Jul 18, 2017

Las Vegas Market hosts 2018 Housewares Design Awards

Las Vegas Market announced that it will continue its partnership with HomeWorld Business to host the 13th edition of the Housewares Design Awards at the Winter 2018 Las Vegas Market.  Entries for the 2018 Housewares Design Awards, which will recognize excellence in 12 core housewares categories, as well as a special new 13^th “Smart” category, will be accepted through October 23.

“We’re delighted to host the 13th Housewares Design Awards at the Las Vegas Market!” said Dorothy Belshaw, president of Gift Leasing and Chief Marketing Officer, International Market Centers. “The event last January showcased the best and brightest in product design as well as in overall design influence.  The Awards are a perfect complement to Las Vegas Market’s growing gift oriented housewares and our design-driven gift, home décor and furniture offerings. We’ve partnered with HomeWorld Business to add some exciting new elements to the 2018 event, making it a must-attend for housewares buyers, suppliers and designers alike.”

The Housewares Design Awards were founded in 2003 by HomeWorld Business to honor supplier efforts within the industry to create new ways to improve everyday living, and recognize excellence in 12 core housewares categories. Products available to consumers from October 1, 2016, through September 30, 2017, are eligible for the 2018 Housewares Design Awards in the following 12 competition categories:

•     Cookware & Bakeware
•     Countertop Cooking & Beverage Appliances
•     Countertop Food Prep Appliances
•     Countertop Kitchenware
•     Cutlery & Cutting Tools
•     Floor Care & Cleaning Appliances
•     Gadgets & Kitchen Tools
•     Home Environment Appliances
•     Home Organization, Laundry Care & Non-Electric Cleaning
•     Home & Outdoor Decor
•     Personal, Health & Garment Care
•     Tableware, Serveware & Beverageware

Entries submitted in all of the 12 core categories also are eligible for consideration in a new 13^th “Smart” category, which recognizes the growing importance of computer-connectivity in today’s society. Smart products are those that control, automate and optimize typical product utility and function utilizing connectivity and integrated programming to make functions faster, cheaper and more energy-efficient, without compromising security.

“Many of the industry’s most successful and influential products have been honored with Housewares Design Awards, and we are proud to continue to provide a high-profile platform— with valuable support from the Las Vegas Market— for recognizing the next generation of highly stylish and exceptionally practical housewares design innovations,” said Peter Giannetti, editor-in-chief of HOMEWORLD BUSINESS®, which created the Housewares Design Awards in 2003. “The addition of the Smart Home Award demonstrates the how this important design competition reflects the dynamic progress of leading-edge housewares development.”

According to Giannetti, for 2018, the Home & Outdoor Décor category also has been broadened to include more of the casual/outdoor and home décor products available at both Las Vegas Market and High Point Market (also owned and operated by IMC).  Products eligible for Home & Outdoor décor include: accent furniture; functional decorative accessories (candles, picture frames, clocks, etc.;) functional outdoor accessories (fire pits, barbeques, etc.;) casual and outdoor furniture; portable lighting; RTA furniture; seating (office, casual,) and wall décor (mirrors, wall art).

Applications for the 2018 Housewares Design Awards must be submitted by October 23, 2017. A panel of 12 designers, educators, retailers and consumer editors will meet in Las Vegas in November 2017 to test, review and rate the products for the 2018 Awards. Judging criteria are: Appropriate Aesthetics; Innovative Materials and Technology; User Benefits (i.e., performance, comfort, ease of use, safety); and Marketability.  The cost for each product is $175, plus an additional $50 entry fee for products entered into the Smart Home category.  All entrants will receive one free ticket to the Housewares Design Awards Celebration, which will be held at Las Vegas Market on Tuesday, January 26, 2018.  Additional tickets are available for $25 each.

In addition to product design awards, the second annual Design Influencer of the Year Award will recognize an individual or organization for exceptional design or design influence. West Elm LOCAL was the recipient of the inaugural Design Influencer of the Year Award at the 2017 Housewares Design Awards. This special award will be selected jointly by Las Vegas Market and HomeWorld Business and will be announced this fall; the honoree will be invited to speak at the Awards Celebration.

Las Vegas Market identified the gourmet category as one of its strategic building blocks and launched the gourmet housewares presentation on C11 in Summer 2015 and now boasts more than 500 leading housewares, tabletop and specialty food vendors. For the upcoming Summer Market, July 29-August 3, some 500+ gourmet resources will be presented in permanent showrooms and temporary presentations.

Las Vegas Market is the nation’s fastest growing gift and home décor market and the leading furniture marketplace in the western U.S., presenting 4,000+ gift, home décor and furniture resources in an unrivaled market destination. Las Vegas Market features thousands of gift, furniture and home décor lines, allowing for cross-category commerce among these industries. The Summer 2017 Las Vegas Market runs July 30-August 3, 2017, and the Winter 2018 Las Vegas Market runs January 28-February 1, 2018. For more information, visit:  www.lasvegasmarket.com.