The Inspired Home Show 2025 wrapped up last week, uniting the global home and housewares industry for an exciting three-day event at Chicago’s McCormick Place. With 2,000 brands and 300,000 products on display, attendees from 115 countries gathered to connect, explore emerging trends, and discover cutting-edge innovations that will shape the year ahead.

A Premier Marketplace for Industry Leaders

The Show attracted top executives from leading U.S. and international retailers, including Walmart, Amazon, Home Depot, Costco, and Carrefour. Their engagement with exhibitors reinforced the Show’s role as the go-to marketplace for the latest in home and housewares.

New Features and Expanded Categories

This year’s event introduced several new and expanded product showcases, adding even more value for attendees:

• Travel Gear + Luggage Expo – Highlighting innovations in travel essentials
• Candle and Pet Products Pavilions – Featuring growing consumer categories
• Expanded Debut Incubator – Showcasing emerging brands and first-time exhibitors

Industry Insights and Innovation

Beyond product discovery, The Inspired Home Show 2025 delivered critical business insights through its Keynote and Innovation Theater sessions. Discussions covered pressing industry topics, including:

• Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its role in home and housewares
• PFAS legislation and regulatory changes
• Evolving consumer trends shaping purchasing decisions

Looking Ahead to 2026

Building on this year’s success, The Inspired Home Show 2026 will introduce a new mid-week schedule, running March 10-12. This shift aims to optimize business opportunities and streamline event logistics, ensuring another impactful year for the industry.

Learn more at https://www.housewares.org/2025-show-yields-positive-results/

The Inspired Home Show® 2025 will feature a robust education program designed to equip industry professionals with cutting-edge insights. From shifting consumer behavior to AI-driven supply chains, the sessions will explore key trends shaping the home and housewares market.

Keynote Highlights

The Show’s four keynote sessions, held March 2-3, will provide big-picture strategies from top industry leaders:

• Lessons from the Front Lines (March 2, 10 a.m.) – Retail leader Jeff Evans shares insights on winning in today’s competitive retail landscape.

• Thinking Outside the Box (March 2, 1 p.m.) – Circana’s Joe Derochowski explores growth opportunities through cross-industry insights from beauty, tech, food, and more.

• The 2025 Home and Living Survey (March 3, 10 a.m.) – Springboard Futures’ Tom Mirabile unveils key findings on consumer lifestyles and purchasing behaviors.

• Color & Design Future Trends: Welcome Home (March 3, 1 p.m.) – Pantone’s Leatrice Eiseman shares 2025 and beyond color and design trends.

Keynotes take place in the South Building, Room S102.

Inspiration Theater Sessions

Running all three days in Room S101A, these sessions will dive deeper into industry-specific trends, covering:

• Consumer lifestyle shifts, including pet and food trends

• Retail opportunities, from online marketplaces to omnichannel growth

• Business strategies, such as brand licensing and cross-industry collaboration

• Emerging topics, including AI, supply chain tech, and PFAS legislation

With free access for all Show participants, these sessions offer valuable insights to stay ahead in a rapidly evolving market.

For full details, visit: https://theinspiredhomeshow.com/education/

The International Housewares Association (IHA) has announced the seventy finalists for the 2025 IHA Global Innovation Awards (gia) for Excellence in Product Design. This prestigious annual program honors the most innovative and thoughtfully designed products in the home and housewares industry.

“We’re pleased to recognize these innovative brands and offer another platform to elevate creative new products for the home,” said Derek Miller, IHA president and CEO. “Product innovation has always been—and always will be—key to driving industry growth.”

Next Steps for the Finalists

Each finalist—five in each of 14 categories—will advance to a second round of judging just before The Inspired Home Show® 2025. During the Show, these products will be prominently featured:

• A special gia display in the Hall of Global Innovation (Grand Concourse Lobby of the North Building)
• The New Product Showcases, located in the Buyers Clubs in the North and South Halls

On Sunday, March 2, the 14 Global Honorees—one in each category—will be announced at an invitation-only gia dinner.

Industry Experts Lead the Judging Panel

Entries were judged by an independent panel of industry experts, including designers, media, retailers, and buyers from Cooks Warehouse, Dillard’s, Divertimenti, Friedman Design, HTI Buying Group, In The Kitchen, Leon & Lulu, the National Building Museum, Nebraska Furniture Mart, Pampered Chef, Quality Products, Sign of the Bear, Toque Blanche, and Yestis.

