EDspaces will take place November 7 to 9 at the Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, NC. The three-day show will feature educational sessions, multiple networking opportunities, facility tours, an exhibit hall packed with vendors and much more.
Show Director Joe Tucker expects 1,500 attendees and 1,500 exhibitors will be present at this year’s show. “It should be an absolutely fantastic year, probably the largest one we’ve ever had,” Tucker said.
New this year on the show floor is an e-sports studio sponsored by MiEN Environments, located at Booth 778. The engaging gaming lounge will provide demonstrations on how to design an e-sports studio as well as welcome kids to play in the space.
Another new feature this year focuses on career and technical education (CTE). The American Institute of Architects’ Committee on Architecture for Education will present on the theory of CTE at Booth 2265. Next door at Booth 2177, people will have a chance to explore a robotics lab at the CTE Robotic Learning Lab sponsored by TMP Architecture. “CTE has been growing over time,” Tucker observed. “We’ve seen more and more school districts establish schools that provide classes for welding, electrical and more career tech.”
Get in the game with EDchannels Symposium
The half-day pre-conference will take place 1 to 5 p.m. on November 6, open to distributors, suppliers and independent manufacturer’s representatives. The symposium is designed to discuss challenges and opportunities to increase sales and profitability in a hyper-competitive business landscape.
The event will feature a kickoff presentation by Ross Bernstein who will share life lessons of integrity and accountability he learned while working with companies and in the sports field.
Afterwards, participants will form small groups to develop personal strategies to stay razor-like focused, highly flexible and ready to turn uncertainty to a competitive advantage. The afternoon will conclude with an education leader panel featuring Sharon Beaudry of Oregon Tech, Robert Dillon of Intentional School Designs and Tony Lake of Lindbergh Schools.
Opportunities to connect
In addition to the exhibit hall floor, attendees can network at a couple of special events.
Bold Women, Bold Conversations offers female professionals a chance to meet fellow industry leaders, 5 to 6:30 p.m. on November 7. Participants can develop a network of friends to connect with like-minded individuals and explore leadership opportunities.
The popular EDfest All Industry Party returns once again. This year, the networking party will be held 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on November 8 at the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
Class is in session
Education isn’t just for students. EDspaces attendees have the opportunity to join nine EDsessions during the whole show. The hour-long educational sessions span topics including security, funding, design, pedagogy, community engagement and more. Speakers represent school districts, research institutes and organizations and businesses which operate in the education field.
There will be plenty of time between sessions to network and visit the exhibit hall.
One of the unique aspects of the EDspaces show is how the EDsessions rooms are transformed into “specifically designed learning spaces,” according to Tucker. “Our designers and manufacturers will actually design rooms for our attendees to act as students,” he said. “They’re going to go in, see what the design looks like, sit in the chairs and see if it’s comfortable to them and their students.”
Tours galore
EDspaces attendees can further enhance their experience with various tours of learning environments around the Charlotte area. All tours include an educational component and qualify for multiple AIA LU/HSW and IDCEC CEU/HSW credits. Pre-registration is required.
The first K-12 EDfacility and uptown Charlotte walking tours are set to take place on November 6. The EDfacility tour, scheduled for 12 to 5 p.m., will explore Cherry Park Elementary School of Language Immersion, Catawba Ridge High School and Covenant Day High School. Meanwhile, the uptown Charlotte walking tour, 4 to 5:30 p.m., will have tentative stops at:
- Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Arts + Culture
- Mint Museum Uptown
- Bechler Museum
- Bank of America HQ Lobby Painting / Founders Hall
- ImaginOn: The Joe & Joan Marti Center
- UNC – Charlotte Center City Building
- An optional gathering at Ri Ra
A second K-12 EDfacility and the higher ed EDfacility tours are scheduled for November 9. The K-12 tour, which will take place 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. will make stops at Charlotte Christian Middle/Upper School, Corvian Community High School and Charlotte Lab School. Simultaneously, the higher ed tour will feature the UNC Charlotte University Recreation Center, UNC Charlotte New Science Building, Central Piedmont Community College’s Parr Center and Northeastern School of Nursing.
For more information about each tour, visit ed-spaces.com/conference/tours.
