Alexandra and Amanda have just arrived in New York City to enjoy a few days of meetings, great events, and of course– fun. (Would you expect anything less?)
Kicking off today is House Beautiful’s “Kitchen of the Year“ in Rockefeller Plaza– an event full of cooking demonstrations with celebrity chefs, tastings, kitchen design tips, and a fully rendered “Kitchen of the Year” designed by Jeff Lewis. After the daytime activities conclude, Alexandra and Amanda will attend House Beautiful’s “Kitchen of the Year” opening night gala! For more details, watch the video below– and be sure to check Twitter for updates and photos by Alexandra and Amanda.

They will also be meeting with ultra-talented GDM member Ondine Karady at the event, whose 50′s movie- inspired kitchen, “Bumblebee by the Beach,” which was designed for House Beautiful’s “Uncompromising Design“ video series can be seen below.  Alexandra and Amanda have just updated that Ondine’s video has been playing on the big screen in Rockefeller Plaza throughout today’s event– congratulations!  Tomorrow, Ondine’s kitchen design will continue its reign in the spotlight at cooking demos and more sponsored by Jenn-Air.

Credit: Ondine Karady for House Beautiful

Tomorrow, Alexandra and Amanda will attend the Word of Mouth Marketing Supergenius Conference hosted by Gaspedal for some educational nourishment.  The event will feature how-to crash courses in Word of Mouth (WOM) Marketing, brilliant speakers, and real-world case studies.

If you happen to be in New York, head over to Rockefeller Plaza to partake in some of these exciting events. Even if you’re not a design enthusiast, there’s sure to be something for everyone to enjoy!

Again, stay updated on Twitter and follow Alexandra and Amanda as they journey through New York! More to follow…

Tomorrow is National Martini Day, but today is National Splurge Day (or National $plurge Day).  It’s probably fitting that a drinking holiday comes the day after a huge spending holiday.  You will likely need a drink after the fortune that you spend, or at least think about spending, on a great day of stimulating consumption.

I asked a few of our team members what they would splurge on today.

Martha's splurge- a vacation ending in Savannah, Georgia

“A 2 week vacation along the East Coast – New York to Savannah, Georgia, visiting museums, historical sites, etc.”  – Martha Kirkpatrick, Director, Member Services

“Haha I will try to think of something other than the iPad… although let’s be honest!” – Amanda Butterworth, Senior Director, Creative Services

“I would upgrade the rest of my flights in 2010 to First Class.  I might also buy some new Ferragamo shoes so I’m flying in style.”  – Yours truly (Alexandra)

“Prada shoes.” – Andrea Gibson, Advisor

Amanda's splurge- An Apple iPad. Photo: wired.com

On this spending day, I also started thinking about what I would really want to splurge on for Gibson Design Management or any of our other companies.  (more…)