5 District Conferences: 5 Design Dialogues

5 District Conferences: 5 Design Dialogues
Charlotte, Milwaukee, Denver, Grand Rapids and Union, NJ. Learning, networking, collaborating and more by design.

2010 District Conferences

Practitioners, students, educators and business leaders come together to learn and network at the IDSA District Conferences. Five separate events are held in the Northeast, Southern, Mideast, Midwest and Western Districts that focus on topics of regional interest and feature the presentation of the Student Merit Awards. Area designers take advantage of these events to get to know the students who will be tomorrow's design stars.

Southern District Conference
Mass Reduction: The Economy of Design
April 9-11, 2010
Hilton Charlotte City Center—Charlotte, NC

Minimalist or opportunist? In a world of diminishing resources, one of Dieter Rams’ 10 principles of design, good design is as little design as possible, is worth taking as your own. We all have time against us, and now commodities, natural resources and financial latitude have become increasingly scrutinized. A little creativity and a lot of great design, however, can help shape new and innovative solutions. The Mass Reduction conference offers exciting insights from leading companies like Dell, Eastman Chemical and Sustainable Minds and speakers like Marty Gage, John Bielenberg and Paul Reeder. Come and join the south’s largest community of design leaders to engage in discussions that can shape the economy of design. Be a part.

Northeast District Conference
CoCreate
April 16-17, 2010
Kean University—Union, NJ

The merging of minds, the intersection of diverse practices and the collaboration of various design backgrounds is the future of design, and COCREATE is the launch pad. An unprecedented speaker roster including Sesame Street Executive Producer Carol-Lynn Parente, Dan Grossman of Project H and Phil Russo of Converse. Media moguls such as Linda Tischler of Fast Company, Susan Szenasy of Metropolis and Stuart Constantine of Core77 and topics such as Design Your Professional Persona. In addition to the great speakers at COCREATE, you could join the concurrent Thinking Creatively conference as well. Connect and engage with your peers and advance your professional prowess this April. Design cocreation can positively impact people, communities and the world. Be a part.

Midwest District Conference
Using Story to Design Products and Experiences
April 16-18, 2010
Hyatt Regency Milwaukee—Milwaukee, WI

You don’t need to ride motorcycles to love Harley-Davidson and you don’t need to be a poet to tell amazing stories through design. Stories have a way of capturing the imagination to become timeless. Good design can tell a tale of innovation, collaboration and creativity that unveil their impact on society and business. Good design also results in success in the marketplace, often defining or redefining the market. With a diverse portfolio of speakers such as Designworks founder Chuck Pelly; Harley-Davidson’s own Ray Drea and Willie G. Davidson; Sam Lucente of HP, Mark Dziersk and Maria Boustead, the impact stories have on the world around us will come alive by design. Be a part.

Western District Conference
Make a Scene!
April 23-25, 2010
The Curtis Hotel—Denver, CO

When design culture doesn’t exist – create it! Passion for design, or even design thinking, can push a community to progress; mobilizing designers, artists, educators and entrepreneurs may cause a scene but a new faction of vitality will emerge. Taking the road less traveled, laying your own pavement and collaborating with like-minded individuals can create new markets, new opportunities and new outbursts of ingenuity that Make a Scene. Sessions on user-centric design led by Lextant’s Jim Couch, design proximity with Teague’s Tad Toulis or exploring Eero Saarinen’s “from the spoon to the city” portfolio with Michael McCoy are just a taste of the ideas permeating in Denver. Be a part.

Mideast District Conference
Faces of Design
April 30-May 2, 2010
Western Michigan University—Grand Rapids, MI

It’s like the heat permeating off the pavement, a blurring of the lines on the road and the horizon ahead of converging design practices as a way of thinking that marries smart ideas with creative solutions. Enter a better tomorrow. Bound together by passion and design of various specialty areas, the profession is evolving and a new face of design is emerging. With innovation leaders such as Darrel Rhea taking the stage and Nathan Young bringing his global influences to the podium, attendees are faced with extraordinary topics and engaging dialogues. Be a part.

For questions about IDSA's District Conferences, call the Conference Department at 703.707.6000

Interested in being a sponsor or exhibitor at one or more District Conferences? Contact Beth Harrington at IDSA.