In less than a month, members of the Accessories Resource Team (ART) and the Interior Design Society (IDS) will join forces once again for the 2018 ART + IDS Conference. After the first successful joint conference in Scottsdale, AR, last May, ART and IDS pulled out all the stops this year to bring members the best in educational, community outreach and networking opportunities. Based on feedback from last year's conference, ART and IDS chose the Desoto Savannah in Savannah, GA, to host this year's event, which will run from April 30 to May 2.
Are you ready to learn, give back and meet with professionals across the home furnishings industry? Check out the line up for the 2018 ART + IDS Conference and get pumped for the conference.
The 2018 ARTS + IDS Conference Schedule
Three days doesn't seem like enough time to spend at conference, but luckily, the ART and IDS teams have packed those three days with a ton of great seminars and events. Check out the full schedule here.
Monday, April 30
1:00 p.m. — Lunch - Cumberland/Sapelo
2:00 p.m. — Learn to Collaborate - the Funny Way, Larry Weaver
3:00 p.m. — Break
3:15 p.m. — State of the Industry panel discussion
5:00 p.m. — Daily Wrap-up
6:30 p.m. — Welcome cocktails (sponsored by Varaluz) followed by dinner (sponsored by Dallas Market Center)
Tuesday, May 1
8:00 a.m. — Breakfast
8:50 a.m. — General Address
9:00 a.m. — Education of Design Today panel discussion
10:00 a.m. — Break
10:15 a.m. — Breakout Sessions: Designer Deep Dive or How to Create a Powerful Marketing System
11:00 a.m. — Breakout Sessions: Designer Deep Dive (cont.) or Be a Social Practitioner
12:00 p.m. — Lunch/Daily Wrap-up
1:00 p.m. — Community Outreach Project
6:00 p.m. — Cocktail Party
Wednesday, May 2
8:00 a.m. — Breakfast
9:00 a.m. — Breakout Sessions: Time and Priority Management: The Secret to Reclaiming Your Time and Staying Productive or Five Things Every Design Contract Needs
10:00 a.m. — Break
10:15 a.m. — Breakout Sessions: Today's Merchandising Trends or Selling Luxury
11:15 a.m. — Second Sight, The Evasons, Mentalist Duo
12:15 p.m. — Wrap-up
Afternoon Free
6:00 p.m. — Cocktail Party
7:00 p.m. — ART Dinner, Entertainment and Dancing
7:00 p.m. — IDS National Awards Dinner
Sounds like a lot for just a few days. Don't worry, there will be plenty of time for relaxation and networking.
Breakout Seminars
It wouldn't be a conference without a number of standout seminars and speakers. Everyone will have a chance to listen to the general sessions, but if you're having trouble deciding which breakout session to attend, we've got you covered.
Tuesday, May 1
Designer Deep Dive Four Solution-Based Roundtable Discussions (10:15/11:15 a.m.)
Moderated by IDS Members and Interior Designers
Learn tools and tricks of the trade from industry peers through roundtable discussions on pricing, client onboarding, conflict resolution and apps for designers. Discussions will rotate every 30 minutes, allowing attendees to gain knowledge in all four topics. The panelists are: Nicole Arnold, Nicole Arnold Interiors; Barbara Gilbert, Barbara Gilbert Interiors; Linda Baker, Baker Design Group; Nancy Ganzekaufer, Nancy Ganzekaufer Business Coaching. This is a two-part panel discussion, so if you plan to attend the first part, make sure you also attend the second part.
How to Create a Powerful Marketing System (10:15 a.m.)
Randy Braun, The Small Business Marketing Academy
In this session, you’ll learn the key elements needed to create an integrated marketing system that regularly acquires new customers and develops them into lifelong advocates.
- How to develop Ideal Customer Profiles so you can focus your limited resources for greater impact
- How to define a Unique Value Proposition that will set you apart from your competitors and allow you to charge higher fees.
- Strategies for “teaching your business to market itself” by generating on-going referrals.
- The latest online tools for automating the marketing of your business on a limited budget
Be a Social Practitioner (11:00 a.m.)
Nadia Jones, Social Channel Marketing Group
This session will provide attendees with social media marketing solutions to increase net revenue, grow customer/client base, increase brand loyalty and drive online conversations and engagement. The session promises to deliver practical takeaway information that attendees can implement in their businesses now.
