Events that inspire and connect designers at any stage of their business.
In-Person & Virtual Events
Upcoming Events
HPMKT: Collected & Curated Tour: Hidden Gems & Storied Find
Date: October 16th
Kick off Market with an exclusive guided trolley tour through antique showrooms and design centers, led by IDS National Board members Debbe Daley and Gloria Staats. Explore vintage treasures, artisanal accents, and soulful, storied finds—an off-the-beaten-path celebration of timeless design—while you rest your feet and connect with fellow designers between stops.
Annual Designer Social | Essentials for Living
Date: October 16th
The iconic Designer Social is back! Join us at Essentials for Living, where the gathering spreads across the rooftop and downstairs patio for cocktails, light bites, and relaxed networking with new faces and familiar friends from across the design community. Hosted by the Interior Design Society and supported by Studio Designer | Mydoma.
Learn to Love High Point Market Tour
Date: October 17th
New to Market? This tour with Wendy Woloshchuk and Jennifer Tampasis is perfect for first-timers and new designers. Visit at least five designer-friendly showrooms, enjoy private tours and insider tips, and ride the private shuttle between stops. The day wraps up with cocktails and designer mingling.
Real Talk: What Your Design Lawyer Wants You to Know
Date: October 17th
Design projects are complex—multiple vendors, layered timelines, deposits, retainers, and change orders all create risk when the structure behind them isn’t solid. Attorney Wendy Estela, Estela Law, PLLC / Designed Counsel joins business strategist LuAnn Nigara, host of A Well-Designed Business®, for a practical conversation on common contract gaps, documentation mistakes, unclear payment terms, and preventable compliance issues.
The Profitable Project: Budgeting, Pricing & Profitability for Design + Construction
Date: October 17th
To thrive in design-build, you need two things: solid finances and strong builder relationships, but both can feel like a mystery. How do you price for profit, control budgets, and attract top builders to your team? Join LuAnn Nigara and an expert panel of builders and designers, Brad Levitt (AFT Construction), Jenny Slingerland (Black Ink Interiors), and Kelly Finley (Joy Street Design), for an unfiltered conversation on the financial and strategic side of the design-build business.
A Well-Designed Business® Podcast 10th Birthday Celebration
Date: October 17th
Celebrate 10 years of A Well-Designed Business® with LuAnn Nigara and special guests Sarah Daniele, Jude Charles, Kate O’Hara, and Nicole Heymer. The evening features the premiere screening of Part 5 of the docuseries at 5:00 PM, plus cocktails, light bites, music, and valuable networking with fellow designers and industry leaders.
The Human Advantage: What AI Can’t Replace
Date: October 18th
As technology reshapes the design industry, one thing remains irreplaceable: human connection. Tracee Murphy, The Design Biz Therapist, explores the intersection of psychology, emotional intelligence, and emerging technology—and why trust, empathy, communication, and relationship-building remain the true drivers of client loyalty and business success.
3 Designers. 3 Business Models. All Profitable.
Date: October 18th
Nine years ago, LuAnn Nigara sat down at Market with Don Ricardo Massenburg, DESiGN iNKREDiBLE, Wendy Woloshchuk, Details Interiors, and Sara Lynn Brennan, Sara Lynn Brennan Interiors. Now she’s putting them back on the same stage to reveal what’s actually behind the numbers. All three built businesses that turn a real profit, the kind that pays the owner, and this panel goes after the decisions that made it happen, made early and tested every year since.
The Price Is Right: Generate Higher Design Fees That Reflect Your Value
Date: October 18th
Your pricing should reflect the value you deliver—not just the hours you work. Moderator Julia Nikishina, New Age Financial Consulting joins Daniel Paul, Tom Stringer Design Partners, Dalia Soles, Design Assisted, Brooke Stoll, and Ashley Hughes, Muse Noire to cover understanding true costs, setting fees using financial metrics, defining project boundaries, and capturing appropriate markups on freight, receiving, warehousing, and reimbursable expenses.
Inside the Boardroom — LuAnn Nigara and the Boardroom for Creatives
Date: October 19th
For the first time ever at High Point Market, the doors to the Boardroom for Creatives are opening. Join LuAnn Nigara and a powerhouse panel of vetted business experts for a real conversation about the issues with the greatest impact on your business: sales, marketing, finances, systems, processes, leadership, profitability, and growth. Bring your hard questions—this is the room to ask them.
Ladies That Lunch: The Power Lunch Edition
Date: October 19th
“Ladies who lunch” once described women with time to spare—this lunch takes the phrase back. Juliana Ewer, Nicole Culler, Jewel Marlowe, and Autumn Pochiro come together for a candid conversation about building a business, taking risks, and creating a career on your own terms, moderated by Antonio DeLoatch. Expect tablescapes dressed in his SunThreads fabric collection and a format built for real connection.
The Light We Live In: How Neuroaesthetics and Salutogenic Design Transform Homes
Date: October 19th
How does light shape the way we feel at home? Moderator Cindy W. Hodnett, Executive Editor, Home Furnishings Division, BridgeTower Media joins SID-certified designers Kat Blue, Blue Lantern Studios, Marie Cloud, Indigo Pruitt, Nina Lichtenstein, Custom Home Design, and Genna Jacobs-Freeman, Space Design Collective. Through residential case studies, the panel explores neuroaesthetics, salutogenic design, circadian-supportive lighting, visual comfort, biophilic design, and color psychology—with practical strategies for healthier, more responsive homes.
