Julia Molloy, Author at BOLD Summit

February 19, 2015

Announcing BOLD Summit 2015 – Business of Luxury Design Conference

Press Release from February 20, 2015 – Los Angeles — World-Renowned interior designer Kelly Hoppen will kick off the annual BOLD Summit (Business of Luxury Design), June 24-26, in Palm Springs, with a keynote lecture on June 25th about the keys to her success.

This year, luxury-level interior designers, architects and industry professionals will gather for two-plus days of high-level lectures and networking opportunities at the newly renovated Riviera Palm Springs to gain tools to elevate their business models.

According to Julia Molloy, owner of the BOLD Summit, who brings 20 years of luxury branding and business operations management training to the field, BOLD is the top business design conference in the nation. “It is carefully structured to launch the luxury focused interior designer and architect to the next level of success.”

In keeping with the conference’s commitment to boosting business performance, an array of industry heavyweights will address the group. Crans Baldwin, now at the helm of Dedar USA, will share some important insights about the state of the luxury market as well as emerging opportunities within this sector. Kim Kuhteubl of Me By Design and Hildegard Media will discuss important keys to effective branding for the luxury design firm. Julia Molloy will share powerful tips for streamlining business-critical processes and extracting more profit from projects through operational efficiency. She will also provide insider tips on how to refine the client experience and receive more luxury level referrals.

Additionally, editors of key design and lifestyle magazines and publishing companies, including Interiors, Form and Balcony Press, will lead valuable discussions on how to get published, and will conduct one-on-one portfolio reviews. Other panels will cover working with photographers and stylists on properly documenting design work for publication.

“The annual conference is a transformative experience where attendees get to learn from and mingle with leaders in the field,” says Julia Molloy, owner of BOLD Summit. “We are thrilled to be holding the conference this year at the stylish Riviera Palm Springs, which is an inspirational location for designers, because of its history and iconic mid-century architecture.”

Along with speaker Kelly Hoppen, additional luminaries from the world of design and architecture will be announced soon. Last year’s event at the Wynn Las Vegas included industry masters Mario Buatta, Vicente Wolf, Clodagh and Richard Landry, who were honored with BOLD Masters Awards created by Baccarat, following their keynote lectures to a group of 150 industry professionals. This year, it is anticipated that 200-250 (by-invitation-only) guests will attend.

Media inquiries, please contact Barbara Pressman Public Relations, at barbara_pressman@mac.com or call 818-988-7444.

This press release was written by the lovely and talented Barbara Pressman of Barbara Pressman Public Relations. She specializes in PR for luxury architects and interior designers nationwide.

February 19, 2015

BOLD Summit 2014 in Review – WOW!

What an amazing experience that was! So, I made it through my very first BOLD Summit and what a ride it was. The closest thing I had ever done to putting together a grand event like that was planning my wedding with 150 guests, back in 2007. A lot of work, but oh so worth it. What I learned was that I was born to do this. Every day that I was making calls to potential speakers, planning the meals, planning the video presentations and award ceremony, all of it, I was in a state of bliss. Not relaxed, lounging on a beach kind of bliss, but the excited anticipation kind. Ideas, possibilities and a rush of power and energy surged through me like never before. There is no doubt whatsoever that this is an important part of my life’s work and my legacy. I was very much a conduit for universal energy and love. I know it sounds a bit cooky, but for me, I was one with the universe, doing my part to help it bloom. As I said, bliss.

I was reminded again that this is what happens when you are fully aligned with your calling, and so it was. Everything landed into place quite easily. All the speakers I invited said yes. The videos came out beautifully, thanks to Kim Kuhteubl.

The Masters Dinner was lovely.

Julia Molloy and Lauren Liess at BOLD Summit Masters Dinner 2015 — Lauren Liess, her husband David Liess and Olga Odeide

The agenda was meaty and dynamic.

The logistics went well, thanks to Vanessa Kogevinas.

I was extremely pleased and I look back with tremendous pride.

We had about 140 people, top notch speakers who were absolutely fantastic. All of the BOLD Masters were brilliant in their own way.

Richard Landry started the conference off by reminding us what HUGE, amazing, jaw dropping work looks like.

Clodagh shared her clarity of vision and gave us a glimpse of her enlightened design and ethos.

People still tell me how her presentation touched them deeply. I think a few people cried. It was powerful.

Julia Molloy and Clodagh at the BOLD Summit Masters Dinner 2015 — Did I mention that I absolutely adore my dear Clodagh!

