HIGH POINT, N.C. — The Vacation Rental Design Summit will make its Atlanta debut next year during the July edition of Casual Market Atlanta.
The team behind the summit has partnered with Andmore to bring the event to Atlanta after a successful collaboration with Las Vegas Market earlier this year. The summit originated in High Point.
“Our first collaboration was a tremendous success, and we look forward to bringing that energy and education back to our markets next year,” said Amory Wooden, EVP and chief revenue officer, Andmore. “The partnership brings added value to the design community and reinforces our commitment to serving the evolving needs of the interior design trade.”
The decision to add Atlanta grew out of early conversations between Andmore and summit co-founders Jane Dagmi of High Point by Design (HPxD), Jessica Duce of JDuce Design and Vacation Rental Designers, and Ericka Saurit of Saurit Creative about the opportunity to deepen designers’ knowledge of outdoor furnishings and spaces. With Casual Market’s concentration of outdoor brands, performance materials and industry expertise, the setting offers designers a unique opportunity to build their product knowledge so that they can create exterior spaces that are more memorable, functional and profitable.
Outdoor spaces and amenities have become significant differentiators for vacation rentals and increasingly important extensions of residential projects. They also present designers with an entirely different set of considerations — from performance fabrics and materials to climate, durability, maintenance, wellness and the growing expectations clients place on life outdoors.
For Duce, who has plotted out fantasy pool areas, pickleball, and putting greens, the opportunity for designers goes well beyond choosing a pretty patio set.
“I thought I understood outdoor until I was the one specifying it — until the fabric faded, the frame couldn’t take the weather, or the lead time missed the install,” Duce said. “Outdoor isn’t indoor furniture that happens to be outside. It’s a separate discipline with its own performance standards. Guitar-shaped pools, pickleball courts, putting greens — every one of those projects taught me something I didn’t learn indoors. Casual Market gives designers the opportunity to learn it on purpose instead of the hard way.”
With each iteration, the summit’s founders put a new spin on the experience. With 2027’s emphasis on process, profitability and purpose, these pillars will be expressed differently in each market.
“This is one big conversation played out across two very different experiences,” says Saurit, a brand and messaging strategist. “We’re intentionally focusing on how to increase profitable collaborations and polish their business practices so they (designers) can rediscover what excites them about their work again.”
Dagmi believes rediscovery often begins by stepping outside the familiar — seeking out new places, perspectives and possibilities.
“Sometimes falling back in love with your business means getting out from behind your desk,” Dagmi said. “We see it all the time at HPxD: designers come to High Point, make a connection, discover a resource or learn something they didn’t know — and go home thinking differently about what’s possible. That spirit of discovery is very much at the heart of the summit.”
The 2027 Summit series kicks off in partnership with Eichholtz with a stylish opening celebration hosted at Eichholtz Las Vegas in Tivoli Village on Friday, January 22, from 6–8 p.m. Additional programming, speakers and special events for both 2027 Summit experiences will be announced in the coming weeks.
