DSA Newsletter - Fall 2012

Fall 2012

Don't Play Hide and Seek!

Have you checked out DSA's homepage recently? Our new look was designed especially for you - our treasured members. At DSA, we understand the importance of taking care of our members, and we want to see all of you reach great success. If potential customers can't find you, they can't hire you. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is key to helping clients locate you, so we've redesigned our homepage to be SEO friendly.

So why the map on our front page? This interactive map allows potential clients to scroll over the state in which they want to locate a designer. It's easy for them - and it's optimized for you! Google search engines will find you easier as well. Scroll over our state recognized front page map and you will notice the state name come up. Why? Because website front pages are considered most important by search engines. With that being said, your state will also lead local clients to you. Designers, please do your part by keeping your portfolios updated and current on the DSA site so visitors will see the very best we have to offer.

Are you current? If not, we will set your portfolio up for you. Give us a call today to make sure you are up-to-date and prepared for this innovative new marketing tool, yet another benefit to our members. Call us at (866) 721-7857 press "0" or visit us online at www.dsasociety.org to check out the new homepage. www.dsasociety.org

Warm regards,
Natasha Lima Younts DSA
support@dsasociety.org

It's Market Time!

High Point market is upon us once again. The gorgeous hues of autumn leaves and the crisp air this time of year make it the perfect time to visit North Carolina for one of the country's premier markets. Fall dates for market are October 13-18 and retail home furnishings buyers will flock to High Point for the event.

Founded in 1909, the High Point Market was formed to provide the region's furniture makers and retailers with a convenient venue to conduct business. Originally known as the Southern Furniture Market, it established itself as a significant fixture in the American home furnishings industry in 1921 with the completion of the Southern Furniture Exposition Building. In 2007, the market recognized a tradition that dates back to the 1920s by officially changing its name to The High Point Market.

Never been before? No problem! High Point Market has a number of resources for firsttimers, including orientation seminars and information booths onsite. In addition, the market™ website offers lots of information on planning your first trip to ensure you make the best use of your resources. Check out the planning guide, maps and more at http://www.highpointmarket.org/.

Current Demographics
• 180 buildings
• 11.5 million square feet of show space
• 75,000 attendees each market
• More than 2,000 exhibitors
• countries represented
• Tens of thousands of new product introductions
• Approximately 10% of attendees are international

Register now http://www.highpointmarket.org/

Visit New York Design Center

Some of the greatest benefits of being in the interior design industry are the fabulous opportunities we have for travel, networking and seeing all the world has to offer to us and our clients. The New York Design Center represents some of the best in the business - and it's available to you!

For over 80 years, the New York Design Center (NYDC) has represented a wide variety of style and design, from classics to cutting - edge innovations. The oldest furniture and design building in the country, NYDC was originally only available to furniture and department store buyers. But by the late 70s, the gradual shift to interior design and architecture was underway, and today the facility is open to industry professionals. A special section is even open to the general public.

Today the facility houses nearly 100 showrooms and represents over 500 lines of furniture, fabric, floor and wall coverings, kitchen and baths and decorative accessories, all available to the design community. Through partnerships, the NYDC also offers seminars, exhibitions and special events throughout the year. Read all about it at http://www.nydc.com/www/index.php

Coming in October:

The 7th Annual Masquerade Ball
In support of The Alpha Workshops Studio School
October 25

To purchase tickets, please contact Barbara Thomson at 212.594.7320 or barbara@alphaworkshops.org

Artspace Warehouse

Artspace Warehouse is the first U.S. location of the successful Swiss gallery Kunstwarenhaus, in Zurich. The gallery presents an eclectic and ever-expanding selection of international and local artists.

Don't miss the current exhibit at Artspace Warehouse, on view through November 2. "Enduring Beauty," focuses on striking colors and imagery of Los Angeles artist Jessika Cardinahl, with new works by Los Angeles artist Courtney Raney and German artist Bernhard Zimmer, among others.

Coming up next, "Shifting the Everyday" will open November 3 and run through January 4, 2013. For more information about these and future exhibits, visit them online at www.artspacewarehouse.com

Pssst... We Have A Secret!

