NeoCon | 2023

NeoCon has served as the world’s leading platform and most important event of the year for the commercial interior design industry since 1969.

June 12–14
THE MART
Chicago

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A launch pad for innovation, NeoCon offers ideas and introductions that shape the built environment today and into the future.
About NeoCon

Exhibitor Spotlight

Defined by its striking backrests and woven stainless steel polypropylene rope, Pedrali’s latest outdoor lounge collection, Reva Cocoon, has a cozy ambiance and natural appearance. Designed by Patrick Jouin, the seat’s unique curvature provides a feeling of envelopment and is enhanced by soft cushions resting on the structure.

Exhibitor Spotlight

Nucraft Furniture’s Ascari collection adds elegance and luxury to most meeting rooms. A collaboration with Gensler, Ascari is built for an evolving workplace and is designed to enhance the user experience, while offering striking visual appeal.

Exhibitor Spotlight

Designed to “make comfort effortless,” Steelcase Karman is engineered to naturally respond to the body’s movement and weight, providing instant comfort and custom support. With a proprietary performance textile and ultra-light frame, Steelcase Karman delivers industry-leading comfort, ergonomics, and sustainability.

Exhibitor Spotlight

Intentionally designed to elevate communication, the Geo Collection by Ghent, a GMi Company, provides functional art installations for any office space. All Geo products—the Geo Partition, Geo Huddleboard, and Geo Mobile—feature clean lines and trapezoidal shapes in a variety of vibrant colors, creating a purposeful meeting space that fosters clear communication and open collaboration.

Exhibitor Spotlight

Plaid is in style this season with Turf's newest acoustic ceiling scape! Aptly named, Plaid is a highly flexible criss-cross structure offered in varying layouts, connections, and colors, making it a solution that helps designers and architects turn their visions into reality. Plaid can be a continuous system or a breathtaking standalone installation.

NeoCon 2023 Call for Presentations Now Open

We invite the NeoCon community to submit a presentation for consideration for NeoCon 2023 Programming.

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NeoCon 2022 Highlights

Monday Keynote
Nick Cave, internationally renowned Chicago-based artist, and his partner and design collaborator Bob Faust, Principal and Creative Director for art and design studio, Faust, took part in a dynamic conversation on the art of collaboration, hybrid practice, and the design of life, moderated by Cheryl S. Durst, IIDA Executive Vice President and CEO. Watch the recorded video on the Program Library.

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NeoCon 2022 Highlights

Tuesday Keynote
Legendary designer, author, educator, and artist Bruce Mau, presented a timely message on life-centered design and offered a clear path towards developing innovative, sustainable, and holistic solutions to complex, interrelated challenges.

NeoCon Highlights

Wednesday Keynote
Multicultural designer, educator, and autho, Shashi Caan delved into the meaningful improvement of quality of life as shaped by design. Drawing on extensive international work experience, she explored the foundational development for the design industry to address current societal challenges. Peter Exley, co-founder of Architecture is Fun and 2021 AIA National President, joined Shashi in the conversation.

NeoCon Highlights

THE MART 2.0: A New Era: Gensler's Todd Heiser and Lily Diego explored THE MART’s evolution as it takes on a new relevance to best serve the design and business communities of Chicago and beyond.

NeoCon 2022 Highlights

Designing for Measurable Impact: ASID Outcome of Design: Interior designers strive to create spaces that elevate the human experience, delivering beneficial outcomes to clients and end users. Have you been curious about measuring these outcomes to better validate and communicate the value of design? A panel of industry experts provided inspiration and empowerment to start incorporating outcome measures to positively impact people, place, and planet.

Designing a Better Chicago - Panel Discussion

Designing a Better Chicago shines a light on our city’s extraordinary design legacy—the local talent, assets, and community that have long supported civic good through design.

NeoConnect

This 2-day event is the first installment of NeoConnect, a new series of engaging, multi-day programs and events held at THE MART throughout the year. The event will offer six complimentary CEU sessions per day hosted by and within a number of Mart showrooms. Click on the link below to register.

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DIFFA Art for Life

DIFFA Chicago’s juried in-person art exhibition and auction took place at THE MART in the North Lobby on October 20. Art for Life Chicago Ambassador, artist Sergio Gomez was joined by co-host Jenny Vyas for an evening of art, entertainment, sips, bites, live and silent auction bidding for amazing art!

Chicago Textile Week

The third annual Chicago Textile Week explored and celebrated all things textiles through textile focused programming at THE MART and throughout the Chicagoland area. THE MART was this year’s hub of CTW, featuring an art exhibition, artists “in-residence” at showrooms, panels, and a community celebration. It was a great opportunity for the NeoCon community to stay connected outside of the event in June.

Guest Blog

The Workplace is Back in Session
As summer came to an end and I prepared my son to head back to school, my thoughts drifted back to a time when my work was focused on designing schools. No matter if the project was for a higher education or grade school client, even decades ago we spoke of the need to create environments that would better serve learners of all types and styles. Hear from Alexis Kim, Principal and Workplace Practice Strategist, SmithGroup

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Guest Blog

Agility is Critical in the Hybrid Workplace
"After taking a brief hiatus from attending NeoCon in the wake of the pandemic, I was thrilled to be presented with the opportunity of returning to the show as a first-time Best of NeoCon juror. I’m pleased to say the experience did not disappoint. As I arrived early to the show, I was able to get a sneak peek and in-person look at a plethora of innovative solutions and discover the commercial design industry’s biggest trends." Hear from Chen Hui Spicer, Regional Design Director, Nelson Worldwide

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i+s Design Connections

On September 19th and 20th, i+s magazine hosted 30 design professionals at THE MART for their Design Connections event. The Design Connections event series brings designers and manufacturers together through one-on-one meetings, focus groups, accredited educational sessions and networking and social events. Click on the link below to read more about the event. Visit https://www.themart.com/design-at-themart/ to learn more about design events happening at THE MART throughout the year.

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Guest Blog

Three ways to optimize office design delivery amidst volatility. Too many thoughtful designs are diluted by the time they’re built. Yours needn’t be.
Visionary design always means taking risks. Traditionally, the riskiest step is handing off the design documents to let the construction team take over. However, by ensuring breakthrough design solutions can stay intact for your clients, you’ll help shape environments and experiences that deliver on the full potential to spark brilliance. Hear from Alex Dupnik, Design Associate, Unispace.

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Design Nerds Anonymous podcast

Amanda Schneider interviews Byron Morton, Vice President of Sales and Leasing at THE MART, and Avinash Rajagopal, Editor-in-Chief of Metropolisto discuss the key issues influencing change and the current conversations in the commercial interior design industry. Click link below to listen!

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Guest Blog

The Evolution of an Icon: Creating a New Experience at THE MART
“THE MART is a creative center and hub of design, and the changes being implemented represent an amalgam of genres coexisting in a balanced and eclectic landscape." Read the latest From The Community blog by Gensler Chicago's Todd Heiser and Gensler Detroit's Lily Diego, where they give a firsthand look into the expansive renovation of our beloved Merchandise Mart.

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