You know there will be dozens of attendees live blogging and tweeting the NeoCon 2013 contract furniture convention in a few days. Right now, it’s still about the anticipation. The trends are already being scrutinized intensely to pick out the new direction for office furniture. Here are some juicy bits of gossip from around the web about what you can expect to see (live or online) next week as the tradeshow gets underway:
Shandra Martinez at Mlive says this year’s event will bear more than a passing resemblance to the dazzling Consumer Electronics show in Las Vegas. Technology is the new ergonomics and all the big players are getting in on this trend. Computing and connectivity are no longer seen as an afterthought. They are being integrated into the furniture landscape with items like Haworth’s “Bluescape”. This wall-sized collaborative touchscreen can cost more than a million dollars if you order all the bells and whistles, so you might just want to construct a whole new office building around it. Steelcase is also getting in on the smart wall trend with Vertical Intelligent Architecture.
Amanda Schneider at the Huffington Post has her own list of “must-see” products and events. Allsteel’s new offering based on the company’s “Humans Being” theme for NeoCon 2013 is still shrouded in mystery. So you know whatever it is will generate a lot of foot traffic as people jostle and shove to get the first peek. But it’s the various keynote talks and roundtable discussions that Schneider focuses on. If you’re feeling a bit low, you might drop in to hear Jim Thompson speak about “Fostering Failure: The New Equation to Innovation”. It’s all about taking risks, falling down, and discovering you just stubbed your toe on a gold nugget.
If you’re tired of all the talking and just want to feast your eyes on all the sights, you’ll enjoy this LookBook for NeoCon 2013 that invites you to “Follow the Leaders” around the convention. It’s filled with gorgeous photos of brightly colored chairs, deep wood-toned laminate furnishings and plush, richly hued textiles. Don’t miss the Speakeasy meeting tables from Arcadia that invite workers to stand while they chat, keeping collaboration sessions invigorating and blessedly short.
