IIDA Southern California Chapter

The wait is over! We are absolutely thrilled to announce that the keynote speaker for the 2026 IIDA SoCal Leaders Breakfast is the incredible Sekou Andrews! 🎉

Sekou is a GRAMMY-nominated performer, award-winning spoken word artist, and the founder of SekouWorld. He is the creator of "Poetic Voice"—a powerful, dynamic fusion of inspirational speaking and spoken word poetry that has captivated global audiences and Fortune 500 companies alike. Get ready for a morning of storytelling that will deeply inspire, entertain, and stick with you long after it's over.

Here are the details you need to know to join us:

📅 Date: Friday, September 25, 2026
⏰ Time: 8:00 AM – 11:00 AM PT
📍 Location: Sheraton Grand at The BLOC
(711 S. Hope Street, Los Angeles, CA 90017)

Come connect with fellow design professionals, celebrate outstanding leadership, and experience one of the world's most innovative voices live in action.

🎟️ Tickets & Sponsorships are officially live! Early bird pricing for sponsorships is available through August 17th. Head to the link in our bio to secure your spot today!

AngelesEvents

Students from across IIDA Southern California came together for an energizing Charrette Design Challenge, hosted by LPA Design Studios (). This event was made possible with the generous support of ECC (), Gensler (), Haworth (), Interface (), Eagle Flooring Solutions, and Sharpe Interior Systems (). More than a design competition, the Charrette embodied the spirit of brainstorming and teamwork, bringing diverse perspectives together in a fast‑paced, collaborative setting.

Open to students from all Southern California schools on a faculty nominated basis, the all‑day event grouped participants into teams of up to five, each representing a different school. After receiving a design program at the start of the day, teams worked intensively to develop creative, thoughtful solutions. Student participants were from CSU Long Beach, CSU Northridge, San Diego Mesa College, MT SAC, IDI, Saddleback College, Palomar College, and Santa Monica College!

At the conclusion of the session, each team presented their concept to a panel of judges: Rick D’Amato (LPA), Monique Swihart (HMC) and Christine Peter (Kaleidoscope), along with event guests. The First Place team, Team Provision, was awarded a $10,000 prize, and the Second Place team, Team Encore, was awarded a $4,000 prize. Both teams were honored at the Calibre Design Awards on May 21.

Event highlights captured moments of focused collaboration and innovative problem‑solving, reinforcing the value of bringing students, professionals, and organizations together to support the next generation of designers. Thank you to all participants, volunteers, and sponsors who helped make this Charrette a success.

📷 Chris Hatcher

On Thursday, May 28, the IIDA SoCal LA City Center hosted a Headshots + Member Mixer event at the beautiful Kalon Studios Showroom () in Atwater Village. Members and guests gathered for an evening of professional networking, connection, and personal brand-building in a warm and thoughtfully designed setting.

Attendees had the opportunity to update their headshot with a professional photographer while connecting with fellow design industry professionals over drinks and conversation. Set against the backdrop of the beautifully crafted showroom, the event created an inviting atmosphere for meaningful connection and career-focused development within the design community.

A special thank you to Kalon Studios for hosting us in their stunning showroom, our photographer, Paulina Berlin (), for capturing such incredible headshots, and the LA City Center Professional Development Committee for bringing this event to life.

We would also like to extend our sincere thanks to our event sponsors — Crossville (), Interface (), LightBuildDesign (), and Quid Collective () — for their generous support in making the evening possible.