The Design Center at theMart Announces 3rd Annual Outdoor Design Conference

 

Chicago (Feb. 21, 2017) — The Design Center, Chicago’s destination for home furnishings and interior design, is hosting the 3rd annual Outdoor Design Conference on Thursday, March 9, 2017. This highly anticipated trade show presents the latest outdoor residential design products and product lines from the Design Center’s top casual furnishings showrooms, in addition to a full day of educational events and featured presentations.

“The Outdoor Design Conference is now in its third year, and we are thrilled to offer nearly 50 programs, including educational sessions with continuing education units (CEUs) for designers, product debuts, featured presentations and showroom open houses. This year we have more open houses and new product launches than ever, along with educational sessions and featured presentations that will truly give designers the first glimpse into the latest innovations in outdoor furnishings and décor,” said Beth Hicks, Managing Director, Marketing, for Design Center and Casual Market Chicago.

CEU courses include a keynote address by Casual Living Editor in Chief, Waynette Goodson, on the innovative high-performance materials that are taking over outdoor design. In addition, Glen Raven Custom Fabrics Merchandise Manager Marcia Blake will discuss how to create effective color palettes utilizing textiles for healthy lifestyle settings indoors and out. Artisan Electronics Group Artistic Director, Ken Walker, will provide education on the latest in technology for outdoor spaces. Designers can earn .1 CEU credits for each course.

Sixteen showrooms will host open houses during the Outdoor Design Conference, welcoming guests with product launches, raffles and refreshments. There will also be 28 product debuts taking place from leading casual furnishings showrooms including JANUS et Cie, Gensun, Woodard, TUUCI, Lloyd Flanders, Inc., Zuo Modern and many more.

“We’re excited to participate in this year’s Outdoor Design Conference and showcase our latest product lines and designs,” Jessica Ekern, Chicago Showroom Sales Assistant at DEDON, said. “The different events planned are perfect for interacting with designers in the casual market and will definitely inspire us to keep innovating with all we do.”

The trade-only Outdoor Design Conference will be held on Thursday, March 9 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. throughout the Design Center’s 14th, 15th and 16th floors at theMART. To register, please visit http://designcenter.com/events/outdoor-design-conference/.

About the Design Center at The Merchandise Mart (theMART)
The Design Center, located in Chicago's historic Merchandise Mart, is home to four floors constituting the world's largest and finest designcenter. As a leader in the $65 billion residential home furnishings market, the Design Center offers the largest presentation of high-end, customizable, residential and outdoor home furnishings worldwide, all under one roof. Encompassing 750,000 square feet, boasting more than 125 showrooms and featuring more than 2,500 product lines, it is the ultimate resource for designers and design enthusiasts of luxury furniture, fabrics, floor coverings, wall coverings, lighting and much more. For more information, visit designcenter.com.