METROCON17 Expo & Conference Champions Collaboration Within the Built Environment

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Sep 12, 2017, 08:45 ET

DALLAS, Sept. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- On August 10 & 11, Dallas Market Hall buzzed with interior designers, architects, facility managers, real estate professionals, contractors, design students and other essential industry members catering to the built environment when it hosted METROCON17 Expo & Conference.

The event, which is the largest not-for-profit, self-produced, volunteer-driven, design specification-focused regional expo and conference in the USA, attracted individuals from 35 states besides Texas, as well as four Canadian provinces.

Pictured left to right: Rhiannon Jacobsen, VP of Strategic Relationships for USGBC; Trisha Poole, President of Design Poole, Inc. and current President of NEWH, Inc.; Dennis Hall, CEO of HALL a/e/c PA and Past President of CSI; Charrisse Johnston, Principal of Steinberg Architects and current Chair of ASID; Moderator Randy Fiser, CEO of ASID

Manufacturers, fabricators and service providers catering to the education, healthcare, hospitality, institutional, multifamily, residential, retail, and workplace design sectors filled 36,000+ SF of exhibit space, showing and/or sponsoring under 277 names.

This year marked the event's 15^th anniversary, which the Committee of 22 dedicated volunteers celebrated, along with two other milestones:

For the first time, five associations joined forces to plan and execute a more expansive METROCON for their members and beyond: the Texas & Texas Gulf Coast Chapters of ASID (American Society of Interior Designers); the Dallas Chapter of CSI (Construction Specifications Institute); the Dallas Chapter of NEWH (The Hospitality Industry Network); and the Texas Chapter of USGBC (U.S. Green Building Council).
Companies secured 53 event sponsorships, more than any other year in the event's history.

With the five partnering associations working together to create such a valuable opportunity for the region, METROCON is symbolic of what is happening with the industry in terms of the increasing need for multi-disciplinary collaboration within the built environment.

To emphasize this growing trend, the Committee brought in five distinguished national leaders of the participating organizations for a topical dialogue. ASID CEO Randy Fiser led the innovative Panel Discussion "Raising the Industry Profile: A Conversation with Leaders," which included the following:

Dennis Hall, FAIA, FCSI (Charlotte, NC): CEO – HALL a/e/c PA | Past President of CSI
Rhiannon Jacobsen (Washington, DC): Vice President of Strategic Relationships – USGBC
Charrisse Johnston, ASID, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP BD+C (Los Angeles, CA): Principal – Steinberg Architects | Chair of ASID
Trisha Poole (Winter Park, FL): President – Design Poole, Inc. | President of NEWH, Inc.

The panelists discussed how the increasing levels of project complexity and expanding technological tools, as well as concerns of sustainability, resiliency, and wellness, are all driving our industry towards deeper cooperation within all market sectors.

Besides 45 Continuing Education courses covering a wide array of topics applicable to various design practice areas, the conference also offered:

A Keynote Address by Sandy Chilewich and Joe Sultan, partners in life, work, and innovation, and the dynamic duo behind the global company Chilewich | Sultan LLC.
Two Student-focused programs – Roadmap and Career Exchange – organized by ASID.
Three Seminars for both practitioners and industry members: "Introduction to The WELL Building Standard;" "How to Navigate the FF&E Process – Conceptual Design to Installation, the Players and their Roles;" and "Design Dish," in which five restaurant designers discussed how they maximize the consumer appeal, operational efficiency and success of food and beverage concepts.

Attendees also benefited from a strong trade show. Manufacturers, fabricators and service providers catering to the education, healthcare, hospitality, institutional, multifamily, residential, retail, and workplace design sectors filled 36,000+ SF of exhibit space, showing and/or sponsoring under 277 names.

Types of products and services exhibited ranged from coatings, ceilings, decking, plaster, wallcovering, doors and windows to carpet, resilient flooring, tile, natural and engineered stone, fabric, furniture, wood flooring, window treatments, and solar control solutions, as well as art, lighting, signage, acoustical solutions, systems integration, metal fabrication, electrical controls, and consulting engineering solutions.

The organizing Committee enthusiastically thanks Landmark Sponsor Staples Business Advantage, Media Sponsor Modern Luxury Interiors Texas, and the 51 other Sponsors for their incredible support.

For more information visit http://www.metrocon.info/ or call Show Manager Laura Stewart at 888-633-2112.

SOURCE Metrocon, Inc.