For the first time, our team participated at The American Institute of Architects’ annual conference and expo as an exhibitor. It was held in Orlando, Florida from April 27 -29th. It was truly eye opening as one of the largest conferences and most impressive expo floors we’ve ever seen. Hundreds of exhibitors showcased interior furnishings and products, lighting systems, smart building technologies and new sustainable options.
As the operator of the .design domain, we were excited to introduce the domain to architects, interior designers and other creative professionals who would benefit from having a .design domain. Although we didn’t have as glamorous a booth as some of the largest exhibitors ;-), the reactions and feedback we received were encouraging, especially the comments from young architects and design students.
AIA demonstrated its size and reach by securing a conversation with former First Lady Michelle Obama. Mrs. Obama addressed the importance of education and encouraged young women to pursue their dreams and careers and for everyone to help disadvantaged individuals as they progressed in their own careers. If we believe that design can change the world, educating more individuals as designers and architects is important, especially individuals for whom the dream of primary and secondary education is too big to navigate alone.
We know our role in this career development of new architects and designers is a novel one, to help them perfect their online branding. Still, that little ‘.’ can mean the difference of someone clicking on your site, picking up your resume or saving your business card. During the 3-day conference, we were happy to see that Architects are excited about the .design domain. Many individuals, design agencies and design students signed up for their .design names on site. Our favorite group was the students from SCAD, who kept sending over more friends and classmates to get a domain name to start their portfolio on.
Having witnessed the influence of AIA, we have committed to The AIA Conference on Architecture 2018. See you next year in one of best cities for architecture: New York!