Wayfair’s Heart Home Conference in Boston

The last two weeks have been a whirlwind of seminars, panel discussions, design trend projections and meeting elite designers as well as connecting with dear colleagues and friends. It just get any better than that for a creative person like me ~ so energizing and affirming!  I am thrilled to be able to share with you some of the latest design and social media trends and insights that I gleaned from attending these events.

The first event I attended was the inaugural Heart Home conference in Boston. Presented by Wayfair (a zillion things home across all styles and budgets ~ sound familiar?), this event was Wayfair‘s answer to the blogging conferences held across the country and was meant to attract “everyone who shares a love of all things home—from bloggers to designers and other lifestyle entrepreneurs”.

The keynote speaker was Maxwell Ryan, founder of ApartmentTherapy.com and author of several books including his latest, Complete and Happy Home.

Maxwell Ryan signing my copy of his latest book

Mr. Ryan related that he is very inspired by Terence Conran who said, “Having a warm home that looks good and works well, and that you and your family and friends enjoy, must be one of the most worthwhile thing in life…”   I totally agree with Mr. Conran and Mr. Ryan on this philosophy!

There were also display vignettes on-site, including this very functional and well designed line from Universal Furniture. Their “smart” pieces offer features such as clever over-bed lighting, outlets built into nightstands, and low lighting from toe kick area of a chest ~ I just loved their product.

One of the most outstanding panel discussions I attended was ‘Get Reel: Cracking The YouTube Code’ ~ basically everything I wanted to know about YouTube but had been afraid to ask!

The excellent Panelists:

• Meg Allan Cole – creator, Meg Allan Cole Crafts, and HGTV talent
• Summer Bellessa – co-founder, The Girl with Glasses
• Jennifer McDonnell – vice president, operations, Kin Community
• Vickey Montgomery – head of industry, retail, Google

Moderator: Christiane Lemieux – founder, DwellStudio, and executive creative director, Wayfair

Truth be told, I have always wanted to be a movie star and after listening to the discussion, maybe it’s not too late!  I am definitely inspired to explore creating a Pamela Copeman Design Group YouTube channel ~ thanks especially to Summer Bellessa.  Watch out Hollywood!

I had the most fun at another session I attended that was basically the Wayfair version of Shark Tank ~ brilliant! Aspiring entrepreneurs in the home space presented their business ideas to other attendees and an esteemed panel of professionals including the CEO of Wayfair. The presenters had 6 minutes to convince the panel to support their product and receive strategic feedback.

The pitch that got my vote (and no, it didn’t count) was an ergonomic desk that supported the back and neck.

Of course one of my favorite parts of attending this type of event is seeing dear design friends and these women are some of the best!

Me, Megan Pesce, Joann Kandrac, Michelle Cortizo, and Linda Holt

The Heart Home Conference is a great addition to the array of home & blogging conferences around the country and I love that it was held right here in Boston (home of Wayfair!).  Kudos to everyone at Wayfair on a great event ~ I can’t wait to see what you have in store for next time!

Be sure to check back tomorrow, I’ll be sharing more great design news & trends from Design Days at the Boston Design Center!

xo,

Pamela

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