Putting learning and industry debate first: FRONT Forum in review

Now with the inaugural FRONT show over, the real value and impact of this unique event is being felt across the industry. In particular, those that attended either the FRONT Forum or CPD presentations have tangible insights to take away and put into practice.

With 2000+ attendees streaming through over the two- day period, the seminars saw more than 950 people attending. But what made them such a highlight?

The seminar curator, Patricia Arcilla, shares her thoughts on the FRONT Forum, “The FRONT Forum seminar series went beyond the traditional topics and ‘usual suspects’ of design events to deliver a lively, diverse program that provided fresh insights into the future of commercial design.

“Bringing together leading thinkers and doers from all corners of the commercial space, the FRONT Forum gave experts in design, hospitality, technology, real estate, and workplace consultancy – to name a few – a unique platform to share their knowledge and experience.” 

It’s this sharing of experience and knowledge that will continue to help the industry prosper. 

FRONT Forum

Proudly supported by Gaggenau, the FRONT Forum ran eight highly targeted, yet wide-ranging sessions. The seminars looked outside the often narrow focus of design topics and instead brought in experts across adjacent industries to cover themes such as strategy, adaptive reuse, entrepreneurship, end-user insights, technology and retail trends.

• Strategising for Success
• Design Entrepreneur
• Cheque, Please! Food, Finance, and Front of House
• The Bottom Line at the Frontline
• Tech Two and Call me in the Morning
• Design as Ecosystem
• If it Ain’t broke… The Value of Adaptive reuse 
• 2018 INDE.Awards Project Presentations

Given the amount of valuable information shared at each of these sessions, we recorded each one and will be releasing the content in the coming weeks. 

CPD Presentations

In addition to the highly curated seminars, CPD sessions also ran consecutively. Understanding the value in professional development, these sessions offered the opportunity for innovation, discussion and education.

“It was a pleasure to present to the FRONT attendees at the Tarkett Symposium; these were people who understood the balance of quality, design, sustainability and economy and who wanted to find out how the sustainability narrative has changed – and is changing faster than ever,” says Robin Mellon, CEO of the Supply Chain Sustainability School.

“The Supply Chain Sustainability School already works with many of the leaders in this industry, so I was particularly impressed at the event format, location and design, and look forward to the next FRONT,” he says.

• In Conversation presented by Crown Group
• Agility vs ABW presented by Steelcase
• CSR
• External walls and façades with Askin

Want to know more about what went down? Read our full recap here.