WITHIT SCHEDULE
OF EVENTS
| WithIt Professional Conference
Tuesday-Thursday August 17-19th
Renaissance Charlotte Suites Hotel
Charlotte, NC
Register!
WOW Awards Dinner
Wednesday, August 18th
6:30pm-9:00pm
For more information and to www.withit.org.
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WELCOME NEW MEMBERS
| A Special Welcome to New Corporate Members:
Dovetail Alliance Inc.
Hometex, Inc./Dreamfit
Palliser Furniture Ltd.
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Donna Atkins Absher
Thistleweave
Elkin, NC
Cherrie Ariail
Ariail & Associates
Greensboro, NC
Arlette Bateman
Palliser Furniture
Winnepeg, Canada
Bonnie Berry
Havertys
Atlanta, GA
Susan Black
Bassett Furniture Company
Greensboro, NC
Edward Borowsky
Dovetail Alliance Inc.
Longmeadow, MA
Gat Caperton
Gat Creek Furniture
Berkeley Springs, WV
Derek Dupley
Palliser Furniture
Winnepeg, Canada
Lucinda Fulbright
C.R. Laine Furniture
Hickory, NC
Shay Geyer
IBB Design Furniture Showroom
Frisco, TX
Cathy Gillespie
Palliser Furniture
Winnepeg, Canada
Jeannie Long
Homtex, Inc./Dreamfit
Vinemont, AL
Aneessa Musa
FurnitureDealer.net
Eagan, MN
Nicole Morin
Palliser Furniture
Winnepeg, Canada
Robert Pearce
Homtex, Inc./Dreamfit
Vinemont, AL
Martin Roberts
Dovetail Alliance Inc.
Longmeadow, MA
Christina Robertson
Homtex, Inc./Dreamfit
Vinemont, AL
Faith Sheridan
Faith Sheridan Design Group
Seattle, WA
Elizabeth Springett
Medfield, MA
Jeanie Lyn Viars
Valdese Weavers
Hickory, NC
Robin Wilson
Robin Wilson Home
New York, NY 10169
Jerry Wootten
Dreamfit.com
Vinemont, AL 35179
Jodi Zippo
Bellalu Home & Design
Englewood, CO
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Join Our List
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AWARDS AND HONORS
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2010 WOW Finalists Named
 WithIt is pleased to announce the WOW Awards finalists for
2010. The annual program honors individuals and/or corporations in the home and
furnishings industries.
Julie Phillips, vice president of The Phillips Collection,
has earned the 2010 Legacy Award. This top honor recognizes the professional achievements
of a woman who has made significant lifetime contributions to the home and furnishings
industries.
In addition, nominees for Education, Mentoring and Future Leader awards have
been released. They are:
Education Award
� Margaret Casey, Director of Programming, World Market Center-Las Vegas
� F. Jay Reardon, President, Hickory Chair
� Lauren West, Director of Education & Development, Natuzzi Americas Inc.
Mentoring Award
� Gat Caperton, President and CEO, Gat Creek
� Deborah Klein, DK Inside Designer Inc.
� Kathy Wall, President, The Media Matters Inc.
Future Leader Award
� Rene Crosby, Senior Account Executive, Four Hands
� Kristin Hawkins, New Product Development Stage Gate Manager, Broyhill Furniture
Industries, a subsidiary of Furniture Brands International
� Vanessa Northrop, Marketing Director, City Furniture
� Kaci Prunty, Retail Market Manager, Tempur-Pedic North America LLC
The recipients of each WOW
Award will be announced Aug. 18
during an evening banquet being held during the WithIt Professional Conference,
Aug. 17-19. At the same event, Julie will be given the Legacy Award. Both the dinner and conference will be held at the Renaissance
Charlotte Suites Hotel in Charlotte, NC. For more information and to register
for the conference and the WOW Awards banquet, visit www.withit.org.
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MARKETING |
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Vendor Tables at Professional Conference
WithIt's Vendor Tables, on display during the annual
education conference, are a unique opportunity for home- and
furnishings-related businesses to connect with more than 150 enterprising and
energetic industry professionals. The 2010 venue, the
Renaissance Charlotte Suites Hotel in Charlotte, NC, from Aug. 17-19, is three-part:
� Conference attendees or participants can reserve a
vendor table for any or all three days of the conference for $250 (in addition
to their conference registration fees).
� The Full-Conference option for businesses with no
conference attendees covers all three days of the conference (noon setup on
Aug. 17). This includes exposure during the Pre-Conference Workshops, the WOW
Awards and the intimate Round Tables sessions on Aug. 19. The cost is $500.
� The Single Day option for businesses with no conference
attendees is Aug. 18. Attendees will have several break-out sessions during
which they can visit vendor tables. In addition, a late-afternoon
sip-and-shop will include wine and cheese served only in the vendor area. (The
Single Day option does not include the WOW Awards reception or gala.) The cost
is $350.
For more information, contact Sara Lyke at
336-880-2188 or [email protected].
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NATIONAL EVENTS
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Big Apple, Big Design
WithIt New York Design Tour chairperson Betty Lyn Eller and
her committee (comprised of Deborah Klein, Gale Steves, Maura Murphy, Charlotte
Barnard and Frances Bailey) treated WithIt members to a superior tour of New
York must-see venues and artists, May 15-17.
