On Wednesday, Whirlpool Corporation officially expanded its existing World of Whirlpool showcase in downtown Chicago with a new Experience Center, which will offer hands-on experiences and workshops with Whirlpool’s appliances and experts.
“We’re so excited to expand the World of Whirlpool to the benefit of the Chicago community and beyond,” says Joe Liotine, head of North America for Whirlpool Corporation. “With over a century of leadership in this industry, our design team and home scientists crafted this center knowing consumers crave personalized, interactive experiences as well as tips and tricks that enhance their everyday lives.”
According to the manufacturer, the “discovery-based” destination was developed in response to a demonstrated consumer interest in “how-to” guidance with housekeeping tasks. According to a Google News Labs study, 35% of the top 100 Google searches are related to “how-tos” on cooking, cleaning, and organizing.
The Experience Center will provide hands-on, self-guided experiences based around cooking, cleaning, and washing with Whirlpool products and appliances, ranging from building knife skills to dishwasher use. Whirlpool, Maytag, and KitchenAid experts will also be on hand to share appliance expertise, as well as “life hacks” such as the best way to brew coffee at home or stubborn stain removal.
“We continue to see people searching for guidance on the things they do every day — even for tasks like boiling an egg,” sys Brett Dibkey, Whirlpool Corporation vice president, brand and strategy in North America. “We know we have the experts who can help. That’s why we are introducing this experience, to help people do the things they do every day, better.”
Whirlpool held a grand opening event for the new Experience Center on Wednesday, which featured a ribbon cutting from Whirlpool Corporation executives, as well as a live demonstration by chef Andrew Zimmern. The center will be open on weekdays from 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM, with ongoing workshops available to consumers and visitors.
The 60,000 square foot World of Whirlpool facility, located in the historic Reid-Murdoch building, also contains 14 demonstration kitchens, laundry showrooms, and a connected appliance showcase.
