Earlier this month, the country’s best manufacturers and designers in the hospitality industry descended upon Miami Beach for HD Boutique. The event, which took place September 11-12, 2012, featured more than 4,000 registered attendees who had the chance to peruse and discuss the hottest new designs-including fabrics and textiles, furniture, accessories, lighting, flooring, artwork, bath fixtures, window treatments, and many more hospitality-related products-from more than 500 industry producers, artisans, and craftsmen.
“We were thrilled that this year launched us into the ever-growing Latin American design community, we saw industry leaders, designers and buyers representative of this demographic, and we received great insight as to where trends are heading into the new year,” says show director Liz Sommerville.
In addition to the latest designs on the show floor, HD Boutique offered attendees informative conference sessions and discussions on the industry’s most pertinent topics. This year, HD Boutique hosted acclaimed designer Alexandria Champalimaud, founder of Champalimaud, as the keynote speaker. Champalimaud engaged in a keynote discussion of her life, work, and inspiration with Hospitality Design (HD) magazine editor-in-chief Michael Adams.
Drawing from the success of the Owners’ Roundtable at sister event HD Expo, the Owners Roundtable: The Americas proved a highlight at this year’s HD Boutique. The complimentary roundtable gave attendees direct access to several high-level executives from top design, hotel, purchasing, and development firms.
The two-day event also offered designers, restaurateurs, and hoteliers a chance to mingle and network. Party by the Palms at the W South Beach offered industry insiders a chance to meet and relax over hors d’oeuvres and cocktails. HD’s Wave of the Future event inducted honorees Alan Barr, managing director of CHADA Asia; Ave Bradley, vice president of design for Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants; Andrew Cohen and Jeremy Levitt, principals of Parts and Labor Design; Oliver John Palmer Mitchell, CEO and architect at UXUS; Tim Mutton and Jo Sampson, founders of Blacksheep and Foreman Rogers, senior associate at tvsdesign.
In 2013, HD Boutique will take on a new name, HD Americas, a strategic change that will speak to the trendspotting growth taking place in North America, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. With its prime location set in Miami, HD Americas will serve as a hub for designers, owners, architects, and other professionals to be a part of the ever-growing hospitality design market in these regions. David Ashen, principal at dash design in Long Island City and part-time resident of Colombia, spoke of the change. “Those in the industry looking for thoughtful, innovative products in these regions simply do not have the resources locally,” he says. “HD Americas will provide these creative types with the ability to discover new trends and will more importantly, capitalize on the progressive mentality in the Americas.”
