Get excited, the 2024 KBDi Conference and Design Awards is heading to vibrant Melbourne in August and is a great opportunity to bring the KBDi national community together.
Taking place over two days on Friday 16th and Saturday 17th August 2024, the two-day event will conclude with the KBDi Design Awards Gala Dinner to be held on Saturday evening.
Day One | Friday, 16 August | 8.30 am – 4.45 pm
Q Events, 123 Queen Street, Melbourne
Dress: Smart Casual
8.30 AM: Registration and Trade Expo
KBDi’s partners have been invited to set up shop in an exclusive Partner Product Expo. Meet the industry’s best reps and learn what’s new and in the pipeline from the industry’s most trusted suppliers.
Marketing without Money: Building brand collaborations that deliver
Proudly sponsored by Lincoln Sentry
Therese Tarlinton is a partnerships expert with a passion for helping small business owners improve the bottom line of their business. In this session, she’ll introduce her unique SWAP strategy and share how you can build brand collaborations that will actually deliver.
The Mid-Century Modern Home: Legacy, Lifestyle and Laminate Laid Bare
Proudly sponsored by Lapitec
More than 42,000 followers share Patricia Callan’s passion for Modernist design and delight in her online curation of Australia’s most magnificent Mid-century Modernist homes. As the author of ‘The New Modernist House’, she is a highly regarded expert in this era, and she’ll be sharing her specialist knowledge in this session. You’ll lean into the history of Mid-Century Modernism in Australia and learn what variations one might see in any Australian city. You’ll discover the classic MCM conundrums encountered across the country and explore how to plan a sympathetic renovation.
Lunch Break
Proudly sponsored by KBDi Corporate Plus Partner, Momo Handles.
Get yourself fed and watered while working your way through the KBDi Trade Expo. Momo Handles are sponsoring your lunch and will ensure you’re recharged and ready for an afternoon of learning and professional development.
Getting your work and business in the media
Proudly sponsored by KBDi Corporate Plus Partner, Blum.
Jen Bishop is a newspaper and magazine journalist obsessed with interiors. In 2011, she founded the wildly popular ‘The Interiors Addict‘ blog, successfully turning her hobby into a full-time gig in less than two years. In this session, Jen will draw on her media background and share her top tips for pitching and productive PR.
Destination Design: Crafting a Vision for Success
Proudly sponsored by CAV’ART Designer Stone
Andrew Mitchell is a successful interior designer and the Founding Director of The Design Coach, and he’s here to tell us that creating this life plan needn’t be a chore. Andrew believes that strategy can be sexy when linked to the emotions that drive our actions. In this session, he’ll share examples from his own business journey. He’ll show you how overcoming crippling challenges, analysing his work desires and unravelling the emotions behind them has helped him plot a path to success.
Welcome Party | Friday, 16 August | 6.00 pm – 9.00 pm
To wrap up Day 1, delegates will gather at The Valiant Bar for three hours of food, drinks and networking. Located in the centre of the Bankers Quarter on Little Collins Street, The Valiant Bar is a stylish, retro hideaway and the perfect place for our ultra-cool community to connect.
Day 2 | Saturday, 17 August | 9.30 am – 1.30 pm
Meet at the Cosentino Showroom, 460 Collins St, Melbourne
Dress: Smart Casual (comfortable shoes)
9.30 AM Conference Session 1 | The Story behind the City (Cosentino City Melbourne)
Grant Wheaton is the head of Construction, Marketing and Business Development at RAMVEK, and was privileged to be a part of the spectacular renovation of the heritage space now housing Cosentino City Melbourne. Grant oversaw the project’s construction – from demolition to completion – and knows the building inside out. In this session, he’ll share the story of the making of this magnificent space and inspire you with his enthusiasm for great design and workmanship.
Grant will be joined by Antonia Anderson, Cosentino City Melbourne Manager, who will guide you to this incredible showroom and show you the full suite of Cosentino surfaces in a stunning display of varying applications.
Conference Session 2 and Light Lunch
Curious Bar, 408 Flinders Lane, Melbourne (Underground W Hotel)
Take a trip with KBDi into the Curious Bar, the magical underground venue in the W Melbourne Hotel in the CBD. The multi-award-winning venue is a designer’s delight and is sure to kickstart your creativity. The session will conclude with a light lunch (generously sponsored by TLD Kitchens) and a final toast to our 2024 Conference.
*Bonus Content*
KBDi have invited multi-award-winning photographer, George Poulakis, to join us for this session. While you raise your glasses to a great weekend, he’ll raise his best tips for smart phone photography and show you how to capture classy and creative pics for your social media feed.
KBDi Design Awards Gala | Saturday, 17 August | 6.00 pm – 11.30 pm
W Melbourne Hotel, Great Rooms, 408 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
Dress: Cocktail/Lounge suit
The much-loved KBDi Design Awards Gala Dinner will be held on Saturday evening.
This spectacular event is KBDi’s ‘Night of Nights’ and a wonderful celebration of Australia’s finest kitchen and bathroom designers.
This year, the Awards Gala will be held in the stunning W Melbourne Hotel. Prepare yourself for five fantastic hours of wining and dining, entertainment, networking and, of course, the country’s best presentation of award-winning kitchens and bathrooms.
Good friend of KBDi, James Treble will be back as the MC for this year – if you attended the 2023 Awards Gala, you’ll know what a talent he has for keeping us on the ball.
Registrations close on Friday, 19 July.
For more information, visit kbdi.org.au/kbdi-events/conference-2024
