Winter Markets Blow into the Windy City

From a Housewares Odyssey to a Garden Walk, Chicago presents a market with something for everyone.

Edited by Matthew Kalash -- Gifts & Decorative Accessories, 1/1/2001

In January, the wind in Chicago will gust and bluster-but that won't stop the city's winter markets from presenting a hot selection of events, seminars, and product premiers to get you thinking of the warm summer days ahead. The 2001 International Housewares Show, January 14-17, at McCormick Place, offers a full schedule of speakers and exhibits, including three new product design displays. The Chicago Gift & Home Market, produced by Merchandise Mart Properties Inc. (MMPI), presents for the second time what organizers call "the most comprehensive gift market in the Midwest," consolidating the Gift & Home Market, the Chicago Gift Show, and Beckman's Handcrafted Gift Show under the banner of MMPI.

Chicago gift & home market

MMPI's Chicago Gift & Home Market returns to the Chicago Merchandise Mart, January 24-30, featuring 300 permanent showrooms and 1,600 temporary market suites. Exhibitors will showcase more than 10,000 lines of merchandise in categories including general gift, accent furnishings, tabletop, stationery, collectibles, holiday, gourmet foods, floral, garden, linens, bath and body, apparel, plush, children's giftware and products, and handcrafted products. Once again, Beckman's Handcrafted Gift Show will be included in the Gift & Home Market, making its home on floor 2 of the Mart, and the Chicago Gift Show, floor 8, will also be under the umbrella of the unified market this winter. Other sections and locations include: Permanent showrooms, floors 12-15; General Gift temporaries, floor 8; Garden Walk temporaries, floor 8; and At Home temporaries, floor 12. Buyer amenities such as free registration, free shuttle service to designated hotels and parking facilities, coat and luggage check, concierge service, and food service will also be provided during the market. For information on discounted airfare and hotel rates, call Mart Center Travel at (800) 528-8700.

MARKET HIGHLIGHTS

Garden Walk, a new section in the eighth floor market suites of the Mart, debuts at the January market. This new section will focus exclusively on garden accessories, permanent botanicals and floral, statuary, fountains, and other indoor/outdoor decor. Several special events will highlight the opening of the Garden Walk section. The Gardens of the Magnificent Mile Gallery will feature award-winning displays from some of the best gardens along Chicago's famous Michigan Ave., January 27-30, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Cocktails in the Garden, January 27, from 3-5 p.m., offers buyers a chance to take in the scenery while enjoying food and drinks, as well as prizes and drawings. Talmage McLaurin will present a special seminar entitled The Magnificent Imposters, demonstrating the techniques buyers must utilize to recreate the beauty of the Gardens of the Magnificent Mile, Sunday, January 28, from 1-2 p.m., in suite 800.

The Starting Gate, in the North Lobby on floor 1 of the Mart, is designed to give attendees an overview of the hot new trends and products they can expect to find at the market. This exhibit will replace the Concept Store, and will be open January 24-30, from 9 a.m.-6 p.m.

Beckman's Handcrafted Gallery will debut as a new product gallery, displaying the latest in traditional and contemporary handcrafted items, January 27-29, from 9 a.m.-6 p.m., and January 30, from 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Lunch Is on Us offers complimentary pizza and hotdogs on the permanent showroom floors 12-15, Saturday, January 27, at noon.

Temporary Treasures, in market suites on floors 2, 8, and 12, lets buyers enjoy Dove Bars while perusing the temporary exhibits. Coupons will be passed out with badges at the registration desk.

Celebrate 'til Eight on Saturday, January 27, as the Mart's permanent show-rooms host an evening of food, entertainment, and extended shopping hours.

The Super Bowl Bash, at Joe's Sports Bar, 6-10 p.m. Sunday, January 28, guarantees that busy buyers won't miss the big game. Tickets are $25 per person, and include a two-hour open bar (6-8 p.m.), food, and shuttle to and from the Mart. For advance tickets, call (888) 746-6940 or visit the Mart on the Web.

At Home Wine Tasting. Wine connoisseurs and amateurs are invited to sample complimentary wine and hors d'oeuvres in the At Home temporaries section, floor 12 market suites, Monday, January 29, from 3-5 p.m.

