IESNYC, IALD, DLFNY and WILD hosted a party last night at the Coronet Studio in Manhattan. The event was sold out with a waiting list and it appeared that at least 200 people attended.
This is the first industry party your humble editor has attended in two years and it was more than a party. The event was a fundraiser and I hung out with Lana Lenar who oversaw the raffle and my guess is the event raised over $5000 in gifts and cash for Safe Horizons.
Russell Osur, the CEO Coronet, welcomed the guest to the new showroom explaining that Coronet opened the showroom on 14 MAR 2000 and, because of COVID, closed it on 15 MAR 2000. It was a great week for Coronet as the New York Time wrote an article on supply chain issues and commended Coronet for US manufacturing.
Megan Carrol, the IESNYC President also welcomed the crowd explaining the importance of getting out and seeing people in person. Dan Blitzer received a Board Member of the Year award from DLFNY.
A few designers told me that their productivity increased during the pandemic, and they don’t miss the 2-hour daily commute. There was one overarching theme from the designers that I spoke with last night and that was the need to physically see and touch the product that they specify. One designer said, “The zoom thing only goes so far.”
Another designer explained that they are actively trying to hire and it is very difficult to find talent. Two designers from two different firms lamented the supply chain issue and said that they do fewer mockups now because samples are so hard to get.
One mid-size OEM explained that several manufacture’s, large and small, were frustrated about getting their products in the hands of designers, so they have formed a “gang” and are planning to do joint roadshows in major cities. They are just in the planning stages, and we hope to have more info early next year.
Diversity in lighting came up several times in different conversations. The industry is serious about finally making this happen.
The official hours were from 5 pm to 9 pm, but it went over. People just didn’t want to leave. It was a wonderful party and just what my soul needed before the holidays. Megan said it best, “It’s nice to see colleagues in person again.”