Day two of HD Expo + Conference 2022 took place Wednesday, April 27th with an ongoing celebration of the best of hospitality. The day began with the NEWH Young Entrepreneurs Breakfast, where past Wave of the Future honorees discussed career beginnings, challenges, and where the industry is headed. The NEWH Harvey Nudelman Scholarship, sponsored by Fabricut and FR-One, was awarded to Catherine Gabriel, interior design student at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology. The second annual HDAC Diversity in Scholarship Award was presented to Thi Kim Nhi Phan, a hospitality management student at Arkansas State University. The morning continued on with the HD/ISHP Owners’ Roundtable, led by Hospitality Design editor in chief Stacy Shoemaker Rauen.
Winners of the 25th annual IIDA/HD Expo Product Design Awards were also announced. Judges Mari Ansera, HGA; Mike Johnson II, Perkins&Will; and Jason Valentin, One Line Design Studio selected the Oak Eye Dining Chair designed by Alain Van Havre for Ethnicraft as the Eric Engstrom Best of Competition winner.
Stimulating panels invigorated the show floor. F+B Trends: What’s Next found Jessica Gidari, Union Square Hospitality Group; Ari Kastrati, MGM Resorts International; Alexis Readinger, Preen; Caroline Landry Farouki, Farouki Farouki; and Adam Crocini, Hilton in conversation about the restaurant industry’s resiliency and its future. HDAC Series: Holistic Wellbeing and Community by Design brought together Bashar Wali, This Assembly; Damon Lawrence, Homage Hospitality; Crystal Vinisse Thomas, Hyatt Hotels; and Dyonne Fashina, Denizens of Design to discuss the community-building and wellness power that quality design possesses.
Presented by Shaw Hospitality and moderated by Rauen, Women in Design showcased a powerhouse panel of female leaders at the HD Social Hub, including Gina Deary, KTGY Simeone Deary Design Group; Anita Summers, the Johnson Studio at Cooper Carry; Tenaya Hills, Bunkhouse Group; Melissa Haft, Overmoon; Dionne Jefferson, Marriott International; and Cindy Kaufman, Shaw Contract.
Read the HD Expo day one recap here.