Craft Focus - April/May 2023 (Issue 96)

38 American dream Darrin Stern, Vice President Koelnmesse Inc. Show Director of h+h americas, talks to Craft Focus exclusively about the upcoming June event in Chicago Tell us a little bit about the show. h+h americas is a premier trade show for today’s business environment. The place where creativity meets business. The show provides a ‘home’ for all categories of handicrafts/softcrafts, such as fabrics, wool, yarn, knitting, needlework, sewing, embroidery and many more. h+h americas is the platform for the North American Handicraft Industry and sister event of the German h+h cologne, the world’s leading trade fair for the handicrafts industry. It’s a B2B trade show with an extended digital marketplace accessible before and after our event. Open to everyone who makes a living in crafts, h+h americas serves a community without membership requirements. Our show dates in June are carefully timed to serve buyers with seasonal offers to the entire handicraft industry. The first-time event in 2022 combined 2,000 attendees with 200 exhibitors who displayed a wide range of products from yarn, fabric, art, craft materials to toys and pastimes. How long has the show been running? What is the link to h+h cologne? 2023 will be the second time we’ll host h+h americas here in the Chicago, Illinois area. h+h americas joins the family of handicraft shows, which also includes h+h cologne. The h+h americas event supports companies who want to reach the North American market. Where is the show and what kind of exhibitors does it attract? h+h americas will take place 21st-23rd June, 2023, at the Donald E. Stephens Convention & Conference Centre in Rosemont, Illinois, just minutes from the Chicago Ohear International Airport. The show will be made up of companies from over 30 nations in product categories of: fabrics; graphic art, artist´s requisites; needlework implements; haberdashery; packaging; hobby, arts and crafts; sewing, knitting, embroidery machines and Accessories; rug and crochet thread; shipping and e-commerce; literature; and marketing services. What can new visitors expect? Visitors to h+h americas can expect a creative environment that will foster personal and business advancement and quality sourcing form over 200+ companies from over 30 nations. Do you have any exciting speakers lined up? h+h americas will offer a paid conference programme of long-form hands-on master classes and business classes. We’ll also offer a daily keynote and main stage programming, which are open to all event attendees. Our featured Thursday keynote speaker will be Kathy Cano-Murillo, The Crafty Chica, is former syndicated newspaper columnist and now a full-time

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