lifestyles and to find ways to inspire them to purchase products that
complement those lifestyles."
The 2019 Show began early on Friday, March 1 with an inaugural
"The Inspired Home Influencer Conference," bringing more than 145
high-quality social media influencers and bloggers to McCormick
Place for educational sessions and speed-dating with more than 100
exhibitors. The influencers then stayed for the show and were
impressed with the brands they could partner with to bring product
information to the consumer.
The focus on smart and connected products continued to grow
with expansion of the IHA Smart Home Pavilion; three days of
educational programming at the Smart Talks stage; and the addition of
a display by b8ta, a "retail as a service" model designed to bring
emerging technologies to market by making physical retail accessible
to everyone. Sessions in the Smart Talks stage were video recorded
and will be posted on IHA's website at www.Housewares.org/
education/video.
The specialty beverage movement was spotlighted in the Trending
Today Preview before the show opened on Saturday morning and in a
special booth in the Wired + Well Expo. "A Celebration of Coffee"
featured coffee-making products and accessories from exhibitors
along with demonstrations and educational sessions from Counter
Culture and the Specialty Coffee Association.
"We are moving into a consumer-centric period of retail," said Tom
Mirabile, IHA's consumer trend expert during his keynote on the top
trends for 2019. "At the end of the day, it's all about what the
