As a designer, events and conferences are often a treasure trove of inspiration and creativity. Discovering new products, new colors and new trends, not to mention connecting with like-minded design industry professionals, can be refreshing and motivating. With the event industry pretty much going on hold in 2020, it's promising, having seen the success at the recent Las Vegas and Dallas markets, that things seem to be starting back up again. While some events this year are going ahead virtually, others are in-person events (with strict COVID-19 measures in place).
So, which events are ones that you surely can't miss? Read on below for a summary of 8 2021 interior design events to keep on your radar.
1. Designers Today’s Designer Experience
This year's Designer's Experience is a virtual event, and it promises to once again be an afternoon you don't want to miss! Reflecting on last year's challenges, the virtual event puts positivity on the table. Taking a "Bxtraordinary" focus, the event celebrates all that the interior design industry has achieved over the last year despite the setbacks, holdups, and adversities. The afternoon is jam-packed full of valuable content, including live design therapy sessions, behind-the-scenes showcases, product giveaways, and entertainment. Designer Experience is a fabulous way to connect to the industry and spend some time hanging out with and hearing from your interior design professional peers.
You can view the full agenda here.
Event date: May 25, 2021
2. HighPoint MKT
As the largest furnishings industry trade show globally, it's exciting to see that this market is up and running again. While they're not doing as much programming as previous years, they are still doing Style Spotters (hooray!). Plus, the word on the street is that many exhibitors have full collections in development, many of which will be debuting at the Spring market. For those who can't make it but are still keen to check things out, you can catch the virtual events Style Spotters LIVE! x Zoom on Wednesday, June 30th at 2 pm ET and IdeaStreams, which hosts an array of on-demand and live-streamed webinars throughout the year.
Event dates: Spring: June 05 – 09, 2021, Fall: October 16 – 20, 2021
3. NY NOW
Registrations are open for the in-person NY NOW summer event. Located exclusively over one level of the Javits Convention Center in New York. The market brings together home design + tabletop, luxury lifestyle, global design, and much more in this thoughtfully curated event. Showcasing design-driven products for both emerging and established brands, NY NOW promises to deliver a smooth flowing and uninterrupted buying experience of some of the latest and greatest modern retailers and specialty buyers. Who doesn't love a good excuse to visit the Big Apple?!
Event dates: August 08 – 11, 2021
4. Chicago Mart
A lot is going on this year at theMART, Chicago's premier wholesale design center. First up in September, is the Casual Market Chicago, which celebrates the vibrant life of outdoor living. This 4-day, trade-only market brings together new and innovative outdoor products that encapsulate the latest worldwide trends and product developments.
Then, in October, follow it up with NeoCon, a market that is a pure tribute to "game-changing" commercial design products and services. “Design Anew”, this year's theme, considers how we can all be inspired to "Design Anew" to keep driving business forward regardless of external challenges. Catch up on new products and services across furniture, flooring, fabrics, interior finishes, building products, and more.
Event dates: Casual Market Chicago: Sept 21 – 24, 2021. NeoCon: Oct 04 – 06, 2021
5. Paris Design Week
Who knows what we’ll be able to do come September, but if international travel is on the bill, then add Paris Design Week into your schedule!
Spread across 200 hundred venues throughout the mesmerizing city of Paris, immerse yourself among showrooms, workshops, galleries, boutiques, and many more as you celebrate eclectic Parisian design. Listen to industry-leading designers as they share their latest design and architecture initiatives via the event’s talks and conferences program. If you can’t make it to the actual physical event, don’t worry, the panel discussions will also be available online.
Event dates: Sept 09 - 18, 2021
6. Kips Bay Decorator Show House
At the time of writing, the 4th Annual Kips Bay Decorator Show House was in full swing at Palm Beach. Being held both in-person and virtually, the lineup for the event sees some of North American’s top talent unleash their designer prowess on this West Palm Beach property.
If you missed the Palm Beach occasion, you’ll get a second chance to join in the fun as the Dallas Show House returns after their inaugural event last year. Taking place this September and October, you can see photos of last year’s Old Preston Hollow home transformation here, and get an idea of what to expect for the upcoming unveiling!
Event dates: Dallas Preview: Sept 23, 2021. Run of show: Sept 24 – Oct 24, 2021
7. Design Influencers Conference
The Design Influencers Conferences for 2021 may have come and gone, but still, with its resounding success, we believe it needed to be included!
Streamed over three different virtual events throughout March, April and May, if you’re looking for ways to leverage digital platforms and social media channels to grow your interior design business, then be sure to check out the recordings from the events. The day one slides for all events will be available online very soon. Listen to discussions between design influencers, interior design bloggers, and brand managers and apply practical takeaways directly to your interior design firm.
While they kept things virtual for 2021, come 2022, the plan is for an in-person event in Atlanta for March, so don’t forget to mark those calendars!
8. DESIGN ADAC
This event was held virtually from April 27 - 29, 2021. However, just like the previous event, we think it's worth mentioning as all the videos from the event are available for viewing via the ADAC YouTube channel from May 12.
Get a behind-the-scenes look at new collections by Baker and McGuire, and listen to the Artistry of Home showroom presentation from Schumacher, or join three design industry greats for a deep dive into the luxury trends that defined the 70's in the keynote presentation, The Evolution of an Icon: Clarence House Through the Decades.
