Last week, I went to the IHA International Home and Housewares trade show in Chicago for the second time. It's only open to buyers, writers for magazines and newspapers, and a few members of the "Internet Media". Lisa Martin and I were honored to be invited back for a second year! The Housewares Show is booth after booth after booth of everyone from major brands like KitchenAid and Hoover to inventors looking for buyers for their brilliant new product. I must have said "why didn't I think of that?" about 50 times over the two days I was there.  Last year, Lisa and I had to explain over and over again what product review bloggers did and why we were there. This year, almost everyone we talked to said "oh, bloggers! We love bloggers!", and that's a great thing to hear from people. I sort of felt like a rockstar everywhere I went, getting invited into the booths for private tours, shaking hands with company presidents, being one of the only people allowed to take pictures.  It's a … [Read more...]