Category Archives: IIDA Advocacy

IIDA Advocacy

Spotlight on Oklahoma: New Design Awards Elevate Local Community Work

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Kristen Brumley, IIDA, discusses why championing Oklahoma’s local design community with the newly-established Oklahoma Interior Design Awards—created by the Oklahoma Interior Design Coalition (OIDC) and supported by the IIDA Oklahoma City and IIDA Tulsa City Centers—is beneficial to both practitioners and design advocates. 

Why did OIDC and the city centers decide to have these design awards?

Kristen Brumley, IIDA: We were looking for an opportunity to host an event that would both help to fundraise and support our advocacy efforts in the state. What better way to bring the interior design community together than to highlight everyone’s hard work and give us all a reason to celebrate? 

In addition to the revenue that the event generated, we also hosted a wine pull. Manufacturer representatives donated wine bottles that were then given away in exchange for donations to our coalition. Because we had designers from across the state under one roof, we used this unique opportunity to talk about OIDC and IIDA and how we are advocating for our communities. 

Additionally, we created a new award—the Logan Award—honoring an advocate of the year. It was named after a long-time champion of our cause, Brett Logan. We hope to continue this honor in the future, and give our design community something to strive for.

What was the immediate response from the design community in Oklahoma?

KB: The Oklahoma Interior Design Awards were very well received! We had an amazing turnout of 125 people, which included designers from many firms and not just those that entered into the competition. Although OIDC and IIDA played a large role in the success of this event, it was important for us to showcase all of the designers across the state, regardless of their affiliation with any of our associations. We have even seen an increase in involvement and interest in OIDC and IIDA because of these awards. Designers are already talking about submitting next year. Both our associations and members of our industry are looking forward to seeing how this event will flourish in the future.

Attendees of the first annual Oklahoma Design Awards in late January. Photo by: Taylor Whitehurst

Why was it important to the designers in Oklahoma to award a Legislator of the Year award to HB3098’s sponsors?

KB: We chose to honor our bill sponsors to not only thank them for their support over the last couple of years but to also allow them the opportunity to address our community as a whole. Creating new legislation and authoring our bill takes a lot of time, and we wanted to show them our appreciation for being true champions to the local interior design industry. Having these legislators at the event also gave us a chance to showcase many projects throughout Oklahoma that have had a significant impact on their constituents.

How do you all hope that highlighting Oklahoma projects to Oklahoma-based designers and legislators will impact the design community?

KB: Our competition submissions were evaluated based on the project’s ability to impact the health, safety, and welfare of end-users and the project’s overall functional, contextual, social, sustainable, and aesthetic characteristics. Such criteria allow us to showcase what interior designers can and are doing across the state. It brings awareness to the general public, educates our legislators, and gives us an opportunity to celebrate our community by uniting our two city centers and markets with one event.

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IIDA Advocacy

2020 Advocacy Preview: Continued Success

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2019 was an eventful year for interior design legislation and activism. To build on this momentum, Emily Kelly, Director of Advocacy, Public Policy, and Legislative Affairs for IIDA, wants to help you advocate for your profession in 2020. Our advocacy initiatives, events, training guides, and resources, are designed to support your voice and creative energy.

IIDA has become a leading advocate for the industry in government and local communities. Our leadership is made possible by the outstanding work that you—our members, supporters, industry partners, and friends—are all doing at the local level. Your teamwork, energy, and commitment have sparked a new era in interior design advocacy.

At IIDA headquarters, we are closely monitoring legislation that may affect the industry, representing the IIDA community on Capitol Hill, and working with local chapters on relationship-building, Capitol Day planning, and legislative strategy for the year.

Content and training are integral to grass-roots advocacy, so please look for updated collateral, training documents, and guides for all members to take advantage of as the year progresses.

Lastly, our sixth annual Advocacy Symposium is slated for September of this year in Atlanta. We encourage our members to attend. This exciting weekend will help support members become strong advocates, while building community among our IIDA Advocacy members.

