Furniture Design Summit 2011: Re-Defining American Design will focus on bringing designers and manufacturers together to discuss the present and future of the furniture industry. Hosted by Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) furniture design department with the American Society of Furniture Designers (AFID) and Metropolis, the summit will place May 9-10 in Savannah, Georgia.

“SCAD is proud to bring to Savannah cutting-edge thinkers to exchange ideas and plan for the future of this multi-million dollar industry," Antonio Larosa, chair of SCAD’s furniture design department. "Our students will also have the great opportunity to experience the summit firsthand, which will give them one-of-a-kind career preparation.”

ASFD and Metropolis are also looking forward to the new ideas and fresh approaches that will come out of the conference. "The conference will be a significant event for furniture designers as we look to the future of our field from all aspects of the industry, from manufacturing to design and education," said Dudley Moore, Jr., ASFD president.

"SCAD's commitment to hosting the summit is a great opportunity to generate new ideas that will propel us forward, not only with industry leaders but also with students, tomorrow's leaders in furniture design," said Christine Evans, ASFD executive director.

Metropolis editor-in-chief Susan Szenasy, who will moderate all of the panels during the summit, says, “Furniture design and manufacturing, like every other human endeavor in an age of climate change, is experiencing major reassessments by all of its protagonists. From the safety and efficiency of manufacturing, to facilities, to how marketers sell new products to whom, to the kinds of research needed to upgrade the industry, to how design students learn what’s coming, the SCAD furniture design summit promises to put a spotlight on these and other pressing questions. I’m eagerly anticipating what will be seen and heard there. And I can’t wait to engage speakers, guests, faculty and students in my role as moderator."

The summit will launch on Monday, May 9 and will begin with individual presentations from Gregg Buchbinder, owner and CEO of Emeco; Jay Reardon, president of Hickory Chair; and Alan Heller, founder and president of Heller Inc. The day will close with a keynote panel with Buchbinder, Reardon and Heller, moderated by Szenasy. Day two will begin with individual talks from designer, author and filmmaker Eames Demetrios and Szenasy, followed by a closing panel with Demetrios, Jenny Heinzen York, editor-in-chief of Home Accents Today, and SCAD’s Larosa, also moderated by Szenasy. All events will take place at SCAD’s River Club, 3 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd in Savannah.