The Trend Report - Insights on Office Furniture, Contract Interiors & Workplace Design
Welcome to The Trend Report, your inside look at the people, products, and ideas shaping the future of workplace design. This podcast takes you behind the scenes of the office furniture industry and the broader interior design community. Hosted by industry veteran Sid Meadows, each episode dives deep into the conversations, trends, and strategies shaping the future of our industry.
From insightful interviews with industry innovators, brand builders, design leaders, CEOs, and changemakers to real-world discussions on workplace trends, sales strategies, and furniture design, The Trend Report delivers the knowledge and inspiration you need to stay ahead. Whether it’s exploring how workplace design impacts the future of work, uncovering innovations in commercial furniture, or understanding the connection between real estate and design, this is your inside look at the ever-changing world of contract interiors.
If you’re an architect, interior designer, manufacturer, dealer, or simply passionate about the office furniture and design industry, this podcast is your trusted guide to what’s now and what’s next.
To learn more, please visit https://www.sidmeadows.com/podcast
Episodes
206 episodes
10 to Win: Do You Have 8 Minutes?
A casual text can hide a real request for help, and we often miss it because it looks like everyday conversation. Join Sid in this exploration of how an eight-minute phone call can interrupt loneliness for leaders and friends, and why simple pr...
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What's A Snapshot Really Worth? with Stephen Searer of Office Snapshots
Listen as Sid sits down with Steven Searer, founder of Office Snapshots, about how a side project built from pure curiosity turned into one of the most trusted workplace design resources in commercial interiors. They dig into curation, tagging,...
Hot Takes with Janeen Waddell of Navitas Credit
Joining Sid on this Hot Takes episode is Janeen Waddell of Navitas Credit. Together they challenge a few “normal” habits in the contract furniture world that quietly slow projects down and frustrate buyers. They also dig into why speed, financi...
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Have We Designed Nature Out of the Workplace? with Sadig Alakbarov & Vanessa Lindbeck
Listen as Sid sits down with Sadig and Vanessa from Greenmood to unpack why nature belongs inside the spaces where we work, heal, and gather. They break down preserved plants, biophilic design, and the surprising ways natural materials can impr...
10 to Win: Are You Missing The Signals?
The most expensive business and leadership mistakes often come from a lack of awareness, not a lack of intelligence. Sid breaks down three simple habits that help us see reality faster, make better decisions, and stop forcing outcomes that are ...
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What Happens When Listeners Become the Hosts?
Continue with The Trend Report Episode 200 celebration with bonus content that gets personal, as our guests share their favorite Trend Report episodes and moments. They also flip the script on Sid with rapid-fire questions that reveal what he w...
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What Happens When the Listeners Take the Mic?
Listen as Sid celebrates Episode 200 of The Trend Report by handing the mic to four longtime listeners for an honest roundtable on how all the players in commercial interiors work together. They dig into respect, relationships, sales habits tha...
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What Happens When Product Designers Think Like Farmers? with Fernando Ramirez & Justin Beitzel
Sid talks with Justin Beitzel and Fernando Ramirez about building OkaTerra by starting with farmers, waste streams, and regenerative materials rather than a product spec sheet. The main thread running through the whole conversation is simple: t...
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Hot Takes with Matt Danyliw of Avanto
Sid spins the wheel with Avanto CEO Matt Danyliw and trade honest hot takes on leadership, AI, and what customers value now. The through-line is simple: stop hiding behind “we’ve always done it this way” and start building teams and systems tha...
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What Happens When You Decide to Become Visible? with Erica Jaffe
Join Sid as he chats with Erica Jaffe, known online as the Office Furniture Girl, about turning visibility into service and using content to build trust before a deal ever closes. They trace her path from interior design to dealer life, then di...
10 to Win: What if it Works?
Sid explores why fear often keeps us from making the very moves that would create growth, and why the better question is not “what if it doesn’t work?” but “what if it does?” He breaks down the three traits we see in leaders who build momentum ...
