Staging & Redesign are the same thing..... right?

I received an email over the weekend from a fellow stager in another state asking me questions about the business.  We belong to the same organization and from the time period she took her training I wondered if she actually had STAGING TRAINING or simply redesign training.  So, I asked the question..... This was her reply...

"We did stage (redesign) 2 homes during my 5 day training class, but you are right not much distinction was made between interior redesign and staging."

Now, let me start by saying that  the organization we both belong to, IRIS, is an excellent organization and their redesign training is top notch.  I will also say that I only got maybe 30 minutes (tops) on staging in our 5 day certification course.  Given that it was a REDESIGN course, I think that was ok.  Until recently you could only get certification on redesign, not staging.  That is a new arena for IRIS and currently there are only 2 approved instructors nationally (both on the West Coast).  I am actually applying to be an east coast instructor & her answer worries me a little.

Do most redesigners think that staging is simply redesigning?  Do they believe that they are interchangable?  Redesign & staging are opposite sides of the same coin, in my opinion.  Both are important to learn to be well rounded & successful in this business.  If little distinction about the differences were made, this could lead to difficulties actually understanding what we do & why we do it. 

If you took a course on staging you would not know everything there is to be a good redesigner (unless you inherently know it).  If you take a course on redesign, you should not automatically believe you know what it takes to be a stand out stager (again, unless you inherently know it).  I would also say that just because you inherently know the 'how to' parts of arranging art, furniture, etc DOES NOT mean that you know how to turn it into a successful business.  This is one of the advantages of taking most of these courses. 

If you took a redesign course only and are finding breaking into this business, or are not getting the results (quicker sale time, etc) that you find with other stagers, take a look and decide if maybe you haven't been trained with the right skill set.  Targeting the right audience for staging & redesign are very different.  Make sure you know the difference!

I also feel the need to note that some IRIS instructors MAY have more comprehensive staging instruction.  Each instructor creates their own manual based on an established curriculum and has it approved individually.  This means you may need to check with an instructor beforehand to find out how much you will learn on staging if it is important to you.