Explore the Finalists

View the full list of 2025 gia Product Design finalists here:
🔗 theinspiredhomeshow.com/awards/gia-product/

Buyer attendees from more than 100 countries are set to join more than 1,600 exhibiting companies at The Inspired Home Show, March 2-4 in Chicago.

High-Level Retail Participation

A wide array of senior-level retail executives, DMMs, GMMs, and buyers from major retailers around the world are registered for the Show. Learn more.

Strategic Meetings and Industry Impact

“The Inspired Home Show is known for strong top-to-top meetings between key decision-makers from the world’s leading home and housewares suppliers and influential retailers,” said Derek Miller, IHA president & CEO. “Senior managers from both the supplier and buyer sides constantly tell us how beneficial it is to be able to have so many strategic meetings in just three days and all under one roof.”

A Hub for Product Discovery and Innovation

The Show is a key platform for buyers to discover new and innovative products, which will be especially important for growth in the year ahead, Miller said. More than 10,000 new products were introduced at last year’s Show, and that number is expected to increase at this year’s event.

New Expo and Pavilions for 2025

Buyers will be able to take advantage of a new Expo and new Pavilions in 2025, allowing them to source even more products and make new connections with suppliers. These include:

• The Travel Gear + Luggage Expo – Highlighting an array of travel-related exhibitors with market-leading companies and brands.
• The Candle Pavilion – Created in partnership with the National Candle Association to capitalize on the growing popularity of candles for gifting and beyond.
• The Pet Product Pavilion – Created in partnership with the American Pet Products Association to assist buyers looking for giftable pet products.

Additional Show Features

The Show also offers extensive educational programming, networking events, curated product displays, trend insights, the IHA Global Innovation Award (gia) program, and the Housewares Charity Foundation Gala, which benefits the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and other worthy causes.

Stay Updated with Connect 365

More information on exhibitors, brands, and products at the Show can be found on Connect 365, IHA’s digital marketplace. Content is being updated and added daily.

The Inspired Home Show and the International Housewares Association (IHA) announced 31 retailers from 30 countries as the national gia (Global Innovation Awards) winners for 2024/2025.

Celebrating 25 Years of Innovation

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the gia program, which was launched in 2000 by IHA and The Inspired Home Show to foster innovation and excellence in home and housewares retailing throughout the world. Some 600 gia retail award winners from 57 countries on six continents have been honored since the launch of the gia program.

This year’s awards program includes winning national retailers from new gia countries Mauritius and Uzbekistan. View the 2024-2025 national gia winners.

Recognizing Excellence in Retail

The gia competition is structured on a two-tier level, national and global, to honor independent and multiple-location home and housewares retailers for excellence in several business categories:

• Overall mission statement, vision, and strategy
• Store design and layout
• Visual merchandising, displays, and window displays
• Marketing, advertising, and promotions
• Customer service and staff training
• Innovation

Global Recognition at The Inspired Home Show

Each national gia winner is invited to The Inspired Home Show in Chicago. The global gia jury, consisting of four experts representing Asia, Europe, and the Americas—plus a rotating group of co-sponsoring trade publication editors from around the world—will select up to five gia Global Honorees. Additionally, the jury will name winners for:

• The Martin M. Pegler Award for Excellence in Visual Merchandising
• The gia Digital Commerce Award for Excellence in Online Retailing

The global gia jury includes:

• Wolfgang Gruschwitz – Head of Gruschwitz GmbH in Munich, Germany
• Scott Kohno – CEO of EJL Entertainment and owner of The Retail Element in Los Angeles
• Henrik Peter Reisby Nielsen – CEO and founder of Reisby Consult in Roskilde, Denmark
• Anne Kong – Professor and program coordinator for the Spatial Experience Design Program at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City

Awards Dinner and Special Display

National gia winners will be honored at a festive awards dinner on Sunday, March 2, during The Inspired Home Show. The gia Global Honorees and winners of the Martin M. Pegler and gia Digital Commerce Awards will be announced during the awards dinner. Additionally, the national winners will be featured in a special display at the Show.

Educational Opportunities at The Inspired Home Show

The gia program is part of a larger education initiative that includes seminars by retail experts, columns in international housewares publications, and educational sessions at events in sponsors’ home countries.

