CE Pro parent company Emerald Expositions and the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) recently announced plans to co-produce a new conference — Design + Tech Connection— geared to design and construction professionals and home technology integrators. The conference, powered by the NKBA and Emerald-owned CE Pro and KBB, will bring the brightest and most provocative minds from design, construction and technology together to inspire collaboration and partnerships between brands, specifiers and installers.

The conference now has a full agenda of talks and events designed to help bridge the gaps between construction, design, and technology. They are as follows:

Design + Tech Connection Agenda

Here is a detailed list of each talk/event:

Keynote – Beauty, Neuroscience, and Architecture: Timeless Patterns and Their Impact on Our Well-Being

The conference’s keynote postulates that beauty can and does make a vital difference in our lives, including improving many aspects of our health. In his presentation, Don Ruggles of Ruggles Mabe Architects suggests that a new, urgent effort is needed to refocus the direction of architecture and art to include the quality of beauty as a fundamental, overarching theme in two of humanity’s most important fields of endeavor—the built and artistic environments.

Speaker: Don Ruggles Architect, Ruggles Mabe Architects

2024 Lighting Controls and Fixtures Report

Lightapalooza took place in late February, and the growth of the event has mirrored the rapid ascension lighting fixtures and controls.

Download your copy now!

Designing for Light – The Business of Lighting

The business of lighting and its importance to the entire project. Topics will include: How to pitch lighting and motorized shades, as well as professional lighting design; the role of lighting in wellness, moods, visual comfort, energy savings, safety & security, movie time, color rendering: the changing business models; updates on low-voltage lighting systems and how lighting needs change as we age.

Speaker: David Van Wert, VanWert Technology Design

Smart Wellness – Technology strengthens connections to nature

Smart technologies strengthen the connections between indoor and outdoor conditions – connecting back to nature. The goal is to mitigate the effects of our man-made environment. This talk will speak to the many technologies that can bring wellness into our built environments.

Speaker: Julie Jacobson, founding Editor, CE Pro

Work Session Roundtables

Attendees are invited to visit with members of various technology and design brands covering a span of topics.

Interactive Lunch: Authentic Networking – Leading through Giving

Using positivity, vulnerability and communication as keys to building successful teams, Luis will encourage active participation through a workshop lunch and learn. Attendees will wrap the session by designing and building a project that utilizes skills taught in the workshop.

Speaker: Luis Serrano, Chief Fun Officer, Fundamentals of Play

Design + Tech Case Studies and Best Practices Panel

Best practices for designers and integrators working together. Panelists will cover topics around establishing business solid working relationship models.

Moderated by:
Jason Knott, Chief Content Officer, CE Pro
Chelsie Butler, Executive Editor, KBB

Panelists:
Ed Gilmore, president, Gilmore’s Sound Advice
Kim Michels, president, Electronic Environments

Hacker Craft – Preventing the Breach (aka the Value Integrators Bring)

This presentation will provide an in-depth analysis of the latest trends, tactics, and news of the cyber threat landscape as seen from the eyes of a practicing security engineer. Once you have seen what the bad guys have been up to today, you will be exposed to a crash course of security best practices and architecture design that will help avoid the breach of tomorrow.

Speaker: Rob Krug, Senior Security Architect, Avast Inc.

Cocktails and Pitches

5 -minute presentations by brand representatives; hosted by Cindy Allen, Editor in Chief, Interior Design

Location and Registration

Design + Tech Connection will take place on Dec. 11, 2019, at Convene, 117 West 46^th Street, New York. This fresh meeting and event space will host a full day of programming beginning at 8:30 am and will close with a cocktail and networking event. Registration opens Oct. 15. Space is limited. To stay current on programming and participants, please visit here.

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