With what may feel like endless possibilities, we’ve rounded up the design education sessions happening at the 2018 IBS. Only have time for a couple of session? Check out the “must see!” sessions in the list below.
A full list of education sessions and speakers is available at this link (opens in new window).
Tuesday
What’s Cooking in Kitchen Design
Tue, Jan 9 | 9:30 AM – 10:30 AM | OCCC – West Concourse, Level 3, Room W 314 A
What It’s About: From fixtures to finishes, two dynamic interior design industry experts will share tips for kitchen designs that your buyers will love. From budget-friendly tips to luxurious living, gain valuable knowledge to share with your team.
MUST SEE – Visioning & Design: 3 Big Steps to Align Home & Community for a Truly Incredible Place to Live
Tue, Jan 9 | 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM | OCCC – West Concourse, Level 3, Room W 311 C
What It’s About: Have you ever been to a community where everything just feels right? The reason for this—visioning. Creating desirable places to live starts with a clearly articulated vision for your homes and communities, one that helps create an emotional connection for buyers and drives key design and purchasing decisions.
What Today’s Buyers Want & How to Give It to Them
Tue, Jan 9 | 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM | OCCC – West Concourse, Level 3, Room W 314 A
What It’s About: If you aren’t up to speed, today’s buyers will leave you behind. Discover disruptive ways to think about the homes you offer and the neighborhoods you build. Learn the Irrefutable Rules of Retailing and see examples of how you can apply them to connect with customers in meaningful ways that deliver results.
MUST SEE – 60 Design Ideas in 60 Minutes
Tue, Jan 9 | 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM | Spotlight – West Concourse, Level 2, Tangerine Ballroom
What It’s About: In this fast-paced session, industry-leading architects, interior designers and builders will share easy-to-implement design ideas that you can use to update elevations, renew floor plans, animate streetscapes and develop dynamic neighborhoods. Insider tip: This session will fill every seat, so arrive early to secure your spot.
Double Play: Designs that Appeal to Boomers and Millennials
Tue, Jan 9 | 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM | OCCC – West Concourse, Level 3, Room W 311 A
What It’s About: Over the next decade, both demographics are expected to flood the housing market – are we prepared to meet that demand? Learn to satisfy the wants & needs of both demographics by incorporating sensible design features & solutions that still pack a wow-factor. Going beyond design, fine-tune your brand & reach your target buyer through plan mobility, ensuring that your company is well-positioned for the opportunities ahead.
Wednesday
MUST SEE – First Impressions: How to Maximize your Design and Merchandising on a Budget
Wed, Jan 10 | 8:30 AM – 9:30 AM | OCCC – West Concourse, Level 3, Room W 311 A
What It’s About: Model homes have become quintessential for the builder and the community and most importantly the buyer. Expect to see creative floor and space plans, learn about new products and manufacturers and how to attract today’s buyers on a budget.
Two Millennials Tell All: Deconstructing Today’s First-Time Buyers & Their Design Preferences
Wed, Jan 10 | 8:30 AM – 9:30 AM | OCCC – West Concourse, Level 3, Room W 311 C
What It’s About: In this interactive session, a duo of Millennial home building industry professionals will share their first-hand expertise to offer current demographic information and product design solutions to help you better understand this challenging market segment.
Density Done Right
Wed, Jan 10 | 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM | OCCC – West Concourse, Level 3, Room W 311 A
What It’s About: “Help, our lots are shrinking!” Unsure how to design a footprint that responds to today’s small lot sizes? Learn to design creative plans that maintain privacy, include beloved outdoor living spaces, preserve open floorplans and create spacious rooms that satisfy homeowners in denser neighborhoods.
Make a Splash with Your Baths
Wed, Jan 10 | 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM | OCCC – West Concourse, Level 3, Room W 315 A
What It’s About: While the bath may be the smallest room in the house, it’s often one that has the biggest impact with buyers. From master suites to multi-purpose spaces, this energetic session will reveal the trends to watch and inspiring designs you’ll want to incorporate in your homes in 2018.
MUST SEE – Lean Luxury: Money Where It Matters
Wed, Jan 10 | 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM | Spotlight – West Concourse, Level 2, Tangerine Ballroom
What It’s About: In 2018, we are starting to see more and more lean design. The theory of lean design isn’t about spending less—it’s about achieving better design through simplicity. It’s about getting the greatest impact through careful edit and restraint. This session is packed with ideas and examples of how to spend your money wisely on design, where to save and when to spend more. You’ll walk away absolutely amazed by the number of new, creative ideas you can take home and incorporate into your design.
Do This, Not That! Design Do’s & Don’ts for 2018
Wed, Jan 10 | 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM | OCCC – West Concourse, Level 3, Room W 314 A
What It’s About: Good design is what sells homes. During this fast-paced session, learn from industry-leading architects and an interior merchandiser the design mistakes you need to stop making, and the changes you should incorporate to refresh your elevations, floor plans, kitchens, baths and everything in between to attract today’s buyers.
Thursday
#Visions: 10 Innovations That Sell More Homes!
Thu, Jan 11 | 8:00 AM – 11:00 AM | Master Sessions – click here to find out how to attend – West Concourse, Level 3, Room W 300
What It’s About: Take a deep-dive into ten innovative factors and strategies that will disrupt the how buying experience and maximize home prices. The ultimate goal: to provide you with all the insights you need to sell more homes in 2018! You’ll leave with innovative solutions that can be applied immediately along with a visionary plan for maximizing sales in the coming year.
Harnessing the Collective Powers of Color
Thu, Jan 11 | 8:30 AM – 9:30 AM | OCCC – West Concourse, Level 3, Room W 314 A
What It’s About: New for 2018, this session will bring together industry experts in interior design and architectural colorization to provide you with a complete overview on how to harness the power of color before a potential buyer tours your homes.
Put Your Money Where Your Community Is: New Amenities for Lifestyle Buyers
Thu, Jan 11 | 8:30 AM – 9:30 AM | OCCC – West Concourse, Level 3, Room W 311 A
What It’s About: Buyers still want gathering spaces and amenities, but full-on community facilities with pools, locker rooms, kitchens and large gathering rooms, are becoming a thing of the past. They are often too expensive to build, too costly to maintain and simply don’t get used. Buyers now want smaller facilities with flexibility of use, trails and open spaces enhanced with small gathering places along the way and other unique community features that meet their lifestyle needs. In this session, explore how to provide right-sized amenities that offer you bank for the buck, while at the same time, bring value to buyers and get them to purchase.
MUST SEE – Living Large in a Small Space: Designing for 2,000 SF & Under
Thu, Jan 11 | 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM | OCCC – West Concourse, Level 3, Room W 311 C
What It’s About: This session focuses on design elements to suit a client with a smaller home in mind. Special emphasis will be placed on unique storage solutions, taking advantage of under-utilized spaces (such as under-stair nooks) and ways to make confined spaces feel larger. Learn from the experts in this floor plan size as they provide thoughtful approaches to potentially tricky plans so that you don’t waste another inch.