As part of gia’s educational offering, on Monday, March 3, three gia Expert Jurors will present a special session in the Show’s Inspiration Theater. The session, titled “The Exciting Retail Experience – A Digital Evolution with AI and Human-Centric Values,” will examine how human values and sensory experiences will restore meaning, trust, and connection to physical retail spaces, even as AI and digital innovations redefine retail convenience.

Members of the home and housewares community are uniting to help residents affected by the recent wildfires in Southern California. Since January 7, 2025, 57,529 acres have burned, 28 fatalities have been recorded and 16,255 structures have been destroyed, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Thousands have lost their homes, creating a unique opportunity for the home and housewares industry to take action.

“In the wake of the awful devastation of these fires, it’s been heartening to learn of so many organizations eager to help the thousands of people in need,” said Derek Miller, president & CEO of the International Housewares Association (IHA). “The Housewares Charity Foundation (HCF) has already made a donation to World Central Kitchen to help them feed first responders and evacuees, and IHA and HCF are pleased to partner with Good360 to leverage the generosity of the housewares industry and support long-term disaster relief efforts.”

Good360
Good360 is a not-for-profit organization that partners with socially responsible companies to source highly needed donated goods and distribute them through its diverse network of more than 100,000 vetted nonprofits. IHA previously partnered with Good360 in response and recovery efforts  following Hurricanes Helena and Milton in the Southeast U.S. last year.

Good360 has already raised more than $400,000 to support relief efforts in Southern California and has distributed more than $2 million worth of immediately requested products, such as diapers, hygiene products and PPE.

“Our donor network is the lynchpin of our ability to give communities hope, and a prosperous future,” said Peyton Kliewer, director of disaster recovery for Good360. “What Good360 does is only possible thanks to Good360’s unique position between nonprofits/agencies active on the ground and corporate partners/foundations who want to help.”

According to Good360, cash donations are the most useful for Southern California relief right now as they allow the organization to secure warehouses, resources and data needed for a multi-year recovery effort. Donations can be made at https://good360.org/corporate-funds/.

Housewares companies can also donate products at any time, year-round. There are no charges or fees to donate; donor shipping is appreciated but not required. Those with questions about donating product can contact Peyton Kliewer at peyton@good360.org.

World Central Kitchen
As fires were first breaking out, HCF took action to assist first responders and those evacuated from their homes. HCF made a donation of $50,000 to World Central Kitchen (WCK), a not-for-profit organization that provides hot meals to people in crisis due to humanitarian, climate or community events.

At the height of the fires, WCK had over 50 meal distribution sites across Southern California and has served over 415,000 meals to date. Those meals were provided in partnership with WCK’s Chef Corps members, restaurant and food trucks, and local volunteers.

WCK is one of the charitable organizations previously selected as a beneficiary of the upcoming Housewares Cares Gala. This dinner, to be held March 2 during The Inspired Home Show® 2025, will benefit the Breast Cancer Research Foundation—HCF’s legacy charity, as well as the James Beard Foundation, Feeding America and WCK.  Information on attending the charity dinner or making a donation can be found on the HCF website at https://www.housewarescharity.org.

When The Inspired Home Show® opens in just six weeks, attendees will be greeted by over 1,600 exhibitors including more than 250 new and returning exhibitors and a diverse array of long-time market leaders, up-and-coming companies and entrepreneurs. The Show brings the home and housewares industry together in a dynamic environment to explore new products, new insights and countless opportunities to strengthen partnerships and build connections.

“As we celebrate this 125^th edition of The Inspired Home Show, our focus continues to be on the future,” said Derek Miller, president & CEO of the International Housewares Association (IHA), which hosts the Show. “We’re constantly working with exhibitors, buyers and retailers to evolve and shape a Show that suits their changing needs and helps set them up for success.”

New and Returning Brands and Exhibitors
Brands and exhibitors that are new to the Show or returning after a brief absence include:

• Pyrex and Snapware brands (exhibiting in the 1880 booth)
• Corelle and Corningware (exhibiting in the Anchor Hocking Co. booth, doubling its footprint)
• Anova Culinary
• Arovo
• Bodum USA, Inc.
• Bormioli Luigi Corporation
• iDesign
• Hampton Forge, Cambridge Silversmiths and Oneida brands (exhibiting in the Lenox booth)
• Regal Ware Inc.
• Trudeau Corporation
• Wilton Brands, Inc.
• Cirkul Inc.
• Peugeot Smart Living
• Dualit
• Fresco
• Nuwave
• Vacane Home Concepts
• Azzure Home
• WeatherTech

“Anchor Hocking will be showcasing our newly acquired brands, Corelle and Corningware, at the upcoming Inspired Home Show,” said Mark Eichhorn, CEO of Anchor Hocking Co. “Our customers’ Show participation these last two years has been outstanding, and we are anticipating the 2025 Show to be another great event.”

