Dear Stephen,
I sell for a Steelcase dealer in the New York market, and several designers I work with have asked whether I’ll be at BDNY. Most of my business is corporate, but our dealership also handles hospitality projects. My work increasingly includes cafés, lounges, terraces, and amenity spaces. Some dealers have dedicated hospitality teams; at others, the salesperson with the client relationship handles the work.
I already attend NeoCon and Design Days, and between proposals, client meetings, and installations, there’s always something demanding my attention. People I know are coming from across the Northeast and the country, while I’m practically down the street, wondering whether I can spare the time. Should I go to BDNY, or will it be just another chance to catch up with industry friends?
Signed,
Is Another Show Worth It?
----------------------------
Dear Is Another Show Worth It,
The designers you spend the year trying to reach are asking whether you’ll be at BDNY. That strikes me as a compelling reason to go. I understand how much work is waiting on your desk, but while you’re weighing whether the show is relevant to your business, your clients are making plans to attend—and chances are they’ll find someone to talk to. I wouldn’t dismiss the value of catching up with industry friends, either. They change companies, introduce you to customers, and hear about projects before you do.
I made this point in last year’s column, and it remains the best reason to go: you never know whom you’ll run into at the Javits Center. It might be an architect you know from a law firm project, a former client who has moved to a new company, or a designer walking with an end user you’d like to meet. You stop to say hello and suddenly hear about a new project. I have nothing against a thoughtful follow-up email, but after the fourth “just checking in,” I’d put on a pair of shoes and go where the people are.
You’re also right that dealers already do hospitality business, sometimes on a substantial scale. Here in New York, the Steelcase dealer—Empire Office, now Empire & Co.—shows how broad that business can be. It spans workplace, residential, and hospitality, with dedicated hospitality leadership and services that include sourcing, procurement, logistics, and installation. Even when another team handles the project, you should know enough to spot an opportunity and make an introduction. Your client cares whether you can help, not how your dealership divides its departments.
Hospitality influences contract work because your customers experience it constantly. They stay in hotels, visit private clubs, and come back with ideas about comfort, lighting, materials, and how a workplace should feel. Nobody returns from a beautiful hotel and asks their architect, “Could you make our office feel a little more like the place where I renewed my driver’s license?” We’ve discussed “resimercial” for years; BDNY lets you see residential, hospitality, and commercial influences coming together while spending time with the people specifying them.
For salespeople serious about A&D relationships, I consider BDNY as important as NeoCon and Design Days. This year, it takes place Sunday, November 8, and Monday, November 9, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. Though the show is in New York, my advice applies throughout the Northeast and across the country. If you’re traveling, build appointments around the trip. If you’re local, take advantage of the fact that people you’d otherwise have to fly to see may be standing just a few aisles away.
One category I’d watch closely this year is outdoor furniture, and the recruiting activity we’re seeing gives me good reason to say so. Demand is growing for salespeople, product designers, and CEOs in a business that extends far beyond backyards—to cruise ships, hotel pools, resort terraces, private clubs, rooftop restaurants, corporate campuses, and residential amenity spaces. Some people still say “patio furniture” as though their uncle is about to unfold it before a barbecue, while others are building significant businesses around sophisticated outdoor environments.
Brown Jordan, Gloster, JANUS et Cie, Cane-line, and Barlow Tyrie are among the names represented in the 2026 exhibitor listings. I also expect tile, stone, and lighting to demand your attention, so look for Artistic Tile, Nemo Tile + Stone, Florim, Daltile, and Cambria, along with Visual Comfort & Co., Arteriors, and Hubbardton Forge. You may not sell every category, but your designers consider the entire room, and your curiosity should extend beyond the items you expect to quote.
Arrange a few meetings, but leave room for the people you didn’t expect to see. Ask a designer to show you something they find interesting, make a useful introduction, and follow up with something relevant to your conversation. If you return with six tote bags and no reason to call anyone, I understand why your dealership might question the trip. But if you learn about a client’s next project or reconnect with someone who introduces you to a new account, I doubt you’ll wonder whether the time was worthwhile.
Our team from The Viscusi Group will be there, so if you recognize one of our names on a badge, please stop and say hello. We’d enjoy meeting you and hearing what you’re seeing. After all, I can hardly write a column about the value of running into people at Javits without taking my own advice.
Now I’d like to hear from the salespeople, designers, and dealer owners reading this: What business or relationship began because you happened to run into someone at a trade show? And if you think these shows are no longer worth your time, tell me why. I’ve made my case for showing up; now I’m interested in hearing yours.
Signed,
Stephen