Luxury Markets

Affluent lifestyles, once the hallmark of the elite, have now become fair game for the masses. Consumer markets in all sectors are being restructured to meet an increasing affinity for items, products and services that deliver high levels of quality, taste and aspiration. Discover how shifting demographics usher in “new luxury,” and how to tap the related markets.

Friday, March 14

Smart Trends and Context-aware Luxury
Retail Design for Luxury Brands

Saturday, March 15

Inviting to All – Luxury and Universal Design
Aiming at Affluence: Marketing Interior Design for Luxury Clients
Yacht Design and Luxury Interiors

Program Spotlight

Recruiting, Retaining and Managing an Age-diverse Workforce
Saturday, 2 – 3:30 p.m.

The greatest challenge on the radar scope these days is how to find sufficient candidates to fill job vacancies. It is only going to get worse as Baby Boomers begin retiring in droves. If that isn’t enough, there are now four distinct generations in the workplace. And, each of those generations are very different from the others. This program will help managers and HR professionals learn what makes each of the generations tick, learn what they are looking for and what can be expected from them in the workplace. Learn to recruit, retain and manage the most age-diverse employee poll in our nation’s history.

Program Spotlight

Business Planning for Young Designers
Friday, 2 – 3:30 p.m.

It’s reasonable to say that the reasons most designers have for entering the profession have little to do with the skills and knowledge needed to operate a practice. What many young designers discover when opening a business is the common disconnect between those characteristics that make a great designer and those that make a great business person. What if the obsession that drives most designers could be harnessed to craft a compelling and successful business model? Knowing yourself well is the best way to determine what clients make the best fit. Understanding your company brand allows you to identify good clients. How many times have you submitted proposals for potential work where the client decides if the fit is right? This session turns the table on that kind of thinking and presents a strategy for identifying the characteristics that will help young designers identify and target the perfect clients and secure that work.

Generational Impact

This is your wake-up call. The time to plan for generational change is now! Learn how you can address key generational trends, keeping your business relevant and meeting the changing needs of your staff, clients and the community you serve.

Friday, March 14

Turn Silver Into Gold! How to Profit in the Boomer Marketplace
Design Strategies for the Multigenerational Workforce

Saturday, March 15

Health & Longevity – A Wellness Retail Revolution
Recruiting, Retaining and Managing an Age-diverse Workforce

Program Spotlight

Inviting to All: Luxury and Universal Design
Saturday, 10:30 a.m. – Noon

After the onset of multiple sclerosis had changed his day-to-day living, Bharat Soli, chairman and CEO of a Seattle engineering firm, and his wife were living in a home that lacked the needed features to ease his physical challenges. Enters designer, builder and son, Sanjay Soli. In creating a stylish, upscale yet functional environment for his parents, Sol integrated a number of fundamental Universal Design principles into the architectural and interior design of the home.