The American Society of Interior Designers – Illinois Chapter (ASID-IL) and i4design magazine announced that they will host the sixth annual "Celebration of Design" Gala at Chicago's Merchandise Mart on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2009, beginning at 6:00 p.m.
Open to all facets of the design trade, the black-tie Gala's Latin "Hot, Hot, Hot" theme this year starts with a reception with buffet stations, premium bar and Latin music/entertainment in the AllSteel Showroom, Suite 1120. The Awards Ceremony follows at 7:30 p.m. in The Merchandise Mart Conference Center, located on the 2nd floor, with the after-party starting at 9:00 p.m. Guests expected to attend this black-tie-optional entertaining affair include hundreds of top interior designers and architects from Illinois.
"The record number of captivating entries this year – which increased by 40 percent – truly demonstrate the outstanding design talent in Illinois," said Hilary Sopata, ASID, LEED-AP, 2008-09 ASID-IL chapter president. "Having our gala in the world's largest design center is the perfect backdrop to honor the best projects from our state's interior designers. We're looking forward to welcoming everyone in the fall for this hot event."
The winners of the "Design Excellence Awards" will be announced at the Gala. Jointly presented by ASID-IL and i4design magazine, the awards competition is open to ASID Illinois members, International Interior Design Association Illinois members (IIDA-IL) and registered interior designers in the State of Illinois.
Designers submitted their entries in 22 residential, contract and product design categories, including: green design, universal design, singular residential space, kitchen, bath, showcase room, tile design, corporate offices, retail, hospitality, healthcare institutional, furnishings and fixtures.
A panel of distinguished interior design professionals from another Chapter of ASID judged and selected category winners. The presenting sponsor of the awards is Cosentino, the largest manufacturer of natural quartz surfaces in the world.
Tickets for the "Celebration of Design" Gala on Sept. 17, 2009, are $125 each or $1,000 for a discounted block of 10 tickets. Tickets can be purchased online at www.asidillinois.com or by calling the ASID-IL office at 312-467-5080. The deadline to purchase tickets is Sept. 10, 2009.
NOTE TO EDITORS: For event photos and photos of the winning design projects, or to set up an interview with ASID-IL, please contact Joanna Mineau at 630-468-2653 or joanna@page1pr.com.
ABOUT THE "FIND A DESIGNER" SERVICE
The Illinois Chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers offers a free, convenient, user-friendly online service that consumers and business professionals can use to search for interior designers throughout the state. Find A Designer, available at www.asidillinois.com, allows site visitors to preview profiles of ASID-IL designers before contacting them for a project interview. The online service includes easy-to-navigate Web pages and designer profile pages, and the ability to search by location and designer specialty. Consumers have the ability to review as many designer profiles as they'd like and find out more about each designer, as well as view samples of their work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at their convenience.
About ASID:
The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) is a community of people—designers, industry representatives, educators and students—committed to interior design. Through education, knowledge sharing, advocacy, community building and outreach, the Society strives to advance the interior design profession and, in the process, to demonstrate and celebrate the power of design to positively change people's lives. Its more than 40,000 members engage in a variety of professional programs and activities through a network of 48 chapters throughout the United States and Canada. www.asid.org.
The American Society of Interior Designers - Illinois Chapter (ASID-IL) is a non-profit professional association representing the interests of more than 1,600 Illinois interior designers, students and design industry partner members. Its vision is to be the voice of design in Illinois and to provide information through quality, timely communications, to educate its members and clients, and to expand and to support market expansion. The Chapter is lead by a volunteer board that includes the Chapter's president, president-elect, 5 directors and a student representative.