Hi Colleague,


We hope you're planning to join us for the 2017 WardsAuto Interiors Conference.
The event will be Tuesday, May 9 at the Cobo Center in Detroit.

In addition to hearing the keynote from Ralph Gilles, Head of Design, FCA - Global (and our afternoon keynote to be announced soon), you'll see your choice of panel discussions covering everything from new material innovations to the cockpit of the future.

When you register, you are asked to make your panel discussion choices. Seating for each session is limited, so we encourage you to sign up right away to secure your seat in your most desired sessions:

CHOOSE YOUR EARLY MORNING SESSION:

PANEL 1: Materials Innovations
Materials can make or break a consumer’s first impression of a vehicle interior, but their importance goes far beyond aesthetics. Panelists will discuss the latest concepts for giving designers more creative freedom, reducing weight, reducing cost and optimizing eco-friendliness.

PANEL 2: New Ideas in Seating
A seat is a seat until someone invents something truly new that folds into the floor or uses electronically controlled air bladders to increase comfort. This session looks at examples where designers throw out the rulebook and create something dramatically different.

PANEL 3: Autonomous Interiors 2.0
We’ve all seen the first generation of living-room-on-wheels designs for autonomous vehicles. This session looks at the next generation of concepts being developed with self-driving vehicles in mind.


CHOOSE YOUR LATE MORNING SESSION:

PANEL 4: Lightweighting Interiors
Automakers have spent decades removing mass from vehicles, but there’s still work to do, especially in the cabin. Numerous technologies and strategies for removing weight while still enhancing comfort, quiet and aesthetics will be discussed.

PANEL 5: Creating the Ultimate User Experience
The “user experience,” a term that has migrated from consumer electronics to the world of automotive interior design, presents a new challenge: How do designers and engineers take the flood of information flowing in and out of vehicles and personal devices and turn it into positive encounters that delight, inform, entertain and protect drivers and passengers?

PANEL 6: Manufacturing World-Class Interiors
Panelists will discuss manufacturing processes and technologies that enable automakers and suppliers to produce world-leading interiors.


CHOOSE YOUR AFTERNOON SESSION:

PANEL 7: The Future of Premium Materials
How will current materials associated with luxury such as leather and natural wood evolve to meet future demands for weight reduction, new designs and production efficiencies? What other materials are being developed that offer designers new definitions of luxury?

PANEL 8: Designing the Cockpit of the Future
Before the totally autonomous vehicle arrives in the future, a range of technologies will begin transforming how we interact with cars. Realistically speaking, what will the near-term cockpit, instrument panel and HMI look like for the next several product cycles?

PANEL 9: What do Consumers Really Want?
Car buyers never asked for infotainment systems that connect with smartphones, minivans with two sliding doors instead of one, or even heated seats. Today, many consumers can’t live without these features. This panel will discuss how to anticipate consumer wants and needs in vehicle interiors and how to learn from past mistakes.

• WARDS 10 BEST INTERIORS awards ceremony, with the winning vehicles on display for you to check out
  
  
• EXHIBITS from top interior suppliers (Want to exhibit? Download the fact sheet and contact lschlagheck@wardsauto.com for details.)
  
  
• PANEL DISCUSSIONS featuring top OEM and supplier designers
  
  
• PEER NETWORKING - meet up with colleagues and make new connections
  
  
• STUDENT DESIGN COMPETITION with the College for Creative Studies, sponsored by IAC and Lear