Mario Buatta brought levity with his antics while he showcased a generation worth of his work.

business of luxury design BOLD Summit by Julia Molloy of Molloy Management Group with Mario Buatta — Mario and I at the BOLD Masters Dinner

Then Vicente Wolf brought the house down with his no nonsense brass tacks talk and Q&A. He wouldn’t stand up on the stage. He wanted to be down on everyone’s level and keep it real. He answered questions, in great detail I might add, about what he charges, how his contract is set up, how he hires, how he fires, how he selects clients, everything. Everyone was relieved to know that even the great Vicente Wolf goes through the same challenges they do. It was a breakthrough moment for many and people are STILL talking about it.

When I ask someone to speak the BOLD Summit, they are told, this is not the -“It’s me show.” This is the “This is how you do it show.”

And we got that in spades last year.

I think most importantly for me, the industry was elevated and my dear design community was indeed empowered. And that’s what I’m in this for. Now, don’t get me wrong, there are a few things I want to improve upon next year.

More small group breakout sessions. More networking time. A more relaxed flow.

More indoor-outdoor movement and a more peaceful vibe, beyond of the bells and bling of Las Vegas.

If it’s anything like last year though, with a renewed vision of what I am creating, everything will fall into place once again. I am looking forward to the next ride and I hope you all come along with me!

Expecting great things-

Julia Alexander Molloy

November 14, 2014

2014 BOLD Summit Announcement

Hi Everyone! I hope you are doing well. Wow, this year is zipping by! Well, I told you a while back that I would have some big announcements for you. As many of you might have gathered, I did go ahead and purchase the 10 year strong, annual Business of Design (BOD) Conference! David Shepherd decided to retire and offered the conference to me. Eventually, I said yes and I am now an international conference owner! It was a big step for my company, but it is the best thing I ever did! Fortunately, I was ready when the opportunity presented itself and I was craving a more dynamic platform by which to advance the design industry and empower designers, which as you know, is my mission.

The BOD, while very impressive, did not quite embody the luxury touch that I resonate with. So, I re-branded the event and it is now called the Business of LUXURY Design Summit or BOLD Summit for short. I shifted the event to be more focused on the particular business needs of luxury oriented interior designers and architects, as this is what my firm, Molloy Management Group has been guiding the industry on for the last 9 years and well, it’s what I know best!

It has been a wonderful adventure putting it together over the last 10 months and way more work than I thought! I absolutely love it though, so no complaints here! This first year I decided to keep it the same days as it has been for the last 10 years, the Thursday and Friday right before labor day, the 28th and 29th of August.

To my great delight, we have been able to gain the support of so many thought leaders in the industry. We have some AMAZING designers coming to share their secrets, namely Mario Buatta, Clodagh, Richard Landry and Vicente Wolf! We also have some big dogs like Crans Baldwin and Lloyd Princeton coming to share with us what you need to know about billing for time and product in this new age of design, as well as some leaders in the design publication arena to talk about what you need to know about how to get published. Michela, President of Dwell, Traditional Home, Hospitality Magazine and Mike Peterson of Luxe will be there.

The list of brilliance at the event is long, but suffice it to say, if you are building your design business and are striving to become a more powerful presence in the world of high-end design, you will want to be there. I’ll share more with you over the coming weeks and you can also take a look at the event here:

If you know me, you know that I am a rubber-meets-the-road kind of person.The BOLD Summit is not going to be a fluff fest, but packed with real business critical content that propels your business forward. This is extremely important to me. This is also why I am giving all of the attendees the recording of the presentations so that you can share the ideas with your team and really implement change back at the office.

Here are a few highlights that our faculty of Design Masters are bringing you at this year’s event!

• Massive amounts of information, knowledge, and strategies that took the most successful masters in the industry DECADES to learn, you’ll learn in TWO DAYS. Why reinvent the wheel? They want to show you how to catapult to success, earning more revenue in less time.

• They’ll explain how they created international luxury brands, how they run their businesses, how they became published, and how they maximize profitability.

• Meet publishers and editors from: DWELL, ROBB Report, Traditional Home, Hospitality Magazine and Luxe!

• David Mandell will discuss ways to streamline operations & cash flow and practices for productive wealth management & protection, tax shelters, etc.

• Lloyd Princeton, Kim Kuhteubl and Chris Ramey will discuss innovative marketing strategies in a changing clientele – what it means to attract your ideal luxury clientele and how to negotiate accordingly.

• Mike Peterson of Luxe Magazine will discuss the importance of branding and HOW to brand yourself for a changing clientele.

• We will take an in-depth look at how other design firms are billing and making money! Including: discount from retail vs. markup, value-based fees vs. time billing, and price-per-square foot strategies and answer that pressing question, WHAT IS THE BEST BILLING MODEL FOR MY FIRM?!

Anyway, I am excited and I am so incredibly blessed to be able to provide this experience to our lovely design community. The coming weeks are all about preparation for the big day. I’ll share more about the award ceremony and how the event is giving back to a few special causes soon.

Until then, let me know if you have any questions on the BOLD Summit and as always,

Expect great things!

Julia A. Molloy