Daily News
From Home Furnishing Business
Universal’s Market Seminars Now Available Online
June 15,
2017 by Jane Chero in Business Strategy, Industry 
A pair of seminars that took place in Universal Furniture’s showroom during April’s High Point Market are now available online.
The company said a seminar led by interior designer Michelle Jennings Wiebe, as well as designer Stacy Kunstel’s interview with design icon Alexander Julian can be seen at www.UniversaltotheTrade.com/home. (Click on “Learning Center” from the Showroom tab at the top of the home page.)
During her presentation to a standing-room-only crowd in the showroom’s Learning Center, Wiebe showed how any motivated interior designer can break into the lucrative new construction design industry. She discussed the processes and schedules for major remodeling, specific organizational methods, samples of her firm’s CAD construction drawings, and insight into this VIP client group.
Wiebe also offered advice on innovative marketing, and discussed what has made her firm thrive in this area.
Kunstel’s interview with Julian, titled “Evolution of Fashion and Design in the Home,” explored how changes in the fashion industry have influenced interior design over the last 20 years. The event included a question-and-answer session with the audience and an overview of the new collection Julian designed for Universal.
Later this month, “Retailer Meets Designer: Sparking Creativity, Community, and Collaboration,” a panel moderated by Susan Dickenson, editor in chief of Home Accents Today, will be added to the site. It featured designers and retailers discussing how to unite the worlds of retail and design.
Panel members were Claire Bell of Chic Abode Interiors, Jeffrey Baker of Jeffrey Bruce Baker Designs, Courtney and Teddie Garrigan of Coco and Dash, and Jamie Merida of Bountiful Décor.
The educational events were held at the company’s high-tech Learning Center that seats close to 100 and has full audio-visual capabilities.
"The Learning Center represents the heart of Market for customers and guests,” said Neil MacKenzie, director of marketing. “It's a space that offers education, conversation and a sharing of ideas, which is a big part of the Market experience.”
The center is available for organizations to use during the October High Point Market. For more information, contact MacKenzie at nmackenzie@universalfurniture.com