Earlier this month, the country’s best manufacturers and designers in the hospitality industry all descended upon Miami Beach for HD Boutique. The event, which took place September 11 and 12, 2012, featured more than 4,000 registered attendees who all had the chance to peruse and discuss the hottest new designs—including fabrics and textiles, furniture, accessories, lighting, flooring, artwork, bath fixtures, window treatments, and many more hospitality-related products—from more than 500 industry producers, artisans, and craftsmen.

The attendees featured a creative and dynamic mix of designers, architects, and hotel and restaurant owners from across the globe who browsed the hottest trends and participated in the informative and entertaining seminars. Liz Sommerville, director of the show, found this year’s show to be a great success, and she has even brighter hopes for the show’s future in 2013 and beyond. “We were thrilled that this year launched us into the ever-growing Latin American design community, we saw industry leaders, designers and buyers representative of this demographic, and we received great insight as to where trends are heading into the new year.”

First-time exhibitor Marylin DeLaHoz, US operations manager for BALTUS Collection said of the show, “HD Boutique was the perfect venue for us to showcase our new contract division designed specifically for large-scale installations like hotels and resorts.  We were able to introduce our new product to some of the industry’s leaders alongside an impressive roster of exhibitors. HD Boutique is a unique show that provided us a medium to broaden our reach into new markets, and we are thrilled to have participated in this prominent event.”

In addition to the latest designs on the show floor, HD Boutique offered attendees informative conference sessions and discussions on the industry’s most pertinent topics. This year, HD Boutique was thrilled to host acclaimed designer Alexandria Champalimaud, founder of Champalimaud, as the keynote speaker. Champalimaud engaged in a keynote discussion of her life, work, and inspiration with Hospitality Design magazine Editor-in-Chief Michael Adams.

Drawing from the success of the Owners’ Roundtable at sister event HD Expo, The Owners’ Roundtable: The Americas proved a highlight at this year’s HD Boutique. The complimentary roundtable gave attendees direct access to several high-level executives from top design, hotel, purchasing, and development firms including Helen Jorgensen, vice president of design, procurement, development & construction of Host Hotels & Resorts; Jerry Ong, principal general and international hospitality investor for Jupiter Realty Company; and Diogo Canteras, partner of Hotel Invest Canteras & Associados; among others.

The two-day event also offered designers, restaurateurs, and hoteliers a chance to mingle and network. Party by the Palms at the W South Beach offered industry insiders a chance to meet and relax over hors d’oeuvres and cocktails. Hospitality Design magazine’s Wave of the Future event inducted such esteemed honorees including Alan Barr, managing director of CHADA Asia; Ave Bradley, vice president of design for Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants; Andrew Cohen and Jeremy Levitt, principals of Parts and Labor Design; Oliver John Palmer Mitchell, chief creative officer and architect at UXUS; Tim Mutton and Jo Sampson, founders of Blacksheep and Foreman Rogers, senior associate at tvsdesign.

Looking Ahead: HD Americas 2013

In 2013, HD Boutique will take on a new name, HD Americas, a strategic change that will speak to the trendspotting growth taking place in North America, Central America, South America, the Caribbean and beyond. With its prime location set in Miami, HD Americas will serve as a hub for designers, owners, architects, and other allied professionals to be a part of the ever-growing hospitality design market in these regions. David Ashen, principal at Ashen Designs in New York, and part-time resident of Colombia, spoke of the Hospitality Design Group’s change. “Those in the industry looking for thoughtful, innovative products in these regions simply do not have the resources locally,” he says. “HD Americas will provide these creative types with the ability to discover new trends and will more importantly, capitalize on the progressive mentality in the Americas.”