I had a fantastic time two weeks ago as the featured speaker for the Unity in Design event held at the High Point Furniture Market.  The occasion was a regional ASID event for the Carolinas that included showroom shopping, several speakers, luncheons, cocktail parties and networking.

I was thrilled when my friends Leith Satterwhite and her son Gibson of New River Artisans asked me to be the featured guest speaker at a luncheon held at their Custom Rug Showroom.  My talk was about Thriving in Tough Economic Times and How to Brand Yourself using Custom Product.  We had a great crowd and my message was very well received! I hope I was able to offer some suggestions to my audience that might just help them stay ahead in this economy.

As I well know, New River Artisans is the perfect source for custom branding. I have used their rugs many, many times in my projects and they are always the peices in my rooms that get so much attention.  I love the endless options for color and pattern when it comes to designing New River peices for my clients. Plus the quality is supreme!

Although just the opportunity to talk to others in my profession was a treat (I always have something to share), I was especially excited that my friend Tim Schelfe of the very successful Schelfe and Associates, was part of my audience.  And even more fun was getting to meet 3 of the young and beautiful designers that work for Tim’s firm.  These girls, all fans of my blog, are bloggers in their own right.  They all take turns posting on the Schelfe and Associates blog which I think brings a variety of perspectives to the firm’s clients and fans! So thanks to all these great staff members from the Schelfe Design Firm!!  Be sure to check out their blog and their post about this same fun event!

Thanks to photographer Jay Lovejoy for shooting the event for the market’s PR department. And to New River Artisans for inviting me! It looks as if I will be doing another talk for New River as part of the April 2009 High Point Market! Check back on my blog for more details in the coming weeks!