The International Home + Housewares Show, in its third day, has been notable for new products along with celebrity chefs greeting excited crowds.

A long line formed to meet Rick Bayless at the Gorham/Dansk booth; Cake Boss Buddy Valantro greeted hundreds of fans at the Meyer booth; Ingrid Hoffman hugged fawning fans at the Gibson show space; Guy Fieri cooked for partiers at a Lifetime Brands event; and Paula Deen mingled with a packed McCormick Place cooking theater.

FRANKFURT, Germany-The Ambiente fair opened here today, offering an international audience plenty of new products to view.

In tabletop, manufacturers played with new shapes and offered more decorated and highly detailed designs. Painterly florals continue to be big, gold is being used more, and multi-sided shapes are showing up in dinnerware and flatware.

Vendors, buoyed by a positive attitude among attendees, put their best foot forward at the New York International Gift Fair, which wraps up today at 2PM. There were well-thought-out introductions and category extensions from longtime players, as well as impressive launches from relative newcomers.

At the direction of our board, IHA has launched an initiative to help housewares suppliers save time and money to the benefit of all of its members, large and small, who experience escalating costs associated with defending a company against legal claims of all types.

Litigation Costs are on the Rise
A research study conducted by the American Arbitration Association (AAA) reports that U.S. civil litigation costs are escalating to $200-$300 billion annually  (American Arbitration Association-sponsored research study, 2006).

CHICAGO—The Housewares Show continues into its second day today packed with numerous product introductions, busy exhibitor booths—and perhaps more importantly—an increasingly optimistic mood among both retailers and vendors.
 
A new Mario Batali-licensed line from Dansk was among the attention-getting unveilings at McCormick Place. The new line includes Mario Light, a collection of cast-iron cookware that is 50 percent less heavy than traditional cast-iron products.
 

What began as a niche category a few years ago has exploded into the mainstream, as water bottles are now offered by a plethora of manufacturers.

A slew of new styles debuted at last month’s International Home + Housewares Show, and HFN has selected a few to highlight, both here and in a post-show video currently running on hfnmag.com.

By Penny Sikalis
No one can deny that times are tough for the home industries, and today’s challenging economic environment is forcing most companies to take a long, hard look at the bottom line. For everyone looking to maximize their purchasing and/or marketing dollars—and everyone who should be—I have two words: trade shows.

Are we in a recession? The media, government and just about anyone you ask on Wall Street or Main Street say the American economy is in the midst of a serious economic slowdown.
But a walk around the annual International Housewares Show in Chicago last month could have many people thinking that the economy is running smooth and easy. In fact, optimism abounded. Many suppliers, ranging from such companies as Applica and Meyer to Haier and Emerson, among others, were eager to show a host of products they were introducing to the trade.

Many of you have probably had it with energy efficiency and environmental marketing. You have been as greened as Kermit in a bed of lettuce. You’ve been Al Gored on the issue to the point of wanting to chop down every tree hugger in sight.