TFI Envision Attends the International Home + Housewares Show

Norwalk, CT, April 03, 2011 --(PR.com)-- The International Home + Housewares Show, held March 6 – 8, 2011 at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL, offered professional attendees the opportunity to see first-hand consumer lifestyle and product trends for all areas of the home, both inside and out, under one roof- 2,670,000 sq ft. 2,000 exhibitors from over 35 countries with 60,000+ professional attendees including 15,000 U.S. buyers and 6,000 international buyers from 100 countries on 6 continents.

TFI Envision routinely sends team members out to events such as this to immerse them in the specific category. "It’s a great way to see what is going on in the business; observe new trends; talk to industry experts about what’s new, what’s working well and what isn’t," said Mary Ellen Butkus, VP, TFI Envision, Inc. These events also provide an opportunity for team members to see many of the branding and packaging programs TFI Envision designed for clients, on display, such as the Acmo Houseworks packaging relaunch.

This immersion allows the team to continually deliver new and innovative ideas for their clients. Applying the learnings to projects beyond the singular category, providing inspiration for forms, colors, textures, typography, structures, copy content, etc.

Emerging color trends were a real focus at the show. According to Pantone, "Research indicates that product color evokes a strong emotional response from consumers and is a key factor in more than 60% of purchases." Pantone ColorWatch, a special exhibit designed by Pantone, Inc., focused on nine palettes representing the strongest home furnishings trends for 2012. Each story included the individual Pantone colors, philosophy behind the color palette and actual show products illustrating each palette.

Some specific show take-aways:

- Multitude of “green” product offerings in a huge variety of categories
- Increased use of brightly colored silicone rubber in almost every category of consumer goods for the home
- Color, color and more color, especially in kitchen ware
- Huge variety of indoor fire pits and grills that run on gel fuels and alcohol for the urban dweller who has no space (or firewood)
- Many manufacturers displayed innovative spins on the water-carrier
- Cupcake paraphernalia was everywhere
- "Wear comfortable shoes at this show - they boast that it is 13 miles of aisles...and we believe it," said Elizabeth P. Ball, President and Creative Director of TFI Envision, Inc.

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