DCOTA WinterMarket 2009 will Celebrate all the best of the South Florida Season

Dec. 16, 2008 - PRLog -- Those savvy design professionals who to take the opportunity to attend the Design Center of the America’s Winter Market 2009, Wednesday, January 21 and Thursday, January 22, 2009, will experience two full days of revolutionary programming celebrating all the best of South Florida Season.

These imaginative programs will feature a roster of celebrated design industry professionals and unveil show stopping new products. A number of showroom programs featuring industry recognized professionals will be presented throughout the two days, along with continuing education programs, open houses, and receptions hosted by a number of showrooms.  

Some highlights of this non-stop two day design experience are listed below.  

Day One: The Business of Design: Cutting Edge Designs in an Ever-Changing Industry
Architectural Digest will launch day one of WinterMarket sponsoring a morning keynote presentation entitled “The Business of Design”.  During the presentation, Editor in Chief Paige Rense will moderate a "town meeting-style" panel of AD100 designers and architects, including Geoffrey Bradfield, Alex Gorlin, Scott Snyder and Carleton Varney.

This rare opportunity will engage the design enthusiast and the business entrepreneur alike, as the dialogue will offer insight on how successful design professionals endure and thrive during economic uncertainties. The panel will focus remarks and field questions from the audience on such topics as: how to start and grow a design business, how to market yourself and your business, and how to get work published.  Stark Carpet will host a lunch reception immediately following the keynote presentation.

Throughout the day, a variety of exciting showroom programs and open houses will take place culminating as Charles S. Cohen President/CEO of Design Center of the Americas celebrates the 2009 Stars of Design Awards at the ceremony.  Mr. Cohen will announce and spotlight the best in various fields of design including interior design, architecture, art, photography, graphic design, and a special award for lifetime achievement.  These design professionals will be honored for their significant achievements and contributions to their profession with a special recognition of their talents, ideas, creativity, and business savvy.  

The jury for the 2009 Stars of Design awards is comprised of past recipients in their respective field of expertise.

Day Two: Florida International Magazine (FIM) Presents A Fair to Remember
This Design Fair hosted by Florida International Magazine will highlight DCOTA’s Show Stopping Design.  Day two is all about outrageous design, featuring programs and presentations within DCOTA showrooms!  FIM will offer exciting presentations and give the opportunity for participants to vote on the FIM picks of most outrageous designs.   All ballots will go into a drawing for gifts including: A two-night weekend at the Mandarin with spa treatments and dinner, a gorgeous bag from Judith Leiber, a Day of Pampering at RIK RAK Salon, plus a host of other goodies. The day will also include entertaining elements such as forecasting your design future by famed Astrologers Lisa Sidney and Angelo Merlino and an ArtShow which will delineate statements of the current times by emerging and recognized artists.  The Fair will close with a dynamic keynote panel discussion featuring a lineup of five major FIM Designers.
                       
Esther Q. Jackson, Publisher and Editor-In-Chief of Florida International Magazine and a panel of outrageous designers will take center stage and close day two with a fabulous Keynote presentation entitled “Being Outrageous to Be Recognized.” Esther Jackson will introduce personalities from a variety of industries that built their business on breaking out of the mold including landscape architect Raymond Jungles, club designer Stephane Dupoux, event designer Barton G(still pending), and artist, Kiran Shiva Akal.  These outrageous designers will discuss how their experiences  walking the line to stardom, highlight favorite show stopping products, and share advice as to how designers today can work to stand out and evolve in an ever-changing world.  Attendees are invited to join the panelists for a reception at E.G. Cody immediately following the keynote,

Following Wintermarket 2009 on Friday, January 23, 2009, DCOTA will engage the future with the ASID Student Career Day.  DCOTA and ASID Florida North, Florida West, and Florida South Chapters will host a full day of programs and events for Florida’s budding design talent.  ASID keynote speaker, Kenneth Roberts, Principal of Interior Talent, Inc. will launch the morning with an inspiring lecture, highlighting “How to Find Your Dream Job”.  The day will also feature new member registration and door prizes, showroom tours and roundtable discussions with high profile industry professionals. Scholarships and awards will be presented immediately following the afternoon ASID Panel Discussion.

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DCOTA is the preeminent design center serving design professionals in Florida, Latin America and the Caribbean regions. DCOTA is the largest design campus of its kind, showcasing over 775,000 square feet of extraordinary interior design needs for any home, yacht or office project. Fine indoor and outdoor furniture, fabrics, flooring, lighting, kitchen, bath, art, antiques, accessories, appliances, window treatments, decorative hardware, paint, surfacing and so much more can be found throughout the 150 showrooms at DCOTA that display and sell interior product lines to professional interior designers, architects, decorators and dealers.

DCOTA is located at 1855 Griffin Road, Dania Beach. For additional information, please call (954) 920-7997