In April 2016, the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) will host five District Design Conferences (DDCs), providing hundreds of industrial design students and professionals with the opportunity to network,  explore the latest developments in design and related fields, secure career advice, recognize the next generation of designers in the IDSA Student Merit Awards and tour top-rated U.S. design institutions.

Hear speakers from some of the biggest names in business such as Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, GoPro, Bose, Philips, Whirlpool, SC Johnson, Bissell, Cinnabon and MailChimp, and from top design firms including Whipsaw, Michael Graves, Pensa, TEAMS, Formation and Continuum. Register to attend one or more of the DDCs based on your interests:

Central District Design Conference (CDDC): Industrial "Strength" Design, brought to you by GE Appliances, April 1–2, Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, PA; Chair Jeevak Badve, IDSA Central District VP

West District Design Conference (WDDC): DESIGN: GIFT Empathy Driven Solutions, April 1–2, Metropolitan State University of Denver, CO; Chair Jason Belaire, IDSA West District VP

South District Design Conference (SDDC): desXgn—experience is everything, April 15–16, Auburn University, AL; Chair Chris Livaudais, IDSA South District VP

Midwest District Design Conference (MWDDC): Disrupt, Construct and Transform, April 22–23, University of Illinois-Urbana/Champaign; Chair Marianne Grisdale, IDSA Midwest District VP

Northeast District Design Conference (NEDDC): I am a Designer: AMA. April 29–30, High School of Art and Design, New York City; Chair Jeremy Van Hill, IDSA Northeast District VP. Submit your questions to the speakers now!

The DDC chairs, who are part of IDSA's Board of Directors, are pledging to challenge and reinvigorate attendees. "If there was ever a perfect time to unleash the raw power of the fundamentals of industrial design, it's now!" says Badve, who is hosting his fifth conference. "Industrial design always has had a meaningful position. From now on, it's only going to be more strategic. We should proudly declare, "We are industrial designers!"