NeoCon Podcast Lounge

What innovations are shaping NeoCon this year? Andrew Lane and Bobby Bonett kicked off the NeoCon Podcast Lounge with a conversation on the standout ideas they were most excited to explore throughout The Mart.

Jessica O. Matthews discussed scaling from invention to infrastructure, exploring how energy, design, and human behavior intersect in the systems we rely on every day.

Michael Ford, “The Hip Hop Architect,” explored his collaboration with Momentum, blending influences from music, architecture, and community into expressive textile and wallcovering design.

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Shaw Contract’s marketing leaders and artist Caroline Zimbalist discussed the creative process behind a cross-disciplinary project blending art, design, and brand storytelling.

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Award-winning composer and cellist Philip Sheppard joined Brant to share two defining moments from his remarkable journey in music. Philip opened up about the moment that changed everything for the better—and the one he wishes he could get back. A powerful conversation about creativity, choices, and the moments that shape who we become.

CEO of Architonic, W. Patrick Loechle, sat down with Brant to reveal the two defining moments that shaped his path in design and leadership. From building one of the world's premier platforms for architects and designers to navigating an industry in transformation, Patrick reflected on the experiences, decisions, and lessons that continue to guide his vision today.

Wick Wolfe shared insights on leadership, legacy, and the evolving role of textiles in shaping modern interior environments.

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Future of (Not) Fast Furniture - Acclaimed industrial designer Brad Ascalon spoke candidly about craft, brand voice, building for longevity, collaboration, and micro-innovations that are needed to help overcome the rush towards corporate profit and trend fulfillment in an era of techno-overload, climate risk, and economic uncertainty.

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We Tested a Gen Z Advisory Model. Here’s What We Learned.

“Mine” your business. Autex explores why waste is a sound investment, sharing its journey toward carbon neutrality through regenerative materials, PET innovations, and circular product design. The session examined how designing for disassembly and extending product life cycles through adaptable accessories can help reshape the future of sustainable manufacturing.

Host David Polzin spoke with Richard Olcott, Design Partner at Ennead Architects, about the role of architecture in shaping the public realm, growing and evolving a design practice to endure over successive generations, and some of the great work Richard has led over his career – from embassies and consulates around the world to world-class academic institutions coast to coast.

From Google X moonshots to the keynote stage at NeoCon, Futures Designer Nick Foster RDI joined Andrew to dive into the challenge of how the architecture and design industry thinks about what’s next — and why better questions may matter more than any answer AI can provide.

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If Workplace Culture Is Failing, How Do We Earn the Trust of the Next Generation? This live NeoCon conversation explored what “failing culture” means for the people designing and furnishing workplace environments, who the next generation of workers are, and what they want from work. It also looked at what it takes for brands, firms, and leaders to stop assuming trust and start earning it.

Future of Interiors — Who better than Cheryl Durst, EVP and CEO of IIDA, to take on such a broad topic? From material choices and sustainability certifications to educating the next generation, protecting the industry from a tech takeover, and continuing to deliver wellness, practicality, and character across spaces, this conversation covered a lot of ground.

David “Shingy” Shing joined NeoConversations to discuss the cultural shifts shaping how brands, workplaces, and people connect in a rapidly changing digital world.

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