ART Conference 2024 Announces Annual Community Service Project
Volunteers of America Southeast Louisiana –
Napoleon Ave and Pitt Street Veterans Facilities – May 9, 2024, New Orleans, LA

February 7, 2024 – Charlotte, NC – The ART Conference Committee 2024 announced today that the beneficiaries of the annual community service project will be Volunteers of America Southeast Louisiana: Napoleon Ave and Pitt Street Veterans Facilities. This will be ART’s ninth service project in the conference host city. ART Conference 2024 will be held at the Loews New Orleans, May 8-10, 2024.

Volunteers of America Southeast Louisiana Veterans Services program provides transitional housing and rehabilitation services for homeless male veterans referred by the Veterans Administration in the Greater New Orleans area. Available in two facilities, one located on Napoleon Avenue and the other on Pitt Street, veterans receive the therapy needed to overcome substance abuse, gain job skills, and enhance mental health. They also have access to housing and a full continuum of rehabilitation services.
This program offers more than just shelter. Over a 24-month period, veterans benefit from intensive case management, support services, and treatment. The staff works individually with each veteran to develop a personalized plan to rebuild their lives. Upon stabilization, residents save a percentage of their income, establishing a reserve for future expenses as they transition into permanent housing outside the program.

Conference volunteers will work on these facilities to enhance the existing living quarters and outside common areas.  Home industry companies will be asked to donate furnishings for installation to enhance the apartments and to replace damaged goods.

To see the full conference schedule, register to attend and participate in this rewarding service project, visit the conference website here.

Clcik here to view past community service projects completed at ART Conference

34th ARTS Awards Reservations Now Open

October 9, 2023 – Dallas Market Center and ART, the creative home furnishings network, have announced that reservations are now open for the 34th ARTS Awards, the premier event honoring home industry excellence. The event will take place at the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas on Friday, January 12, 2024.

The ARTS Awards, presented annually during the January Dallas Total Home & Gift Market, recognizes preeminent manufacturers, retailers, interior designers, product designers, and sales representatives.

After a judging process guided by an esteemed judging panel of independent industry experts, the category winners will be announced at the gala. In addition, special awards will be presented including the Academy of Achievement to Maria Mullen, the Legendary Leadership Award to Karen McNeill, and the HEARTS Award to Amir Loloi.

Tickets are $170 for ART members and $200 for non-members. Tables are also available. For more information visit https://dallasmarketcenter.com/ArtsAwards/reservations/.

Sponsors for the 34th ARTS Awards include: Aspire Design & Home; Furniture, Lighting & Décor; Business of Home; Home Accents Today; Décor News Now; Houstonia; Home Textiles Today; Designers Today; Furniture Today; Gifts & Decorative Accessories; Modern Luxury Interiors; Paper City; Interior Design Society, and Sustainable Furnishings Council.

ART Announces the 2024 ART Conference Location
May 8-10, 2024 at the Loews New Orleans Hotel

October 3, 2023 / Charlotte, NC – ART (Accessories Resource Team, Inc.) announces that its next annual conference will be held next on May 8-10, 2024 at the Loews New Orleans Hotel, New Orleans, LA.

“We’re excited to be back in New Orleans for 2024 and to bring our unique programming to attendees”, said Colleen Daly, Howard Elliott, co-chair of the ART Conference Committee.
“We plan to build on the success of our conferences and take advantage of the opportunity to expand our program shorts, business sessions and special events in a meaningful way.”

“We expect to continue our conference tradition of planning and executing a community service project during our time in New Orleans.   Our attendees and our industry are very generous and we look forward to another successful install”, said Rachel Fleischer, Hermitage Design Center and co-chair of the ART Conference Committee.    

Sponsorship signup will be available during October High Point Market and beyond.   The schedule will be published in the late Fall 2023 and early-bird registration will begin soon.     

Karen McNeill to Receive Legendary Leadership Award at 34th ARTS Awards

October 3, 2023 – Dallas Market Center and ART, the creative home furnishings network, have announced that Karen McNeill will receive a Legendary Leadership Award at the 34th ARTS Awards taking place at the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas on Friday, January 12, 2024.

McNeill is the President of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame Foundation Inc., a nonprofit public charity committed to honoring and preserving the legacy of individuals who have made significant contributions to the home furnishings industry and inspiring the next generation of innovative leaders in the industry.  The Legendary Leadership Award honors an individual who has not only achieved esteemed recognition from industry peers, but who has also led the home industry with passion, and whose dedication has helped hundreds of companies succeed.

Her most recent achievement was the opening of the Hall of Fame in High Point, North Carolina, in April of 2023. This 25,000 sq ft hall contains permanent fixtures such as museum exhibits, the Stephen Knight Pond Library, and The Hughes Family History Center, and contains an event space, as well. By yearend, the Hall of Fame will have hosted nearly 100 events ranging from board meetings, design summits, and seminars to cocktail parties, fashion shows, and video and photography shoots.

