Online, the idea of “customer engagement” has spread like wildfire over the past few years as a way to develop a brand, encourage customer loyalty and share knowledge. The idea — initiating two-way conversations with your customers — is as simple as it is brilliant. And while interior designers’ work may be performed offline, in a studio, office building, hospital or the like, that doesn’t mean this notion isn’t equally applicable to our profession.

 

On the contrary, customer engagement is vital in determining a client’s specific needs and communicating the best possible solutions to meet those requests. To help you better initiate and sustain dialogue with your clients, we have once again transformed the summer installment of Perspective into a customer engagement tool. The third annual Power of Design issue is not simply intended to engage you, our readers; the issue also is a resource to share with clients and spark discussions about essential issues such as sustainability, health and public safety.

 

Interior designers are in the unique position of teaching clients to live and work more responsibly, environmentally and socially. They are poised to help clients improve their customers’ or employees’ health and well-being. And designers can demonstrate how to create a safer environment, whether that be an office, retail store, home or healthcare facility. Like the interior designers featured in this issue, you have the skills and information at your fingertips to fill these tall orders. Now it’s time to spread that knowledge by engaging — even challenging — your clients.

 

And just as this issue serves as an engagement tool for your clients, the brand-new LEED Gold-certified IIDA Headquarters and Learning Center in Chicago is meant to engage you. The space is not merely a workplace for Headquarters staff. We’ve also incorporated a Learning Center that is intended to be a community resource. IIDA Members, Chapters, Corporate Members and other outside organizations are encouraged to use the space for anything from a five-person meeting in one of the boardrooms or a seminar with up to 100 attendees, to an after-hours cocktail party. Additionally, IIDA is now hosting many of its own events in the space, including CEU presentations, networking events, the biannual Chapter Leadership Council meetings and IIDA’s Board Meeting.

 

We invite both IIDA Members and their guests to stop by during NeoCon for a tour of the Headquarters and to meet our professional staff. Whether through utilizing the new Headquarters and Learning Center, or by partaking in discussions with clients, elected officials and fellow interior designers about the power of design, this is truly knowledge-sharing at its best. After all, community, collaboration and engagement is the spirit of IIDA.

JOHN MACK, FIIDA, AIA
2007–2008 IIDA PRESIDENT

CHERYL S. DURST, HON. IIDA, LEED AP
IIDA Executive Vice President/CEO