For 50 years, interior designers from around the world have traveled to The Merchandise Mart in Chicago every June to attend the biggest tradeshow in our industry. This year we decided to send the team on their first trip to NeoCon for the 50th anniversary year! It was a whirlwind of a trip with so much to do and see. We had a blast!
We met in the RBA parking lot at 3:15 IN THE MORNING on Sunday, and caught an early flight out of San Francisco that got us to Chicago early in the day to allow for some sight-seeing before the tradeshow started.
We all took an architectural riverboat tour on the historic Chicago canal to familiarize ourselves with the cityscape.
We went to see the Cloud Gate sculpture (AKA The Bean)!
Monday morning started NeoCon, which kicked off with a keynote presentation, “Unanticipated Opportunities – A Conversation Between Art Gensler and Cheryl Durst”, where Gensler went into detail about some of the opportunities that contributed to the success he has achieved throughout his career.
We explored many of the showrooms that fill the massive, 19 story Merchandise Mart and saw a few familiar faces and ton of new and innovative products. We saw everything from flooring to textiles, acoustic felt panels to biophilic wall treatments, height adjustable conference tables, medical patient chairs that convert into exam tables, LVT made out of recycled plastic bottles, and everything in between.
We left Chicago early Tuesday morning (we had clients to get back to after all!) with tired feet, full hearts, and renewed inspiration regarding the industry that we’re all so passionate about.
