The direction of the tableware industry in 2024, an update on PFAS regulations in housewares, how The Lacey Act affects the housewares supply chain and why retailer replenishment systems don’t work are strategic business topics that will be discussed in the Inspiration Theater at The Inspired Home Show 2024, Sunday to Tuesday, March 17-19 at Chicago’s McCormick Place Complex.
Through 14 sessions over the course of the Show, the Inspiration Theater will explore such topics as omni-channel marketing strategies, supply chain insights; intellectual property law; merchandising best practices and global consumer and retail trends. Sessions are open to all Show attendees and exhibitors. The Inspiration Theater continues its commitment of bringing relevant, topical and actionable content to the Show at a time when the housewares industry wants and needs such information, direction and inspiration. With the Show’s consolidation to the North and South buildings, the theater is now located in Room S101a in the South Building.
Sessions begin each day at 9 a.m. and run until 4 p.m., with breaks at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. for the Keynote sessions.
Four programs in the lineup focus on strategic business insights.
- Tableware 2024: Where is the Business Going? Laurie Burns, Burns Consulting; Paul Yeomans, Tableware International; Martha Nading, The Extra Ingredient, Sunday, March 17, 12:10 p.m.—This session will explore what is happening in the tableware industry–who are the leaders; where and how it is being sold; and what are the shifts and opportunities for suppliers. On the retail side, discussion will include how retailers are buying product, what they are buying, what is selling now and how vendors can work with them in this fast-paced changing world as the next generation moves into needing and purchasing this category.
- PFAS Regulatory Update for the Housewares Industry, Fran Groesbeck, The Cookware and Bakeware Alliance; Tom Lee, BCLP Law; Tobias Gerfin, Kuhn Rikon AG, Monday, March 18, 12:10 p.m. – This update on PFAS regulation and what the housewares industry needs to know will explain the latest legislative requirements related to PFAS and how housewares suppliers need to adapt.
- The Lacey Act & The Home & Housewares Business, Ashley Amidon, International Wood Products Association; Craig Brightup, Rafe Morrissey, IHA Government Affairs Office,Monday, 3:10 p.m. – The Lacey Act makes it unlawful to “import, export, transport, sell, receive, acquire, or purchase in interstate or foreign commerce any plant, with some limited exceptions, taken or traded in violation of the laws of the United States, a U.S. State, or a foreign country.” In this session, learn how the Lacey Act applies to the housewares supply chain, and about new federal Declaration paperwork requirements that will soon be required for every imported product using wood, including kitchen tools, tableware and serveware, cutting boards, spice mills, baskets, cloth, bamboo products, cork, essential oils and olive oil. Lacey covers everyone in the supply chain. Whether you are an importer of record or simply using imported wood inputs in a finished product, this session will explain the information you need today to prepare your compliance program for the Declaration later this year. Not sure if the Lacey Act applies to your company? If you’re using imported wood, it does! Also in this session, representatives from IHA’s government affairs office will share updates on other key regulatory issues impacting the home and housewares industry.
- Retailer Replenishment Systems Don’t Work: Why You Need to Mine Your Retailers’ Point-of-Sale Data for Growth, Doug Murless, Krunchbox Inc., Tuesday, March 19, 1:10 p.m. – Known as the “Point-of-Sale Data Guy,” Murless will expose the flaws in traditional retailer replenishment systems that annually cost brands thousands of dollars in lost sales. Uncover the game-changing potential of mining retailers’ point-of-sale data to reclaim these losses. This presentation doesn’t just highlight replenishment system flaws, such as phantom inventory, misallocated stock, dropped product/store combinations, etc., it will provide actionable ideas and concepts suppliers can implement to secure newfound orders and uncover the profitable nuggets of gold within their retailer’s point-of-sale data. Learn how leveraging point-of-sale data strategies can significantly boost a bottom line.
The Inspiration Theater lineup is available on the Show’s Full Schedule.