Q&A Interview: Derek Miller, President and CEO, International Housewares Association
What do you feel is the role of industry tradeshows? How do shows like The Inspired Home Show unify and strengthen the industry?
Trade shows like The Inspired Home Show provide a critical platform for discovering innovative new items and building relationships that are so important to succeed in business. The Inspired Home Show connects more than 2,000 home and housewares brands with buyers from throughout the world. Retailers and exhibitors at the Show come from more than 115 countries and 100,000 US retail locations are represented—all under one roof, over just three days.
Who is your target audience on the tradeshow floor? How do you go about attracting your target audience?
Part of the beauty of The Inspired Home Show is that it unites people from the world’s biggest suppliers and retailers, as well as smaller independent retailers and start-up entrepreneurs. For instance, nearly all the key retailers bring senior-level executives, DMMs, GMMs and buyers to the Show. But the Show also attracts a good number of owners and buyers from smaller independent retailers, from different markets all around the world.
How do you ensure the appropriate retailers and manufacturers attend The Inspired Home Show to create an environment that is conducive to networking and driving business forward?
Over the years, we’ve put a lot of effort into spreading the word about the Show and making it accessible to a wide range of retailers and suppliers. A diverse mix of buyers and sellers creates meaningful opportunities for everyone at the Show. We have a number of programs that help smaller independent retailers connect with the interested exhibitors, including “Independent Friendly” booth signage and tags in our online Show directory, Connect 365. We also work very closely with major retailers across categories to ensure the Show delivers clear value and plays a critical role in their annual planning. On the exhibitor side, as a non-profit that represents the entire industry, we work with exhibitors throughout the year to make sure the Show meets their needs. In addition, we have programs such as the Inventors Corner and Debut pavilion offering cost-effective ways for start-up entrepreneurs and newer companies to participate.
What can exhibitors and attendees look forward to during the 2026 Inspired Home Show?
The 2026 Show will include four expos: Clean + Contain, Dine + Décor, Wired + Well and International Sourcing. The Pet Products Pavilion and the Candle Pavilion, which both made their debut at the 2025 Show, will also return. New this year, we’re looking forward to the SPLiCE Licensing Hub (SPLiCE is an acronym for our partner, the Society of Product Licensors Committed to Excellence) to connect exhibitors with licensing partners.
In addition, the Show will offer a robust education program on consumer trends and critical issues affecting the industry; a wide range of networking events; and other special attractions like the Pantone ColorWatch Display—which will reveal the seven color palettes in Pantone’s Home + Interiors 2027 forecast.
What are some of the recent developments unfolding at the IHA?
We at IHA are always looking for new ways to help the industry tackle the challenges of the day, whether it be the pandemic’s unprecedented demand, the supply chain disruptions that followed, changes in consumer behavior, or the biggest issue for our industry today—tariffs. That assistance takes the form of education, advocacy, data, group buying discounts and other resources. In addition, we continue to look for new ways to connect buyers and sellers at The Inspired Home Show.
What were some of the projects or initiatives the Association took on in 2025? What are some results you can share?
The magnitude and volatility of tariffs this year have been—and continue to be—an incredible challenge for our members. Early on, we created a Tariff Relief Program to provide support and flexibility for members to participate in The Inspired Home Show 2026. That program includes discounted exhibit rates, more flexible deadlines and payment plans.
We also launched a number of initiatives to help suppliers understand, navigate and mitigate tariffs. Just a few include holding five education webinars on the topic, partnering with Quickcode—a trade compliance tool with explainable AI that brings together all the legal sources for classifications, and pulling together a variety of resources such as lists of bonded warehouses and US manufacturers.
We also created a streamlined system for US housewares suppliers to reach congressional representatives about tariff concerns using the VoterVoice platform. The campaign resulted in 660 messages sent to members of Congress from 216 advocates in 29 states from April 11-June 10, 2025.
What do you attribute to IHA’s continued success?
IHA has been an advocate and resource for its members since 1938. As a not-for-profit association led by and for the home and housewares industry, IHA’s mission has always been to serve the long-term interests of its members and the industry as a whole. Needless to say, the industry, the global economy and the geopolitical landscape have experienced many ups and downs since then. But IHA has remained a trusted and constant form of support for the industry. Though it’s had a few different names over the years, The Inspired Home Show has remained a critical event for bringing the industry together and fostering business success.
