Keynotes, Speakers, and Topics from the General Session

You’ll find our keynotes – Carson Kressley, Barry Dixon, Jeff Andrews, Sophie Donelson, and Suzanne Kasler -in the General Session and a plethora of topics and speakers that will appeal to both influencers and brands.  Here’s a snapshot of what you’ll learn in the General Session.

Home Design Commerce is Local & Google is Paying Attention

Sandra Funk, founder and principal designer of the House of Funk, and Nicole Heymer, founder of Brandwork Digital, will explore the ins-and-outs of well-structured local search engine blogging tactics that will help you get found through Google search and increase your bottom line. Learn how to create blog posts that highlight the towns where projects and products occur.  Build local authority with the search engines. Sandra and Nicole will provide success stories that will help you demystify local search and leads.  Follow the roadmap and referrals are no longer the only dominant local lead source.

The Evolution and Power of Influencer Marketing in the Design Industry

2017 was widely recognized in global marketing circles as the beginning of the Influencer Marketing Era. Digital tools and social media have emboldened niche influencers across all industries and market sectors. The Design Industry has organically progressed as brick and mortar retailing lagged and e-commerce and digital marketplaces thrived. Founder of the design industry’s cutting-edge marketing conferences (Design Bloggers Conference and Design Influencers Conference) Adam Japko will share his findings on a decade-long progression and viable emergence of influencer marketing in the home furnishings and design industry.

What Can Design Pros and Brands Learn From Fashion and Beauty Marketing?

James Nord, CEO of Fohr, has watched and contributed to the changes in the marketing and PR landscape of the fashion and beauty industries. He has participated in those industries’ dramatic marketing metamorphosis over the last 5 years when working with influencers has gone from experimental to critical. James Nord, the founder of the influencer marketing company Fohr, has been a spectator and accelerator of this change and will explain the similarities and differences inherent in those industries and what the future of influencer marketing might look like for the design community.

Don’t Sleep on Pinterest! Keys to Board Organization, Optimization, and Increased Web Traffic

A few years ago, Kyla Herbes, owner and art director of House Of Hipsters, put all her energy into Pinterest and grew her following from 2,000 to over 190,000. Pinterest is now the biggest traffic driver to her blog. You can do this knowing the right steps to take. Kyla will help you master Pinterest in her packed and practical presentation. Learn how to attract your ideal audience, grow your following, gain social authority, and ultimately increase traffic and sales to your website. The session includes Pinterest 101 and why you need Pinterest in your life. Learn how to set up a business account and manage SEO for your boards. Beyond the basics, the session turns advanced strategies and scheduling simple. A session not to be missed.

Introvert, Extrovert, Expert: How to Build Your Design Authority—and Gain a Loyal Audience!—When Your Happy Place is Behind the Scenes

Some of the most talented, insightful, and creative people in this industry—writers, editors, art directors, stylists, makers of beautiful things—have a hard time putting themselves in the spotlight, and as a result, stay behind the scenes longer than they probably should. But introverts can excel in this field precisely because their nature helps them listen, observe, write thoughtfully, and create. The secret to success is not overcoming your introverted nature, but learning to build on it to enhance your status as a Design Influencer. In this talk, you’ll hear from established design “experts”—author Donna Garlough and blogger/influencer Joanna Hawley of Jojotastic,—introverts who have learned to harness their strengths and find their niche of expertise and authority in the design world. Whether it was launching a blog, writing a book, or finding the right business partners, we’ll discuss what our different paths looked like. What was hard? What was easy? And what would we recommend to young, talented yet introverted design creatives looking to find their own voice and way?

The Other Side of the Camera: How Photography Influences Digital Content and Social Media

Photographs have never been more critical in interior design messaging and marketing. Through social media and digital content, thousands of potential clients, bloggers, media, and brands gain insight into projects. Renowned photographer Emily Followill, Suzanna Cullen Hamilton, and Elizabeth Ralls will discuss the importance and optimization of both professional photos and social media posts. We’ll discuss what type of photos work best for each medium to engage and inspire, as well as other interior design photography-related subjects that play into social media photography optimization including staging, how the camera sees the room differently, and how to hire a photographer if you want to increase visibility in digital content.

Amplifying Your Design Blog with Successful Email Marketing Strategies

Whether influencer or interior designer, you’ve done the hard work building your design blog’s content and followers. Now with a sustained blogging effort, it’s time to monetize your effort. Integrating email marketing, you can have a powerful way to make more money from your blog. Email marketing is a crucial path to maximum conversion. This talk will cover exactly how to make email marketing work for you and your blog so you’re able to entice readers to sign up for your list, communicate with your subscribers to inspire action:

Gain YouTube Stardom with these Four Easy Optimization Tips

Did you know that YouTube has over 800 million unique users each month? That’s 800 million opportunities to get your brand recognized. In a recent study of marketing professionals and online consumers, 76% of those polled say video has helped them increase traffic to their website and increase sales. You want a piece of that pie, but what’s the best way to get your videos noticed? In this course, Stephanie Duerden and Taylor Hori teach attendees how to build a YouTube channel that stays true to their brand with the strategy to help them reach YouTube Stardom!

Coastal Living and Universal Furniture – Furnishing a Lifestyle

Coastal Living is a well-recognized brand in the home category and simultaneously describes an enviable lifestyle. Universal Furniture joined forces with Coastal Living in 2018 and launched a new whole-home assortment at the 2018 Fall High Point Market. The challenge in working together was achieving a style that was on brand and resonated with the Coastal Living customer. Licensed product development processes can be challenging, yet the process between Universal and Coastal Living was anything but… and Neil MacKenzie and Kristen Payne will share their tips on how they forged a successful partnership.

Facebook Marketing and Paid Acquisition

Are you over Facebook? Don’t be discouraged, with over 2 billion monthly active users Facebook is still a viable organic marketing tool for designers. Shayla Copas and Will Ferguson will discuss the top Facebook trends and how they can help design businesses grow.

Your Creative Voice: Developing a unique one and using it to power your brand. A conversation with interior designer Jeff Andrews and Sophie Donelson

Author and editor Sophie Donelson speaks to her friend, Los Angeles interior designer Jeff Andrews, about how authenticity, originality and POV helped fuel the success of Jeff’s business and influential brand and how to find and empower your own unique voice. Their chat will touch on Jeff’s career arc — from emerging designer to a portfolio of A-list celeb clients, international TV and media coverage, and licensed product deals. Jeff will offer tactics for cultivating a unique perspective (as well as clients who support it), how to deliver a signature look through traditional brand extensions like product collections and books to newer outlets like digital brand extensions, how to stay on brand as your personal style evolves, and ways to keep a robust business while standing your creative ground. Jeff’s first book, “The New Glamour: Interiors with Star Quality,” will be released by Rizzoli in March 2019.

Attendees can select any sessions they would like to attend in either the Influencer or Brank tracks, and all participants can attend the General Sessions on Monday and Tuesday. However, please register according to the registration type as specified on our Registration page.

Find out more about who should attend each track in the Event Schedule at a Glance and see the full Agenda for more details.

Our lower rates are in effect until January 7th so Register now to take advantage of the best rates.