NeoCon | 2023

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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

Registration is now open

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

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Now Accepting Entries for The Best of NeoCon 2023 Awards!

Calling all NeoCon 2023 Exhibitors! The submission site is now open for the Best of NeoCon 2023 Awards, the official awards program for NeoCon, recognizing outstanding new products in 56 categories spanning a range of verticals including workplace, healthcare, hospitality, and education sectors. Click below to learn more and begin your submissions!

March 23 Bernhardt Playbook

Exhibitor Spotlight

Designed by Scott Wilson of MNML, Bernhardt Design’s Playbook Conference is a collection of versatile tables designed to meet casual and upscale conference workspaces. Accommodating both large boardrooms of 30 individuals and private rooms of 10, Playbook provides flexible and elegant office solutions. Offering round or square table tops alongside a variety of finishes and unique bases, the possibilities for customization are endless.

March 20 Ghent Classroom Design Elements 2

Exhibitor Spotlight

Today’s educational pedagogy emphasizes critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration; and the modern classroom needs to provide the tools required for active learning. Ghent, a GMi Company specializes in making innovative products for visual communication, space division, and display furniture.

Exhibitor Spotlight

Designed by architects and inspired by real architectural plans, Mute’s OmniRoom is a multifunctional workspace solution that expands the functionality of the future office space. The system offers over 100 ready-to-use room layouts to cover a multitude of functions and area sizes. An ideal solution that meets flexible needs and trends, OmniRoom’s additional wall-mounted furniture is easily attached and rearranged.

March 10 OFS Hex 2 1

Exhibitor Spotlight

Designed to be an intimate space of focus or collaboration, OFS’ Hex is a colorful honeycomb-shaped collection of ottomans, chairs, partition walls, and more. Easily reconfigurable and adaptable, Hex allows users to make a space their own, whether they want to integrate a wall for privacy, incorporate outlets, or accessorize with a markerboard.

March 8 Allermuir Kin

Exhibitor Spotlight

A collection of strong, mono-shell seating designed for Allermuir by innovative design studio Pearson Lloyd, Kin stands out for its beauty and efficiency. Each chair offers maximum comfort using a minimum amount of materials—ensuring sustainable and resourceful design. Encouraging possibility and customization, the family of chairs includes a tub chair, armchair, side chair, and stool available in various upholstery options.

Programming Registration Opens

NeoCon 2023 Programming Registration Opens April 3

This year's NeoCon will offer daily on-site keynotes and featured presentations, a well-rounded roster of virtual and on-site CEU-accredited programs from an impressive roster of leading industry experts, in addition to NeoCon Talks; 20-minute conversations between inspirers, disrupters, leaders, and influencers, both inside and outside the industry.

2023 Web Slides Amy Webb

World-Renowned Futurist, Amy Webb

A trailblazer in determining the ways society will utilize emerging technology, Monday Keynote presenter Amy Webb will challenge the NeoCon audience to think like a futurist; to manage the present while innovating for the future and to practice purpose-driven decision-making.

2023 Web Slides Michael Murphy

Celebrated Designer, Writer, and Teacher, Michael Murphy

Designer, writer, and teacher Michael Murphy will take the stage on Tuesday to explore how our environment shapes our actions, as well as provide insights that help us to build more ethically and honorably.

2023 Web Slides Michael Lupe

Hip Hop Architect, Michael Ford & Grammy Award-Winning Rapper Lupe Fiasco

Prolific, Grammy-winning rapper and producer Lupe Fiasco will join Mike Ford—an award-winning architect known for positioning Hip Hop culture as a catalyst to introducing the world of architecture to underrepresented youth—to discuss how rhythm, poetry, textures, and patterns can stimulate innovation and inspire how we design.

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Keynotes

NeoCon 2023 will offer three timely keynote speakers on each day of the show that you won't want to miss. They will be presented onsite and also available via livestream on the NeoCon Programming Hub. Registration for keynotes and other programming will open April 3.

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Featured Presentations

NeoCon 2023 will offer a compelling lineup of onsite and virtual featured presentations. Details and registration will be available April 3.

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NeoCon Talks

NeoCon is partnering with Work Design Magazine to feature NeoCon Talks. This will feature 20-minute conversations between inspirers, disrupters, leaders, and influencers, both inside and outside the industry. The NeoCon Talks stage will be located in the 7th Floor Exhibit Hall. Programming details coming soon.

230223 Main Image LOUNGE 1 project image Benoy

Guest Blog

Rethinking Office Buildings as Multi-Functional Destinations
Just as retailers vie to lure shoppers from making their purchases online to visiting their stores with the promise of real-life experiences, landlords and employers today have inherited a very similar challenge and must now strategize on how to attract workers back to the office. Thus, commercial landlords find themselves in an entirely new domain of a competitive market—and the plot continues to thicken. Hear from Steve Sutton, Design Director at Benoy.

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!

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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.

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!

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.