Her accomplishments can also be seen in the success of her full-service marketing and public relations agency which has served industries such as home furnishings, telecommunications, tourism, and more, for over 30 years.  

“I am grateful for this honor as a tribute to our noble $150 billion industry that is committed to improving the lives of people around the globe by creating beautiful homes,” Karen McNeill, the President of the Board of Directors, and Chief Executive Officer of American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame Foundation Inc, said. “The unifying support across the industry has been unmatched. None of this would have been possible without the Hall of Fame team that took on every challenge with enthusiasm and commitment. The fact that the Hall of Fame was done, from the time we purchased property to opening our doors – during COVID – in less than four years is stunning but even more rewarding is seeing the building in constant use and to see the dream of our founders in 1988 come to fruition. There are no words for how exciting and fun the last four years have been and it has been my good fortune to be the one in this seat.”

In addition to the Legendary Leadership Award, there are dozens of category awards being presented at the ARTS Awards to retailers, manufacturers, designers and sales representatives. The HEARTS Award is being presented to Amir Loloi and the Academy of Achievement honor is being presented to Maria Mullen. All 34th ARTS Awards finalists can be viewed here. Reservations for the ARTS Awards open October 4th. Tickets will be $170 for ART members and $200 for non-members. Discounted rates for full tables of (8) and (10) guests are also available.

Sponsors for the 34th ARTS Awards include Aspire Design & Home; Furniture, Lighting & Décor; Business of Home; Home Accents Today; Décor News Now; Houstonia; Home Textiles Today; Designers Today; Furniture Today; Gifts & Decorative Accessories; Modern Luxury Interiors; Paper City; Interior Design Society, and Sustainable Furnishings Council.

For more information, visit the ARTS Awards website.

Loloi to Receive HEARTS Award at 34th ARTS Awards
—To be honored for service to others and humanitarian excellence—

September 26, 2023 – Dallas Market Center and ART, the creative home furnishings network, have announced that Loloi will receive the HEARTS Award at the 34th ARTS Awards taking place at the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas on Friday, January 12, 2024. The ARTS Awards, presented annually during the Dallas Total Home & Gift Market, celebrates preeminent manufacturers, retailers, interior designers, product designers, and sales representatives.

Added Ari Lowenstein, chairman of the board for Gift for Life: “Our organization has observed, and benefitted from, Loloi’s consistent support of many causes. Their passionate efforts in the service of others and the significant impact they have made is felt by many communities. This commitment is in their family and company DNA as they lift others up and offer care and support time and again. Our organization is pleased to recognize Loloi for the important work they do.”

Amir Loloi, a forty five-year veteran of the home furnishings industry, emigrated from Iran to the United States as a teenager. While earning his bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas in Dallas, Amir began his rug career with a traditional rug importer in the city, methodically rising through the ranks before following his entrepreneurial spirit and launching his own company, Loloi, in 2004.

Amir’s sons, Steven and Cyrus Loloi, joined the brand in 2009 and 2011, respectively, and are both actively involved in all aspects of the business. Now coming up on 20 years of the business, Loloi has become the “most trusted, go-to” resource in the industry for major retailers and top interior designers alike. Meanwhile, consumers covet Loloi’s products, including their collaborations with Amber Lewis, Magnolia Home by Joanna Gaines, Rifle Paper Co., and more. Through it all, Amir’s innate understanding of the layered home has resulted in Loloi designs being some of the most celebrated and widely distributed products in the home furnishings industry.

Today, Loloi is a diverse and vibrant global company with more than 600 employees, multiple warehouses and showrooms, and countless customers nationwide and abroad. Amir continues to innovate, excel, inspire, and elevate the home industry and is focused on continuing to evolve the Loloi ecosystem for the next twenty years and beyond. As a philanthropist, Amir supports many causes both local and abroad that work towards the betterment and advancement of families, weavers and artists, and communities in general. Amir resides in Dallas with his wife and his sons’ families nearby, visiting his grandkids whenever he has the chance.

In addition to the HEARTS Award, there are dozens of category awards being presented at the ARTS Awards to retailers, manufacturers, designers and sales representatives. All 34th ARTS Awards finalists can be viewed here. Reservations for the ARTS Awards open October 4th. Tickets will be $170 for ART members and $200 for non-members. Discounted rates for full tables of (8) and (10) guests are also available.

Sponsors for the 34th ARTS Awards include Aspire Design & Home; Furniture, Lighting & Décor; Business of Home; Home Accents Today; Décor News Now; Houstonia; Home Textiles Today; Designers Today; Furniture Today; Gifts & Decorative Accessories; Modern Luxury Interiors; Paper City; Interior Design Society, and Sustainable Furnishings Council.

For more information, visit the ARTS Awards website.