On June 24, 2009 at New York School of Interior Design, The Luxury Home Alliance, Decorative Fabrics Association, The Luxury Marketing Council Present: Revitalizing the Value of the Design ‘eco-systyem’ to Inspire Consumer Desire.
Situation: This summer will be a turning point in the markets for home furnishings and interior design. The current economy has exposed all the old inefficiencies that limit the flow of goods and services through the system for designing homes well lived in. Yet despite weak demand, potential does exist if the market can inspire new consumer desire.
National and independent showrooms and their manufacturers who provide products and services, owners and managers of the design center properties, the ‘shelter’ media, and the interior design community are realizing more than ever that each other’s vitality depends on the ability of all the stakeholders in the system to attract and delight consumers who have the resources to spend on their homes.
It is the right time to work more closely together and to conceive solutions that stimulate the marketplace overall, that respect its fundamentals, but that provide more transparency to the process and invite a wider range of opinion while creating valuable new relationships which benefit all in the design ‘eco-system.’
Purpose: In light of these circumstances, this joint meeting of leaders and influencers introduces a strategy that seeks to re-vitalize the value of design, create more consumers of design, and engage them in a more efficient system of its’ supply.
Leadership: Shared vision and bold strategies are required to challenge the system’s paradigm and move a strategy forward. Leaders of brands strategically positioned in the market for design and decoration will be featured on a panel representing the stakeholders within the design ‘eco-system:’
+ Showrooms (Olivier Peardon, Brunschwig & Fils)
+ Manufacturers (James Caughman, Kohler Interiors Group)
+ Design Centers (James Druckman, New York Design Center)
+ Media for Design Consumers (Deborah Burns, Luxury Design Group)
+ Interior Design Education (Scott Ageloff ASID and Dean NYSID)
+ Interior Design Community (Susan B. Nagle Allied ASID, NYSID Trustee and James Rixner ASID)
+ Intelligence on Affluent Consumers (Jill Rudnick, Departures Magazine)
Process: At the beginning of the meeting, Steve Nobel and Nancye Green, former CEO, Waterworks will introduce a conceptual strategic plan with four acts:
Act One – “Inspire Desire,” a PSA campaign, which aims to inspire consumers interested in engaging with design to become oriented to its real value.
Act Two – “Orientation to Design,” events for consumers and designers hosted in Design Centers and Showrooms that orient the audiences to the value of design, demystify the process, and direct one’s desire to live well by engaging design professionals.
Act Three – “Take Action,” go to a virtual place – the ‘Design Town Square’ that presents the “Orientation” and provides a mechanism for inspired consumers to learn more about and connect with designers.
Act Four – “Stay Current”, market-specific intelligence and research (to be shared with participants).
Following the introduction, each panelist will be invited to assess the market’s current performance, and present his or her views on a more efficient and effective market in the future. Steve will moderate discussion and the audience’s questions and comments.
Outcomes: There is a ground swell of interest in this initiative that could be galvanized into a plan of action beginning with the following:
+ assemble a critical mass of stakeholder representatives to participate in the planning process,
+ create a PSA campaign to inspire consumers’ desire for design,
+ produce events for consumer orientation and design professional development,
+ develop a virtual “Design Town Square” mechanism to engage consumer desire with designers and the design process,
The benefit of this approach is that it includes the key stakeholders, the design community and targeted consumer interests for the benefit of all. The process begins with revitalizing the value of the design ‘eco-system’ to inspire consumer desire.
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