The International Housewares Association (IHA) held the 125th edition of its tentpole annual event, the Inspired Home Show (IHS), March 2-4. As it has since its inception, the housewares trade show—the largest of its kind in North America—took place in Chicago, at McCormick Place. 

“We’ve enjoyed a long history in Chicago,” IHA's president and CEO Derek Miller said of IHS, which was rebranded from the International Home + Housewares Show in 2019. “As of now, we’ve got dates protected at McCormick Place through 2030,” he told TSNN, noting that the show has grown along with Chicago’s venue space from its first years at the Palmer House Hotel, then to Chicago’s International Ampitheater, Navy Pier and, ultimately, the Windy City’s 2.6 million-square-foot convention center in 1961. 

In honor of the show’s impressive anniversary this year, some 30,000 attendees from 100-plus countries were treated to an immersive display in the Grand Concourse Lobby that included a video highlighting the Show’s evolution through the decades. Elsewhere in McCormick's Place North and South Halls was a roughly 1.5 million-sq.-ft. exhibitor space featuring more than 2,000 unique brands and more than 300,000 products, Miller said.  

Of those exhibitors, upwards of 200 “were new or returning after a brief absence,” Miller said, noting that IHA has made a concerted effort to incentivize its members to sign up for booth space early. “In 2024, we began providing advanced and early applications to allow exhibitors to obtain discounted rates and prime booth locations,” he added. 

And though 125 years of IHS means the event has “a strong history and a solid foundation to build on,” Miller said that “as an association, we have to be willing to make adjustments.” This was evident in the addition of show features that “gave attendees access to an expanded array of industry-related products which are especially in demand for buyers attending the Show,” he said. 

Among the new show features at IHS 2025 was the Travel Gear & Luggage Expo—created in response to an uptick in travel, and resulting rising consumer demands for high-quality travel gear—that highlighted an array of travel-related exhibitors.  

The Candle Pavilion also made its debut in partnership with the National Candle Association as the leading candle authority sought to capitalize on the popularity of candles for gift-giving and beyond. 

In addition, the American Pet Products Association was behind IHS’s all-new Pet Product Pavillion, which showcased giftable pet products. In all, Miller said that the IHA estimated that more than 20,000 new products were featured at this year’s show. 

And though not entirely new to the 2025 show, IHS’s “Debut” section—which Miller described as "an incubator area featuring up-and-coming home and housewares companies and smaller new-to-the-Show exhibitors”—expanded this year. The area was surrounded by live musicians who played instruments throughout the exhibitor floor in celebration of the IHS’s milestone year. 

Meanwhile, the “Inspiration Theater” was home to a robust education program that included four keynote sessions and general sessions courtesy of subject-matter experts, where trending topics included “AI, PFAS legislation, licensing, supply chain, intellectual property law, omni-channel marketing strategies, merchandising, and more,” Miller shared. 

Come nightfall, a Networking After Dark event primed attendees for, well, networking with the help of a selfie wall that encouraged eventgoers to send in their favorite snaps from the evening. Other networking opportunities took the form of receptions catered specifically to young professionals, senior-level women, and independent retailers. 

The IHA already has its sight sets on IHS 2026, which is slated for March 10-12, 2026. Miller noted that the show is moving to a weekday pattern (IHS 2025 took place Sunday-Tuesday, while the 2026 edition will happen Tuesday-Thursday). 

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