IHA Education Webinar Series, May 25 – June 4

ROSEMONT, IL (May 22, 2020) – A special program for independent retailers, an update on the next normal for consumer thinking and best practices for returning to work after COVID-19 are topics of upcoming webinars in the ongoing virtual education series developed by the International Housewares Association.

Educational sessions planned for the Innovation Theater and Smart Talks stage at The Inspired Home Show 2020 are being presented as free webinars for the industry over the next few months. Most programs will begin at 12 p.m. CDT.

Here are the webinars set for the weeks of May 25 and June 1:

• Tuesday, May 26, “The FASTR Formula: A New Strategy for Success and Growth in a Changing Marketplace.” In a session focused specifically for independent retailers, Tom Mirabile, principal and founder of the trend services firm Springboard Futures and consumer trend forecaster for IHA, will explore the core drivers of consumer engagement and retention. He will look beyond the markups and margins, forecasts and fixturing, competitors and calendars and reveal the essential, adoptable behaviors and attitudes that are at the core of today’s most successful retailers and service providers.  Surveying the landscape of successful businesses and brands, Mirabile has found they share certain characteristics and behaviors, creating a roadmap he calls the FASTR Guide to Relevance and Success: F—Flexible, A—Aspirational, S—Simple, T—Trustworthy, R—Reactive. Register for the webinar here.
• Wednesday, May 27, “How A Successful User Experience Can Turn Your Product Into An Integral Kitchen Tool” by Jane Freiman, founder of Smart Kitchen Insights Group. The success rate of first-time use of a product by a consumer will drive brand satisfaction and will set the product up to be an integral tool in the consumer’s kitchen, resulting in driving brand loyalty. Knowing your target consumers and their kitchen realities is the foundation of this success. In this presentation, Freiman will explain how product suppliers can understand their target’s kitchen reality, the key principles of product testing and how to make sure they have product directions that will ensure a successful user experience. Register for this webinar here.
• Wednesday, June 3, “Best Practices for Returning to Work Legally and Effectively After COVID-19” by Edwin G. Foulke, Jr., attorney, Fisher & Phillips LLP. The Trump Administration and many state governors have started the process for many employers to reopen their businesses. Employers need to be ready to address safety and health as well as employment issues concerning a post-pandemic workplace, including understanding and addressing a number of federal and state requirements to reopen and resume operations. Employers’ business guidance and legal requirements are changing rapidly. This webinar will discuss what changes need to be implemented and how employers must be ready for these in the coming weeks. Register for this webinar here.
• Thursday, June 4, “2020 Vision: A New Focus on the Now & Envisioning the Next Normal—The Realities and Mindsets Mapping the Road to 2030.” In this new session, Tom Mirabile provides an update to his Show keynote address given changes presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. In this recovering and reinventing atmosphere, consumers have never been more diverse, demanding or complex. Influence (and affluence) are shared across four generations with distinctly different desires and expectations. More importantly, the next decade promises dramatic changes in both the shape and composition of the home environment, creating an enduring surge in demand for new solutions and innovations. Mirabile’s original keynote presentation is available on TheInspiredHomeShow.com. Register for this webinar here.

Several Innovation Theater and Smart Talks programs are already posted on the Show’s website at TheInspiredHomeShow.com/education and can be viewed at any time. A schedule of upcoming webinars is available on the Show website homepage at TheInspiredHomeShow.com. All webinars will be posted on the website after airing.

In addition to the educational sessions, photo galleries for the New Product Showcase, Trending Today Preview, Inventors’ Corner exhibitors and the IHA Global Innovation Awards for Product Design are posted on TheInspiredHomeShow.com. To learn about new products that were to be at the Show, visit the Show’s online directory, Housewares Connect 365 at Housewares.org/housewaresconnect365, and select “Featured New Products for Media & Buyers.”