 An exclusive conversation and gallery tour with prolific commercial
photographer Roberto Dutesco, for instance, transported attendees to a pristine
Nova Scotia island inhabited only by wild horses. Roberto, whose work has
appeared in Vogue, Elle, GQ, Maxim, Details, Vanity Fair and Interview, detailed
his 12-year journey to create the "Wild Horses of Sable Island series, which is on
display in his SoHo gallery, 13 Crosby St.
"I became fascinated with Sable Island in the early 1990s,"
he said. "I was intrigued by a place that people can't go to. I sought
permission to photograph the horses on the island with the ultimate goal of
promoting Sable Island so it can go on forever."
The tour included a behind-the-scenes visit to restoration
and reproduction house Urban Archaeology, too. Principals from the firm met with WithIt
attendees at the SoHo storefront and workshop, 143 Franklin St., and shared a
insider's view of the manufacturing and finishing of reproduction lighting
designs. Tour attendees witnessed the making of a custom light fixture that
will be installed at a Yale University building.
 During an educational lunch sponsored by Country Living magazine, Benjamin Moore's Doty Horn explained why "achieving balance" will be
a key purchase motivator for consumers in 2011. "We strive for balance, both
individually and for others," she explained. Doty offered engaging visuals of four
distinct color palettes-The Farm, Order, Escape and Tribe-that illustrate the
"balance" themes for 2011.
 Another highlight of the tour: A networking event and experiential
marketing event featuring a salon performance by county music singer,
songwriter and cooking show host Cooper Boone (above, top image).
Want to know more? WithIt member and Antiques by Zaar owner Ruth Olbrych blogged about her three-day adventure at the 2010 New York Design Tour. Check out her story and photos.
(Editor's note: Planning a trip to New York in June? Check out Country
Living magazine's 1,700-square-foot modular 2010 Home of the Year project/show
house, "Home Green Home. It's part of a series of modular, LEED-certified homes
developed by New World Home and Hearst Brand Development called The Country
Living Collection. It's open to the
public from June 4-27, and tours are free.)
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NATIONAL EVENTS
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It Happened in High Point
 Interior design, author and product designer Alexa Hampton
was the keynote speaker during WithIt's spring High Point Market events. Like a
gracious host, Hampton invited more than 130 attendees into the multimillion-dollar
homes she has designed for clients.
In a presentation peppered with wit, practical design advice
and powerful statements, Alexa shared imagery of memorable interiors created by
her legendary father, Mark Hampton, as well.
For instance, she recalled the transition her family made
from modern interiors to English Country-inspired rooms. "When you're young,
you tend to be more modern," she said. "A modern, pared-down aesthetic is
fitting for a couple, but not great for young kids. When you have young kids,
you can't manage the rigor of maintaining a contemporary interior."
The foundation of Alexa's success is her adherence to self-discovered
truths:
Alexa on Color:
"Any color described as food or a carbohydrate is good in my
book...caramel, toast, baked potato--well, baked potato doesn't sell well."
"Cool palettes are more young, while reds and golds are more
mature...blues and browns are a favorite scheme because they are both hot and
cold."
"There is no such thing as color trends. If you want to
change color, go with a new pillow. Wall color should last at least five years,
and I say, more like 10."
Alexa on Leadership:
"Leadership
is how we influence others, whether they follow us or not."
"As a young designer, you have to push, push, push, and
define meaning and be authoritative."
Alexa on the Design Process:
"I very much want interiors to speak to
exterior/architecture, except in New York, where there is a often a divorce
between interior and exterior."
"If you've cracked the code of a room, and you're happy with
how it looks, you don't have to reinvent the logic of the room."
"The husband is allowed to participate in the look of the
library, and I give all the other choices to the wife. He's usually okay with
this, only because he gets to choose all electronics."
WithIt thanks Hickory Chair for sponsoring Alexa's
presentation.
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PICTURE THIS
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From Competitive
Intelligence
WithIt's Spring 2010 Competitive Intelligence panel featured
insights from (left to right) Seattle-based interior designer and blogger Faith Sheridan; EditoratLarge.com managing partner Julia Noran; Deborah M. Sanders, managing
editor at Veranda magazine; and Tobi Fairley, an Arkansas-based interior
designer, popular blogger and public speaker.
WithIt thanks Palliser and 220 Elm for sponsoring the event.
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EDUCATION
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"A Wild and Wacky Ride"
Libby Langdon, interior designer, author and contributor to
HGTV and the Rachael Ray Show, addressed students during a spring WithIt event
held at High Point University. In keeping with WithIt's mission of education
and mentoring, Libby presented an overview of her career in interior design, as
well as practical advice for students just getting started in the business. Hear
the students' top takeaways from "Libby's Wild and Wacky Path into the World of Interior Design" by clicking on the screen shots below:
Amanda Brown  Chandra Christian  Virginia Ellis |
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HOUSEKEEPING
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| Deadline for Education
Conference Hotel Rate
July 18 is the deadline for securing a room at the host
hotel for WithIt's 2010 educational conference. Contact the Renaissance Charlotte Suites Hotel, Charlotte, NC, at 800.266.9432. When
making reservations, identify yourself as with the WithIt leadership conference
to receive the room discount, which is $119 a night.
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Have a story idea for an upcoming e-newsletter edition? Submit your ideas to Julie, Vice President-Media at [email protected].
WithIt, Inc.
PO Box 35362
Greensboro, NC 27425
www.withit.org
  
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