It’s no surprise that optimism and inspiration at trade shows ebb and flow with industry and economic changes. The forecast is easily read on the faces of exhibitors and attendees. Having spent many years meeting with media at various industry conferences and shows, it is always eye-opening to get a read on the state of an industry from the media. Because they are working up-close and personally within many corners of an industry, they are often on the forefront when the tide starts to shift for the good or bad.
Clearer skies predicted
If the mood of the media attending this year’s NeoCon show is foretelling, there is plenty of optimism in the air. Attended by approximately 40,000 architects, designers, facility managers and large institutions, NeoCon gives a peek into the design world’s newest thinking, products and services. Much of the optimism at this year’s exposition stemmed from commercial projects in healthcare, medical facilities and federal developments. Designers, manufacturers and media all agree this is the place to be. The excitement was a welcome relief for many at the show, and we hope to see it continue in coming months.
Inspired by the next generation
On a fun note, one of the most inspirational moments of the show for me came from a very unexpected source: an aspiring 13-year-old journalist.
The Kimball Office showroom couldn’t have been a more fitting meeting place to discuss Alternative Workplace Strategies for multigenerational work forces with 13-year-old Liam Kirkbride and his father, Rob. Both were sporting press badges for the office industry’s Monday Morning Quarterback. Between Liam, his father, my younger co-worker, and me, we certainly had “generational work forces” covered. Liam’s reactions and genuine curiosity brought optimism of a different kind: a look into the mind of our future journalists.
In a strange juxtaposition, as the father and son journalists departed, I couldn’t help but notice the 13-year-old was wearing highly shined dress shoes and dress clothes while the more seasoned reporter sported Onisuka Tiger tennis shoes and a more comfortable set of digs. It will be interesting to see how the two generations of journalists influence each other’s wardrobes and work styles.
Approximately 100 sales and marketing executives from 32 national building-products manufacturers recently gathered at the NCAA Hall of Champions in Indianapolis for Miller Brooks’ 2010 Marketing to the Architect and Design Community Symposium. In its second year, the event once again provided an excellent opportunity for these sales and marketing executives to “engage, interact and connect with architects and designers.”
Through speaker presentations and a panel discussion, attendees learned about new trends and technology currently impacting the architecture and design industry, as well as best practices for cultivating stronger, more mutually beneficial relationships between manufacturers and design professionals.
Presentations from industry leaders
Three speakers, who know this industry firsthand, shared their insight:
The objectives of custom home designers often differ from those of custom homebuilders. Combining this knowledge with understanding and respect will build trust and result in more successful projects.
She encouraged marketing representatives to work toward a better understanding of their custom home architect customers and their specific needs. The result? You’ll build a more solid relationship.
Relationships breed business. “If you’re just coming to their office to sell to them, they will see right through you.”
Keynote speaker Rex Miller, founding member of the Mindshift Consortium — a building and design industry think tank — and author of The Commercial Real Estate Revolutionpresented “Mindshift: A New Way To Look at a New Problem”:
Today’s digital culture is being driven by technologically savvy young minds. Miller encouraged audience members to embrace the ideas of younger employees and incorporate the new trends – such as social media and Building Information Modeling (BIM) – into their companies’ business models.
Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) is a growing trend intended to minimize the waste of time, materials and labor. Project teams organize themselves before the project, selecting teammates based on talent and ability to cooperate, instead of low bids. The architects, designers and contractors work together as a unit — not as individuals — and share risks together. Project design and coordination using BIM is the tool that makes this operational style possible. “BIM helps the trades to interact better on projects and produce better results.”
And Alex Oliver, CEO and founding partner of Los Angeles digital media firm Igloo Studios:
Some monumental digital design tools have been developed in the past 30 years, from AutoCAD® to Revit® and Google® SketchUp, over the past 30 years.
Now? 3-D digital modeling software is seeing huge growth. For example, approximately 1.3 million unique, new applications of Google SketchUp pop up every week online.
Each tool has its merits for designers, and they should use the tool that is the best fit for the project. “There’s more than one software solution, and there’s more than one set of tools,” Oliver said. “Users of Revit don’t just use Revit. Users of Google SketchUp don’t just use Google SketchUp. There’s interaction between all of these programs.”
