After quite the thorough interviewing process and manual review process my training has been approved for the 5-day IRIS Certification course!! As of today I am the only Staging Instructor on the East coast or in the South. As a matter of fact there are only 3 other IRIS staging instructors nationally! (Anna Jacoby - Fremont, CA, Sandy Dixon - Denver, CO and Ruthanne Hatfield - Napa CA)
So, why is this certification so great? Of course I am biased as this was my training & now I am an instructor, BUT with all that said, this certification is great because it is so difficult to acheive. You know when you attend an IRIS staging course that it has been thoroughly reviewed by the education committee (which consists of other stagers and instructors in the industry). The manual was set to a specific outline, but written by the instructor themselves - so they actually have to know their stuff! The instructor had to pass a long list of credentials including a pretty amazing series of 'what do you do when' questionaire. (my interview submission package ended up being about 35 pages I think - this was not including the manual itself which is around 200 pages.) Best of all, with this training you get to become a member of IRIS (Interior Redesign Industry Specialists)!
I know. You are thinking, so what, just another organization to join. Right? WRONG! If you want to be active in the industry, this is a great place to be! Here are some of the great things that IRIS currently provides it's members:
- Local Chapters to get to know your fellow stager/redesigner
- National annual convention - this provides fellowship, education sessions and of course a fabulous time!
- Monthly public newsletter - to keep your clients & potential clients in the know!
- Monthly member newsletters - to keep YOU in the know (did I mention that I'm the editor?)
- Two Tip Tuesday (written by our very own Sandy Dixon) to keep your business momentum!
- Press release templates
- Advertise your local events on a national level through the IRIS website (www.weredesign.com)
- An opportunity to grow in your business, your resume and the industry through various volunteer positions
- Discount options for various trade related businesses (ex: Sherman Williams, Williams Sonoma, Kirklands, Pier 1, Restoration Hardware, etc) -These discounts alone can pay for your annual membership!
- Monthly teleconferences that provide you with tips to help grow your business or knowledge. (Also available online if you miss it.)
- More, More, More - there are just so many things, I cannot think of it all!
You know I am passionate about the things I am involved in, so of course this is no different. If you are interested in taking my course, please visit my website - below are this years current dates. As of right now there are seats available in each date... but with a class size limited to only 6, space is in fact limited!
Here are the available 2008 class dates (you can register online):
- July 14-18
- Sept 22-28
- Nov 3-7
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