NEWH - Summer 2015 - 20

Conference Roundup
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HI Connect
The fourth annual HI Connect was held in Nashville at the Gaylord Opryland
Resort on March 25-27th, attracting high-level industry professionals from
leading hotel companies and ownership groups who have the opportunity to
interact in vignettes that help suppliers foster relationships and build business
contacts with various owners, developers, hoteliers, designers, architects, and
purchasing professionals.
Attendees were able to experience the spaces-including guestrooms,
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restaurants, and bathrooms-created by designers in partnership with suppliers,
in addition to branded concepts presented by Marriott International, Best Western
International, and Red Lion Hotels Corporation. "The people are great and the
1. The Decompression Chamber vignette, created by Frederick,
location and venue are spectacular," says Roger Bloss, founder, president, and
Maryland-based Cauhaus Design
2. A bar-lounge vignette by Dyer, Indiana's Interior Image Group
COO of Vantage Hospitality. "I went to see what new products are out there and
how I can improve my operations and guest experience, and obviously help lower 3. Attendees at the NEWH Scholarship Gala: John O'Meara, Hafele
Worldwide; Nathan Coker, Northwest Carpets; Michael Mitchell,
my costs."
YWS Design & Architecture; Andrea Thomas, Thomas Design
Additionally, HI Connect and NEWH debuted a new annual scholarship during
Source; Trisha Poole, Design Poole; scholarship recipient Richard
the NEWH Sponsorship Gala celebration held in conjunction with the event's
Wenbang Zhu, the George Washington University; Deborah
People's Choice Awards. The newly established $5,000 hospitality scholarship
Herman, Fabric Innovations; Joe Cabrera, Premier Hospitality; and
was awarded to Richard Wenbang Zhu, who is a graduate student at the George
Jon Cochran, Kalisher
Washington University, enrolled in the Master of Tourism Administration program.

BDwest
Boutique Design West (BDwest)
brought more than 1,500
attendees to the San Diego
Convention Center's Sails
Pavilion on April 8-9th, charting
a 24 percent increase in
participation over the previous
year. Exhibit space grew by
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42 percent to 34,000 square
feet with 202 manufacturers
participating. More than a
dozen conference sessions-eight with IDCEC and
AIA accreditation-were offered at the event.
The conference opened with BDwest's signature
Boutique Design Power Players: Women Leaders
in Hospitality breakfast and panel discussion.
Sponsored by NEWH, the discussion included
female thought leaders from Best Western
International, Design Group Carl Ross, Generator,
MGM Hakkasan Hospitality, Parker-Torres Design,
and Séura. A new addition, Boutique Design's
Up-and-Coming Hoteliers for 2015, recognized
three rising stars in the hospitality industry. Kike
Sarasola of Room Mate Hotels, Brad Wilson of
Ace Hotel Group, and Josh Wyatt of Patron Capital
were named as the inaugural honorees, and their
colleagues discussed industry issues and trends on
a conference panel.
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Teams from 18 hospitality design firms competed
in the NEWH Orange and San Diego Counties
regional groups' Hospitality Fashion Challenge: Design in a Box,
crafting couture fashions from scrap materials, product samples,
22 www.newh.org

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1. The Women Leaders in Hospitality Panel: Gretchen
Gilbertson, Séura; Amy Hulbert, Best Western
International; Deborah Négrel, MGM Hakkasan
Hospitality; Karen Richardson, Generator Hostels;
Dolly Ross, Design Group Carl Ross; Miriam Torres,
Parker-Torres Design; and Mary Scoviak, Boutique
Design
2. The In Focus: Hard Rock Los Cabos panel:
moderator Jay Pecotte, Hard Rock International;
and Erin Nichols Fields, Lance Walker, and Mark
Yoshizaki, WATG | Wimberly Interiors
3. Michal Dvorak, Preciosa, and Boutique 18 honoree
Fumiko Shiga, Wilson Associates

and other reusable design elements donated
by exhibitors. The team from Diamond Interiors
LA took Best in Show honors in the challenge,
receiving a $3,000 cash prize. The Catwalk Award
went to the JEL Design team, with a $1,000 prize.
Michelle Finn, president of Hospitality Media
Group, which produces the event, and senior
vice president of ST Media Group, announced the
show's relocation to the Los Angeles Convention Center for its fourth
run, March 31-April 1st, 2016.

http://AFXinc.com http://AFXinc.com

NEWH - Summer 2015

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