From the Community Blog

Many of you have “grown up” in the industry attending NeoCon over the years. And the legacy continues. This year, young and budding designers and other new talents will attend NeoCon for an unparalleled opportunity to gain exposure to the professional business of design. We are excited to welcome more than 50,000 new and experienced industry members to our 50th edition June 11-13.

There are endless opportunities to connect with the commercial design community at NeoCon. Manufacturers, dealers, architects, designers, end-users, design organizations and media travel from around the world to see what’s new and next and to engage with each other. NeoCon 50 will be a particularly vibrant hub for the community with a non-stop schedule of networking, events and celebrations. Visit the Features page for a look at what’s in store.

Parties and events throughout NeoCon’s first 49 years have contributed greatly to the vitality of the show, breathing energy into each day and providing unparalleled opportunities to connect with industry members. For this year’s 50th edition of NeoCon, we plan to celebrate the past, present and, most importantly, future of our vibrant industry. Join the NeoCon community to celebrate “50 Years of Tomorrow’s Design” and to usher in the future at The Future Is PARTY, presented by Mohawk Group. This will be an event worthy of a half century—you won’t want to miss it! Tickets are $50 with proceeds benefiting DIFFA/Chicago. Come ...

Carol Ross Barney, Founder and Design Principal, Ross Barney Architects, will be speaking at NeoCon on creating livable environments that enrich the metropolitan experience. We chatted with Carol about her past NeoCon experiences, and her favorite things to do in Chicago. Do you remember your first NeoCon experience? I do. I was a very young architect working for Holabird and Root. I remember the anticipation in the office for the lectures and the parties. Do you have memories or anecdotes to share about NeoCons past? The Architects Licensing Exam used to be offered just once a year in June and was ...

This interview was conducted by Metropolis as part of its NeoCon 50 retrospective series as told to Avinash Rajagopal. Since 2011, Todd Bracher has had a host of releases at NeoCon—across product categories like furniture, flooring, and lighting—and has also designed a number of showrooms at the Mart. On the occasion of NeoCon’s 50th edition, Bracher spoke to Metropolis about how American design is different from the European scene and how NeoCon has been a vital to its development. I had been living overseas for a long while so I hadn’t been to NeoCon until 2007. Interestingly enough, I discovered that NeoCon ...

This interview was conducted by Metropolis as part of its NeoCon 50 retrospective series as told to Avinash Rajagopal. The founder of the lighting company Pardo has launched a series of award-winning LED solutions at NeoCon. On the occasion of the fair’s 50th edition, Pardo spoke to Metropolis about the transformation of the workplace lighting, and the role of NeoCon in the LED revolution. In 2007, we launched the Brazo lamp with Haworth, which won Neocon Gold as well as Best of Competition—the very first time a lamp had won Best of show. It was indeed a very fortunate beginning for us ...

Art Gensler founded his award winning firm in 1965 and is widely credited with elevating the practice of interior design to professional standing. Art will sit down with Cheryl Durst, IIDA executive vice president and CEO, at NeoCon to share some of the unanticipated opportunities that have helped shape his career. We had the opportunity to chat with him about his career, his thoughts on the industry, and some of his favorites things about Chicago. Do you remember your first NeoCon experience? I remember the vastness of the show. All the terrific showrooms and displays of new products. What inspires you ...

This interview was conducted by Metropolis as part of its NeoCon 50 retrospective series as told to Avinash Rajagopal. Dorothy Cosonas has been a longtime participant at NeoCon, and for the last twelve years in her current role as creative director of KnollTextiles. On the occasion of NeoCon’s 50th edition, Cosonas spoke to Metropolis about her memories of the fair, how NeoCon has become a platform for storytelling around textile design, and how she uses the occasion to engage with the next generation of designers. When our March 2006 collection was previewed at the Knoll showroom, I remember the incredible amount of ...

This interview was conducted by Metropolis as part of the NeoCon 50 retrospective series as told to Avinash Rajagopal. At age 82, the veteran furniture designer still attends NeoCon—he was at The Mart last year to mark the launch of the new and improved Herman Miller Aeron chair, which he first designed in 1994. On the occasion of NeoCon’s 50th Edition, Chadwick spoke to Metropolis about his favorite product to be released at NeoCon, how product releases have changed over the years, and what he thinks should be the goals for product designers today. My first NeoCon was in 1974—that's when Herman ...

This year NeoCon celebrates its 50th edition as the annual gathering place for the commercial design world. We are proud to host an event that has connected our industry for half a century, and certainly know the continued growth and success isn’t possible without the participants that return year after year. We’d like to highlight the years spent together as a community, so when you register, be sure to include your first year at NeoCon. Whether you’re a seasoned veteran, or attending for the first time, we appreciate your contribution to NeoCon and the industry, and hope to see you ...