PIck up your badge and swag bag at the DIC registration desk at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis. Welcome toast and pre-event briefing with Kate O’Hara and Nicole Heymer. Enjoy a glass of bubbly before the conference kicks off!
Kate O'Hara
Nicole Heymer Speakers To Be Announced Light Hors d’oeuvres + Drinks VIP ticketholders will attend one of the two scheduled VIP dinners—an evening out with speakers, colleagues, and media pros. Grab breakfast and head to a table for conversation OR go to your scheduled workshop. Attendees register for one workshop. This morning’s topics are:
Mali Azima
Monique Valeris Speaker To Be Announced 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 Speaker To Be Announced Speaker To Be Announced Buffet lunch and conversation OR your scheduled workshop. Attendees register for one workshop. This afternoon’s topics are: Speaking is one of the fastest ways to build authority—yet many designers and architects treat it as a one-off instead of a repeatable practice. This session covers how to land stage time, from panels to podcasts to keynotes, and how to turn it into real business results: referrals, media attention, and client pipeline.
Arianne Bellizaire 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
Monica McCommon A few minutes of dedicated, lightly structured time for connecting. 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 Highlights + Connections VIP ticketholders will attend one of the two scheduled VIP dinners—an evening out with speakers, colleagues, and media pros.
Jessica Ritz
Kelly Kegans Grab breakfast and head to a table for conversation OR go to your scheduled workshop. Attendees register for one workshop. This morning’s topics are:
Nicole Heymer Everything we’re talking about at DIC works—print + editorial, speaking, social media, publishing a book—all of it. The real question isn’t whether a tactic can work. It’s whether it’s the right move for the business you’re building. LuAnn Nigara delivers the decision-making framework attendees will use to evaluate every session at DIC: filtering opportunities through business alignment, audience fit, ability to demonstrate real expertise, capacity to sustain it, and long-term credibility. Leave with clarity on what actually deserves your time.
LuAnn Nigara 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 Speaker To Be Announced Housekeeping + Surprises Buffet lunch and conversation OR your scheduled workshop.
Attendees register for one workshop. This afternoon’s topics are:
Jessica Ritz
Kelly Kegans Safe travels! See you again soon.DAY ONE
Registration
Conference Kickoff + Champagne Toast
Opening Fireside Chat Keynote + Main Stage Session
The Warm-Up • Opening Reception
For VIPs: The Monday Dinner
DAY TWO
Continental Breakfast + Networking
Breakfast Workshops in the Skills Studio
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.
The Expert Quote: How to Become a Go-To Source for Media
Proactively position yourself as a media source: building journalist and editor relationships, and getting quoted in trend roundups, opinion pieces, or expert features. Leave with an outreach template and strategy. Taught by Monique Valeris, Home Design Director for Good Housekeeping.
Editor-in-Chief Keynote
Get the Magazine Feature: Pitch, Photography, and the Path to a Yes
On Camera, On Brand: Broadcast, Streaming, and the Design Expert
Design Meets Demand: Building an E-Commerce Strategy That Sells
Lunch + Networking
Lunch Workshops in the Skills Studio
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.
The Expert Quote: How to Become a Go-To Source for Media
Proactively position yourself as a media source: building journalist and editor relationships, and getting quoted in trend roundups, opinion pieces, or expert features. Leave with an outreach template and strategy. Taught by Monique Valeris, Home Design Director for Good Housekeeping.
The Speaking Practice: How Taking the Stage Builds Reputation and Pipeline
Influence in Motion: Turning Social Presence into Opportunity
Networking Break
Your Name Is an Asset: Licensing, IP, and the Revenue Waiting for You
Main Stage Debrief
For VIPs: The Tuesday Dinner
For VIPs: 1-on-1, 30-Minute PItch Sessions with 
Editorial Scouts
DAY THREE
Continental Breakfast + Networking
Breakfast Workshops in the Skills Studio
Influence and Online Visibility: How to Get AI to Recommend Your Firm
Which firms are ChatGPT and other LLM’s recommending to potential clients? Both locally and nationally, it’s those that are most influential. Leave with a custom to-do list of next steps based on your current level of visibility and business model. Taught by Nicole Heymer, Founder/Creative Director at Glory & Brand and Co-Owner of the Design Influencers Conference.
Matchmake Yourself for Licensing: Finding the Right Brand Fit
Identify manufacturers whose aesthetic, scale, and distribution align with your work. Learn what a strong first outreach looks like and what manufacturers look for. Leave with the skills to put together a partner wishlist. Instructor to be announced.
The Business Behind the Visibility: A Framework for Deciding What Deserves Your Time
Trends, Expert Quotes, and Thought Leadership: The Full Spectrum of Editorial Opportunity
The Book Deal: What It Takes, Why It Matters, and What Comes Next
Special Announcements
Lunch + Networking
Lunch Workshops in the Skills Studio
Influence and Online Visibility: How to Get AI to Recommend Your Firm
Which firms are ChatGPT and other LLM’s recommending to potential clients? Both locally and nationally, it’s those that are most influential. Leave with a custom to-do list of next steps based on your current level of visibility and business model. Taught by Nicole Heymer, Founder/Creative Director at Glory & Brand and Co-Owner of the Design Influencers Conference.
Matchmake Yourself for Licensing: Finding the Right Brand Fit
Identify manufacturers whose aesthetic, scale, and distribution align with your work. Learn what a strong first outreach looks like and what manufacturers look for. Leave with the skills to put together a partner wishlist. Instructor to be announced.
For VIPs: 1-on-1, 30-Minute PItch Sessions with 
Editorial Scouts
Prosecco Toast + Farewell