From April 17 to April 22 I will be traveling to the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS) in search innovative products, connecting with industry peers, professional development, and new experiences. As much as I have made it my goal to actually write less and focus more on clients these past two years, I truly believe that travel experience is a major part of a design inspiration in order to build a better designer acumen. Travel does not just benefit me, it benefits my clients.

There are quite a few things on my agenda this trip, and although sitting for a design examination is an important part of my ongoing professional development, what I am most excited about is re-connected with old friends, getting better acquainted with new friends, and meeting some acquaintances face-to-face. Although I had initially planned only to attend KBIS this year for NKBA Chapter Officer training (a volunteer role in the industry that I partake in) and to sit for the CKD examination, I was approached to participate in something really cool. As a part of the KBIS initiatives, I have been invited to the showroom of the future Design Studios Powered by Quex -with 8 other designers:

Cheryl Kees Clendenon - @InDetailSays

Andie Day - @AndieDay

Meredith Heron - @meredithheron (Team Canada!)

Tyler Wisler - @NYDesignGuy

Carmen Christensen - @Time2Design

Susan Serra, CKD - @SusanSerraCKD

Lori Gilder - @lorigilder

I just can not believe that I am a part of this and you can see that being social does contribute to a business' success. Gone are the days of IRC and chatrooms when we would spend time in front of our computers connecting, we are Tweeting, on Google+, have Facebook Business Pages and much more.

I look forward to products for each an every one of my clients and sharing my experiences with you.

Sharing Our Insights