At the start of every year, while most people are making (and breaking) resolutions, the HD team is concentrating on making HD Expo the most well-rounded, informative, exciting tradeshow around. It takes a lot of work, but it’s worth it. And this year is no different.
Indeed, there are only 76 days until we pack our bags and head to Mandalay Bay from May 3-5th, but we are already gearing up for one of our best shows yet. And here’s why: our sessions, our social hub talks, our partnership with NEWH, and more. We detail a few of these below.
Graduate Degree: The Making of a Brand
Wednesday, May 3rd: noon – 1 p.m.
AJ Capital Partners founder Ben Weprin joins Andrew Alford, the company’s chief creative officer, to discuss the nascent beginnings of their Graduate Hotel brand. Serving the collegiate market, the design-driven, affordable hotels are continuing to change the industry. Weprin and Alford (responsible for the brand’s eclectic, hyper-local feel) will discuss the ins and outs of launching the unique concept, and the keys to a successful collaboration between owner and designer.
The Graduate Madison lobby area
Living the Lifestyle
Wednesday, May 3rd: 3 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Stop us if you’ve heard this before, but guests want authenticity when it comes to hotels. And not just those coveted Millennials either, Gen Xers and Baby Boomers are seeking a different way to travel. Leave it to our four lifestyle experts (Dieter Schellenberg, CTF Design; Gary Steffen, Canopy by Hilton; Melissa Haft, Two Roads Hospitality; and Michael Fuerstman, Pendry Hotels) to discuss one-of-a-kind places that speak to the psychographics, not just demographic, of crafting a perfect lifestyle property.
The upcoming Sagamore Pendry Baltimore
More from HD Expo:
We are especially excited about the social hub this year. Designed by Rockwell Group, it will celebrate the energy, camaraderie, and color palette of a cool ’80s high school cafeteria and assembly room with pops of teal, pink, and gold. Thanks to our sponsors: Aceray, Astek, Artline, Cambria, EGO Paris, Shaw Hospitality Group, and Sunbrella.
In addition to being the nucleus of the show floor, the social hub will also act as host to a handful of informal sessions, including the Business of Design on Wednesday, May 3rd from 2:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. where industry veterans Darrell Long, HBA; Duk Kim, Streetsense; Michael Suomi, Stonehill & Taylor; and Scott Rosenberg, Jonathan Nehmer + Associates and HVS Design will talk hiring, winning projects, negotiating fees, and the basic tenets of running a successful design practice. Not to mention,we’ll welcome NEWH’s Green Voice Discussions back to the social hub this year.
The Hilton Brooklyn New York by Stonehill & Taylor
Speaking of, we’re also looking forward to NEWH’s annual young entrepreneurs breakfast (held Thursday, May 4th from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.). This year, past Wave of the Future honorees Audra Tuskes, Lightstone; Kevin O’Shea, Salt Hotels; Jeremy Levitt, Parts and Labor Design; and Teddy Mayer, Virgin Hotels will talk trends, recent projects, lessons learned, the secrets of success, and industry challenges and solutions. NEWH will also hand out two scholarships for up to $7,500.
We’re merely scratching the surface of what you can expect from this year’s who. We hope that you will join us. Check out hdexpo.com for info on our 30 conference sessions and more than 800 innovative exhibitors, and to of course register today. See you in Vegas!