The International Housewares Association will hold its 2017 Global Forum, September 17 to 19, in Miami. It is open to housewares suppliers new to the international arena or veteran sales executives wanting to grow their global business.
The meeting will feature overviews by key housewares buyers and distributors covering India, Japan, Korea, Latin America, Mexico and the United Kingdom along with sessions on international business issues and networking. The Global Forum is sponsored by the International Business Council (IBC), a special interest group of IHA members dedicated to increasing international business. It is open to IBC and non-IBC members.
Highlights include “IBC 101: International Essentials” on September 17, which will provide an overview of the international marketplace, including brief discussions on market selection, export mechanics, distribution models, international pricing and INCO terms.
The main program opens on September 18 with an executive education session, “International Negotiation Strategies” by Denis Leclerc, professor of cross cultural communications and global negotiations at Thunderbird School of Global Management. Leclerc will offer strategies and tactics of negotiation. He will also address nuances of international negotiations, highlighting the need to break through social, cultural and language barriers to achieve favorable results.
Representatives from key international retailers and distributors will discuss their markets and explain their goals and strategies for working with housewares suppliers. The retail update sessions cover:
United Kingdom: Anna Berry, head of gifts, cook and dine for John Lewis Partnership, will discuss what makes this retailer a success and how they select product suppliers.
Latin America: Mercado Libre’s Carlos Cernadas and Maximo Bach will explain how suppliers can benefit from listing products on their platform. Juan Francisco España, EPA CEO, will discuss the opportunities and challenges of working within Latin American markets and what the hardware store chain expects from suppliers.
India: Vikram Chitnis, customer care associate and business head of the home division for Shoppers Stop, will share his insights on the home and housewares market in India and best practices.
Japan: Keiichi Kobayashi, CEO and president of Yuwa Group, along with James Karani of Yuwa’s international agent department, will offer insights into the Japanese housewares market.
Korea: Kim Dae-Hyun of Venta will explain how the appliance distributor focuses on branding by using creative marketing across all media channels.
Mexico: Meir Mareyna of Tendencias y Conceptos will explain how this family-owned company has differentiated themselves and keys to success.
The Global Forum registration fee includes the educational program, breakfasts, lunches, reception and dinners. For more information or to sign up for the Global Forum visit www.housewares.org/members/global-forum.
