Chicago, IL, July 15--NeoCon World's Trade Fair attracted more than 41,000 registrants to The Merchandise Mart, June 16-18.
"The upbeat, optimistic atmosphere at this year's NeoCon was extraordinary,"
said Mark Falanga, vice president, commercial furnishings industry, Merchandise
Mart Properties, Inc. (MMPI), show manager and producer. "The quality of attendees was phenomenal. The design community created a buzz with talk of new projects as they witnessed a record number of new product introductions. Matching that excitement was the remarkable host of striking displays in showrooms and exhibit spaces."
More than 1,000 companies exhibited at NeoCon World's Trade Fair, many of which debuted new product at this year's show.
More than 250 products entered the annual Best of NeoCon competition, with Davis Furniture taking the Best of Competition award for its Aero Bench Series. In all, 64 awards were distributed, comprised of gold and silver awards, as well as five Innovation awards, three Editors' Choice awards.
Trends in new products include seating that features more simple-to-adjust controls, desking systems that facilitate multi-tasking by offering ease-of-reconfiguration, and more attractive and functional design at lower price points.
Attendance at this year's conference portion of NeoCon increased an impressive 13 percent over the 2002 show.
"We presented four outstanding keynote speakers this year, in addition to a comprehensive lineup of seminars. Couple that with the high demand for CEU credits for design professionals, we had a great turnout. We are thrilled to report this increase in seminar attendance," said Monica DeBartolo, NeoCon's director of educational programming.
In addition to the product introductions and conference program, NeoCon had a terrific turnout for its Monday night Open House, networking events and Student Day, which attracted nearly 1,000 students.
