Exhibitors at the show expressed pleasure in the quality of the attendees. "I have never in my more than 40 years in the business, been to a tradeshow and written an order on the tradeshow floor, but I did here this year," said Paul Richmond, founder of Richmond Textiles, Inc. a Chicago-based textile company that focuses on window coverings and top-of-the-bed treatments.

"This show caters to a more upscale design community, which means that we must have a presence at this show to compete in the hospitality design industry," said Faustino Grana of Art: ASAP. "We bank a lot of money on this show. We launched our website and our new product catalog here, and we definitely will be back next year."

"We expanded our presence at the show this year," explained Randy Moore of Zenith Electronics. "We're making good contacts because the quality of attendees is very high."

"This is an incredible show," said Tracy Francis of Milliken Carpet. "We invested in a larger booth this year, and it's been worth the investment. We've given away 15 percent more product literature to attendees this year."

Exhibitors, attendees and visitors to the show had the opportunity to attend a variety of educational seminars and CEU's ranging from a session on "Branding as a Discipline" to the first-ever Town Hall Meeting with a [industry] star-studded six member panel moderated by Alan Benjamin that discussed the state of the industry. The session reinforced issues of importance to the traveler, such as guestroom value and attention to fundamentals, and discussed how to get people traveling again, which is the most important issue facing the industry today.

The $5 billion spa industry, experiencing a 127 percent annual revenue growth, took its place for the first time at the HD show floor with a dedicated HD Bath and Spa display area, which was well received by designers and attendees alike.

"A highlight of the show continues to be the recognition of the Platinum Circle honorees, an award program sponsored by Hospitality Design magazine that celebrates exceptional achievement by individuals and corporations within the hospitality design industry," said Michelle Finn publisher of Hospitality Design magazine. This year, held at The Joint at the Hard Rock Cafe, the honorees were:

• Jordan Mozer, whose inventive designs have won acclaim throughout the world, most notably for the Royal Hotel in Miami, Iridium in New York City, the Cylinder in Berlin and the Cypress Club in San Francisco.
• Julia Monk is credited for the design of numerous hotel interiors including the St. Regis and the Essex House in NYC, the Peninsula in Hong Kong, Raffles, The Plaza in Singapore and the Hotel Sofitel in Philadelphia.
• Larry Bogdanow has been responsible for many high-profile restaurants and hotels, including Union Square Cafe, Union Pacific, Savoy and the Tribecca Grand Hotel all in Manhattan, as well as Legal Seafood of Boston. Jason Chodorow is respected as one of the country's top restaurateurs whose properties have raised the bar for service and style in the U.K. and U.S. Some of his better-known properties include China Grill, Red Square, Tuscan Steak and Asia de Cuba.

The Sixth Annual IIDA/HD Product Design Competition, which presents an annual award to the most innovative, significant and technologically advanced products, named Color Kinetics this year's winner.

Show producers are already gearing up for HD Expo 2003, which will be held in Las Vegas, May 1 - 3, 2003.

HD Expo is produced by VNU Expositions and is presented by Hospitality Design magazine. VNU Expo produces more than 50 conferences and tradeshows annually for professionals in fields ranging from presentations and training to travel, design and retail merchandising. VNU Expos reach thousands of industry leaders each year in collaborative environments designed to inspire, inform and entertain.