contributed by Karina Garza, IIDA [interior designer – Insite Architects / VP of Campus Centers – IIDA Texas-Oklahoma Chapter]

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the third student-focused interior design event that PLiNTH & CHiNTZ has covered with the intention of inspiring other groups to do the same and providing them with specific ideas for sessions and activities.

Yay for students! With the fundamental goal of enlightening students about the interior design industry, the IIDA Texas-Oklahoma Chapter Student Conference 2012 brought together students, professionals, educators and manufacturers’ representatives for a jam-packed two-day event, which took place Thursday, February 23 & Friday, February 24, 2012, in Houston, Texas. The theme of this year’s conference, which happened to be the chapter’s 12th, was “Connect,” and the event certainly helped students connect to the industry through a variety of programs.

[DAY 1]

A select group of students started their morning bright and early at 7:30am on Thursday, February 23, and geared up for the design charette competition. Students from ten universities were randomly paired up in nine groups and given four hours to develop a project board. The project board needed to include a concept, furniture selected from the charette underwriter, Herman Miller, renderings, plans and any other items that might help make the project stand out. The results were amazing given the amount of time and the added stress level of working with complete strangers.

All the other students started their day a little later at 1pm with various project tours that included furniture dealers, high-end client offices, as well as non-profit organizations. It was a great opportunity to see a diverse range of projects. Thinking back on my student days, I was blown away to have this opportunity and was thrilled that this year’s participants could share in this experience.

Following the project tours the students had the opportunity to mingle with Industry professionals and have a chance to see the latest and greatest products in the interior design world. Think about a mini-mini- NeoCon or METROCON. This was a fabulous way for students to get a chance to network and possibly get some leads on potential job opportunities either as an industry vendor or intern in an architectural/interior firm.

The day finally wound down as the students went back to their hotel rooms at the Hotel Sorella CityCentre, tired from all the walking from the project tours and the industry table top, but full of information on projects and products.

[DAY 2]

The second and final day of the event gave students the chance to ask questions to a panel of six professionals during breakfast. Moderated by Professor Kristi Gaines, Ph.D, IIDA, ASID, IDEC, EDRA, from Texas Tech University, the panelists were:

• Necia Bonner, IIDA, LEED AP – Interior Designer with Inventure Design Group & IIDA Houston City Center Council
• Megan Ebert, IIDA – Interior Designer with Kendall/Heaton Associates, Inc. & sitting IIDA Texas-Oklahoma Chapter President
• Gary Longbotham – EVP & Co-Owner of J. Tyler Servics, Inc. [Panel Underwriter]
• Stacy Reed, IIDA, LEED AP ID+C – Interior Designer with Gensler & on International IIDA Board
• Meredith Savage, LEED GA – Interior Designer with HOK [Panel Underwriter]

Questions included some that might be too embarrassing to ask. For example: “Have you ever made a mistake at work”” The students learned that, yes, we are human and, yes, we make mistakes, but we learn to work through them.

After a great discussion with the panelists, groups broke out to three different 101 Topics:

• “Associations and the After(student)life” with Paul LaBrant, IIDA, LEED AP
• “Marketing Yourself to Land the Job” with Toni Cosper, IIDA, LEED AP, EDAC
• “Showcase Your Work Through Student Design Competitions” with Monica DeAngelis, Manager of Student Member Relations and Activities for IIDA

There was also an opportunity for students to break out into a portfolio review session, which paired up a student with a professional who gave advice on fine-tuning their credentials prior to entering the job market.

Wow, this was a ton of information to absorb in a few hours! There was great and even better feedback for those who participated in the portfolio review.

Last but not least, we had a fantastic keynote speaker, PLiNTH & CHiNTZ’s very own Laura McDonald Stewart, IIDA, ASID, LEED AP! It was such a great treat to also hear her speak about the importance of “Connecting” with the industry. Networking and volunteering were key elements of her speech, and their importance cannot be understated. These two elements can help to land job opportunities as well as create friendships that will last through entire professional careers. Another one of the best tips given was to expand one’s knowledge by picking up The Economist or other magazine that would be considered out of your element. I especially loved this tip since, as a professional, you never know who your next client might be, and it’s always good to have a topic on which to dialogue.

We couldn’t wrap up the afternoon without announcing the winners of the charette competition that had taken place the day before:

3rd Place | Team #9:

• Sierra Pond – Texas Tech University
• Jessica Salmons – The Art Institute of Houston
• Rachael Armstrong –University of North Texas
• Kaily Rawon – Baylor University

2nd Place | Team #2:

• Megan Rangel – Texas State University
• Jaclyn Perez – Texas Tech University
• Jenna McCoppin – University of North Texas
• Jourdan Neustadt – University of Oklahoma

And, finally: drum roll please…

1st Place | Team #1:

• Hsin (Annie) Jsiao – Stephen F. Austin State University
• Megan Funni – Texas State University
• Judith Wishert – University of Texas at San Antonio
• Rashel Smith – University of North Texas

All of the charette teams’ project boards were incredible!

Lastly, I want to say thank you to the event committee and to the following two people for helping make this event so successful:

• Jessy Fuller, IIDA, RID, EDAC, LEED AP ID+C – IIDA Texas-Oklahoma Chapter Student Conference 2012 Chair
• Kristi Gaines, Ph.D, IIDA, ASID, IDEC, EDRA – IIDA Texas-Oklahoma Chapter Director of Education

We hope that this brief synopsis of the IIDA Texas-Oklahoma Student Conference 2012 will entice you to join us next year. Each year, the conference grows exponentially, so we hope to see you next year at 2013’s event!

Photography by Mileslove Studios