Page 28 - spaces4learning, November/December 2019

spaces4learning Q&A
Makerspace and hands-on activity lab on display in the EDspaces exhibit hall. Photo credit: EDmarket.org.
to one addressing the broader education sector. Can you talk about the changes that were put into this year’s program — the networking opportunities, the sessions, the exhibit hall? McGarry: Exhibitors rank seeing customers as critical to their success, and delivering outstanding ROI for our exhibitors is a high priority for us as the organizer of this international event. The growth we’ve seen in school participation is a result of new marketing efforts and our unique scholarship program
Scenes from the EDspaces 2019 exhibit hall. Photo credit: EDmarket.org.
that helps fund travel and registration for those districts with planned construction and renovation projects. Another interest- ing trend is that even with the steady growth in school, architect and designer participation, EDspaces continues to be the only home for distributor education. We continued our commitment to the distributor community by hosting the pre-conference Ed- ucational Distribution Symposium, sponsored by Spaces4Learn- ing. This education program inspired top management and sales professionals to reach new levels of service to the educational products marketplace and to work in partnership with their vendors and customers.
S4L: Will you talk about the themes of this year’s con- ference and how they were predicated on changes in the market — sustainability, STEM and STEAM education, changes in pedagogy, new demands on security, etc.? McGarry: EDspaces is focused on the intersection of technology, space and pedagogy, reinforcing that a successful educational environment cannot be designed without explor- ing these issues in tandem. Our volunteer program committee identifies program areas that are timely to challenges facing school districts and the A&D community. This year, the focus was on active learning environments, collaboration, community engagement, equity, health and wellness, integrating furniture and technology, makerspaces/STEM labs, pedagogy and space and safety and security.
EDspaces is always adjusting and changing to address the unique challenges in the education arena, so this year there were new program offerings that included a pre-conference Learning Lab, STEM Innovation Tour, exploring how school districts of di- verse backgrounds promote STEM and STEAM learner-centered education.
Sustainability and wellness of students and faculty continue to be a focus, so we created a lounge on the exhibit floor where a series of 30-minute professional development sessions highlighted these important aspects of educational design. It also housed a gallery of ideas from Knowledge Partner USGBC and sponsor Interface to highlight concepts and examples of wellness and sustainability.
28 NOV/DEC 2019