Dear Stephen,
I'm a commercial designer with a major architectural interiors firm. I work out of the Atlanta office of a company headquartered elsewhere. We are so busy, and our clients want fresh ideas, so my company flew me to New York for ICFF. #WANTED is now a part of #ICFF. The shows were busy and had the energy that only being in NYC can bring to the table.
I also went to some events at #DesignNY and #Interni and the various showroom parties all over the city... from Madison Avenue to Brooklyn! No talk of #tariffs, just fresh products and business as usual. What I did notice, however, was an extra-large population of fellow architects and designers from major firms like #Gensler, #PerkinsWill, #SOM, #HKS, #CannonDesign, #SmithGroup that were at the trade shows in NY. Even though we all do commercial design, we love residential and luxury brands. And this week in New York brings together the best of both of those worlds, which is inspirational for us. Most everyone I spoke to said they were looking forward to going to #DesignDays and #NeoCon in Chicago this June as well!
People were talking about visiting #MillerKnoll's beautiful showroom during Design Days... when it comes to NeoCon and Design Days, that seems to be everyone's first stop at Fulton Market... And Knoll's former Fulton Market showroom during Design Days has become #Steelcase's new showroom (I wonder if that's a sign of #Freudian brand envy)?
People are already talking about #Teknion! I'm looking forward to seeing #Allsteel's showroom in #FultonMarket as well... It's nice to be on this side of the industry where you get invites to everything! And to stay up to date on products for our clients, we must go and visit as many of the showrooms as we can no matter where they are.
When I go to the #MerchandiseMart, even before I get to the third floor, I like to go up to ten and visit the #Global furniture showroom; that's because our firm is doing a lot of design work in the healthcare space right now. Global has a strong product offering in healthcare and we like it, beyond the office furniture they make. Then I go down to the third floor where #Davis, #Stylex, and #Dauphin are; those are some of my favs as well! Meanwhile, the real treat of the third floor is pretending that I'm in Milan at #Salone and wandering into the stunning #Haworth showroom where all the Haworth luxury brands (Haworth Group) are on display as well as the Haworth office furniture that we all know and love.
Stephen, what are you hearing about attendance this year in Chicago with dealers, designers, and manufacturers? Are people as psyched as I am for NeoCon and Design Days?
Signed,
C. U. 'n' Chicago
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Dear Chicago,
Wow! Thanks for your designer's eye tour of the shows, it's nice to hear a specifier's perspective for once! I'm going to make a point to stop by a lot of the same places you mentioned when I am there in June. Whether it's Design Days or NeoCon, it still boils down to our industry's favorite event in our favorite city. None other than the classic Chicago! Chi-town if you will.
I'm glad you enjoyed ICFF; I was there as well. And you're right – the energy was contagious.
Here's what I'm hearing in the market about #NeoCon2025 and #DesignDays2025: Everybody and their mother is going!
Dealer salespeople will be flying in from all over the country for our industry's biggest event – because architects, designers, owners' reps, specifiers, end users and manufacturers will all be there. Why? Because almost everyone is going back to work in the office! Which means everyone wants to see the latest in office furniture, away from TEAMS, off the dining room table and back to the conference room table.
It's not just the federal government requirement that their employees return to the office; it's the banks, law firms, hedge funds, and now even the tech companies! Employers want you in the office, period. As people, many begrudgingly, return to the office they need new furniture because what they have now looks old, worn out, and out of style. So commercial design firms continue to be busy, and contract dealers continue to sell furniture for these needs. NeoCon and Design Days are the place to see what's new in our industry, to ask each other "how is business?" and see how everyone feels 2025 is going to play out.
As a recruiter, I'll tell you, NeoCon and Design Days is the BEST time to look for your next job opportunity. So if you work for a manufacturer, it's not just about your own showroom, go and be visible, take a walk around Fulton Market and the Mart. Like I always say, it is not just a furniture fair, it's a job fair!
Hiring hasn't slowed up a single bit, and that's a good sign. By the way, the entire Viscusi Group team will be at NeoCon and Design Days and if you see us walking around the Mart or in Fulton Market, please be sure to say hello!
Signed,
Stephen