Whether you are new to the issues or a long-time advocacy veteran, the speakers, sessions, and networking events will help propel your advocacy journey.

As always, feel free to reach out to me (ekelly@iida.org) or Abby Wilson, Public Policy Manager at IIDA, (awilson@iida.org) with any questions, concerns, or comments at any time. We are here as a resource for you, your chapter, and your advocacy efforts!

Photo: Attendees of the Fireside Chat with Cheryl S. Durst, Hon. FIIDA, and State Legislators at the 2019 Advocacy Symposium in Boston.

advocacy, IIDA Advocacy

Get Ready for the 2019 IIDA Advocacy Symposium

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See what’s in store at this year’s annual symposium of interior design advocates from across the country. 

This year’s IIDA Advocacy Symposium is jam-packed with sessions that will not only help you develop your advocacy skills but will give you the tools you need to make your chapter better at advocating.

Attendees will enjoy programs, lunches, and networking receptions, and get to meet fellow interior design advocates to discuss advocacy issues, successes, and questions.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20

We are excited to be hosting Symposium participants at the Massachusetts State House, where we will focus on legislators, legislative strategies, and the importance of civic engagement.

The day will begin with a tour of the State House, designed by Charles Bulfinch, a National Historic Landmark considered a masterpiece of Federal architecture. Keynote speaker Arline Isaacson will then discuss the importance of civic engagement across all interests and groups.

IIDA Executive Vice President and CEO Cheryl S. Durst, Hon. FIIDA, will then have a fireside chat with local Massachusetts legislators to give us a unique perspective on who legislators are, what they do, and what they want to hear from us.

We’ll follow that up with an informative session and Q&A with several IIDA lobbyists from across the United States about what they’ve seen work and how we can improve as an industry. After a full day of information, we’re thrilled that IdeaPaint will be hosting an opening reception at Boston’s District Hall from 5:30-7 p.m.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 21

We are elated that Allsteel will be hosting us at their beautiful Boston showroom where we’ll learn about strategies and best practices for implementing advocacy of all kinds at the chapter level.

In the morning, several chapters and states will be giving us updates on their advocacy activities over the past year and their plans for the future. Tracey Thomas, IIDA’s Director of Strategic Sales, will then teach us strategies to better communicate our ideas to the right audience through a comprehensive presentation. IIDA Headquarters will debut and give updates to our collateral and CIDQ will update us on what’s new in their world. Headquarters will also provide updates on the opposition landscape and how to fund and afford advocacy in your chapter.

We’ll end our day with panels featuring interior design advocates on how to communicate effectively and how to talk advocacy at firms. Allsteel has graciously agreed to then host a short closing reception, allowing us the opportunity to decompress and discuss all we’ve learned.

We can’t wait to see you all at this year’s Symposium!

Registration to the 2019 IIDA Advocacy Symposium is open until September 6. Learn more about this year’s program and reserve your spot at www.iida.org/advocacy-symposium. 

 

 

 

 

 

advocacy, IIDA Advocacy, Uncategorized

Spotlight on Oregon: Surveying Advocacy

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This post was contributed by Whitney Dooley, Assoc. IIDA, Vice President of Advocacy, IIDA Oregon Chapter. 

In order to correctly represent and advocate for the interests of commercial interior designers, the IIDA Oregon Chapter conducted a comprehensive advocacy survey last spring. 

At the end of 2017, Oregon’s Interior Design Coalition, IDC-Oregon, dissolved and the IIDA Oregon Chapter took on the immense responsibility of leading future advocacy efforts in the state. As we embarked on this journey, we realized that there wasn’t an empirical understanding of the needs and desires of commercial interior designers in Oregon as it pertains to registration and regulation.

We decided that to properly represent our members’ interests, it was imperative to collect data about local attitudes towards governmental regulation, accepted benchmarking, and, above all, definition of the profession.

In February 2019, as part of the chapter’s annual keynote speaker event, NEXT, the advocacy team conducted a short Advocacy Survey. The goal was to determine how our members and other members of the design community feel about commercial interior design advocacy. The survey also contained questions that shed light on what our members already knew about advocacy, and where there were gaps that we could address with education.

