ASID Announces First Ever Virtual Conference – Vegas Magazine

A New Initiative to Provide Three Days of Inspiring Programming and Connect the Design Community Through Open, Interactive Events.

(August 26, 2020 -- Washington, DC) -- The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) has announced its first-ever Virtual Conference, seeking to unite design professionals nationwide. Created to support and inspire the design community despite the travel and health restrictions of COVID-19, the Virtual Conference will provide programming, resources, networking, and a virtual exhibit hall to connect designers and design partners, promote wellness and wellbeing, and demonstrate the impact of design. The Virtual Conference will be hosted on the ASID Academy and will also be accessible via mobile app from September 15-17, 2020 with a preview of the Exhibit Hall starting September 8, 2020. Additionally, the event is free and open to all of the design public, not just ASID members.

The ASID Virtual Conference will offer a diverse range of digital programs, including signature events like the ASID State of the Society. The event invites design professionals, students, educators, and manufacturers to join together and experience the Societys design impacts lives mission, free of cost. Harnessing timely topics through its CEUs, keynotes, and other programming, the Virtual Conference is set to empower designers through personal and professional development opportunities, support industry manufacturers through virtual networking, and connect and support the design community nationwide - without the limiting factors of cost or travel.

Being able to share the mission of design impacts lives with designers from around the country truly demonstrates the far-reaching power of design," states ASID Interim CEO Gary Wheeler, FASID. We are thrilled to bring the entire community together through a packed line-up of enlightening events and interactive engagements, all thoughtfully curated to spark inspiration and push our industry forward."

As part of the ASID Virtual Conference, exclusive training and events for ASID chapter leadership will also be offered simultaneously through a supplemental board agenda. The Virtual Chapter Leadership Conference will provide invaluable education and professional development for the next slate of ASID chapter leaders to succeed in their new roles.

Ranging from morning mindfulness sessions to informative CEUs and exhibitor pop-ups, the Virtual Conference will touch on topics including designs role in a post-COVID world, occupant wellbeing, industry resilience, diversity and equity in design, and more. In line with its innovative virtual format, ASID will reimagine the traditional opening program and kick off the event with a crowd-sourced keynote titled: Whats Next? Designs Impact on People, Places and Planet. Highlighting the best names in design, an array of luminary speakers - including ASID Designers of Distinction, Student Portfolio Winners, Fellows and more - will explore the meaning of design impacts lives.

Speakers for the Virtual Conference include:

Gary E. Wheeler, FASID

Interim CEO, ASID

Gary E. Wheeler, FASID, is a renowned professional with more than 30 years design experience and a passion for creative excellence. He has led practices at Perkins&Will, Gensler, and most recently, HDR. Distinguished for his strategic approach to workplace design, Gary began his career as co-founder of the Wheeler Group in 1978. Gary has worked with companies in a variety of industries, including Apple, JPMorgan Chase, Time Warner, Bates Advertising, Leo Burnett Worldwide and Marsh. His many ASID accomplishments and milestones include being named the Designer of Distinction (1999), granted fellowship and serving as National President (1994). During Wheelers time as ASID President, he was a transformative leader that ushered in a new era for the organization by expanding the ASID Foundation and investing in research and evidence-based design. Wheeler has also been inducted into the Interior Design Hall of Fame and received the Senior Fellow Award from The Design Future Council (DFC) in 2002. He is one of the few designers with Fellow distinction with ASID and IIDA.

Kerrie Kelly, FASID, NKBA, CAPS

Chair-Elect, ASID Board of Directors

Creative Director, Kerrie Kelly Design Lab

With over 25-years of experience, Kerrie Kelly is creative director for Kerrie Kelly Design Lab. Kerri is an award-winning California interior designer, author, and contributor; and a product designer and multimedia consultant helping national brands reach the interior design market. Kerrie is a fellow, chair-elect to the National Board of Directors, and chair of the Foundation Board of Trustees for the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID); Houzz Pro Advisory Board Member; and the 2020 Trends Expert of the National Kitchen and Bath.

Jennifer Kolstad, ASID, Assoc. AIA

Chair, ASID Board of Directors

Global Design Director, Ford Motor Company

Jennifer Kolstad is the global design director of Ford Motor Companys built environments. Her role seeks to unify Fords brand language across typologies through architecture and design, investigating opportunities for cultural and behavioral change, elevating design impact internal and external to the global Ford ecosystem. With a core belief in collaboration, her mission is to ideate future-state readiness for the physical infrastructure of a next-gen mobility company. Dedicated to the longevity of the interior design profession holistically, Jennifer is the 2020 chair of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) National Board of Directors. Since joining the national board in 2016, her focus has been the broader application of the interior design professional's human-centered expertise in every design equation.

About ASID

The American Society of Interior Designers believes that design transforms lives. ASID serves the full range of the interior design profession and practice through the Societys programs, networks, and advocacy. We thrive on the strength of cross-functional and interdisciplinary relationships among designers of all specialties, including workplace, healthcare, retail and hospitality, education, institutional, and residential. We lead interior designers in shared conversations around topics that matter: from evidence-based and human-centric design to social responsibility, well-being, and sustainability. We showcase the impact of design on the human experience and the value interior designers provide.

ASID was founded over 40 years ago when two organizations became one, but its legacy dates back to the early 1930s. As we celebrate nearly 85 years of industry leadership, we are leading the future of interior design, continuing to integrate the advantages of local connections with national reach, of small firms with big, and of the places we live with the places we work, play, and heal. Learn more at asid.org.

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ASID Announces First Ever Virtual Conference - Vegas Magazine