Monday Keynote: Jeanne Gang

Jeanne Gang, FAIA, Founding Principal and Partner of Studio Gang, explored a diverse set of Studio Gang’s projects – ranging from large-scale residential work, like the Mission Rock development in San Francisco, to in-depth community engagement and planning efforts in Chicago, to demonstrate how we can rethink design strategies to make cities more inclusive and equitable. Click on the link below to view Johansson's keynote presentation on the NeoCon Hub, through November 6.

KFI Studios

Click on the link below to visit the NeoCon Hub and connect with all the 2021 NeoCon exhibitors, through November 6.

River Park

Attendees and exhibitors enjoyed the autumn outdoors along the Chicago River and connected with colleagues over lunch or drinks from Marshall’s Landing at theMART’s new river park, presented by Haworth.

Tuesday Keynote: Frans Johansson

Frans Johansson, Author and CEO of The Medici Group, shared why the most powerful intersection in the world today is between innovation & strategy and diversity & inclusion - and what this means for you. Click on the link below to view Johansson's keynote presentation on the NeoCon Hub, through November 6.

Steelcase

Click on the link below to visit the NeoCon Hub and connect with all the 2021 NeoCon exhibitors, through November 6.

Metropolis Sustainability Lab

The Metropolis’s Sustainability Lab at NeoCon, helped designers take the next step towards making a positive impact on people and planet. At the Lab, attendees learned about the most innovative products and dove into new initiatives and resources to help advance their work—including a new toolkit to help designers address climate change.

Wednesday Keynote: Jackie Koo

Jackie Koo, founder of her eponymous firm KOO, Architect and Interior Designer of the recently completed Sable hotel on Navy Pier and Interior Designer of the hotel at the historic Old Cook County Hospital, discussed how the best places and spaces are created by both architectural and interior design forces working in the same direction. Click on the link below to view Koo's keynote presentation on the NeoCon Hub, through November 6.

NeoCon 2021 Highlights

Livestreams

NeoCon keynote presentations, special programming, the Best of NeoCon Award-Winners' event and Interior Design's ID Live were livestreamed on the Grand Stair at theMART, as well as on the new NeoCon Hub. Click on the link below to watch select recorded programs that were livestreamed during NeoCon, through November 6.

NeoCon 2021 Highlights

NeoCon Exhibitor, Framery had a special activation on the first floor of theMART during NeoCon.

Ethnicraft

Click on the link below to visit the NeoCon Hub and connect with all the 2021 NeoCon exhibitors, through November 6.

Best of NeoCon Awards 2021

NeoCon was thrilled to unveil the winners of the 30th edition of the highly coveted Best of NeoCon Awards. Each year, top manufacturers across the commercial design industry compete for recognition for their latest product introductions. Best of NeoCon Awards are judged by a highly qualified jury of leading architects, designers, specifiers, enterprise clients, and facility managers. Click on the link below to see the 2021 winners, entrants and jury members.

Best of NeoCon Award-Winners' Event

This year's Best of NeoCon Award-Winners' event was hosted at theMART on monday morning of NeoCon. Dynamic industry veteran and Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of officeinsight, Bob Beck, served as the Master of Ceremonies announcing category winners, Innovation and Sustainability honors, as well as the Best of Competition. Click on the link below to see all the 2021 winners.

https://neocon.com/programming/best-of-neocon

DARRAN Furniture Honey! A Gold winner for Furniture Systems & Enhancements, Honey took home the award for best overall product in the close to 300 product submissions this year. For Honey, DARRAN worked with designers Mark Müller and Christopher Wright to create a soft, rounded, pace-efficient structure that can meander through a room with endless possibilities for configuring the workspace. Congratulations DARRAN!

Best of NeoCon Award

This year’s Best of NeoCon winners received a striking sculptural object designed by award-winning graphic design firm Maiarelli Studio and manufactured by 3form using its Chroma material. Click on the link below to watch the design process for this award.

Best of NeoCon Winner, Snowsound

Mike Dardashti, President, North America of Snowsound, took home Silver and Innovation awards for Acoustic Solutions with their product, Dunes. Click on the link below to see all the 2021 winners.

Best of NeoCon Winner, Scandinavian Spaces

Scandinavian Spaces won Gold, Sustainability and Innovation Best of NeoCon Awards in the Furniture: Occasional Table category for their product, Tinnef. Click on the link below to see all the 2021 winners.

Register to join us.

Meet and celebrate the 2021 recipients of Designing a Better Chicago's Design Impact Grants, the Weaving Mill and SGA Youth Services during this virtual conversation Wednesday, October 20 at 11:30pmCDT along with Tanner Woodford from the Design Museum of Chicago and Maya Bird Murphy, the 2020 grant recipient for Chicago Mobile Makers.

NeoCon Hub

Explore the NeoCon Hub, your online connection to NeoCon 2021. Access exhibitor pages, floor plans, streaming keynote presentations, virtual CEU sessions and networking with the NeoCon Community.

Metropolis: Specify

Dedicated to NeoCon, Metropolis’ Specify will help architects and designers identify the best new products across sectors that make a positive impact on health, equity, and the environment. Click below for the 2021 digital issue.

i+s INSPIRE

In-person visits to showrooms and exhibits at tradeshows are now complemented by virtual experiences. With that, i+s has partnered with several very talented Boston Architectural College students to bring together the best of both worlds. With a digitized version of hand-sketch artistry, what is old is new and fresh again. View showrooms like never before and dive deeper into the design and inspiration behind some of the trendiest spots found at NeoCon.