Wednesday, May 2
Time and Priority Management: The Secret to Reclaiming Your Time and Staying Productive (9:00 a.m.)
Shelia Butler, Handley Drive
There are plenty of individuals and businesses struggling with daily overwhelming and operational inefficiencies in priority and time management. Yours shouldn't be one of them. In this presentation, Butler will discuss how you can create a path to more balance, joy and freedom in your business.
Five Things Every Design Contract Needs (9:00 a.m.)
David Adler, Adler Law
We realize that designers do much more than create beautiful spaces. This session will teach you the top five things that should be included in your client contract.
Today’s Merchandising Trends - Panel Discussion (10:15 a.m.)
This panel of industry professionals will share merchandising trends in showrooms and at the retail level. The panelists are: Manufacturer: David Gebhart, Global Views; Trend Expert: Jaye Anna Mize, Fashionsnoops; Moderator: Paul Thompson, Paul Thompson Design; Retail and Showroom Design Consultant: Connie Post, Connie Post Affordable Design Solutions.
Selling Luxury (10:15 a.m.)
Jason McNeely, Hansgrohe (Sponsored by Hansgrohe)
Selling Luxury will explore the state of the luxury market in the United States. You will learn about what makes a luxury brand and what type of consumers are buying them and why. This course will also provide tips to selling to the luxury consumer.
The Community Outreach Projects
Last year, ART and IDS members partnered with U.S. VETS, which provides housing assistance, counseling, career development and comprehensive support to U.S. military veterans and their families. During the conference, members spent one afternoon at the U.S. VETS Grand Veterans Village housing facility, a 132-room repurposed hotel for homeless and transitioning veterans, decorating and designing these rooms with donations from participating manufacturers. Members got the chance to meet, talk with and hear stories from veterans as they worked, and no one left the facility without feeling touched and humbled.
This year, conference goers will have the opportunity to do some good for the homeless in Savannah. Here are the four community outreach projects.
Tiny House Village/Chatham-Savannah Authority for the Homeless: Benefitting homeless veterans, tiny houses are being constructed at Fort Stewart to be moved to the 3-acre site, Cove at Dundee. Ultimately, the community will have 75 tiny houses and community room space. Each 160-square-foot structure has running water and electricity. Conference attendees will build and paint a dozen picnic tables that will serve as a dining space for each resident.
Tom D Austin House/Equal Opportunity Authority: Serving transitional homeless families, this facility contains 12 apartment-style units that are currently furnished with furniture basics. Attendees will install home accents, donated by ART and IDS members and other home furnishing vendors, in each of the two-bedroom units, the community room and the facility’s entryway.
Union Mission/Grace House: This shelter facility serves the homeless community by providing a safe sleeping location along with meals and assorted social services. Conference attendees will construct code-approved bunk beds in the dormitory and install wall decor, donated by ART and IDS member vendors, in the dining rooms and lobby.
Savannah Baptist Center: This organization offers a wide variety of services to homeless and low-income veterans, families and individuals including shower facilities, clothing closet, food pantry, job training, spiritual counseling, children’s services and summer day camp. Attendees will enhance the children’s recreation room while donating art and game supplies for the summer camp program.
The DeSoto Savannah
It's hard to imagine a better hotel for the creative minds of ART and IDS. Built in 1890 and now a landmark hotel, the DeSoto will play hostess to conference attendees, and there is perhaps no better place in Savannah to stay. The design mixes modern artwork and decor with period details, such as the original crystal chandelier and terracotta tiles, to create a beautiful atmosphere that mixes the past with the present.
Recently renovated, the hotel offers some of the best skyline views of Savannah. Its new urban pool terrace has plenty of space to rest and unwind during the evenings, and the restaurants in the hotel serve local favorites, allowing you to get a real, authentic taste of Savannah.
For those free nights, the DeSoto's location in the heart of the Historic District means you're never more than a few blocks away from seeing something cool. Whether you want to explore the city on your own or take a guided tour (Savannah is known as one of the most haunted cities in the country, you know), the riverfront is just a short walk away.
Ready for another great conference? Tell us what you're looking forward to the most in the comments below.
