Alicia J Cannon - EDITED

Several of the world’s leading interior designers and architects are flying in to Sydney for DesignInn on October 8, an event that’s shaping up to be the best yet.

Tickets are selling fast and to lock yours in before it sells out, visit www.designinnsymposium.com

Here’s a run-down of the talent coming to Sydney for DesignInn 2014.

ALICIA CANNON (USA)
Principal Alicia Cannon’s unique background and experience shapes AJC Design’s signature approach: a balance of dramatic, pop-inspired pieces and tailored, classic styles. From working with luxury brands to collaborating with urban artists, Alicia approaches her work with professionalism and inventive edge. Her top priority is delivering a product that captures – and furthers – each client’s vision. That’s why she spends time getting to know her clients, and collaborates with them to balance functionality with intricate aesthetic details.

Alicia’s thorough education in timeless design began after she graduated from the Pratt Institute of Art. Her wide-ranging design résumé boasts intimate residential spaces, full-service and luxury hotels, and sweeping corporate interiors. Alicia honed her hospitality skills at Cheryl Rowley Design of Beverly Hills and David Easton of New York, developing luxury interiors for Hotel Palomar, Los Angeles; The Ritz Carlton, San Francisco; Four Seasons, Philadelphia; The Westin Riverwalk, San Antonio; and St. Regis, Deer Valley. She also led several residential and corporate interior design projects at Barry Rice Architects in New York.

Her most recent notable projects include her most recent notable projects include The Westport Inn, Thayer Hotel, Hotel Indigo Brooklyn, The Essex House, The Tuscany – A St Giles Hotel and coming soon The Hilton Garden Inn, Long Island City.

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NORIHIKO SHINYA (JAPAN)
Norihiko is leading Architect, contributing significantly to the hotel and restaurant footprint across Asia, India, Canada and the USA. As Vice President of Super Potato and with almost 30 years’ experience at the internationally recognised interior design firm, Norihiko has been integral to the success of the Super Potato brand. Emphasising Japanese tradition and geographical features is at the forefront of Norihiko and Super Potato’s design.

His originality comes from on the use of materials and restructuring the visual and physical attributes of materials found from demolished of Japanese architecture and tearooms, to incorporate them into design and enhance the beauty of the space. Norihiko has most recently completed the Grand Hyatt Singapore function space, the Park Hyatt Busan and restaurants for the Shangri-La Hotel in China.

Richard Dalman - EDITED

RICHARD DALMAN (NZ)
Richard Dalman is the Managing Director and Principal Architect of Dalman Architecture Limited, a Christchurch based practice established in 1997. The practice specialises in the architecture and interior design of hotel, hospitality and tourism projects throughout New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific. Richard has been practising architecture for 27 years and has spent the majority of this time working closely with hospitality clients on both new developments and refurbishments.

Richard is a Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Architects, a past Chairman of the Canterbury Branch, and Canterbury’s representative on the NZIA National Council for 4 years. He was also a member of the Christchurch post-earthquake architects’ leadership group set up with the authority of the Mayor of Christchurch.

Richard has written multiple published articles in both main stream and trade specific publications, and has presented papers at a number of overseas conferences including most recently at the Union of International Architects (UIA) 2014 World Congress in Durban, South Africa.

Dalman Architecture has received many New Zealand Institute of Architects Awards and Richard has been on a number of awards juries.

PAUL BANARD (DUBAI)
Paul Banard has had 17 years of F&B experience as an Executive Chef and Foodservice Consultant. Having worked with some of the top brands all over the world such as Mandarin Oriental, Four Seasons and Intercontinental Hotels. Paul also spent time working in some of the world’s best free “three star Michelin” restaurants such as the Fat Duck in England, under the very famous chef Heston Bluementhal. Paul as a chef worked in many regions of the world including North America, Asia, Middle East and Europe, these have only helped form his understanding of indigenous cuisines and how they apply to his current position as a foodservice consultant. Paul uses his past experiences to help in redefining what possibilities there are inside of the kitchen without reducing efficiency and always with an eye on controlling food and lab out costs. Creating new concepts that provide the client and operator with a new way of presenting and selling their product.

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COLIN SEAH (SINGAPORE)
Architecturally trained in the USA & licensed in Singapore, Colin Seah honed his sensibilities working for the likes of Rem Koolhaas and Daniel Libeskind. He also spent 4 years at the National University of Singapore’s Department of Architecture researching design pedagogy and serving as design critic. As MOD’s Founder & Director of Design, Colin has been named Designer of the Year by International Design Awards USA 2010, and is a two-time recipient of Singapore’s highest design accolade, the President’s Design Award.

He is also a two-time Grand Prize Winner of the Gold Key Award, the highest international hospitality accolade, named Hong Kong Perspective’s ’40 under 40 architects’ and Marcus Corporation Foundation Prize 2007 ‘emerging architect with potential for greatness’. Recognized as “Rising Star in Architecture” by Monocle, Colin Seah has been invited by the Singapore Tourism Board to redefine Singapore as a destination for 2020 and beyond.

TREY SHORES (USA)
Trey Shores heads up Asia-Pacific development for US-based Ace Hotel Group, which operates properties in New York, London, Panama, Los Angeles and other US cities. Ace Hotel is well known for its activated public spaces, strong F&B outlets and alternative meeting and venue spaces, such as the brand’s 1600-seat theatre in the iconic United Artist building in downtown Los Angeles.

Trey is also editor-in-chief and co-founder of The List, a curated hotel media content site based in Tokyo and part of Venture Republic Group, which owns some of Japan’s largest travel media sites. In preparing for the launch of The List, Trey completed on-the-ground surveys of hotel markets in 12 global cities, ranging from Paris and London, to Singapore, Seoul and Bangkok. He visited or stayed at nearly 200 hotels in his research, working over a three-month process to narrow down the choices in each market to just a handful of recommended properties—which forms The List.

Before becoming a hotel geek, Trey worked for nearly eight years at Japan’s trade promotion arm, JETRO, which helps foreign firms enter or expand in the Japanese and broader Asian markets. In this role, he served as communication strategist for JETRO’s larger organisation, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, as well as Japan’s Cabinet Office, for which he would occasionally write speeches.

In a former life, Trey worked in proposals and marketing for the auction house, Sotheby’s, in their New York headquarters. This was after studying towards a masters in Renaissance and Baroque art at the American Academy in Rome via the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, where he also graduated with an undergraduate degree in Classics.

James Wilkinson

Editor-In-Chief, Hotel Management