Universal Furniture Announces April 2022 Market Events

Universal Furniture’s in-person learning events ramp up to speed this April, featuring industry heavy hitters like Traditional Home’s Krissa Rossbund, product and interior designer Erinn Valencich, interior design coach Gail Doby, HGTV’s Keith Bynum and Evan Thomas, and interior design business coach and author Melissa Galt. And last but not least, an all-new Universal To the Trade Designer’s Lounge complete with Beauty Bar.

The company’s showroom and high-tech Learning Center are hosting multiple events Friday, April 1 through Monday, April 4. Come experience one of designers’ favorite stops at Market. Here’s what’s on the calendar for April.

FRIDAY, April 1

1.  Universal To The Trade Designer’s Lounge

• Date: April 1-5
• Time: April 1 (opens at noon): April 2-5, 9 a.m.- 6 p.m.
• Location: Universal Furniture Showroom, 101 S. Hamilton St. (Shuttle Stop 15) Red Line
• Description: Relax and recharge in Universal’s newly renovated 2,000 sq. ft. Designers Only Workspace, available to Universal Furniture account holders only. Designers can open an account on the spot. Sponsored by RUE, Regina Andrew Detroit and Crypton. Charge your devices and take advantage of free wi-fi. Specialy cocktails daily by Bartesian. Need a hair touchup? Sign up for an appointment at the Beauty Bar. First 350 account holders to check-in will receive a special RUE luxury swag bag with fab beauty brands like Beekman 1802 and Farmacy.
• Website: https://www.universalfurniture.com/designerslounge

2.     Design Point of View: When Style Hits the Marks of Handsome and Pretty

• Speaker: Krissa Rossbund (Traditional Home)
• Date: Friday, April 1
• Time: 2 p.m.
• Location: Universal Furniture Showroom, 101 S. Hamilton St. (Shuttle Stop 15) Red Line
• Description: For the past several years, interiors boasted a clean, edited, and quiet vibe, giving opportunity for pause and recalibration, and gorgeously combatting the noise from day-to-day life. But our community has shifted to a completely different visual outlook. We like where you’ve gone, designers, and your efforts have not gone unnoticed. You’ve ushered us to new moment, and it’s never been so alluring. With uncluttered design officially in the history books (or these days, a long scroll back on Instagram and Pinterest), it’s time for layering an to take reign again in the decorative world. Join Traditional Home Senior Style and Design Editor Krissa Rossbund as she takes us through a visual journey of what’s handsome—think worn leathers, dark rich palettes, and unlacquered brass—as well as the softer side of design that includes frills, ruffles, delicate florals, and all the things that a sophisticated lady would love. She’ll show how the unapologetic maximalist design of 2022 appeals and commits to both genders, and how the artful skill of layering won’t leave clients in the need to reduce the visual clutter ever again.
• RSVP: www.UniversalFurniture.com/marketevents

SATURDAY, April 2

3.  How to Charge Flat Fees and Protect Profit

• Speaker: Melissa Galt (Interior Design Business Coach)
• Date: Saturday, April 2
• Time: 10 a.m. 
• Location: Universal Furniture Showroom, 101 S. Hamilton St. (Shuttle Stop 15) Red Line
• Description: Are you tired of tracking your hours? Don’t miss this high impact presentation by interior design business coach and author Melissa Galt to learn how to find your fortune with a square-foot fee structure, percent-of-project cost and other proven fee structures. You’ll get the lowdown on a dual fee method and discover how to pick the right approach for your business. Stop leaving money on the table, and get ready to protect your profit from scope creep and indecisive clients.
• RSVP: www.UniversalFurniture.com/marketevents

4. 6 Pillars to Building a 7-Figure Luxury Design Firm

• Speaker: Sandra Funk (House of Funk)
• Date: Saturday, April 2
• Time: 2 p.m.
• Location: Universal Furniture Showroom, 101 S. Hamilton St. (Shuttle Stop 15) Red Line
• Description: Ready to hit 7 figures in your design firm? Join Sandra Funk as she shares her signature model to growing a million dollar business. From attracting the right clients to being so damn good at executing great design, that you are truly valued and gladly referred. In this workshop, attendees will learn: The foundational pillars to growing a million dollar business; How your mindset affects every aspect of your biz; and Why systems matter when building a luxury design firm.
• RSVP: www.UniversalFurniture.com/marketevents

5. The Rise of Social Commerce and What it Means for Interior Designers

• Speakers: Chad Smith (Side Door); Kaitlin Petersen (Business of Home); Michelle Lynne (ML Interiors Group)
• Date: Saturday, April 2
• Time: 4 p.m.
• Location: Universal Furniture showroom at 101 S. Hamilton St. in High Point. (Shuttle Stop 15) Red Line
• Description: Social media platforms are quickly evolving into social commerce platforms. The playing field and tools are changing quickly and there have never been so many opportunities for Design Influencers to grow your own brands and revenues online. Chad will help you understand why social commerce is taking the industry by storm, how to find the right channels and tools, and the best ways to compete online against the big guys.
• RSVP: www.UniversalFurniture.com/marketevents

SUNDAY, April 3

6. How to Build an Amazing Team in a Competitive Market

• Speaker: Gail Doby (Gail Doby Coaching and Consulting)
• Date: Sunday, April 3
• Time: 10 a.m.
• Location: Universal Furniture showroom at 101 S. Hamilton St. in High Point. (Shuttle Stop 15) Red Line
• Description: Join interior design coach Gail Doby as she covers the hot-button issues designers of all sizes are facing today, including:

   o What are the best prospective hires expecting?

   o When, Who and Why should you hire?

   o What are the biggest mistakes employers make with hiring?

