The High Point Market Authority and Business of Home (BOH) will present the first-ever conference of its kind, Future of Home, September 9–10, in New York City. Featuring in-depth conversations with top design and digital leaders about the forces of change sweeping the home industry — from subscription furniture and on-demand design services to the evolving preferences of affluent consumers — the two-day event will address business changes and challenges, spotlight innovation, and lay the course for a promising future.
“Through our daily reporting at BOH, we’ve seen how innovators, entrepreneurs, disruptors and investors are shaking up the home industry,” says Julia Noran Johnston, founder of Business of Home. “Our goal is to bring some of these people to the stage, create connections, and inspire takeaways for interior designers and home brands. Our industry is experiencing tremendous growth — and the design trade should be part of it.”
“The timing of this conference is ideal, as we’ve been researching and discussing for years an initiative and consortium of partners based around the concept of what the future holds for the home industry,” says Tom Conley, President and CEO of the High Point Market Authority. “Julia and her team have developed an exceptional line-up of thought leaders for this conference and we are delighted to partner with them on this. As the epicenter of the home furnishings industry twice a year, High Point Market biannually gives a glimpse into the future of home, and I’m glad this conference will also focus on that topic to keep the conversation moving forward.”
Editor-in-Chief Kaitlin Petersen, Managing Editor Fred Nicolaus, BOH podcast host and columnist Dennis Scully, and BOH contributor and former Editor of House Beautiful Sophie Donelson will sit down with the thought leaders driving these trends to ask what the interior design industry will look like a decade from now and beyond — and what it means for designers and brands looking to future-proof their businesses. The conference will welcome 300-plus interior design and home industry professionals to an 18,000-square-foot space in Chelsea’s gallery district. The space itself will feature VR design experiences and a mini-home designed by Drake/Anderson and powered by Google Nest.
The experience will include dozens of top names on topics including buying trends, marketing to affluent consumers, home technology, fast furniture, e-commerce, community commerce, the future of the workspace, lifestyle brands, on-demand design services, how to build a direct-to-consumer brand, how to charge for ideas, retail design and legacy brands.
“This will be the first event to address the challenges of home industry professionals at every level, from students to partners of top firms,” says Johnston. “As the media of record for the home industry, Business of Home is constantly covering breaking news, but also sharing stories about innovators who are exploring new business models and revenue streams. Our industry is so special, but it tends to be opaque and exclusive. We want to open it up, bring in fresh voices, and introduce new ways of thinking and doing business.”
The home decor market is expected to garner $664 billion by 2020, according to Allied Market Research. “With home furnishings now the fastest growing e-commerce category in the U.S., the perfectly timed Future of Home conference will offer industry pros, entrepreneurs and design lovers a deep consideration of what will evolve,” says Anna Brockway, co-founder and President of Chairish.
Information about the conference will be continually updated at futureofhome.com. General admission tickets are $695, or $215 for BOH Insiders. Major conference sponsors include High Point Market, Google Nest and Benjamin Moore. Additional support comes from 1st Dibs, Annie Selke, Artemest, ArtOrigo, Chairish, Currey & Company, Hunter Douglas, NY Now, Schumacher, Sotheby’s Home, Studio Designer, Style Row, Rebecca Atwood and Universal Furniture. Partners include the Black Interior Designers Network, the D&D Building, the Decorative Furnishings Association, and the New York Design Center.
