Los Angeles, CA, May 3-- More than 5,000 attendees packed the halls of the L.A. Mart March 9-10, 2005, for the seventh annual NeoCon West, the West Coast's exposition and conference for commercial interiors and the built environment. As an essential resource for designers, architects, specifiers, facility managers and students, the 2005 show provided guests with artistic and imaginative design installations from corporate settings to innovative health care suites.
“People at the show came to view a variety of products and especially the outstanding West Edge environments local Los Angeles-area design firms created. They packed the spaces while taking notes and admiring the scene,” said Mark Falanga, vice president, Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc. (MMPI), NeoCon West show manager and producer. “Design is about inspiration and individual choice, and attendees definitely gained a sense of motivation and insight as they witnessed what imagination can bring to a blueprint.”
MMPI and sponsor Interior Design magazine presented West Edge: Spaces of Unlimited Creativity after a resounding debut success in 2004. West Edge is a design showcase and competition that explores the unlimited creativity of Los Angeles design through built-out environments, each designed by a team of top Los Angeles designers, manufacturers and contractors. This year’s West Edge “people’s choice” winner was the health care space designed by Langdon Wilson. West Edge also was recognized again at the 2005 Calibre Awards. Gensler Los Angeles, who designed one of the 2004 West Edge spaces, was nominated for a Calibre award in the “creativity on a budget” category.
“The connections and networking that take place at NeoCon West lead to many opportunities down the road.
We congratulate Langdon Wilson and Gensler’s Calibre nomination, as well as all the participants that made West Edge a hit, and wish them continued success,” added Falanga.
The A&D (architects and designers) community turned out in strong numbers to show their support for NeoCon West. The exhibit floor was busy from the beginning at 10 a.m. Wednesday through the end of the show Thursday. “This points to a resurgence in the contract and high-end residential interior design industries. Business is up in Los Angeles, with a large increase in the office, health care and hospitality sectors,” said Mel Schlitt, vice president of marketing, MMPI. “Manufacturers indicated that sales orders are strong, and design firms told us that they’re bringing on additional manpower to staff up for an increase in their project workloads.”
NeoCon West hosted two distinguished keynote presentations. Sponsored by the International Interior Design Association (IIDA), Niels Diffrient presented “High Performance Interiors” to rave reviews.
Diffrient talked about his illustrious career, focusing on his design of ergonomic seating that has revolutionized chair design. Humanscale’s “Freedom Chair,” designed by Diffrient, features self-adjusting mechanisms, which provide ergonomic support for the body to minimize stress and fatigue while working.
With a witty introduction by Beverly Russell, the 2003 Calibre lifetime achievement award-recipient, Diffrient also was the recipient of the lifetime achievement award at the IIDA Calibre Awards, held March
8 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
METROPOLIS magazine presented “An L.A. Story” featuring Greg Lynn and Alex McDowell to a packed room. Although Alex McDowell was called to London unexpectedly, he was able to share his views via video and join in the discussion of how technology is transforming design and the entertainment industry. The complete array of seminars offered at NeoCon West provided the A & D community with expert speakers and resources. From color to lighting solutions, attendees crowded for the more than 30 programs throughout the two days.
