The Luxury Client Standard: Building Your Business for High-End Clients
Saturday · October 17, 2026 · 10AM-11AM ET
Natuzzi Italia, Casa Italia, Floor 1, 130 W. Commerce Ave.
Moderated by Erin Weir, Co-Founder of The Pearl Collective.
What makes a luxury client trust you with their home, their investment and often years of their life? Beautiful work may get their attention, but the experience surrounding it builds confidence. Discover how successful designers elevate their processes, communications, expertise and client care to create a practice worthy of high-end clientele.
Panelists: Melissa Selvaggio, Mel Bean, Francis Toumbakaris, and Nicole Heymer
A Designer’s Guide to Brand Partnerships
Saturday · October 17, 2026 · 11-11:30AM ET
Cambria, IHFC – IH401, Commerce, Floor 1
Kate O’Hara from the Design Influencers Conference provides insights on how to partner with brands that can open doors for your business.
The Value of Design: Helping Clients Understand What’s Worth the Investment
Saturday · October 17, 2026 · 2-3PM ET
313 Space, House of Rohl Showroom
Join House of Rohl and the Midwest Design Retreat for a conversation about one of the most important parts of the design process: helping clients understand the value behind the products, materials, and details you recommend.
The panel will include Midwest Design Retreat founder and Davis Interiors Principal Designer Jennifer Davis; Xander Noori, co-founder of Xander Noori Design; and Kate O’Hara, owner of the DIC and founder of The Lake House Group.
This event is a special Midwest Design Retreat pop-up presented in collaboration with House of Rohl.
A Well-Designed Business® Podcast 10th Birthday Celebration & Film Premiere
Saturday · October 17, 2026 · 4–7PM ET
Design Master Furniture Showroom
Join us for a memorable evening commemorating 10 years of A Well-Designed Business®! While tickets are complimentary, advance RSVP is strongly encouraged. Due to the anticipated popularity of this event during High Point Market, attendance will be accommodated on a first-come, first-served basis based on venue capacity.
Optimize for Everything: How to Get AI to Recommend You
Sunday · October 18, 2026 · 10AM ET
Suites at Market Square
Suites Seminar Room, T-1022
Search has changed more in the last two years than in the previous twenty. Overviews, AI Mode, ChatGPT—AI recommendations constantly influence your future client. In this session, Nicole Heymer breaks down how these platforms actually choose who to recommend and the specific actions design brands can take right now to show up in AI search.
CEU Hours: 1
Profit by Design: The Business Decisions That Drive Growth
Sunday · October 18, 2026 · 1PM ET
Regina Andrew Showroom, Interhall
210 E Commerce Ave, #IH006
A candid conversation about where interior design firms are making money, where they’re leaving it on the table, and how to build a more profitable business without sacrificing creativity or client experience.
Moderated by Rachel Fasciani, Editior in Chief of Design News Now, with Kate OHara, Rasheeda Gray, and Cathy Purple Cherry.
Inside the Boardroom:
What Happens When Some of the Industry’s Best Business Minds Get in One Room?
Monday · October 19, 2026 · 10am ET
Hooker Furnishings
Showplace, Floor 3
For the first time at High Point Market, the doors to the Boardroom are opening. Join LuAnn Nigara and a powerhouse panel of Boardroom for Creatives experts for a very real conversation about the business issues that matter most to creative entrepreneurs, from sales, marketing, and finances to systems, leadership, profitability, and growth.
And bring the hard business questions that keep you up at night. This is the room to ask them and get answers from people who know.
Speakers: Vin Nigara, Jennifer Tokatyan, Deb Mitchell, Robyn White, Pam Durkin, Jude Charles, Eileen Hahn, Rick Campos, Stacey Brown Randall, Amber De La Garza, LuAnn Nigara, Kate O’Hara, Dixie Willard
GOOD COMPANY:
Designers + Media at Currey & Company
Hosted by
Currey & Company and Design Influencers Conference
Monday · October 19, 2026 · 12–2PM ET
Currey & Company
209 S Main St Ste M110
Join Currey & Company and the Design Influencers Conference for a Monday gathering bringing designers and design media together.
Meet editors, writers, podcasters, publishers, and other people shaping the design conversation. Explore Currey’s latest introductions and make valuable connections.
Consider it a first look at the conversations and connections the Design Influencers Conference is bringing to Atlanta in 2027.
Pricing Without Pushback
Monday · October 19, 2026 · 3-4PM ET
Regina Andrew Showroom, Interhall
210 E Commerce Ave, #IH006
Claire Jefford, Jessica Duce, and Nicole Heymer will reveal how they avoid client pushback by building trust, no matter which pricing model
Pricing is one of the hardest conversations in interior design and one of the most misunderstood. In this panel, Claire Jefford, Jessica Deuce, Nicole Heymer and Sarah Daniele will reveal how they avoid client pushback by building trust, no matter which pricing model they use: flat fee, hourly, retainer, or blocks of time.
At the end of this conversation, you’ll leave with 3 concrete strategies you can use in your very next client conversation. Following the panel, join us for a beverage and meet and greet with our panelists!