Push the Envelope

AND HERE WE ARE again – unveiling yet another class of spectacular Designer Dozen winners!

Featured on pg. 24, our annual class of Designer Dozen showcase up-and-coming industry stars, age 35 and under, who are making a difference in their organizations as well as participating in impactful outside-of-work activities, from mentorship to social media activism and more. This year’s awardees feature window stylists to interior designers who work tirelessly to enhance their careers and well-being through exceptional design as well as charitable opportunities, allowing them to give back to the industry (and world) at large.

And most importantly, this year’s Designer Dozen comprise those who aren’t afraid of pushing the proverbial envelope.

In the same spirit of pushing that envelope, we couldn’t be more excited to officially announce that the 2023 International Retail Design Conference (IRDC) will be coming to Minneapolis this Oct. 25-26, taking place at the newly renovated Marriott City Center. Co-located with the Shop! Ideation conference taking place Oct. 23-24, we’re so excited to bring our attendees to the Twin Cities for some retail inspiration this fall.

Much like Columbus, Ohio, as the host city for last year’s conference, Minneapolis is an inconspicuous retail hub with a plethora of indie restaurants, shops and breweries highlighted by eclectic street art. And who could forget the 5.6-million-square-foot Mall of America which draws a reported 40 million-plus visitors a year?

Another unique aspect of the city is its Skywalk System, a continuous system of enclosed, second-level bridges that allow for seamless transit on foot between a multitude of buildings, without ever going outside. In fact, a two-story Target flagship is just a few Skywalks away from our host hotel. Stay tuned to irdconline.com for content updates in the coming months as we begin firming up our educational sessions and hands-on workshops.

We’ve also got some exciting content in the works for the remainder of our spring and summer 2023 issues. In early March, we wrapped up our trip to Düsseldorf, Germany, and Milan for the 2023 EuroShop trade show and the Euro A Go Go retail tours. We’ll be featuring an in-depth look at that adventure in our upcoming May/June issue, alongside our annual Top Design Firms ranking.

Meantime, we look forward to seeing you at the Shop! MarketPlace trade show this April 25-27 in Austin. For more information, be sure to visit shop-marketplace.com.

Onward and upward!