Photo Credit: Three Lyons Creative

The 2018 AIA Detroit Honor Awards and the Celebration of Architecture are always the flagship events of the year for our organization, as they are for many of our friends and allied organizations across the AEC and design industries, but this year exceeded all expectations, thanks to a handful of new features, and over a hundred different partner organizations lending their time, money, and expertise to the execution of this momentous one-day gathering.  

Key to the success of this year’s event were a host of new features aimed at providing more opportunities for both industry members and the public to engage with each other, and with the programs and people that make up our community. A new “Industry Lounge” afforded our members, partners, and sponsors more time to network, and after years of fighting against the acoustics of a farmers market shed, Producing Partner Bluewater Technologies made certain that everyone in the Shed (and maybe beyond!) could hear what was going on onstage. 

Photo Credit: Three Lyons Creative

Balancing the enhanced exclusivity of the new Industry Lounge, AIA Detroit embraced inclusiveness and welcomed dozens of collaborating organizations for the first-ever “Industry Exhibit Galleries” at the Celebration of Architecture.  Ticketed attendees and the festival-going public alike were able to stroll freely through the dozens of larger-than-life exhibit banners representing the work of allied organizations across southeast Michigan seeking to improve our built environment. The exhibits also featured our own Honor Awards, the finalists for the first Commerce Design Detroit Awards (winners set to be announced later this month) and other AIA Detroit Committees and programs, like a public engagement exhibit on diversity in the workplace by our Committee on Diversity and Inclusion, and an interactive AR/VR demonstration by our Technology in Architectural Practice Committee with the Detroit-Area BIM User Group (DABUG).

Photo Credit: Three Lyons Creative

Thank you to all of the organizations who were able to participate!:

And of course, this event could never be possible without the dozens of companies and organizations who lend their financial support to this incredible gathering. Interested in supporting AIA Detroit programming like the Celebration, or one of our 16 other programs and committees? Reach out to Sponsor@AIADetroit.com or sign up to join the Professional Affiliates Network to take an active role in shaping future partnership opportunities and engagement!