LAS VEGAS The inaugural Inspiredesign show—which brought together designers, purchasers, owners, and suppliers in the hospitality and health care marketplaces—ran February 1 through 3 at the World Market Center, whose senior vice president, Philip McKay, oversaw the program with event director Gerry Seibel. The show was co-located with February’s Las Vegas Market, which happened concurrently in Buildings A, B, and C, on the World Market Center campus.

Organizers are still awaiting attendance figures from the show, but nearly 900 attendees were preregistered before the doors opened. Of the 60 exhibitors, 65 percent had committed to next year's event—planned for January 24 to 26—before the show closed.

Designer DB Kim served as the creative director for the program. Focused on the flow and attendees' comfort, the layout included a main boulevard and clean, gallery-style viewing. "When you go to a show in a convention center, you almost get lost," said Kim. "But we had clear circulation. You could walk along the main boulevard, and then you could come back to it and see each area [at your own pace]."

Another important aspect of the attendee experience was a civilized eating place. "We had real silverware, real china, a proper environment for people to sit and engage," Kim said. "A comfort level was far more important for us than just [creating a place for] the sake of providing food and beverage. We had a real cafe-like setting for networking or catching up on work."

Kim's plan for next year is to focus more on the visuals. "We'll really incorporate the [Las Vegas area] landscape into the show to give it a distinctive character. I feel strongly to create an environment for people to realize where they are—a beautiful American desert landscape."

The show also included speakers and education sessions.