Toulis,Tad | 2011 International Conference Chair Welcome

Laissez le bon temps rouler!
TAD TOULIS, IDSA
2011 IDSA International Conference Chair

It is with genuine excitement that I invite you to join us in New Orleans for IDSA's 2011 International Conference. This year's theme is community, a simple concept with complex meaning. Community was chosen as a theme for two reasons. First, it economically captures a central dynamic that all of us in design are just beginning to comprehend. Second, New Orleans, its history and its people exude the power of community like few other places one can imagine.

Never before in the short history of our profession has the audience for whom we create solutions been as much a part of the conversation. Whether we call it social entrepreneurship, service design, crowd sourced product development or social media–the dynamics of community are hard at work in the marketplace demanding new solutions and new methodologies. So this year we’ve gone outside the discipline to gather ideas, to hear stories and to get in touch with what’s happening beyond the profession.

I hope the lineup we’ve gathered will challenge your thinking and leave you inspired about the direction of our professional practice. In the meantime–work hard, enjoy the summer, watch a few episodes of Treme and lose those extra few pounds you’ve been lugging around–because come September, we will indeed “Let the Good Times Roll!”