As the leaves begin to change and the weather starts to cool, for Canadians I think it’s natural to start thinking about new beginnings and looking forward to the start of another season. September is a busy month for many of us, with kids back in school, new activities and routines, the slower pace of summer fast becoming a distant memory. For the IDA we have several exciting activities coming up including our ever-popular Urban Encounters. Note this year we’re asking members to pre-register for a free drink ticket, free access to the event and an IDA gift bag. Non-members and members who don’t pre-register will of course be welcome at the door, but there will be a small fee. We’ve also made an effort to have our exhibitors focus on products that inspire as well as some local content so come out and support the industry in either Edmonton or Calgary. Registration information is below. Kerri and I are also looking forward to representing Alberta at IDC’s inaugural design symposium in Toronto September 17 - 19, with a focus on design thinking. We will be attending several meetings with the provincial presidents from across the country to continue to strengthen our profession from coast to coast. This year IDC's PROpel program is being held in conjunction with the symposium and Alberta has a fantastic (and large) group of young professionals represented! Way to go! More details are also in the newsletter.
I’m very excited to move into fall as we have a wonderful group of young and passionate members who’ve volunteered their time on our communications committee and have lots of great ideas. We hope to start rolling out many new initiatives over the coming months with a focus on bringing value to our members and increasing the visibility of the organization as an advocate for our profession. If you have suggestions for something else we should be doing, get in touch and get involved!
Cory Riley
IDA President
