And Away We Go

I suspect that many of you, like me, came back to your desks after the holidays, took a deep breath, and set about tending to the pile of things you’d left there in December. In my case, the pile was topped with a hastily scrawled “JANUARY!” to-do list that was shockingly long. Finally, 2009 is over. And if 2010 is going to be any better, we’ve got a lot of work to do.

In December, we hosted a virtual roundtable discussion with executives from many leading design firms across the country. And at that point, it was clear that everyone was starting to get their ducks in a row to do just that: Work. Not that we ever stopped “working,” of course. Ha! As if. But heading into this decade after such a wretched 2009, I think we’re all gearing up to work with a renewed sense of purpose and determination. That work is going to be a little different, maybe: New clients outside the usual suspects, different demands, and a new normal where doing more with less is a given (at least for a while). Go ahead. Take another deep breath.

But you’re ready, aren’t you? If there’s one consistent thread from both our roundtable discussion and the talk at the NADI Retail Design Collective in December, it’s that things are looking up. Designers, retailers and vendors alike have all acknowledged more activity, more promise, bubbling up in our industry. Unfortunately, for some, it might not happen fast enough to undo the damage of the past two years. But no one’s going down without a fight.

So we work. We take the lessons we learned the hard way and apply them with a brand-new perspective on how to approach a brand-new decade. For our part, VMSD and its sister publication, Hospitality Style, launched a new webinar program at the end of the year with a session for retail suppliers and vendors looking to tap the promising hospitality market. (If you’re a vendor and you missed it, contact your account rep to download the seminar for free.) Hot on that session’s heels is another co-sponsored webinar on February 24th.

This one’s aimed at designers in both retail and hospitality and will focus on value engineering in four of the most critical areas of the process: lighting, fixtures and millwork, flooring and carpeting and green design. Click here for more details on the speakers and how to sign up.

Do what you can to keep learning, keep working and keep a positive attitude. This is just the beginning.