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Annual Conference 2015

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50 years since the founding of the BIID, it is time to take stock of our profession - where we've been, where we're going and what has shaped us along the way.

Now firmly fixed as a highlight of the interior design calendar, this year's conference will explore how media representations and how the public perception of interior designers shape how designers relate to clients, colleagues and each other.

This year, we will be sparking lively discussions and prompt debate with a programme that includes:

    • Who Were We? The Historical Context with Professor Anne Massey, Middlesex University. Anne will trace the rise of the interior designer in the post war era, examining the spaces between the profession of the interior decorator and the architect, as the new profession of interior design emerged at a time of economic recovery and social mobility.

    • The Pop-Culture Effect: Architectural historian, writer and broadcaster Tom Dyckhoff  will join Ann Booth-Clibborn, award winning producer of Changing Rooms, and Michelle Ogundehin, editor of Elle Decoration, to take part in a panel discussion and debate how the perception of interior designers in the UK has been shaped by their representation in popular culture. TV Programmes such as Changing Rooms, Grand Designs and the Great Interior Design Challenge have all contributed to the public’s view of interior design and the reputation of interior designers.  Our panellists will debate whether the result of all this exposure has been positive or negative. 

    • In Conversation With... Pioneering Furniture Designer and Retailer Zeev Aram OBE will be speaking to the BIID about his work over the past 50 years.

    • The New Design Democracy: Rose Etherington, Editor-in-Chief of Clippings.com and former editor of Dezeen, along with Gemma Smith, Industry Marketing Manager of Houzz.co.uk and interior designer Anna Burles, will explore how the explosion of the internet over the last 20 years has caused a sea change in interior design. No longer the gate-keepers of creativity and product sourcing, people can now source direct from suppliers, research design history, create their own mood-boards and more. How does the designer survive in this new age? 

    • The Multi-Disciplinary Designer: In this talk with renowned designer Tomoko Azumi we will be discussing how interior designers branch out into other areas of design, and vice versa, what implications will this have on the traditional interior designer?

    • The Rise of the Developer-Designer: In this presentation, Jenny Naylor, expert on luxury branding in the property sector from her role at Finchatton, will examine how the vertical integration of property development and interior design has transformed the luxury end of the UK property market.  This talk will look at the rise of the “branded” property and the role of the interior designer as a strategic business asset

    Click here to view the full conference programme.

    The Annual Conference also allows us to present our Honorary Fellowships, to recognise those who have had a profound impact on the development and success of the interior design profession. This year's honorary fellows will be Zeev Aram OBE, Dids Macdonald, Christine Losecaat, Kevin McCloud and Martin Roth.

    At this year’s Annual Conference we will look at who we are as interior designers in 2015 and ask the question, ‘Who do we think we are?’

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