  
  This one-hour session will conclude with a Q&A session where designers can ask specific questions that will help them build the team they want.

• RSVP: www.UniversalFurniture.com/marketevents

7. Bargain Block: Tips, Tricks and Insight Into one of HGTV’s Top Shows

• Speakers: Keith Bynum and Evan Thomas (HGTV)
• Event Name: Bargain Block: Tips, Tricks and Insight Into one of HGTV’s Top Shows
• Date: Sunday, April 3
• Time: 2 p.m.
• Location: Universal Furniture Showroom, 101 S. Hamilton St. (Shuttle Stop 15) Red Line
• Description: Come meet Keith Bynum and Evan Thomas, stars of the TV series “Bargain Block” on HGTV where they reimagine run-down and abandoned properties in Detroit and transform them into stylish starter homes for first-time homebuyers. RUE’s Editorial Director Kelli Lamb moderates this lively chat where the duo share their design secrets, tricks and hilarious insight into their favorite (and scariest!) makeovers to date. 
• RSVP: www.UniversalFurniture.com/marketevents

8. Mastering Influence: Where Storytelling and Leadership Collide

• Speakers: Ericka Saurit (Saurit Creative) and Ginna Christiansen (Business Coach)
• Date: Sunday, April 3.
• Time: 4 p.m.
• Location: Universal Furniture Showroom, 101 S. Hamilton St. (Shuttle Stop 15) Red Line
• Description: Whether your goal is to attract more of the right clients, get your current clients to make decisive decisions, or inspire your staff to become more proactive, you are engaging the skill of Influence. All of the great leaders in the world have one major thing in common—allowing them to inspire themselves and others to take bold action—and that skill is storytelling. When we share information through the power of a story, we educate people in a memorable way that engages their emotions and leaves an unforgettable impression. As a result, we can influence decision making in a positive way that ensures complete buy-in to our mission and vision. So if you want to become an influencer, you first have to become a master storyteller. Join Digital Marketing Expert Ericka Saurit and Business and Leadership Coach Ginna Christensen as they unpack the fundamentals of creating influence and the art of storytelling.
  
  What you will learn:

                                    o The keys to understanding your audience

                                    o How to identify your points of differentiation

                                    o How to use storytelling as a leadership tool

                                    o How to tell better stories and increase your Influence

MONDAY, April 4

9. Design 2030: Envisioning the Future of AR in Interior Design

• Speakers: Russ Martin, Johannah Coffey and Juan Molina, all of Cylindo
• Date: Monday, April 4
• Time: 10 a.m.
• Location: Universal Furniture Showroom, 101 S. Hamilton St. (Shuttle Stop 15) Red Line
• Description: Augmented reality brings your brand closer to the consumer.  Join Cylindo as they discuss AR usage in the furniture industry, the benefits of web-native AR and the importance of using engaging tools to help consumers make informed purchases. They will also discuss their own learning from AR so far and industry-relevant AR statistics.
• RSVP: www.UniversalFurniture.com/marketevents

10. Designing Furniture for Timeless Appeal

• Speaker: Erinn Valencich
• Date: Monday, April 4
• Time: 2 p.m.
• Location: Universal Furniture Showroom, 101 S. Hamilton St. (Shuttle Stop 15) Red Line
• Description: Erinn Valencich, Los-Angeles-based founder of Erinn V. Design Group and StyleRow, will discuss how she built her career in design focusing on timeless elements, with no formal design education.  She has always been fascinated by what makes a design translate through the years, and has leaned into those timeless aesthetic elements and used that to develop her own furniture collection, which debuts this spring with Universal Furniture. Erinn’s eye for designing “modern classics” has helped grow her Instagram to a following of over 120,000. She’s translated her design vision into seven licensed collections, and has won two ARTS Awards for Interior Designer of the Year.  She’ll touch on her inspiration behind the new collection with Universal.
• RSVP: www.UniversalFurniture.com/marketevents

About Universal

Retailers and interior designers around the world trust Universal Furniture’s award-winning, smart and stylish designs to create modern, well-appointed living spaces for the whole home. The company’s casegood, upholstery, accent and outdoor designs are developed under the brand names Universal Furniture, Miranda Kerr Home and Coastal Living.

Universal Furniture, founded in 1968 and based in High Point, N.C., is the recipient of 13 Pinnacle awards for design excellence from the International Society of Furniture Designers. It is a brand of Samson Holdings, one of the world’s largest vertically integrated furniture manufacturers. For more information, visit www.universalfurniture.com, or find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest @UniversalFurn