Company description::
(New York, NY) The 2nd annual Downtown—New York City’s off-site design event—is a unique showcase for select international design companies and product manufacturers. Downtown is held at the landmark Chelsea Hotel where participants temporarily recreate suites in the hotel to present their lines and has proven to be an effective, enjoyable way to do business in the world’s largest design market. Dates for the next event are slated for Saturday, May 15 through Monday May 17, 2004.
The first year of Downtown was greatly successful with 5,000 attendees, mostly design professionals, and attracted international media attention. Downtown presented over 40 international design companies from France, Finland, Scotland, Canada, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Italy—many of whom chose this alternative event to make their U.S. debut. Downtown 2004 will be bigger and better: taking over more floors, reaching a wider audience and entertaining a highly discerning design crowd with cool site-specific installations and product launches.
The producers of Downtown–Susan Schultz, Abe Gurko and Tim Groen–have been working to establish New York Design Week as a viable international design destination and have taken the lead in presenting the target audience of design leaders with an alternative to the “convention center” approach. “We were inspired by the groovy off-site design events that happen in Milan, Paris, London and Cologne, says Mr. Gurko. It’s high time for the U.S. to embrace off-site culture, especially here in New York City.”
His sentiments were echoed by The New York Observer, “If the stiflingly, well-carpeted Javits Center starts giving you the creeps, run like hell to the Chelsea Hotel, which is also exhibiting designs, in a more relaxed—albeit punk—setting.”
The mission of Downtown is to provide an innovative platform for furniture, lighting, rug and accessory designers. “No other design event in New York City has been created solely to generate business for new resources, young companies and emerging talent,” says Ms. Schultz. “The participants love that each space has unique architectural features like marble fireplaces, wooden floors, high ceilings and city views. This “real home” environment is a great way to present their product lines to the design community,” Mr. Groen adds.
Downtown will be held at the Chelsea Hotel, (222 West 23rd Street, New York City) Saturday, May 15, Sunday, May 16 and Monday, May 17 and runs from 11am to 7pm daily.
For more information on Downtown, please visit www.designdowntown.com.
|
