The Society of British and International Design (SBID) is set to tackle a persistent taboo in the interior design industry – the issue of non-payment – during one of its biggest annual events for design professionals.
This all-too-common industry injustice is a challenge SBID will address head on during the forthcoming Meet The Buyer event in October. A panel discussion featuring an expert line-up will outline the issues and examine what is being done to protect professionals.
Designers, specifiers and manufacturers are invited to take part in the discussion.
Getting paid by a client at the end of a project can be a thorny issue for interior designers and is still one of the biggest challenges for many designers. With construction and interior design among the least regulated professions, many professionals in these industries remain at the mercy of clients when it comes to payment. When a client chances non-payment – which often occurs where the sums are substantial – the costs and delays incurred by the professional for court proceedings often outweigh the sum in question. In these cases, the designer or contractor is more willing to settle for a lower sum than the due amount.
Speaking on the panel will be: interior designer Joanna Frances, who recently won a case against a client for non-payment; head of intellectual property office mediation service, Stephen Probert; and SBID CEO Dr Vanessa Brady OBE, who has had her own experiences of non-payment.
The seminar will take place at 10.30am on 24th October as part of the SBID Meet The Buyer event, which brings together some of the best interior designers to meet with design-led product manufacturers from around the world. Spaces to attend can be booked via the SBID website.
As a campaigner for regulation in the interior design industry, Vanessa Brady has raised the issue of non-payment regularly at cross-party Government meetings in parliament.
