Las Vegas Market and the International Furnishings and Design Association (IFDA) announced this week that a panel of leading design, manufacturing and licensing experts will headline the second annual DesignEDGE design industry summit produced by the IFDA Education Foundation. The summit will be held on Sunday, July 29, 2018, opening day of the Summer 2018 Las Vegas Market, July 29 to August 2, 2018.
“Las Vegas Market is committed to fostering educational, informational and networking opportunities throughout the industries that we serve, and our expanded collaboration with the IFDA Educational Foundation on this pioneering DesignEDGE Summit allows us to present participating industry executives with a cornucopia of ideas that can help them expand their businesses, and at the same time, provides an important value-added benefit for Summer Market attendance,” said Karen Olson, Senior Vice President Marketing, International Market Centers.
The 2018 event kicks off on Sunday, July 29, at 10 a.m., with an inspiring address by keynote speaker Nolen Niu, an internationally recognized and award-winning industrial designer from California who has developed private furniture lines, custom one-of-a-kind pieces, mass production furniture and retail space for corporate, private and celebrity clientele.
A highlight of the summit will be a special afternoon panel discussion “From Creation to Consumer: Everything You Should Know,” moderated by Nick May, creator of The Chaise Lounge Podcast. The panel discussion will be followed by a question-and-answer session.
Panelists include: Julia Buckingham, principal of Buckingham Interiors + Designs Limited; Kelli Ellis, interior designer, artist and founding partner of Design Campus, The Design MasterMind; Katherine Kalen, marketing director for furniture supplier Sunpan; Nina Magon, interior designer, TV personality, and creative director of Contour Interior Design; Neil McKenzie, marketing director, Universal Furniture; and Angela Pickens, Branding Consultant out of Los Angeles.
DesignEDGE is CEU approved (3.5 CEUs) “and a not-to-be-missed summit for any designer, no matter their professional affiliation, who has an interest in growing their business by creating original products or a collection,” says Dr. Wilma Hammett, Chair of DesignEDGE. “We have all the players together – the designers, the manufacturers and a licensing and branding expert who will share their expertise, and experiences and answer any questions. And Nick May is the best there is at asking the right questions to get the answers we want to know. We all see that from his podcasts and his panel discussions at markets”
The DesignEDGE program also will include an introductory “sneak peek” at Las Vegas Market’s proprietary FIRST LOOK trend forecast – from 11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. Julie Smith Vincenti, FIRST LOOK curator and 20-year magazine editor, will spotlight four central themes featuring a curated product assortment that reflects the diversity of furniture, home décor and gifts – at all styles, prices points and categories – available at Summer Market.
Online registration for the 2018 DesignEDGE conference is open now at www.ifdaef.org/designedge. Registration will cost $59 for IFDA members; and $99 for non-members. DesignEDGE participants must also register for Las Vegas Market, with registration available online at www.lasvegasmarket.com.
The host hotel for the DesignEDGE summit is the SLS Las Vegas, however, rooms are limited. Summit attendees may book rooms at any Las Vegas Market official partner hotel and use the free shuttle service to attend the summit. For hotel reservations and information, please visit: https://www.lasvegasmarket.com/plan/hotels.