In developing the survey, the advocacy team knew our questions had to be succinct and relevant, while still measuring meaningful data that would help us plan future advocacy efforts. We started with a brainstorming session and then edited the final survey down to six questions. We also determined that this would be a great avenue to recruit potential advocates and measure support from industry partners. See the final survey here.

The advocacy team distributed hard copies of the surveys to all event attendees at the door of the NEXT Breakfast. NEXT attracts a diversely affiliated crowd, giving us access to the feedback we may not otherwise see. We incentivized completion of the survey by entering all completed surveys into a drawing for a ticket to 2020 NEXT. The surveys were collected before the speakers began, and a collection box was placed at the exit.

NEXT Survey Results Infographic - static.png

Image Credit: Emily Wright, IIDA, Director of Advocacy, Oregon Chapter.

Our response rate was 47% of all event attendees. 44% of respondents were currently employed as a commercial interior designer. In analyzing the results, we broke out some responses by IIDA members vs. non-members. Emily Wright, director of advocacy, used Piktochart to create a comprehensive graphic that summarized our results and contained more information about getting involved. We published the results on the IIDA Oregon Chapter website in April 2019.

Looking towards future survey efforts, we found success in tying the survey to an event. We plan to roll out these surveys at other chapter events, making sure that the event format allows for thoughtful responses. Incentivizing the survey completion seemed to have an impact on respondents, and we’d like to explore other methods of doing this. These surveys also complement our State of the Industry Report, which focuses on Oregon project types, revenue, and salaries.

In conclusion, the chapter and the profession benefit from bringing advocacy issues to the forefront wherever possible, and we look forward to continuing this survey effort. We hope to eventually pursue a data-driven approach to legislative efforts, proving to elected officials that voters care about the regulation of the commercial interior design profession in the Oregon State.

Stay up to date on all advocacy issues and alerts. Text “interior design” to 52886.

advocacy, IIDA Advocacy, Interior Design profession

Spotlight on Florida: IIDA and ASID Lead Advocacy Team Against Restrictive New Proposals

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Once again, the interior design profession is in the crosshairs of two pieces of legislation that seek to deregulate a variety of professions in the state of Florida. These proposals, HB 27 and SB 1640, have the support of a popular governor and the Florida Speaker of the House of Representatives. For several months, ASID and IIDA staff, member Government Affairs Representatives/chapter leaders, the profession’s contracted Florida consultants, and both organizations’ chief executives have been preparing for this moment and the forthcoming effort to make sure that at the end of the legislative session, interior designers are recognized by the State in an appropriate way befitting the professionalism of the practice.

HB 27 and SB 1640, which were introduced on March 1, 2018, will do several things. They would:

  • Stipulate, “A license or registration is not required for a person whose occupation or practice is confined to interior design or interior design services”;
  • Remove the interior design members from the current Board of Architecture & Interior Design and rename it as “The Board of Architecture”;
  • Remove “interior designer” from the definition of “Design Professional” in statute leaving only architects, engineers, and landscape architects;
  • Amend the definition of an interior designer under the “Qualified Expert” in the Building Construction Standards statute by deleting “an interior designer licensed under chapter 481” and replacing it with “An interior designer who has passed the qualification examination prescribed by either the National Council for Interior Design Qualifications or the California Council for Interior Design Certification.”

Additionally, as the result of IIDA and ASID’s proactive efforts in Tallahassee this year, unlike past deregulatory bills targeting Florida interior design, this year’s bills attempt (in theory) to maintain the ability of interior designers to independently submit interior design documents for permit by:

  • Stipulating, “Interior design documents submitted for the issuance of a building permit by an individual performing interior design services who is not a licensed architect must include written proof that such individual has successfully passed the qualification examination prescribed by either the National Council for Interior Design Qualifications or the California Council for Interior Design Certification” and,
  • Stipulating these documents, “must be accepted by the permitting body for the issuance of building permit for interior construction…”

IIDA and ASID Headquarters, in conjunction with ASID Florida chapters, IIDA Florida chapters, and unaffiliated designers, are jointly fighting to defeat or positively amend these bills to the best of our abilities.