“We are thrilled to be back at this year’s Show,” said Declan O’Leary, president of Wilton. “This year marks so many exciting new endeavors that Wilton will showcase to attendees, including a redesign of our branding, a lineup of innovative new products and the introduction of our Wilton Sweet Studio that features world-class baking and decorating classes. From novice beginners to culinary artists, we intend to partner with our retail customers to inspire a new generation of bakers and decorators through trusted products, creative ideas and education.”

“We are excited to be back in Chicago after our last appearance in 2019,” said David Sereni, president & CEO of Bormioli Luigi Corporation. “For us, this Show had always been very productive, with many customers attending. Then we had COVID, and it was not clear the trend for trade shows. After walking The Inspired Home Show last year, as well as seeing the long list of attendees, we decided to come back in 2025. Our impression is that buyers and business executives are back to the shows to see novelties and products, and we are looking forward to many meaningful meetings.”

“The Inspired Home Show is the optimal platform to showcase our iconic and category leading brands and to excite and delight our customers with the innovative products we plan to bring into the market,” said Klara Pithyou, VP of brand & product development at 1880 Retail, the makers of the Pyrex and Snapware brands.

Other Returning Market Leaders
Other exhibitors returning this year include market leaders such as:

• madesmart
• Brillo/Armaly Brands
• Sterilite Corporation
• Umbra
• Whitmor
• Scrub Daddy
• Dash
• Handi-Foil
• Le Creuset of America
• Lodge Mfg.
• Newell Brands
• Core Home
• Brabantia
• Prepara
• CE North America
• Nordic Ware
• The Cookware Company
• Progressive International Corp.
• Evriholder Products, LLC
• Vasconia/Ekco
• Gibson Homewares
• Lifetime Brands
• Cuisinart
• Gourmia
• Select Brands
• Telebrands

A  sampling of familiar brands and products that will be found in manufacturer and/or licensee booths include:

• Hamilton Beach in Aramco Imports, Inc. and Curtis International
• Betty Crocker and Black + Decker in Equity Brands
• Kenmore and Mr. Coffee in Gibson Homewares
• Chef’n, Farberware, KitchenAid and S’well in Lifetime Brands
• Calphalon and Rubbermaid in Newell Brands
• Baker’s Secret in RL Industry Company
• Toastmaster in Select Brands
• GreenPan in The Cookware Company
• Bundt in Nordic Ware
• Guzzini and Crushgrind in Ossipee Management Group
• Zyliss, Cole & Mason, Ad Hoc and Ken Hom in DKB

New Expos and Pavilions
Additions to the 2025 Show include the debut of the Travel Gear + Luggage Expo, highlighting an array of travel-related exhibitors, including the following market-leading companies:

• Bugatti Group Inc with brands: Reebok, Swiss Mobility, Rolling Stones
• Dejuno
• Heritage Travelware with brands: Kenneth Cole Reaction, Ben Sherman
• Olympia International
• Ricardo Beverly Hills
• Travelers Club Luggage
• Travelon

The Show will also feature the new Candle Pavilion—created in partnership with the National Candle Association, and the Pet Product Pavilion—created in partnership with the American Pet Products Association.

The Debut incubator area, which features emerging home and housewares companies and smaller new-to-the-Show exhibitors, will double in size. Global Design Points will feature country-specific pavilions that offer a look into emerging trends; Hong Kong, Turkey and Brazil are among the countries that will be represented.

More complete information on exhibitors, brands and products can be found online at the Show’s Connect 365 website. Content is being updated and added daily with full details available shortly before the Show opens on March 2.

Recent efforts to accommodate the evolving needs of participants include adjusting the Show’s footprint in 2024 so attendees can more easily navigate the McCormick Place Complex, as well as consolidating Show hours into three full days.

For more information about the 2025 Show and to register for a Show badge, please visit TheInspiredHomeShow.com.

