Deck the Halls With FIU's Festival of Trees, Preview to be Held Dec. 7

MIAMI (November 20, 2000) - Florida International University's Festival Of Trees will once again light up Miami as some of South Florida's top designers create unique holiday trees to kickoff the festive season.

The 14th Annual Festival Of Trees, which was created to promote greater design awareness in the South Florida community, will adorn the lobby of the One Brickell Square building in downtown Miami.

A preview gala for the festival will take place on Thursday, December 7 from 6 to 9 p.m. Proceeds from the event will benefit FIU's School of Architecture Interior Design Endowed Scholarship Fund. Tickets, which include a full buffet and open bar, are $35 in advance and $45 at the door.

This year's participants and sponsors include:
ADD, Inc. for Steelcase

Design Tex, Details, JM Lynne, Metro, Revest, Sifsi and Vecta

Beame Architectural Partnership for Prince Street Technologies, Ltd.

Bermello, Ajamil & Partners, Inc. for Office Dimensions

Bridgehouse for Dacra Development Corp.

David Hamilton & Associates for Spinneybeck, Inc.

Design Perceptions for Innovations in Wallcovering, Inc.

Forbes Architects for Haworth, Inc.

IA Interior Architects, Inc. for Herman Miller

ID-Insight Design, Inc., for Howard Shore Associates

Industrial Design Form Corp. and Levine, Calderin & Associates for Design Center of the Americas

Jacqulyn Yde Design, Inc. for Farrey's Lighting & Bath

Leotta Designers, Inc., for Office Elements, Inc.

RTKL Snoweiss Design Group for Knoll, Inc.

Spillis Candela DMJM for M. Hanson & Co., Inc.

Swanke Hayden Connell Architects for Thomas W. Ruff & Co.

Tom Graboski Design Associates, Inc. for James P. Colie & Associates, Inc.

Wolfberg Alvarez & Partners for Office Interiors International

Yoshino Architects/Yoshino Design Group for Teknion, Inc.

Zyscovich, Inc. for Office Interiors of Florida

Arango, Inc. is also going to sponsor a tree designed by the winners of a student design competition at FIU. Other sponsors of the event are Bacardi-Martini USA, Inc., Brasserie Les Halles, Café Avanti, KI and Pallas Textiles, Maharanm and Anna Suarez.

The festival, which is free and open to the public, runs December 8 -30 at One Brickell Square, located at 801 Brickell Avenue. The lobby will be open daily, including weekends during these dates from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. For more information or to reserve tickets call 305-348-1867. Visit the Festival of Trees website.

MEDIA CONTACT: Aileen Izquierdo, 305-348-6999