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CEO Chat: What is the Dealer of the Future? with Tim Carroll of Lyric Workplace
Join Sid as he chats with Tim Carroll, CEO of Lyric Workplace, about how contract interiors dealers can stay relevant as technology, AI, and buyer expectations reshape the market. They dig into leadership, brand, and speed to market as the real...
Hot Takes with Clint Winn of Loftwall
Sid trades unscripted hot takes with Clint Winn of Loftwall on what moves the contract interiors industry forward, from workplace privacy and modular “room in room” thinking to the way we earn trust with designers. They touch on sales certifica...
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What is Real Sustainability? with Jon Strassner
We talk with Jon Strassner about why sustainability in contract interiors is misunderstood, and why “planet health” is a clearer target than chasing labels. We unpack what certifications can and cannot prove, then land on simple questions leade...
The Importance of a Strategic Plan with Susan Pilato & Michelle Warren
Susan Pilato and Michelle Warren join Sid to challenge the idea that more activity automatically creates growth, and they lay out what a true strategic plan looks like for small businesses in the contract interiors world. They share how outside...
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10 to Win: What Separates Good Businesses From Great Ones?
Sid looks past the celebrity and fame and identifies practical business lessons from Taylor Swift’s strategic playbook: turn adversity into fuel, build customer loyalty that beats price, and grow with a team that elevates the work. Let's challe...
Creating A Business Growth Machine with Simona Constantini of Volt Productions
Simona Constantini of Volt Productions joins Sid to talk about why business owners need to stop treating podcasting like a marketing extra and explain how it becomes a real business asset for trust, visibility, and long-term growth in contract ...
Hot Takes with Rob Kirkbride of officeinsight
We're back with another Hot Takes episode. Sid spins the wheel with Rob Kirkbride from officeinsight, discussing topics on selling, marketing, and trust in the contract interiors world. They challenge each other on vertical specialization, call...
Using AI to Clone Your Business Expertise with Anika Jackson
Join Sid as he chats with Anika Jackson about using Delphi to clone her voice and expertise so people can get real answers 24/7 without demanding more hours from her calendar. They break down what to upload, how to set guardrails, and how brand...
10 to Win: The Visibility Problem No One Talks About
This week, challenge yourself with one sharp question: if your content disappeared, would your customers even notice? Sid is breaking down what “adding value” really means in a noisy, AI-fueled content world and sharing simple ways ...
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Future Ready Learning Environment with Dr. Lennie Scott-Webber and Libby Ferin of Marco
Sid is digging into why the future of learning deserves as much attention as the future of work with Dr. Lennie Scott-Webber and Libby Ferin of Marco. They discuss how classrooms quietly shape behavior, connection, and performance for years to ...
Hot Takes with Kay Sargent of HOK
The Hot Takes Wheel is spinning again! This time Kay Sargent from HOK joins Sid to discuss what is breaking, what is evolving, and what needs to get simpler in the contract interiors world. They dig into dealers, talent, consolidation, and AI, ...
CEO Chat with Chris Hanes of Officeworks
Sid talks with Officeworks CEO Chris Hanes about leading through consolidation while stepping into a bigger role and keeping the dealer business grounded in trust, process, and people. They dig into coaching, talent development across generatio...
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Hot Takes with Michelle Warren of The Collaborative Network
Sid spins the Hot Takes Wheel with Michelle Warren of The Collaborative Network and Catalyst Consulting. They unpack the questions that keep the contract furniture world debating what works. Michelle and Sid get specific about direct sales, hyb...
3form's New AI Visualization Tool + More with Karli Slocum & Cosmo Kramer
Sid is digging into what it looks like when AI moves from headlines to real workflow inside a contract interiors manufacturer. Karli Slocum and Cosmo Kramer break down how 3form uses digital visualization and an AI knowledge agent to speed up a...
