Three Canadian designers will be honoured at this year’s International Retail Design Conference (IRDC), taking place in New Orleans September 5-8. The award will be presented on September 5 as part of VMSD’s 2017 'Designer Dozen Award’, which recognizes the best and brightest young designers in retail design.

The New Orleans IRDC conference will be held at the Ritz-Carlton New Orleans, with the conference now in its 17th year. A different city hosts IRDC each year and last year, it was held in Montreal.

VMSD’s 2017 Designer Dozen winners will be presented the awards at IRDC’s September 5 Opening Reception. Canadian recipients include the following:

Chad Webre, Director of Architectural Design, Freshii, Toronto (age 35),
George Bevan, Visual Display Specialist, Kit and Ace, Vancouver, BC (age 27), and
Meghan Pitt, Project Designer, JOEY Restaurants, Vancouver, BC (age 31).

“This year’s winners demonstrate an exceptional level of talent, dedication and initiative to evolve the customer experience at retail,” VMSD Editor-in-Chief Jennifer Acevedo said. “From interior designers to architects, visual merchandisers to experiential artists, our Designer Dozen are actively engaged in creating branded environments that delight shoppers and earn their loyalty.”

*(Designer: Chad Webre. Project: Freshii, Toronto [Store photo by Jeffrey J. Dolezal])*

IRDC is considered to be the premier educational and networking event for the store design and visual merchandising community. Presented by VMSD (Visual Merchandising + Store Design) magazine, IRDC combines educational sessions, roundtable discussions, interactive workshops and networking events into three productive days, drawing 400+ attendees from the U.S. and abroad.

Canadians are encouraged to come down to New Orleans to attend the IRDC event. The city, affectionately known as 'The Big Easy’, offers a unique mix of African, Native American, Spanish and French cultures that are reflected through its people, music, art and food, and makes for a destination filled with energy and inspiration. It also has terrific architecture, unlike any other place in the United States.

*(Designer: George Bevan. Project: Kit and Ace, Vancouver, BC)*

The 2017 conference program also features sessions on such timely topics as designing the brand experience; creating experiential spaces; selling innovation through the organization; Australia’s mixed-use footprint; designing for a sustainable future; international retail design; and many more cutting-edge issues.

Additionally, this year’s event will feature more interactivity, including more panel discussions, more engagement with IRDC presenters, and added networking opportunities to connect with retail design peers.

*(Designer: Meghan Pitt, Project: JOEY Restaurant. Headshot: Stefan Szary. Project photo: J.J. Thompson)*

Speakers confirmed to date include retail design leaders from Hudson Jeans, Cadillac, REI, Whole Foods Market, Capital One, CB2, The Kroger Co., SoulCycle, Hallmark, Indochino, The Source, Vino Volo, Ariat, and more. IRDC Speakers will share perspectives and strategies for creating disruptively good brick-and-mortar experiences.

Retail-Insider readers receive an exclusive $250 USD off the individual registration rate by using the discount code RETAIL2017. Offer expires August 1, 2017. [REGISTER HERE]

For more information on speakers, sessions, networking events, sponsors and the conference hotel (The Ritz-Carlton New Orleans) visit: irdconline.com.

Canadian Retail News From Around The Web: June 12, 2017

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