The International Housewares Association (IHA) today announced that The Inspired Home Show® 2026 will shift to a new mid-week pattern after surveying participants for the best scenario to meet their needs. The 2026 Show will now run Tuesday, March 10–Thursday, March 12, rather than the Sunday–Tuesday pattern that the upcoming 2025 Show will follow.

“The decision to move the Show to a Tuesday–Thursday schedule was made after polling the industry and having conversations with key constituents to determine the most desirable day pattern,” said IHA President & CEO Derek Miller. “It was clear that there has been a shift in our culture and workforce that directly impacts when we must come to market.”

The evolution to the Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday pattern best positions The Inspired Home Show to meet the industry’s evolving needs and expectations. The Inspired Home Show 2025 will keep the Sunday–Tuesday pattern, running Sunday, March 2–Tuesday, March 4. Dates for the following three years are:

• March 10–12, 2026
• March 9–11, 2027
• March 7–9, 2028

This shift in dates is the result of key strategic decisions to evolve IHA and The Inspired Home Show. Stats from polling showed that 68% of exhibitors and 84% of key retailers desired the shift or found it acceptable.

Other recent efforts to accommodate the evolving needs of participants include unifying The Inspired Home Show into two buildings and changing from a four-day to a three-day pattern during the 2024 Show. An earlier, advanced registration process was new for the 2025 Show, along with the debut of the Travel Gear + Luggage Expo, the Candle Pavilion, created in partnership with the National Candle Association, and the Pet Products Pavilion, created in partnership with the American Pet Products Association.

Each of these new developments helps to evolve and shape The Inspired Home Show into an even more valuable marketplace for exhibitors, buyers and retailers.

Pet product suppliers looking to expand their retail customer base have a new resource with The Inspired Home Show®. The 2025 Show will feature a Pet Products Pavilion, curating collections exclusively from members of the American Pet Products Association (APPA). The pavilion is a partnership between the International Housewares Association (IHA), which owns and operates the Show, and APPA.

The Inspired Home Show 2025 will be held March 2-4 at Chicago’s McCormick Place Complex. The Show, which will be the 125^th Show held since 1939, will feature thousands of home and housewares brands in five expos throughout the North and South buildings.

“Gift and specialty retailers specifically are looking for trade events that offer a wide assortment of brands and products, and pet product suppliers are looking for access to those buyers—both can be found at The Inspired Home Show,” said Derek Miller, IHA president & CEO. “GMMs, DMMs, buyers and distributors from more than 125 countries attend the Show each year, making it one of the leading trade shows in the world.”

“We are pleased to be partnering with IHA to create an unprecedented Pet Products Pavilion at The Inspired Home Show,” said Peter Scott, president & CEO of APPA. “This prestigious event attracts an impressive audience of retail industry leaders and decision-makers, providing an unparalleled opportunity for APPA members to showcase their exceptional offerings. The popularity of pet products found within gift and specialty stores continues to grow, and this collaboration allows our members and retail partners to develop transformative relationships.”

The Pet Products Pavilion will be located in the South building near other destinations created for gift & specialty retailers to find new and innovative products. It offers exhibitors a turnkey kiosk opportunity exclusively for APPA members to reach decision-makers with a high-visibility, cost-effective package. Along with the kiosk materials, the package includes IHA membership for one year and marketing assistance including pre-Show marketing & promotion; year-round Connect 365 listing; and buyer and news media lists provided post-Show. Pavilion participants also will be able to take advantage of additional product placement opportunities at the Show, including a New Exhibitor Preview Gallery, New Product Showcase, gia Excellence in Product Design Awards, News Center product display and the Pantone® ColorWatch display.

Exhibiting at The Inspired Home Show will provide pet product suppliers with unparalleled access to quality buyers, Miller said. Based on data from 2024 Show buyer registrations, 92% of verified retail attendees have purchasing power, and 92% of verified retailers are buyers or executives. With so much buying power walking the Show, 83% of 2024 Show exhibitors said they expected to receive new business as a result of their participation.

Suppliers interested in exhibiting in the Pet Products Pavilion should contact IHA sales manager Joe Clark at jclark@housewares.org or Diane Tiberio, APPA vice president of membership and business development, at dtiberio@americanpetproducts.org.  Additional information can also be found on the Show and APPA websites at TheInspiredHomeShow.com or AmericanPetProducts.org