Another NeoCon trade show for the contract furnishings market has come and gone. Members of the Full Circle team joined the event mid-June to experience all that Chicago’s Merchandise Mart had to offer.
While we were inspired by many impressive showrooms and new product launches, we were most thrilled to reconnect with our friends from various manufacturers, suppliers, and contract dealerships. It was exciting to see our clients excel with smart marketing and striking design.
A few interesting trends from the show that we observed overall:
Designing around experiences and differentiation – The Merchandise Mart is filled with hundreds of spaces all fighting for 40,000 visitors’ attention, which can be overwhelming. Designing around a visitor’s experience with an eye towards how to be “different” vs. simply “better” helps clients to stand out.
Expression of craft – While the manufacturing of many furniture products is highly automated, it was great to see many firms bring back the craftsmanship that happens within a portion of their product range.
Mellow colors – While the use of color was wildly variable, one trend we saw in sync with more contemporary clients was colors that are muted, soft, and subdued.
Retro graphics – A number of brands chose to express their message through an interesting, freshened version of graphics pulled from the great designs of the 50’s and 60’s. This made great sense for those brands that originated during that era.
Greenery – While a bit overwhelming at times, many spaces were lavishly accessorized with greenery, including succulents. While providing warmth and character, these plants helped instill a sense of calm among the sea of chaos.
We enjoyed catching up with our clients LightCorp, SurfaceWorks, EKO, Nucraft, Seibold Baker, AOE, PMC, Symbiote, Trendway and Haworth. And, we are looking forward to NeoCon 2017!
