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From Home Furnishing Business
NeoCon 2019 Kicks-off Today
June 10,
2019 by Laurie Northington in Industry, Special Events 
NeoCon 2019, an annual event for the commercial interiors industry held at The Mart in Chicago, begins today and runs through June 12.
The 51st edition, “What’s Next is What’s Here,” includes product launches that support human-centered design and innovations that suit the increasingly blurring lines between residential, office and hospitality spaces.
As the show continues to expand, NeoCon attendees will have access to numerous floors of design resources including NeoCon showrooms on 3, 10, 11, and the NeoCon Exhibit Hall on 7, the Design Center on 6, 14 and 15, and LuxeHome on 1, as well as special indoor and outdoor installations.
This year’s event will show how the next frontier of office space can be implemented through a new experiential outdoor space, the NeoCon Plaza. Designed by Gensler Chicago and brought to life in collaboration with Forward Fruit Branded Environments, the project was inspired by the idea of an "Urban Boardwalk" and offers a place to connect, collaborate, relax, recharge, unwind and enjoy the outdoors with a backdrop featuring sweeping views of the Chicago River and cityscape.
Sponsored and outfitted by Haworth and Haworth Collection brands, the NeoCon Plaza also features Sunbrella Contract fabrics, as well as flooring from Interface made from Econyl regenerated and regenerable nylon yarn.
Keynote presentations from influential design voices will anchor the conference program: Robin Standefer and Stephen Alesch, founders of Roman and Williams Buildings & Interiors; Ilse Crawford, creative director/founder of Studioilse; and Liz Ogbu, founder and principal of Studio O.
Nearly 100 educational seminars—exploring everything from the role of play in cultivating innovation, to designing in the era of the #MeToo movement—will complement these headliners, including Industrial Designer and Design Strategist Todd Bracher; CEO/founder of ecomedes Paul Shahriari; founder of Studio O+A, Verda Alexander; and Principal EYP Architecture and Engineering, Leigh Stringer.
New and Expanded Showrooms: Seven new permanent showrooms will make their debut on the 11th floor, including Hightower, Kwalu, Beaufurn, Montisa, Cumberland Furniture, Emeco and HAT Contract. Several brands including Stylex, VS America, Arper, AIS, Okamura, Via Seating and Allermuir/Senator will be expanding and/or relocating in the building, collaborating on their new spaces with top firms.
7th Floor Exhibit Hall: NeoCon's 7th Floor Exhibit Hall will feature nearly 300 leading companies, including 85+ new brands from around the globe. The new to NeoCon exhibitors include Cascando (Netherlands), Pedrali (Italy), Actiu (Spain), SilentLab (Czech Republic), INTO the Nordic Silence (Finland), Luxxbox (Australia), SF Collection (Italy), Slalom (Italy), and Tis the Italian Space (Italy). There will be a strong focus on tech, flexible furniture, sustainable materials, as well as a proliferation of acoustic solutions for the future focused workplace.
Exclusive, Designer-Led Tours: New this year NeoCon is introducing a series of “Inside Design” tours in partnership with IIDA, the commercial interior design association. These exclusive, designer-led tours will venture off-site to some of Chicago’s most innovative and celebrated new spaces—including LinkedIn, Willis Tower, Tao Chicago, and McDonald’s Headquarters.
For a full schedule of events and programs, visit www.neocon.com