To combat any harmful effects from these bills, IIDA, ASID, and our Florida teams, to date, have:

  • Assembled a biweekly call of leaders from Florida IIDA and ASID chapters to keep them apprised of our efforts and how members can assist;
  • Created an advocacy communication plan for Florida chapters concerning this issue;
  • Created new advocacy materials for use in Florida;
  • Retained Nortelus Roberts Group, a lobbying firm in Tallahassee, Florida, year-round and retained additional counsel to assist in the effort;
  • Created a synopsis of the two bills for chapters, similar to what has been laid out here;
  • Created a defensive narrative for chapter use in op-eds and letters to the editor across Florida;
  • Organized a Phone2Action Campaign so members may easily contact their legislators to voice their disagreement with the bills;
  • Testified before both the House and Senate.

As of April 8, Senator Joe Gruters of Florida’s 23rd district sponsored an amendment to remove interior design from the deregulation bill. The amendment was adopted and passed in the Senate Commerce and Tourism Committee. However, the industry is not in the clear yet since the bill still has to complete the legislative process and eventually go the to the governor for signature or veto. IIDA and ASID remain hopeful that interior designers will stay out of the bill, and staff and lobbyists continue to work on a compromise to appease both the design community and the legislature in Florida.

Stay up to date on all advocacy issues and alerts. Text “interior design” to 52886.

advocacy, IIDA Advocacy, Interior Design profession

Interior Design Advocacy Update: Spring 2019

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2019 has already proved to be an eventful and inspiring year for commercial interior design advocates. The hard work, passion, and ongoing efforts of the people within our community have been palpable, as we work towards legislation, build and sustain relationships, and bring important attention and understanding to the profession.

Here are the bills, efforts, and measures that have affected interior design across the country this year, and everything interior design advocates have accomplished:

Iowa

In Iowa, a proposed bill that would have deregulated Iowa’s interior design law died in committee in March. IIDA and our lobbyists opposed the legislation and IIDA Great Plains president Leann Pederson, IIDA, had an editorial published in The Des Moines Register.

Utah

IIDA and ASID, on the national and local levels, teamed up to introduce legislation that adds state certified commercial interior designers as registered design professionals in Utah. This bill was passed by both houses in the state legislature and was signed by the governor.

North Carolina

In an ASID-led, IIDA-supported effort in North Carolina, advocates are continuing to push for permitting privileges in the state, based on previous years efforts. Currently, the proposed legislation would create a registration for interior designers that would allow them to stamp their documents for permits. In 2018, the bill received a house committee hearing.

Ohio

In an IIDA led, ASID-supported effort in Ohio, advocates are planning to introduce a bill for voluntary certification of commercial interior designers with the ability to sign their drawings. In 2018, despite some political obstacles, HB504 was passed out of the Ohio House and received a Senate committee hearing.

Massachusetts

In Massachusetts, advocates are continuing to push for voluntary certification with permitting privileges that would also allow designers to be majority owners of design firms, in an IIDA-led, ASID-supported effort. In the previous legislative session, the bill gained dozens of cosponsors.

Pennsylvania

In a Pennsylvania-state coalition led effort, advocates are continuing to push for a state registration with permitting privileges.

Rhode Island

The Rhode Island governor introduced a budget that included taxing services such as interior design. IIDA and ASID, on the national and local levels, have teamed up to fight this effort. We have presented testimony about the detrimental effect the tax would have on our industry.

Connecticut

The Connecticut governor introduced a budget that included taxing services such as interior design. IIDA, ASID, and NKBA are working together to fight the tax.

Texas

In Texas, the state coalition filed two bills—one that would allow RIDs to file a lien on intellectual property and one that would add interior designers as registered design professionals in the government procurement bill. Both have been passed out of committee.

To learn more about the current state laws that regulate interior design, visit advocacy.iida.org.