IFDA Ready For Boston Show

By Staff -- Home Textiles Today, 8/8/2005 12:00:00 AM

Boston — —

Boston — The International Furnishings and Design Association's (IFDA) 2005 Industry Forum and Conference, “Preserving Yesterday, Envisioning Tomorrow,” taking place in Boston from Sept. 28 to 30, will explore historic preservation, restoration and marketing trends.

The conference kicks off on Sept. 29 with a breakfast speaker, Boston-based interior designer Charles Spada. The day's second panel, “Historic Influences on Furniture Today,” moderated by David Webster, CCO of Webster and Company, has scheduled panelists Kerry Shrives, senior appraiser, Skinner, Inc.; Jay Reardon, president of Hickory Chair Company; and Dakota Jackson. The luncheon speaker will be Jan Turnquist, executive director of Orchard House.

Day two starts with “Inside the Consumer's Mind: People's Choices,” a panel discussion moderated by House & Garden magazine's style director, Carolyn Sollis. Panelists are Carol Bruce, retail operations manager, Historic New England; Melissa Bastos, manager for market analysis, Cotton, Inc; and Susan Winner, director of manufacturer sales for HomePortfolio.com.

A second panel, “Envisioning Tomorrow: Retail Trends,” will be moderated by Warren Shoulberg, former editor-in-chief, HFN. His panelists will be Ed Lent, vice president of creative development for SPI Marketing; Tricia Foley, vice president of trend development, Macy's Home; and Judy George, founder and CEO of Domain Home Fashions and the Conference's designated Honorary Chair.

The podium at the Friday luncheon, “Green Giants in Furniture,” will be shared by Einar Eisner, executive vice president of South Cone Trading Co., and Amy Smith, project director of PaTS.

For further details on IFDA, see www.ifda.com; or the IFDA Educational Foundation, www.ifdaef.org.