Your dedicated team at Designer Society of America has been working behind the scenes to partner with a fabulous designer-focused online company created especially for members of our industry. We can't tell you what it just yet, but it optimizes "social media" and "e-commerce" for the interior design industry!

Think about it: These days many of us spend a lot of time Tweeting and Facebooking, yet little to none of what we do electronically involves e-commerce. That's a lot of valuable hours being used with no monetary benefit to you. We've located a cool, interactive website that will soon connect DSA members to clients in a whole new way.

Here's the gist of it: Potential clients visit this interactive website and view designer portfolios, selecting someone they think will best match their taste and needs. The client then decides to what extent they want consultation and services from that designer.

Five graduated levels of interior design services include: a list of ways to change the space the client needs assistance with; a 3-D space plan (the program is built into the website!);
personalized answers from a professional to specific design questions; personal shopping services by the designer from catalogues selected by the client; or recreating the client's room
to resemble a room they've located in the designers online portfolio, a magazine, or any other resource.

Here's what one member of DSA - who is already affiliated with the
website - has to say about the company:

"The concepts and ideas they have put together for designers is unbelievable. With the drastic changes taking place in the market today for all of us, (this company) has put together a program that is cutting edge, right to the point and I believe a breakthrough for the way we designers might look at conducting our business in the future."

Les Bernabi, IFDA, IDS, DSA

Principal, Director of Design
Ciao Interiors

We're so excited about this upcoming opportunity for our DSA members, but to ensure complete success for all participants we want to have everything in place before we make the big announcement. Direct inks to the company will be sent to DSA members soon. So stay tuned... you'll be the first to know!

It's a Big, Big World!

Things change rapidly in this global world of ours. What's new one day is quickly replaced by the latest and greatest a month later. We often get wrapped up in our own busy schedules and forget that there's a great big world out there, even when it comes to interior design.

DSA is always looking for new resources to share with our members, and freshome.com is a winner! This website brings together information on cutting-edge interior design and architecture from around the planet. You might see an innovative design idea from halfway around the world that you never dreamed of doing for your clients. Take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to expand your horizons.

Take a few minutes to check out the website and sign up for their newsletter. Information is shared frequently, sometimes on a daily basis. Enjoy this new resource for bright new ideas with a global twist! Remember, design is global so take some time to view fresh looks at www.freshome.com

Market Motive

Be the Best You Can Be

At Designer Society of America, we work tirelessly to provide our members with the tools for success. We know that nothing is more valuable than ongoing education. That's why we're so excited to announce that after months of negotiating on your behalf, we are now able to make four crucial Market Motive certification courses accessible to our DSA members at a HUGE savings to you. Courses can be completed as self-paced studies or as coached master certification.

Internet Marketing Courses for Small Business Owners

The Designer Society of America in partnership with Market Motive now offer members 4 online courses that are "must dos" for designers looking to expand their business in today's Internet driven market. Market Motive is the industry leader in providing web-based training in Internet marketing. Thanks to DSA's partnership with Market Motive, valuable, actionable and affordable training courses are available to DSA members.

Call us today at (866) 721-7857 press "0" to find out how to get started! Or email us at support@dsasociety.org

Facebook Marketing: (2-4 hours) $59.00
Brad Gettes Facebook Marketing series can also be found in section four of the Internet Marketing Foundation course (MM208). It's a great way to get a sneak preview of the kind of instruction you'll enjoy in the longer courses... plus you'll get a head start on organizing your new Facebook strategy.

Take your message directly to your customers where they live... on Facebook. It's the perfect place to find a highly targeted audience, and engage them in an environment that's already primed for discussion and sharing. You'll not only learn the social networking opportunities Facebook offers for professionals, but how businesses can turn it into a massive lead generation platform.

Matt Bailey Internet Marketing for Small Business:
Foundation - MM208 (7-10 hours)
Just getting started in Internet Marketing? Gain a solid foundation of basic skills and some fundamental strategies and tactics with this course. You'll start with an introduction to Search Engine Optimization, Social Media, and Pay Per Click Advertising. Then move on to additional training in each, with a special focus on optimizing for local search.