SHOW INFO

Hours: Permanent show-rooms, January 24-30, 9 a.m.-6 p.m., except January 28, 9 a.m.-8 p.m.; Market temporaries, Chicago Gift Show, At Home, and Garden Walk, January 27-30, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.; Beckman's Handcrafted, January 27-29, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.; January 30, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Address: 200 World Trade Center, Chicago 60654

Call: (800) 677-MART

www.merchandisemart.com

International housewares show

2001: A Housewares Odyssey is the theme of this year's International Housewares Show, presented by the National Housewares Manufacturers Association (NHMA), January 14-17, at McCormick Place in Chicago. The market will feature products for indoor or outdoor use, including electronics and small appliances, bakeware, kitchen tools, tableware, decorative accessories, space organizers, storage systems, home office furnishings, pet products, and garden products. More than 1,800 exhibitors from 33 countries, including 50 "global innovators," will be in attendance. One quarter of the exhibitors will be international, and 11 countries have organized special national pavilions within the new Expo Nouveau section of the market.

MARKET HIGHLIGHTS

Martha Stewart, chairman and CEO of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, will discuss the opportunities that consumers' needs and desires present for housewares retailers and suppliers in her keynote address, "Aspirations of Today's Consumer," at 8 a.m., January 14, in the Grand Ballroom of the South Building. Continental breakfast will be available beginning at 7:30 a.m. Tickets are not required.

Former President George Bush will bring a unique historical perspective, and will draw on his lifetime of public service to address the Industry Breakfast/NHMA Annual Meeting on January 15, beginning at 7:15 a.m. in the Grand Ballroom of the South Building. Tickets are required for the breakfast.

The New for the Home Showcase features products that will be appearing on store shelves in the next six months. Nearly 500 new products will be displayed, ranging from a triangular, space-saving wastebasket to a programmable slow cooker. The Showcase offers an overview of the industry's newest trends and ideas for buyers, wholesalers, manufacturers, and designers.

America at Home: 100 Years of Housewares returns to the 2001 show by popular demand. This exhibit tells the story of the impact of housewares on American culture and lifestyle trends over the years.

The Housewares Design Center will reveal how hundreds of new products are conceived each year, and how they make it to market. Winners of the National Student Design Competition, sponsored by NHMA, will also be featured in this section.

Expo Nouveau: A New World of Opportunities to Make it Home, makes its debut at this year's show, spotlighting a New Exhibitor Area, as well as the Seasonal and General Merchandise and Pet Supplies categories while playing host to the World Pavilion, with exhibitor groups from Brazil, China, Denmark, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Korea, Poland, Taiwan, Thailand, and the United Kingdom. Expo Nouveau, located on level 2 of the Lakeside Center, opens one hour earlier than the other show sections.

The Global Innovator Awards (GIA) will be presented for the first time at this year's show. Trade media in Asia, Eurasia, Australia, Europe, and North and South America joined with NHMA to create the awards, which recognize retailers who exemplify merchandising excellence and innovation. The GIA winners will be announced at a 10 a.m. press conference on January 15. A special exhibit in the Grand Concourse Lobby will showcase photos of each recipient's work.

SHOW INFO

Hours: January 14, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; January 15-16, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.; January 17, 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Note: Expo Nouveau and the Special Exhibits in the Level 3 lobby of the Lakeside Center open one hour earlier.

Address: McCormick Place Exposition Ctr., 2301 S. Lake Shore Dr., Chicago 60616

Call: (847) 292-4200

www.housewares.org

Seminars and Events

Gift & Home Market

All seminars are free, and will be held in the Conference Center, suite 800.

Friday, January 26

• 10-11 a.m. "Strategically Shopping the Mart: Your Map to Success." Heather Francis, director of marketing, MMPI.

Saturday, January 27

• 11 a.m.-noon "Trend Tracking for Profit." Speaker: Joyce Washnik.

• 1-2 p.m. "Marketing Ideas that Work."

Sunday, January 28

• 11 a.m.-noon "Trends and Technology: How the Internet is Changing Customers Online and in Person."

• 1-2 p.m. "The Magnificent Imposters." Speaker: Talmage McLaurin, creative director, Florists' Review.

• 2:30-3:30 p.m. "What's Hot for Whom."

International Housewares Show

Sunday, January 14

• 7:30-9 a.m. Keynote presentation. "Aspirations of Today's Consumer." Grand Ballroom, South Building. Speaker: Martha Stewart, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. Complimentary breakfast will be served.

