DAY ONE ‧ March 1, 2027
REGISTRATION
Pick up your badge and swag bag at the DIC registration desk at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis.
Conference Kickoff + Champagne Toast
Welcome toast and pre-event briefing with Kate O’Hara and Nicole Heymer. Enjoy a glass of bubbly before the conference kicks off!
Nicole Heymer
Kate O'Hara
Keynote Speaker + Main Stage Session
Speakers To Be Announced
The Warm-Up • Opening Reception
Start the conference with drinks, light hors d’oeuvres, and the first chance to meet fellow attendees, speakers, and industry partners before the full program begins.
DAY TWO ‧ March 2, 2027
Continental Breakfast + Networking
Grab breakfast and head to a table for conversation OR go to your scheduled workshop.
Editor-in-Chief Keynote
Speaker To Be Announced
Get the Magazine Feature: Pitch, Photography, and the Path to a Yes
What does it take to land a home feature? Carisha Swanson, Director of Editorial Special Projects at House Beautiful, knows exactly what’s required. She’ll share behind-the-scenes advice on your pitch, your photography, and the kind of work that gets placement.
Carisha Swanson
On Camera, On Brand: Broadcast, Streaming, and the Design Expert
Speaker To Be Announced
Design Meets Demand: Building an E-Commerce Strategy That Sells
Speaker To Be Announced
Lunch + Networking
Buffet lunch and conversation OR your scheduled workshop.
The Speaking Practice: How Taking the Stage Builds Reputation and Pipeline
Speaking can do far more than raise your profile. Arianne Bellizaire shares how she has used panels, podcasts, keynotes, and other appearances to build authority, relationships, and new business. Learn how to identify the right opportunities, become someone people want to hear from again, and make speaking something that continues to pay off after you leave the stage.
Arianne Bellizaire
Influence in Motion: Turning Social Presence into Opportunity
Anne Gillyard, co-owner of grOH! Playrooms, built a waitlist business by niching down and using video and social content to reach ideal clients. Alongside Monika McCommon, Founder and CEO of The Home Influencers, this session will unpack how to turn content into real opportunity—attracting the right clients, building brand recognition, and compounding influence across platforms. Rachel Fasciani moderates the conversation.
Rachel Fasciani
Anne Gillyard
Monika McCommon
Networking Break
Your Name Is an Asset: Licensing, IP, and the Revenue Waiting for You
Your name and your work are intellectual property—and you’re leaving revenue on the table by not treating them that way. Seth Kaplowitz, Managing Partner at Kaplowitz Strachan and advisor to a roster of AD100 and Elle Décor A-list designers, takes the stage with one of his own clients to unpack how licensing really works: what’s protectable, how deals get structured, and what it looks like to turn your name and point of view into a lasting revenue stream. Expect a candid, experience-driven conversation from two people who’ve been on both sides of the table.
Seth Kaplowitz
DAY THREE ‧ March 3, 2027
CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST + NETWORKING
Grab breakfast and head to a table for conversation OR go to your scheduled workshop.
The Business Behind the Visibility: A Framework for Deciding What Deserves Your Time
Print. Speaking. Social media. Publishing. Licensing. Brand partnerships. They can all work. That doesn’t mean they all make sense for your business. After two days of ideas and opportunities, LuAnn Nigara helps you decide what deserves a yes, what deserves a no, and what may simply need to wait. Evaluate your options through business alignment, audience, expertise, capacity, and long-term credibility, and leave DIC knowing where you actually want to put your time.
LuAnn Nigara
Trends, Expert Quotes, and Thought Leadership: The Full Spectrum of Editorial Opportunity
Getting featured is only one piece of editorial influence. This session goes beyond the home feature to show the full range of editorial opportunity: contributing trend predictions, becoming a go-to expert source for journalists, and building bylined thought leadership that positions you as an authority, not just a subject. Attendees will leave with a clear picture of how each type of coverage builds credibility differently and how to start pursuing the ones they’ve been overlooking.
Andrew Joseph
The Book Deal: What It Takes, Why It Matters, What Comes Next
Speaker To Be Announced
LUNCH + NETWORKING
Buffet lunch and conversation OR your scheduled workshop.
Prosecco Toast + Farewell
Safe travels! See you again soon.
WORKSHOP OPTIONS
Influence and Online Visibility: How to Get AI to Recommend Your Firm
When a potential client asks ChatGPT or another AI platform to recommend an interior designer, what determines which firms show up? Learn what AI can find and understand about your firm, what helps establish your authority and relevance, and where gaps in your online presence may be holding you back. Leave with a custom to-do list of next steps based on your current visibility and business model. Taught by Nicole Heymer, Founder/Creative Director of Glory & Brand and Co-Owner of the Design Influencers Conference.
Nicole Heymer
Shoot to Publish: Styling and Photography for Editorial Placement
From shot lists and styling decisions to what kills an otherwise publishable project. Learn how to brief a photographer and evaluate your own existing photography against styling and editorial standards. Taught by Mali Azima—interior photographer with work seen in Architectural Digest, Veranda, House Beautiful, Milieu, Luxe, and more.
Mali Azima
The Expert Quote: How to Become a Go-To Source for Media
Why do the same designers seem to show up again and again in trend stories, expert roundups, and service pieces? Learn how to become someone editors and writers know they can call, how to identify the media contacts covering subjects you genuinely know, and how to introduce yourself before they need you. Leave with an outreach strategy and template you can start using immediately. Taught by Monique Valeris, Home Design Director for Good Housekeeping.
Monique Valeris
From Social Presence to Brand Partnership: The Playbook for Turning Influence Into Income
If you’re building an audience on social media, brand collaborations are one way that visibility can turn into a real business opportunity. Monika McCommon, Founder and CEO of The Home Influencers and former SVP of Marketing at STARK, takes designers behind the scenes of how these partnerships actually happen: what brands are looking for, how to identify the right opportunities, how to make an approach, what to expect when a brand says yes, and how to create a collaboration both sides want to repeat.
Monika McCommon
FOR VIPS
Exclusive VIP Workshop: The Real PR Checklist
What to Have in Place Before You Pitch or Hire
Before you hire a publicist—or start pitching on your own—your firm needs to have specific elements in place. Amy Flurry, author of Recipe for Press: Designer Edition, walks VIPs through the checklist: positioning, messaging, website, project photography, story angles, and what needs to be buttoned up to make publicity truly work. You’ll learn what a publicist can help with, what they should not be expected to fix for you, and where your own firm may still have work to do. Leave with a clear picture of what’s ready, what isn’t, and what to address next.
Amy Flurry
1-on-1, 30-Minute Pitch Sessions with Editorial Scouts
Every VIP receives a private, 30-minute session with a working editorial scout who regularly pitches stories to regional and national publications. Bring your work, your story, and your questions to get candid feedback on publication fit, pitch readiness, potential story angles, and what you may need to strengthen before you pitch. You’ll leave with a clearer sense of where your work could fit, what to do next, and a new relationship with a media professional who does this work every day.
Kelly Kegans
Jessica Ritz
The VIP Dinner
VIP ticketholders will attend one of two intimate dinners with DIC speakers, media professionals, and fellow VIP attendees. Designed for conversation rather than programming, these dinners create the kind of small-group access and relationship-building that simply doesn’t happen from a conference seat.