To the Gateway chapter,

 

Thank you for offering such a wonderful opportunity to attend the IIDA SHIFT Conference. It was such a great way to network with other peers and industry professionals around the world, hone in on career preparation and development, improve your social skills, and overall offered a complete perspective shift on the industry.

 

Prior to attending the conference I was pretty set on working in the hospitality sector. I think there’s a perception among students that hospitality is the only area where you have full range for fun, creative projects. However, during the conference, whether while listening to the guest speakers or just talking to reps at the expo, I learned that isn’t quite true. 

 

Of course budgets and timelines are a thing in the real world, but some shed light on the fact that most hospitality projects don’t have the big budgets for the creativity room that we think and are often rushed. Whereas, other sectors tend to have bigger budgets and more time to create something efficient and beautiful. 

 

The conference also helped me realize that hospitality is now being infiltrated in just about every sector of design. You see it in healthcare, workplace, and even education - which was a perspective I hadn’t previously thought of.

With spending so much time in secondary education and previously working in healthcare, those two sectors were ones I really didn’t have an interest in - but the conference really helped open my eyes to all sectors of design. 

 

The biggest takeaway is understanding that Interior Design is much more than the look and aesthetic of a place, but instead, how efficient is it for the users, how does it direct traffic flow, and is it meeting the daily needs of the people visiting and working in the spaces. Even with going through both the St. Louis and Dallas airports, noticing the difference in the pickup areas. A designer apart of Corgan’s aviation team mentioned how it’s our job to create an experience from the moment a person arrives to the moment they leave, which is so true. It’s about creating ease for the users which ultimately does lead to the feel and look but at the root it’s so much more than that.

 

So it’s safe to say, thanks to the conference, I’m now open to every sector of design, expect warehouse

 

I hope you enjoy the pictures as much as I enjoyed being there.

 

With great gratitude,

Kaylin Daggs.