Take this course if...
- You're new to Internet Marketing, or
- You're somewhat familiar with Social Media Marketing and Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, but you are not actively using or managing them in promoting your business.

Internet Marketing for Small Businesses: Conversion & Analytics - MM211 (6-8 hours)
Bryan Eisenberg If you've got visitors, but need to better understand who they are and what they need so you can maximize conversions, this course is the answer. After all, bringing traffic to your site is only half the puzzle. Mastering Conversion means getting those visitors to stick around, get engaged, and decide to purchase, register, or otherwise engage. Gathering and understanding metrics on visitor behavior will help you discover what's working and what's not, for which users, so you can continually improve your site's success.

Take this course if...
- You've got traffic to your site through SEO or PPC, and are ready to really fine tune every aspect of your campaigns to find more qualified visitors and compel them to convert.
- You want to better understand the metrics you have on your site traffic, and use it to set attainable and measurable goals.

Internet Marketing for Small Businesses: Conversion & Analytics - MM211 (6-8 hours)

Avinash-Kaushik

If you've got visitors, but need to better understand who they are and what they need so you can maximize conversions, this course is the answer. After all, bringing traffic to your site is only half the puzzle. Mastering Conversion means getting those visitors to stick around, get engaged, and decide to purchase, register, or otherwise engage. Gathering and understanding metrics on visitor behavior will help you discover what's working and what's not, for which users, so you can continually improve your site's success.

Jennifer Evans Cario

Take this course if...
- You've got traffic to your site through SEO or PPC, and are ready to really fine tune every aspect of your campaigns to find more qualified visitors and compel them to convert.
- You want to better understand the metrics you have on your site traffic, and use it to set attainable and measurable goals.

- Call us today at (866) 721-7857 press "0" to find out how to get started! Or email us at support@dsasociety.org

Office Furniture Certification

Business and Industrial Furniture Manufacturer's Association (BIFMA) is a non-profit trade organization that works to support their industry. In part, this entails creating standards. Some of these standards simply define acceptable practices. Examples of this are how much weight a shelf must carry or the appropriate desk height. These standards are organized by product and are for the manufacturer's use. There is no certification involved.

BIFMA, working with ANSI (American National Standards Institute), also created a sustainability standard. The standard encourages manufacturers to make office furniture more sustainable and it also facilitates a market response. As the standard becomes known, and companies advertise their products as meeting the standard, customers may opt for a more sustainable product.

The standard is based on accumulating points and provides a number of opportunities. The points fall into four areas: materials, energy and atmosphere, human and ecosystem health, and social responsibility. Also, the standard has three levels of achievement (more points, higher level).

Some examples:

• Materials: Points may be achieved if a product includes recycled content, rapidly renewable content, or is recyclable at the end of its useful life.
• Energy and Atmosphere: Points may be achieved by measuring the energy performance of the manufacturing facility, by the facility using some renewable energy, by measuring the embodied energy of a product, and/or by reducing the embodied energy of a product.
• Human and Ecosystem Health: Points may be achieved by reducing the use of carcinogens and toxins during product manufacture. Also, points may be achieved if the final product emits low VOCs.
•Social Responsibility: Points may be achieved by meeting minimum safety and human rights conditions and a minimum health standard. These are not difficult in North America as we prohibit child labor and dangerous working conditions, and typically offer health insurance. However, not all office furniture is made in North America. Points may also be achieved with a policy on social responsibility or community outreach activities.

You may have noticed that points may be gathered on product characteristics (recycled
content), the facility where it is made (using renewable energy), or the company as a whole (no
child labor). The standard is "e3" and may be purchased from ANSI. Manufacturers may use it as they wish. They may follow it diligently and state their product meets the e3 standard. More commonly, they enlist a third party to verify they meet the standard. When this is done, the product becomes "level certified."

Go Green,

Craig Ressler, P.E.

Easy To Be Green
http://easytobegreen.com/

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