Retail Marketing and Housewares Collocate
Staff -- Tradeshow Week, 1/17/2005
The Intl. Housewares Assn. and the Assn. of Retail Marketing Services have agreed to collocate their respective shows at Chicago's McCormick Place. The ARMS Supermarket Promotion Show, running March 18–20, will coincide by one day with the Tradeshow Week 200-ranked Intl. Home & Housewares Show, which takes place March 20–22.
Officials of both associations said there was enough overlap of buyers between the two shows to justify putting them together in one venue. The Supermarket Promotion Show, which drew about 70 exhibitors to the Hilton Chicago last year, changed its timeframe in 2004 to follow the Housewares Show's move from March to January.
The Supermarket Promotion Show has been in Chicago for 35 years, but always has taken place in downtown hotels. This year it will be located on Level 1 of McCormick Place's North Building, while the Housewares Show occupies most of the rest of the McCormick campus. IHA's exhibition was 10th on the most recent TSW 200.
ARMS represents companies that supply traffic-builders, redemption plans, sweepstakes and other promotions for all retail marketers, but the Supermarket Promotion Show caters primarily to grocery and chain drug store buyers.
Conversely, the products on display at ARMS' show might interest other retailers who want to augment their existing business with promotions, said Perry Reynolds, vice president of marketing and trade development for the IHA.
"We are mentioning ARMS in all our marketing pieces, and badges for buyers are good for both shows, so there's an attempt to co-market, although we will both continue with our own marketing as well," said Reynolds, of the groups' arrangement.
