Already, the beginning of March seems far away, sealed off in a new BC era – before coronavirus. But it was still less than one month ago that one of the premier conferences in interior design was held.

The Interior Design Education Council (IDEC) is the one and only professionally recognized association for interior design educators in North America, and has been dedicated to the advancement of interior design education, scholarship and service since its inception in 1963. 

Every year, the IDEC Annual Conference brings hundreds of the most influential interior design educators together to share their ideas on how to transform interior design education to meet students’ ever-changing needs, and to highlight design wonders and other notable industry achievements of the past year. The IDEC 2020 Annual Conference, held in Tulsa, Oklahoma on March 4-7, was no exception. This year, the IDEC took a leap towards the advancement of student training by hosting an interactive demo and information session with its premier partner, Design Manager.

Design Manager Highlights the Business of Design

(Lindsay Paoli, Kasey Helmick, and Shelly Goodwin of Design Manager)

Design Manager is thrilled to be a premier partner of the IDEC and to work with its engaging and open-minded professionals that are paving the way for the future of interior design. Having the opportunity to demonstrate the Design Manager platform to the influential audience of educators at the 2020 IDEC Conference is a huge stride toward its goal of improving business education in the standard interior design school curriculum. 

(Kasey and Shelly demonstrate and answer questions on Design Manager)

Because DM works so closely with so many designers, the team knows the unfortunately common dilemma faced by design school graduates entering the interior design workforce... the lack of financial training, project management skills, and knowledge of available business tools to be successful. 

Integrating Design Manager training into interior design college programs can greatly help to bridge that creativity knowledge gap to nurture the tangible, business-oriented skills they will need to succeed in the workforce. Design Manager is specifically crafted to meet the unique accounting and project management needs of interior designers, while providing a natural road map of business topics students need to learn to move seamlessly from school to the professional domain. 

More to Come From Design Manager and IDEC Partnership

(Kasey and Shelly available throughout the conference to talk about Design Manager education)

Design Manager’s presence at the 2020 IDEC Conference was only the beginning of the collaboration between these two industry leaders. Design Manager will be working with Susan Ray-Degges, Ph.D., FASID, MN-CID, IDEC, President of the IDEC, to bring more workshops to regional meetings and to integrate the software tool into a growing number of colleges.

“Design Manager online tools are critical for interior design programs today, especially as we look at ways to continue moving forward as unprecedented events shape our daily lives. Design Manager software can provide students, working in an online environment, the opportunity to enhance their learning experience to organize projects and create professional documents. Staying on top of evolving software will provide students an advantage over other job candidates. I believe most educators are looking for tools that can make their students be successful. Design Manager can engage students in understanding the industry with greater depth.”– Susan Ray-Degges, Ph.D., FASID, MN-CID

(Susan Ray-Degges, PhD, of IDEC and North Dakota State University with Lindsay Paoli of Design Manager)

To support its goal of making business education a standard part of interior design school curriculums, Design Manager will now offer its software, training included, for free to all interior design students and educators. Together, Design Manager and IDEC are dedicated to giving interior design students the essential foundation to succeed in a premier position at a design firm or start a design firm of their own, without any painful stumbles along the way. 

For the latest announcements regarding Design Manager’s collaboration with the IDEC, follow us on instagram @designmanager, check-in regularly to the Design Manager blog, or visit our college program page where you will also find all of the latest in interior design business news, trends, and advice on how to take your interior design profession to new heights!