We’re in the home stretch now! h+h americas launches in less than a month. Several of our discounted hotels have sold out, and flights are filling up. If you haven’t made your travel plans yet, be sure to do so before May 31 to secure our special discounted rates! You can find more information about hotels and flights here.

As the show draws nearer, the decision is not so much should you attend h+h americas, but how? We understand that the craft industry comprises a diverse group of people—that’s part of what makes it an interesting, ever-evolving industry! As such, we crafted h+h americas to cater to as many people as possible, with both in-person as well as virtual options. You don’t need to choose not to attend h+h americas—you just need to figure out the way to attend that works best for you.

In Person Attendance

Why attend in person?

There are multiple reasons in-person attendance at h+h americas is beneficial for your business. We’ve structured the conference to feel like a walking tour through a variety of craft experiences. Take a look at our floor plan to see what we mean. You’ll notice pavilions that concentrate businesses from specific global regions, like the Japan Pavilion, Netherlands Pavilion, UK Group, and more. We also have a Networking Zone and a reCharge Lounge, which provide great spaces to meet new business partners!

• Chance Encounters –  You can’t discount the opportunity for chance encounters with new potential business partners—you never know who you might meet on the showroom floor! 
• Reconnect Face to Face – Have you been working with a business partner that you’ve yet to meet face to face? A lot of businesses are struggling right now because of the effects of inflation and bottlenecks in the global supply chain. An in-person touch base with a global partner you already rely on can add the necessary personal touch that separates your business from the pack.
• Crafting is Tactile – Our business is inherently tactile. You can’t truly get a feel for yarns, fabrics, and fibers, or the scope and depth of colors and dyes, unless you see them in person with your own eyes.
• Get Offline – We encourage attendees to take lots of photos and share their h+h americas experience with their online followers, but the beauty of attending in person is that it should get you off the phone and computer and engaged in the real world. Walking the floor of h+h americas should be a singular experience. The Social Justice Sewing Academy is preparing a gorgeous quilt display, Knit the Rainbow promises a fun, interactive booth for knitters and crocheters, and Fashion Boulevard will feature the latest looks and trends in the industry. You’ll relish the time away from screens to partake in the conference live and in person. 

Updated Safety Measures

We understand attendees are concerned about the safety of attending a live event during an ongoing pandemic. As a result, we are constantly updating our Health and Safety Plan to reflect the latest safety recommendations, bearing in mind the specific, vocalized needs of our community.

We encourage attendees to:

• Get a COVID-19 booster shot if eligible. In the absence of any legal framework for enforcing vaccination, we ask that attendees please be vaccinated before attending the show. Each of us should consider the community’s safety as a personal responsibility.
• Test for COVID-19 prior to attending the show. h+h americas will have testing kits available at our information & registration desk. Please don’t attend the show if you are sick. Our digital platform features nearly all the amenities of in-person attendance, so you can attend virtually if you are ill (more below).
• Bring and wear a mask on the conference floor. If you choose not to wear a mask and visit a booth or person who requests you wear a mask, please respect their wishes and comply with their request. h+h americas will have extra masks on hand for retrieval at our information & registration desk. 

To make in-person attendance easier, h+h americas will provide:

• Face masks 
• Free COVID rapid test kits
• Hand sanitizer stations throughout the showroom floor
• Extra space in seating areas to encourage physical distancing
• Color-coded stickers that communicate attendee’s comfort with physical interactions (“Shake” vs. “No Shake,” to communicate whether an attendee is willing to shake hands)

Virtual Attendance

There are so many wonderful reasons to attend h+h americas in person, but we understand that there are many reasons not everyone can do so. Fortunately, we’ve designed a digital platform with advanced features that make virtual attendance almost as good as the real thing!

We designed h+h connect to enhance the h+h americas experience. It adds several benefits to the in-person experience while also creating a means for virtual attendance for those who can’t attend in person. The platform opens to attendees on June 10, so stay tuned for more details then!

Schedule Meeting & Session Reminders

Use h+h connect to browse sessions and set reminders to tune in to attend. h+h connect will allow you to manage your entire event agenda all in one place so you don’t miss a thing! You can also search for business partners and request a meeting in one of h+h connect’s virtual meeting rooms.

Network Online

Use h+h connect to find business partners, browse their profiles, and schedule meetings for both during and after the show. h+h connect will host virtual rooms like the Networking Lounge with the ability to host multiple participants, so virtual attendees can experience the same kinds of chance encounters they might have in person! There will also be group chat functionalities.

Attend Sessions, Classes, and Workshops

All of the sessions, classes, workshops and SofaTalks will be made available on h+h connect. Virtual attendees can watch live or on demand at their leisure, which means there’s no reason to miss out on a session even if it’s occurring simultaneously during another desirable session. In this way, h+h connect will prove to be beneficial for both in-person and virtual attendees!

Digital Aftershow

Log on to h+h connect on the Monday after h+h americas concludes to attend the Digital Aftershow! The Digital Aftershow will feature live classes, on-demand content from the show, and more opportunities for networking in chat and virtual meeting rooms. The Digital Aftershow will take place from June 24-July 1, offering plenty of time to catch up with business partners you may have missed or make new connections online. 

To learn more about the many features of h+h connect, check out our video tutorials and stay tuned for the launch of the digital platform on June 10!

The bottom line is there’s no reason not to attend h+h americas if you’re interested in growing your craft business. The decision is how you would prefer to attend h+h americas. We’re proud to have created an open, inclusive show that accommodates everyone in the crafting industry, and we hope we’ll see you there—online or in person!