CHICAGO–The International Housewares Association released a statement about the possibility of a different venue for its International Home + Housewares Show in 2012, based on the outcome of whether costs can be reduced at McCormick Place.
Having met last Thursday, Jan. 14, the association’s board passed a resolution to have IHA staff look for alternative venues for the show in the event “significant progress” is not made “toward cost reductions at McCormick Place at the time we must make our decision to renew our contract for the 2012 Show,” said a statement from Phil Brandl, IHA president.
The association said it applauded city and state officials as well as the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority (MPEA), which manages McCormick Place, for recognizing “the dire need for cost reduction as it relates to doing business in McCormick Place,” as its exhibitors “are critically concerned about the costs relating to labor, food and the other operational aspects involved in exhibiting or attending our show at McCormick Place.”
Recent online reports have discussed the state of the trade show business in Chicago and its rising costs. Chicago Mayor Richard Daley and Illinois Governor Pat Quinn recently released a proposal to give McCormick Place managers greater control over the unions, which has received opposition from a Chicago House committee.
The Housewares Show has operated in the city since 1939, and “it is our hope to remain in the city of Chicago for years to come,” Brandl’s statement said. “As an annual trade show in Chicago with an estimated annual economic impact of $75 million on the city, we encourage all stakeholders involved in the McCormick Place business model to participate in reducing costs so that Chicago can become competitive with other viable convention centers.”