I have one child who has always liked to quantify things and experiences. If you ask, they can pull up a ranking in their Notes app on almost anything. Favorite song? Check. Favorite movie? Check. Favorite animated character? Check. Without fail, every time we walk out of a movie, they will ask, “What was your favorite part?”
I recently read a newsletter article asking people for their “best of” lists for 2024. But she wanted something beyond books or movies. The author was interested in the best cocktail you made or the best line of poetry that you read. I really liked that extension of the traditional end of year list.
In the spirit of “best of” lists, I spent some time thinking about personal and professional bests of the year. Looking at our organization, the International Sleep Products Association had quite a year. In March, ISPA held its biennial EXPO, which covered a record-breaking 164,300 square feet. In August, we welcomed our new president, Alison Keane. In September, ISPA held its third Sustainability Conference, which continued to inspire and bring together folks across the industry to make a difference in mattress design and recycling.
In terms of BedTimes, a few favorites from the past year stood out. Visually, the June ticking cover took top spot for me. It pulled together photos of fabric taken at ISPA EXPO to create a stunning piece of art. Favorite article? Julie A. Palm’s February feature on pocketed coil recycling. It was such a complicated topic, and she made it readable and interesting. Coming in at a close second is Kathryn Greene’s feature on artificial intelligence in the September issue. Artificial intelligence is fascinating, and I’m curious about its applications in the years to come.
My favorite departments in the magazine are focused on people in the industry — Nightcap Q&A and Industry Spotlight, which started in 2024. Speaking of which, if you would like to be featured in either of these departments, please let me know ([email protected]). We can never have too many volunteers.
This issue includes one of my favorite annual articles — the Industry Q&A. I love hearing from industry leaders about their take on the past year and their hopes for the year to come. I enjoy reading the answers to this question most: “What word or phrase do you hope will describe 2025?”
Darren Marcangelo, managing director for Spinks, answered with a motto for the coming year — “Thrive in 25.”
My hope is that, when we look back at 2025 next year, it will have been your favorite year so far.
