Like a mad dash to the finish line, manufacturers are pumped and once again working hard to put their finishing touches on new products, just in time for NeoCon® 2011. The annual tradeshow is produced by Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc. (MMPI) and held this year June 13-15 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily at the Merchandise Mart in Chicago. As North America’s largest design exposition and conference for interior design, NeoCon® introduces the latest product innovations in the corporate, hospitality, healthcare, retail, government, institutional, and residential interiors from more than 700 showrooms and exhibitors.

“Facilities design is a competitive tool and an upbeat industry with a lot of history that keeps on investing in new products. A vast majority of companies (85 percent) are showing positive growth, and there is a lot of pent-up demand,” says Mark Falanga, vice president of MMPI. “We saw a 10 percent increase in attendance in 2010 (more than 40,000 total) over 2009, and my gut instinct is that we will see similar increases in attendance this year.”

The conference side of the trade show caters to the continuing education of the professional design market, offering the attending architecture and design professionals 140 CEU-accredited seminars and association forums, complete with a list of exemplary keynote speakers and presenters to “furnish the minds” of A&D. Registration is open at www.neocon.com.

Kicking off NeoCon® on the morning of June 13 in the Sauganash Ballroom is Matt Petersen, president and CEO of Global Green USA and the United States chair of Green International. As a leading social entrepreneur and advocate for sustainable design, solar power, and green communities, Petersen will lead a talk, sponsored by Allsteel and the IIDA, about his work in environmental causes, such as his close collaboration with Brad Pitt, Habitat for Humanity, and NOLA Green Schools Initiative to respond to the 2005 Gulf Coast hurricane that drastically affected New Orleans.

Other keynote speakers include Amy Wells S.D.S.A., set decorator for “Mad Men;” Margaret Russell, editor in chief of Architectural Digest magazine; and Henrik Fisker, co-founder, CEO, and executive design director of Fisker Automotive, on Tuesday, June 14; and Ed Begley, Jr., “Living with Ed” TV actor and an environmental leader among the Hollywood community, on Wednesday, June 15.

“It’s critically important to remain competitive, even more so this year with such a strong prediction for the uptick of business,” says Falanga. “To win that business, companies will need to have a staff that is current on all the latest products and education. It’s important that the design community come in to get exposed to what’s new in the healthcare, education, and government markets to best diversify their practice.”

Of particular interest to attendees, and exhibiting manufacturers, are the 2011 Best of NeoCon® Awards. The annual program—now in its 22nd year and sponsored by Contract magazine, MMPI, McMorrowReport.com, IIDA, and IFMA—honors innovation in new commercial interiors products. More than 50 judges evaluate the products in-person over the three days preceding NeoCon® to select a Gold and Silver designation across 42 categories, from Architectural Products to Workplace Technologies, as well as a top Best of NeoCon® Award and Innovation Awards. Winners are presented at The Best of NeoCon® Awards Breakfast on June 13 at 7:30 a.m. at The Renaissance Hotel, Chicago. Best of NeoCon® 2011 entries, as well as past award winners, are available to view online at Contract-Network.com.

Attendees and manufacturers also will have the opportunity to see “Behind the Scenes of the Best of NeoCon®” on June 13 from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. on Floor 8 in room 8A during a free panel discussion with select Best of NeoCon® jury members who will reveal their must-see products and detail and comment on the unique aspects and creativity witnessed during the 2011 competition.

Contract magazine also conducts the Showroom & Booth Design Competition, co-sponsored with the IIDA, to honor excellence in manufacturer showroom designs. Winners of both competitions will be featured in a future issue of the magazine and on ContractDesign.com. The 2010 winners included Herman Miller Healthcare for Best Large Showroom (designed by tvsdesign, Stanley Beaman and Sears, Propp+Guerin, and Remedy) and Mannington Commercial for Best Small Showroom (designed by Mannington Design and Scout Branding).

NeoCon® again will host its Student Program on Wednesday, June 15. The program is an initiative designed exclusively with interior design and architecture students in mind to provide the next generation of A&D professionals the chance to gain real-world experience through activities and networking events that put them in touch with the industry’s top leaders and manufacturers. The IIDA Career Bootcamp Panel features a roundtable of recent design graduates who will share their experiences in looking for employment and tips on getting hired, while the all-new Upper Classmen Meet & Mingle Reception will gather peers in a casual, networking cocktail party to ramp up for the career panels and educational seminars. Additionally, the Furniture Revolution Gallery, which launched in 2010 to showcase student design prototypes, will be hosted on Floor 7.