If we shadows have offended,

Think but this, and all is mended,

That you have but slumber’d here

While these visions did appear.

— Act V, scene ii-epilogue, A Midsummer Night’s Dream

These famous lines at the end of A Midsummer Night’s Dream are addressed to the audience as a disclaimer: if you didn’t like the play, imagine that the whole thing was a dream. How many of us might want to apply this sentiment to 2011, to think of it as some kind of dream? Based on my conversations, there are a number of you who hope to wake up to improved circumstances in the New Year.

For me, 2011 was about rebooting. To say it started with a bang would be true, but not accurate. There were two bangs. One, a bombshell. The other, fireworks. These events set in motion a cascade of events, among them the opportunity to meet many people willing to share their knowledge, experience and opinions.

This enabled me to bring you, the readers of Please Remain Seated, news from those taking our industry in new directions. To the readers, who I appreciate so much, and to the industry leaders, who I owe a debt of gratitude, are dedicated these Hat Tips of 2011.

Photo credit: President Calvin Coolidge, 1924, from the Library of Congress

To Haworth — a hat tip for their program of deploying advanced Revit content into the marketplace, and for talking up BIM to the architect and design community. In the spirit of legendary Coach Lombardi’s emphasis on the fundamentals, you have tightly focused on “getting it right” in every step of developing Revit content, supporting professional development, and growing a BIM-culture throughout your organization.

To Shape Environments — a hat tip for creating Revit content that combines a lightweight structure for ease of use with an option-rich format that satisfies BIM users’ demanding needs. As highly specialized developers, you have invested in conferences and working groups that educate about the “now” of BIM and explore its future, including what enhancements of Revit content may be needed.

To Ergotron — hats off for your efforts to develop a sit/stand work culture through outreach, knowledge sharing and research support. In establishing JustStand.org, a non-profit organization, access to a curated set of videos, online tools and recent studies is available to all, free of charge. Links are provided for many workplace products, not solely Ergotron’s. JustStand is a growing community, attracting researchers and engaging a worldwide following.

To Crossville Tile — a hat tip for your innovative sustainability programs. First, the Sustainable Samples ‘Tile’ Kit that provides specifiers with the full-line of ‘tiles’ in a compact, card-stock presentation. Next, the Tile Take-Back Program, which recycles fired porcelain tiles used as samples or installed flooring through an SCS-certified Fired Waste Process. Finally, for partnering with TOTO to recycle that company’s pre-consumer fired sanitary ware.

Photo credit: Hat Tip drawing, 2011, from the blog Byzantine, TX

To Steelcase, Herman Miller and Turnstone — hats off to each of you for consistently responding to information requests and offering subject matter experts on a variety of topics.

To the National Institute of Building Sciences — this hat tip is for generously providing follow-up information about the Specifier’s Properties information exchange and BIM developments.

To the IIDA headquarters staff and members — a tip o’ the hat for your generosity and openness in sharing experiences for my research project. These became the foundation of my NeoCon presentation and whitepaper about improving relationships between designers and office furniture dealers. This content also evolved into our WOW Factor training program.

Photo credit: Wordsworthonline.blogspot.com

To AIA National, AIA Interiors, Allsteel, Architectural Lighting, Davis Furniture, Design Intelligence, Dirtt, Halcon, Hon Company, Humanscale, IFMA, Inscape, InterfaceFLOR, Izzy+, KI Furniture, Keilhauer, Knoll, Nuture by Steelcase, and Wilsonart — my hat is off to you (plus other industry friends) for sharing great content, for interacting and for more than the occasional retweet to your followers.

To daily and weekly Twitter newspaper subscribers — your comments and retweets are greatly appreciated. These papers could not published without great contributors to the A-List Daily (office furniture), the Afternoon Daily (architecture & design), the Floor-Show Weekly (flooring), and the Punch List Weekly (dealers). A tip of the hat your way!

To an exceptional circle of friends — you have been invaluable for advice, feedback and, sometimes, your willingness to travel, have lunch and (sometimes) either edit or help with creating content. Hat tip to you!

Thus, we bid farewell to 2011 and make ready for 2012. See you in the New Year, or as Shakespeare’s Oberon might have said it:

 Trip away; make no stay;

Meet me all by break of day.

— Act V, scene i, A Midsummer Night’s Dream

__________

Hat Tip — From the Urban Dictionary: Acknowledgement to a contributor toward an effort. From Wikipedia: a cultural expression of recognition, respect, gratitude…in the blogosphere, to acknowledge someone who has made a significant contribution toward an effort…

Follow stephenmwitte on Twitter, where you can see daily and weekly newspaper updates.