The inaugural h+h americas launched with great success last month. Thousands of attendees and exhibitors gathered in person for three days in Rosemont and then online for the entire week following the close of the convention for our Digital Aftershow. They forged new connections, discovered novel and innovative products and tools, and expanded the scope of their own businesses. 

h+h americas was such a roundly lauded success that we’re already anticipating the next show for June 21-23, 2023. Once again, we’ll gather in Rosemont, IL at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center—be sure to mark your calendars now for next year!

We’re excited to share a little bit about how we envision the show growing in the future. 

First, you’re probably familiar with our tagline, which was part of our various banners and across our website. “h+h americas: Uniting the Soft Crafts Industries in North America.”

We’re thrilled to announce our new tagline. “h+h americas: United the Crafting Industries in North America.” For 2023 and beyond, h+h americas will expand our scope to include a whole world of crafting. In addition to the soft crafts launched this year, new categories will  include:

  • Paper crafts 
  • Resin, Clay, and other moldable materials
  • Painting
  • Wood burning and wood carving
  • Beading
  • Leatherwork
  • Cake decorating
  • Home decor
  • Kids crafts
  • Holiday and seasonal crafts and materials
  • Art materials
  • Candle making
  • Printmaking
  • Soap making
  • Metalwork
  • Stamps and Embossing
  • Jewelry making
  • Candy making
  • Digital craft supplies
  • Framing
  • Collectibles
  • Craft kits

The overarching theme for next year’s show is “For your business today, for your business tomorrow.” If the events of the past few years have taught us anything, it’s that the present state of your business does not reflect the future health of your business. We want to help ensure you build a flexible business model that rides the currents of change with aplomb. To paraphrase a common maxim: that which bends does not break.

Our focus moving forward will be on maintaining our curiosity and ingenuity to weather any storm. What does business look like next year? What do we think the crafting industry will look like in five years? We want those answers to help shape h+h americas’ future shows. 

We’re also curious about the reasons why we gather and how that informs the connections we seek and secure, and affects our interconnected businesses. The first h+h americas illustrated how connected we truly are. We believe that the strongest business models are often those interested in how our various crafting spheres cross pollinate to offer crafters something new and innovative. We will use all of these questions and concerns to shape the future of h+h americas, and explore the ways in which the educational programs we provide can help push our industry in new and exciting directions. 

We hope you are as excited as we are for h+h americas 2023 and beyond. Remember to mark your calendars for June 21-23, 2023, and let us know: what did you love about this year’s show? What do you wish we had done differently? We’re here for the crafting industry today, and tomorrow. We can’t wait to see what the future looks like for all of us.