewood Group.
IBC Global Forum
The Global Forum is the annual meeting of the IBC, a special interest group of IHA members dedicated to global marketing and sales. Sessions are applicable for suppliers new to the international arena or veteran sales executives seeking growth in their global business. They will feature presentations by global retailers and distributors speaking on their markets and best practices for suppliers selling to their firms.
Among the key presentations, Mexican distributor Tendencias y Conceptos will offer insights on the home and housewares market in Mexico. Online retailers Mathon France and Westwing Brazil will discuss how successful suppliers work with their firms to reach their consumers and France and Brazil.
IHA’s global offices and representatives will present the top opportunities for sales in their markets based on current economic conditions, top retailers, and consumer demand. Office and reps attending will represent Brazil, Canada, Colombia, France, India, Mexico, and the UK. Networking sessions will allow attendees to leverage their peers’ knowledge to troubleshoot challenges faced by home + housewares suppliers selling into global markets. In addition, The NPD Group and CHESS sponsor Pattern will lead discussions on global sales insights.
Housewares Credit Group
The Housewares Credit Group is a cooperative effort between IHA and Riemer Plus for IHA member financial executives. Members receive an in-depth look at retailer credit standings to help mitigate risk in their sales portfolios. The Housewares Homecoming event will include a financial analysis led by Reimer Plus of national retailers including At Home, Bed Bath & Beyond, Kohl’s, Tuesday Morning, Wayfair and more; group account discussions including best practices and exchange of account information—all strictly adhering to anti-trust laws; and a presentation on bankruptcy by Brent Weisenberg, senior counsel at Lowenstein Sandler, LLP, explaining everything suppliers need to know before a customer files bankruptcy.
More information on Housewares Homecoming and links to registration for each meeting are available on the event webpage.
