The International Housewares Association has opened registration for its Chief Housewares Executive SuperSession (CHESS) 2025, during which Allen Morrison, senior professor at the Thunderbird School of Global Management and a globally recognized authority on U.S.-China trade relations, will present a keynote on strategic trade options for U.S. importers and manufacturers.
The annual IHA education and networking conference for home and housewares industry leaders is scheduled for October 7-8, 2025, at the Hilton hotel in Rosemont, IL.
“It’s no secret the last several months have been marked by numerous challenges and uncertainty for the housewares industry,” said Derek Miller, IHA president & CEO. “But no company has to tackle it alone. Our goal at CHESS is to bring housewares executives together and provide expert insights and new ideas that will help them meet the challenges of our fast- and ever-changing marketplace.”
The keynote session from Professor Morrison will examine the deeper forces reshaping the U.S.-China economic relationship, equipping importers and manufacturers with a pragmatic framework for making informed, strategic decisions to navigate today’s uncertainties and build lasting resilience amid the structural changes reshaping global trade, according to IHA.
Morrison was formerly CEO and Director General of the Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University, a top-ranked international trade program, and he is a globally recognized authority on U.S.-China trade relations. His work has appeared in the Harvard Business Review, and he has authored 14 books, including the recent bestseller “Enterprise China: Adopting a Competitive Strategy for Business Success.”
Morrison also has served on the board of a NASDAQ-listed Chinese technology company and held visiting professorships at two of China’s leading business schools. He has advised and led executive programs for more than 50 of the world’s largest corporations.
In addition to Morrison’s presentation, the CHESS education program will feature a wide range of high-profile subject matter experts within the housewares industry, the retail business and related fields. Keynote speakers, panel discussions and general sessions will dive into timely topics including more responsive supply chains, workforce optimization, and the latest retail and consumer intelligence, according to IHA. Details will be announced by IHA in the coming weeks.
CHESS will also provide attendees with networking opportunities and the chance to share information and ideas with industry peers in a collaborative face-to-face environment, IHA noted.
For CHESS 2025 registration information, including a link to discounted room rates at the Rosemont Hilton, visit https://www.housewares.org/exec-networking/chess/.
