FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 13, 2018

“BEST THING EVER”: IIDA REIMAGINES ITS CHAPTER AWARDS IN 2018

CHICAGO, IL – This year, the annual IIDA Chapter Awards were fully refreshed to better highlight the ingenuity and accomplishments of the Association’s local chapters. The new awards system was developed under the guidance of a committee of former chapter leaders and restructured into two components: the Best Thing Ever (BTE) Awards and a Chapter Benchmarking Assessment.

The Best Thing Ever Awards celebrate participating chapters’ crowning achievements of the past year. The Chapter Benchmarking Assessment focuses on chapter best practices and annual accomplishments, honoring IIDA Chapters with bronze, silver, and gold statuses.

“The IIDA Chapter Awards recognize outstanding chapter achievements as well as local program excellence,” said IIDA Executive Vice President and CEO Cheryl S. Durst, Hon. FIIDA. Taking a fresh approach to how we evaluate and honor the dedication of our chapters has ultimately allowed us to better underscore the efforts that these local groups make each year. We are proud to celebrate the exceptional contributions of these IIDA Chapters that truly embody the mission of IIDA.”

Best Thing Ever entries were judged by a jury of design professionals, including Edwin Beltran, IIDA, Assoc. AIA, principal, NBBJ; Tammy Dillard-Steels, MBA, MPH, CAE, regional director of regional services, American College of Healthcare Executives; and Scott Hierlinger, FIIDA, managing principal and design director, NELSON.

The winners of the inaugural Best Thing Ever Awards are:

Chapter: Georgia
Project: Dressed Fashion Show
The Dressed Fashion Show exemplified how an IIDA Chapter can elevate its fashion show to highlight the interior design industry, bringing the focus of the show to manufacturers’ materials while simultaneously attracting a wide audience, and ultimately, leading to a successful fundraiser.

Chapter: Great Plains
Project: Elevate CEU Day
Elevate Professional Development Day brought together Great Plains Chapter designers ranging from students to seasoned professionals for a day filled with elite speakers and educational sessions meant to encourage a sense of community among designers from the region.

Chapter: Northern Pacific
Project: Bridge Outreach Project
The Advocacy Committee and Puget Sound Campus Center joined forces for the second annual Bridge Community Outreach Project, creating a healing space at Mary’s Shelter, a Seattle-based organization dedicated to empowering homeless women, children, and families.

Chapter: South Florida
Project: Bragg Awards
A black-tie event with more than 350 attendees and $17,000+ in net profits, the Bragg Awards Gala combined the South Florida Chapter’s annual meeting and Chapter Board inductions with design award announcements and honorees.

Designed to help chapters track their performance, the Chapter Benchmarking Assessment highlights accomplishments in key areas of service, including membership, governance, programming, special events, advocacy, marketing, finance, and administration. The following chapters were honored for their outstanding acheivements:

Status: Gold
Chapters: Northland, Texas/Oklahoma, Wisconsin

Status: Silver
Chapters: Great Plains, Mid-America, Rocky Mountain, Tennessee

Status: Bronze
Chapters: Delta Regional, Georgia, Northern Pacific, Oregon, Southern California

The Best Thing Ever winners, along with the recipients of the gold, silver, and bronze chapter statuses, will be featured in Design Matters, the official blog of IIDA, and on the IIDA website. Best Thing Ever chapter leaders also shared their best programs and practices with fellow leaders during a discussion with Executive Vice President and CEO Cheryl Durst at the IIDA Chapter Awards on Sunday, June 10, at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.

For questions or more information, contact Karen Kiell, senior director of member services, at kkiell@iida.org.

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About the International Interior Design Association
IIDA is the commercial interior design association with global reach. We support design professionals, industry affiliates, educators, students, firms, and their clients through our network of 15,000+ members across 58 countries. We advocate for advancement in education, design excellence, legislation, leadership, accreditation, and community outreach to increase the value and understanding of interior design as a profession that enhances business value and positively impacts the health and well-being of people’s lives every day. www.iida.org