International Home and Housewares Show 2013 Saturday Recap #IHHS13

It was our great pleasure to cover the International Home and Housewares Show once again this year.   



Building the 2013 Housewares Show Time Lapse by Josh Green

In a near miraculous transformation, McCormick Place morphed from the enormous, vehicle filled Chicago Auto Show, to an even bigger behemoth, spanning THREE buildings full of fabulous finds for the home.



Video by Core77Inc-IHHS 2013  - Intro by Vicki Matranga, Design Programs Manager



The show opened Saturday, and I ducked in for a press lunch/ networking, then had to run to review an afternoon show.   The lunch was an excellent chance to meet a great group of women who now live in my former home town, Cincinnati.   I shared a table with the Cooking With Caitlin crew who were staffing the social media hub for the IHHS13 show.   A very preggo Caitlin enthusiastically invited the other on line media to swing by their booth and visit, saying, "I'm very pregnant and always hungry, so we have snacks, and we're happy to share."   They ran a live Twitter party from IHHS for Foodies Night In or FNIchat and did an entirely impressive job of rocking the social media angle throughout the duration of the IHHS week.   



I also saw many familiar faces from my friends in the Chicagonista network like M.J., Dwana and Beth Rosen.   They also broadcast Chicagonistalive from IHHS13 on the final day, and pulled in an astounding lion's share of the total social media traffic.



Cake Boss Interview By ChicagonistaLIVE

I also chatted with colleagues/ friends Hope Bertram, Paula of Frosted Fingers, Night Owl Mama and many others.   





It was a pleasure to also see a few more of my friends, representing with cooking showcases.  Anupy Singla of Indian As Apple Pie and Johanna Cook of Momma Cuisine were excellent assets to the show.



Cake Boss Interview By Momma Cuisine



Check back with ChiIL Mama like we vote in Chi, IL...early and often.   We explored the IHHS Show all day Monday and Tuesday and have loads of original show shots, original video interviews, upcoming product giveaways, and reviews for you.   Check out our eco-friendly, new products, and family friendly finds.   We'll also be doing more in depth company and product features throughout the year.