Sleep returns for 2017 with the provocative theme “Loyalty: Lessons in Love” shaping the direction of the two-day event on 21-22 November at the Business Design Centre in London. Last year attendance surged to over 4,700. This year sees a new twist thanks to a unique collaboration with Ipsos Loyalty, the global leader in customer experience, satisfaction and loyalty research which is helping deliver a narrative that so many are starting to discuss.
“How do you create amazing experiences that connect with customers emotionally and plant enduring memories, converting them into fans who want to tag themselves, ‘check-in’ and share with others?” asks Helen Bywater-Smith, Director in Customer Experience, Ipsos Loyalty. “We are excited to share with the Sleep community how hotel brands need to design communications, environments and interactions that deliver beyond the functional, leaving lasting memories in customers’ hearts and minds and inspiring them to recommend and relive the experience.”
Sleep Set
The annual Sleep Set competition sees leading international design practices bring to life the theme. Each team will develop a guestroom exploring how design contributes to the more emotive and elusive ingredients for successful hotels, guest retention, relationships and advocacy, proposing a guest experience so meaningful that loyalty becomes love.
The annual Sleep Set competition sees leading international design practices bring to life the theme. Each team will develop a guestroom exploring how design contributes to the more emotive and elusive ingredients for successful hotels, guest retention, relationships and advocacy, proposing a guest experience so meaningful that loyalty becomes love.
The global reach and cross-disciplinary portfolios of this year’s four competitors will bring a spectrum of cultural, geographic and industry perspectives to the mix:
- Stonehill & Taylor, the hospitality-focused architecture and design studio led by Principal Vince Stroop, hails from New York
- Il Prisma, an Italian company with branches in London, Milan, Rome and Lecce, has Gilberto Vizzini as UK Manager and Strategy Director, with the team designing architecture and interiors for workplace, retail and hospitality settings
- London-based MKV Design, with Founder and Managing Director Maria Vafiadis at the helm, specialises in the interior architecture and design of luxurious hotels and resorts around the globe
- 1508 London, a practice primarily known for high-end residential architecture and interiors, is now expanding its scope into hospitality
Vince Stroop, Principal of Stonehill & Taylor, explains why participating in a European design show matters. “I am a strong believer in the global exchange of ideas and the international creative process,” he says. “It is an honor to participate in this year’s Sleep Set and help demonstrate that the design community will always be committed to new ways of smart thinking and embracing progress.”
This year, Sleep Set is supported by Kohler and will be collaborating with the four design teams to push the boundaries in their interpretation of the event theme. Visitors will be able to hear the designers make their case before a panel of judges in a conference session on Day One, followed by the announcement of the winner of the Sleep Set competition the afternoon of Day Two.
Other plans announced for Sleep 2017 so far include:
The Exhibition – Every year, the exhibition is carefully orchestrated to ensure the most compelling combination of newcomers and regular names, larger manufacturers and bespoke artisans. Amongst the stands for 2017, most of which have been filled, are Sleep newcomers Mitsushige Nishiwaki, who will display his whimsical etchings, and Avivo Lighting, designer and manufacturer of statement illumination fixtures. Returning Sleep exhibitor THG Paris will show its new transitional collection, Dean, while Italian brand ALPI will showcase new collections designed by Kengo Kuma, Piero Lissoni and the Campana Brothers which balance impressions of nature with graphic patterns.
The Exhibition – Every year, the exhibition is carefully orchestrated to ensure the most compelling combination of newcomers and regular names, larger manufacturers and bespoke artisans. Amongst the stands for 2017, most of which have been filled, are Sleep newcomers Mitsushige Nishiwaki, who will display his whimsical etchings, and Avivo Lighting, designer and manufacturer of statement illumination fixtures. Returning Sleep exhibitor THG Paris will show its new transitional collection, Dean, while Italian brand ALPI will showcase new collections designed by Kengo Kuma, Piero Lissoni and the Campana Brothers which balance impressions of nature with graphic patterns.
The Conference – This will also explore the theory and the practice of “Loyalty: Lessons in Love”. Forward-looking panels of experts working in hotel development as well as operators, investors, designers and innovators will debate this and other topics likely to impact the industry in months to come; roundtables will offer face-to-face opportunities to learn from the leaders. The conference is free-to-attend.
Spaces – Returning in 2017 is the innovative collection of product showcases, each designed as an imaginative interpretation of different hotel areas. These spaces created by select furnishing and accessory suppliers will further explore loyalty and love through designs that emphasise human touchpoints within the guest journey. Companies confirmed to date include Bang & Olufsen; Serralunga / Symo Parasols; Unopiu; Fabio Alemanno Design; Brintons; Roca; Crosswater; 10DEKA; Sans Souci; Yapiarti and Caberlon Caroppi, a Milan-based studio that will design a mini room-set with Italian brands.
Late night opening
Once again Sleep will stay open until 8.30 pm on Day One to allow time-pressured designers to attend, for more business to be done and for networking to be enjoyed with a party vibe.
Once again Sleep will stay open until 8.30 pm on Day One to allow time-pressured designers to attend, for more business to be done and for networking to be enjoyed with a party vibe.
“Sleep is a community of boundary-pushing innovators and design philosophers who are intuitively aware of how spaces affect human nature,” says Joel Butler, Brand Director of Sleep. “Sleep 2017’s theme plays to this strength. Whether family, friends, colleagues, or hotel guests, the qualities of loyalty and love speak to every person’s desire to feel valued. At this year’s event, visitors will learn how design can spark feelings of wellbeing and love, which in turn creates cherished experiences guests seek to recapture through repeat visits. After all, being hospitable should be at the heart of the hospitality business.”
GROHE – Founder Sponsor
Loyalty aplenty is evidenced in the relationship shared by the Sleep event and GROHE as it continues into 2017. A key partner of Sleep since its inception, this year GROHE is headlining as Founder Sponsor. Host of the VIP Lounge, GROHE will once again display its newest kitchen and bath product innovations including the Ceramics and Colours collections.
GROHE – Founder Sponsor
Loyalty aplenty is evidenced in the relationship shared by the Sleep event and GROHE as it continues into 2017. A key partner of Sleep since its inception, this year GROHE is headlining as Founder Sponsor. Host of the VIP Lounge, GROHE will once again display its newest kitchen and bath product innovations including the Ceramics and Colours collections.
Marc Gilbert, GROHE’s VP Projects EMEA, says, “We all know that being loyal to the right partner is rewarded in so many ways over the years, so we think it is very apt that the theme for this year is based on loyalty. We look forward to another successful year at our premier event welcoming the hospitality industry to join us at the Business Design Centre.”
