IHA Offering Exhibitor Education Seminar at Housewares Show – Gifts and Tablewares

In response to requests from exhibitors, the International Housewares Association (IHA) will offer the first Exhibitor Education Seminar on Saturday, March 10 before the opening of the 2012 International Home + Housewares Show. Featuring experts on three hot topics in the industry—reshoring, sustainability and factory compliance—the seminar begins at 9 a.m. and exhibitors can attend all three one-hour presentations or just the sessions of interest.

The program will be held in Room S501bc, Level 5, South Building at McCormick Place. No ticket or reservation is needed and it will end by 12 noon so exhibitors can be back at their booths before show opening.

The seminar speakers are: 

• Harry Moser of the Reshoring Initiative® will explore “To Offshore or Reshore? How to Objectively Decide” in the first presentation. Moser founded the Reshoring Initiative to help companies better understand the full cost of offshoring and the benefits of reshoring, in the expectation that they would bring more manufacturing jobs back to the U.S. Inducted into the Industry Week Manufacturing Hall of Fame in 2010, he participated in President Obama’s Insourcing Forum at the White House in January.
• At 10 a.m., Catherine Del Spina and Robert Dishman of NextLife will discuss “Selling Green to Make Green.” Del Spina has more than 30 years of sales and marketing experience building brands and consulting to top companies in the housewares industry. From 1974 through 2000, she was closely involved with many young and start-up companies such as Umbra, InterDesign, The Screwpull Company, Boston Warehouse, Zyliss and The Oggi Corporation. Dishman is executive vice president, supply chain, and is responsible for NextLife’s global expansion, brand strategy, strategic vendors, acquisitions, partnerships, revenue growth and national accounts.
• The third program will explore “Your Compliance Road Map for Improved Product Quality and Brand Value” with Andrew Farhat of Intertek Consumer Goods. In his role as business development director, Farhat spearheads the activities and direction of a global technical working group that provides regulatory guidance to Intertek customers. The team strategically examines all changes to regulatory compliance on a global level and the impact of such regulations on the business operations of retailers, manufacturers, distributors and suppliers of consumer products.

For more information about the 2012 Show or to register for a no-charge badge by March 9, visit www.housewares.org