• 10-10:50 a.m. "Connecting to Creativity." Housewares Design Center, Lakeside Center, level 3 lobby. Speaker: Stuart Karten, Stuart Karten Design.

• 11-11:50 a.m. "Housewares Trend Tracker 2001: The Trends that Will Be Sweeping the Housewares Industry." Housewares Design Center, Lakeside Center, level 3 lobby. Speaker: A.J. Reidel, Reidel Marketing Group.

• Noon-12:50 p.m. "Design is a Language: What Are You Saying to Your Market?" Housewares Design Center, Lakeside Center, level 3 lobby. Speaker: Michel Arney, Design Continuum.

• 1-1:50 p.m. "On the Witness Stand for Design." Housewares Design Center, Lakeside Center, level 3 lobby. Speaker: Cooper Woodring, Cooper Woodring Design.

• 2-2:50 p.m. "Entrepreneurial Design: Getting Your Ideas to Market." Housewares Design Center, Lakeside Center, level 3 lobby. Speakers: Joel Delman of Twenty Twenty Thinking and Paul Reeder of Zero Design.

• 5-6:30 p.m. Inter-networking party. Watch NFL playoff game with complimentary cocktails and hors d'oeuvres. Grand Ballroom, South Building.

• 7 p.m. GIA awards dinner and gala at the Adler Planetarium.

Monday, January 15

• 7:15-8:25 a.m. Industry Breakfast/NHMA annual meeting. Address by former President George Bush. Grand Ballroom, South Building. Tickets are required.

• 9:30-10:20 a.m. "Front Line Control for Bottom Line Success." Housewares Design Center, Lakeside Center, level 3 lobby. Speaker: Bryce Rutter, Metaphase Design Group.

• 10 a.m. GIA announcement press conference at the GIA exhibit on the Grand Concourse.

• 10:30-11:20 a.m. "Millennium Trends: Dynamics of Our Times." Housewares Design Center, Lakeside Center, level 3 lobby. Speaker: Tor Alden, HuckStuder Design.

• 11:30 a.m.-12:20 p.m. "Challenges for a Global Product." Housewares Design Center, Lakeside Center, level 3 lobby. Speaker: Jon Lindholm, Insight Product Development.

• Noon-1 p.m. "What's in Store for 2001: The Newest Color Trends." Lakeside Center, room E350. Speaker: Leatrice Eiseman, Eiseman Center for Color Information and Training.

• 12:30-1:20 p.m. "Optimizing Design for Strategic Competitive Advantage." Housewares Design Center, Lakeside Center, level 3 lobby. Speaker: Walter Herbst, Herbst, LaZar, Bell Inc.

• 1-3 p.m. IDSA Housewares Roundtable. "Good Cup, Bad Cup." South Building, room 501a. Design leaders debate and define the value of the latest products.

• 5-7 p.m. "Main Street U.S.A." Vista Ballroom, South Building. International reception hosted by the Housewares Export Council of North America.

Tuesday, January 16

• 7-8:30 a.m. "Retail Exchanges and the Housewares Supply Chain." Lakeside Center, rm. E350. Speaker: Tim Curoe, Target Corp. Continental breakfast.

• 9:30-10:20 a.m. "Designing for Global Products and Production." Housewares Design Center, Lakeside Center, level 3 lobby. Speaker: Peter Bressler, Bresslergroup.

• 10:30-11:20 a.m. "Imagination Works: An Eye-Catching Presentation of Digital Imaging Capabilities." Housewares Design Center, Lakeside Center, level 3 lobby. Speaker: Sonia O'Donnell, Digital Printing and Imaging Association.

• 11:30 a.m.-12:20 p.m. "Tools for Visual Communication between Designers and Clients." Housewares Design Center, Lakeside Center, level 3 lobby. Speaker: David Tisdale, Tisdale Design.

• Noon-1 p.m. "The Power of Color in the Marketplace." Lakeside Center, room E350. Speaker: Leatrice Eiseman.

• 12:30-1:20 p.m. "Brand Building Through Package Design." Housewares Design Center, Lakeside Center, level 3 lobby. Speaker: Lauren Gold, GoldForest.

• 1:30-2:20 p.m. "How to Bring Color Excitement into Your Product." Housewares Design Center, Lakeside Center, level 3 lobby. Speaker: Rob Butterfield, Polymer Solutions/GE Plastics.