An interactive panel discussion
Moderated by Conroy and featuring Miller and Oliver, the panel included a diverse group of architects and interior designers:
Panel members fielded questions from audience members, delivered both by text message and microphone, about issues affecting the relationships between architects and the marketing and sales departments of manufacturing companies. What issues generated the most discussion?
Reaction to New Digital Technology — many of today’s veteran architects have embraced digital modeling but still sometimes prefer to receive physical product samples from manufacturers. This provides them something tangible to present to clients.
Trade shows — Trade shows are still important to architects, as they allow them to see new products up-close and speak with manufacturer representatives face-to-face.
Architect-Manufacturer Relationships – Manufacturer representatives should get to know their architect customers better in order to help them do their jobs and educate them on the uses and benefits of a particular product.
Time Is Money — Architects are very busy, so manufacturer representatives must make efficient use of this time during sales calls.
Setting Ground Rules —Architects need to set ground rules with manufacturer representatives, letting them know what it takes to get their products specified.
Response from attendees
So, was the symposium useful? What did attendees have to say when it was done?
Amy Lee, marketing manager for CertainTeed Gypsum‘s group: “The symposium provided useful information, not only about how to market to and communicate most effectively with architects, but also about current trends in the architectural field. We learned from the speakers and the panel what’s most important to architects, what kind of information they need from us, how they want to get it and when they want to get it.”
Mark Johnson, director of sales and marketing education for KraftMaid® Cabinetry: “This event offered incredible learning in a very short period of time — I really appreciated how these top-notch people made such good use of our time. If the architects share what their needs are, as they did at this event, hopefully the marketers will listen.”
Our Miller Brooks team was truly honored to receive nine ADDY awards recognizing work we’ve done in the last year, including two Gold ADDYs and a Bronze award for our own, newly redesigned website. We were up against some really tough competition — 41 agencies, companies and individuals in the Indianapolis market submitted 248 broadcast and print entries.
To us, the awards signify the dedication we have to providing innovative ideas and exceptional work to our clients. Without those great clients, we wouldn’t have had the opportunity to exercise our creative muscle in the first place. (Thank you!)
The nine ADDY awards we received were:
We can’t say thank you enough to our fantastic clients. It’s a tremendous accomplishment and we’re looking forward to competing at the next level.
**Also, many kudos go out to our own Liz Gottlin for chairing the ADDY committee this year! Our traffic manager is already busy at MB, but this was like a second job for her. The event was fantastic, and she really did a great job. (We bet she slept for at least 12 hours on Saturday night after the event.) Great job, Liz!
I mentioned a couple posts ago that Miller Brooks’ annual Cook For The Cure on Fri., Oct. 16 was a smashing success – and I promised you a recap when we got the final donation total.
We had more than 200 attendees, including employees, clients and vendors. The best news? Everyone rallied together to donate more than $10,000 to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Indianapolis Affiliate! That’s a record-breaking total, brought in through both a silent auction and straightforward donations. Oh, and we had some wonderful employee-generated food-on-a-stick recipes.
A big round of applause and thanks goes out to everyone who joined us!
Our eighth annual event, a concept developed by KitchenAid, is one of Central Indiana’s largest third-party fundraisers for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Indianapolis Affiliate. The event is an agency tradition, and over the past eight years, we’ve donated more than $65,000 to Susan G. Komen. We also find that it’s a wonderful opportunity for us to build relationships with clients, vendors – and each other – while we fight breast cancer together.
According to the Susan G. Komen, Indianapolis Affiliate, 75 percent of donations from the event stay in central Indiana, with the additional 25 percent supporting national Komen-funded research. Currently, seven Komen-funded research projects are taking place in Indiana.
We can’t say “thank you” enough. Let’s do it again next year!
Please join us for our 8th Annual Cook for the Cure event, October 16th from 11 am to 8 pm at Miller Brooks. This year’s party food will feature “Food on a Stick”. Our employees have been busy researching recipes in preparation for this event. So, put the date on your calendar!
Eighty sales and marketing executives from 18 Midwest-based building products manufacturers gained a stronger understanding of architects at the 2009 Marketing to Architects Symposium, sponsored by Miller Brooks at the Eiteljorg Museum in Indianapolis.
Billed as “a better way to engage, interact and connect with architects,” the event’s aim was to initiate dialogue between manufacturers and architects and, ideally, spur the two groups to collaborate more in the future on product specifications and new product development.
September 3, 2010—Are you ready for some football?
Inspired by the next generation
