Post Event Round Up: NeoCon 2019

The 51st edition of the world's leading commercial design industry event that boasts more than 500 brands spanning across nearly one million square feet of exhibition space has come to an end. With the show officially over it gives the DS team an opportunity to reflect upon the show and what we felt helped make the show the spectacle it was. With so much ground to cover and products to see over the three days, we thought we would give our insight in a round up of this year's show. Below are our highlights from NeoCon 2019:

Humanscale:

Ever wondered why Americans get everything first? Humanscale’s NeoCon 2019 stand certainly left us thinking so. With the unveiling of several products that aren’t yet available in the UK market, it left our taste buds tingling. It was bums on seats for the announcement of three new additions to Humanscale’s industry-leading seating range with the unveiling of the Alto Stool, Freedom Twenty and Summa. A personal favourite of the DS team was Summa - Humanscale’s most luxurious chair to date which is currently on display in their St John St showrooms. There were also additions to their cable management systems with Neat Up as well as their extensive textile range with a new line of premium chrome-free leather upholstery.

The message of sustainable design as per with Humanscale was a subject of discussion at their stand with the Living Product Challenge and Declare Labels taking centre stage. The message reached home loud and clear with Humanscale highlighting that ‘sustainability is embedded in everything they do’.

KI:

The furniture giants that are KI are a household name at NeoCon with this year no exception. With a range of products that could fill the ‘Merchandise Mart’ space entirely, it would be impractical to showcase them all with KI choosing to focus on a product range that ‘creates spaces that forge connections and foster a sense of belonging’ with their space inspiring and connecting guests by bringing them Together by Design. The chosen featured products were; Ruckus, MyPlace, Hiatus, FourC, Serenade and the Tattoo collection. We at DS were also excited to celebrate with our partners in the awarding of the Product Innovations award from BUILDINGS Media for the futuristic Hiatus Sleeper Bench, which is a space-saving sleep-over solution that accommodates the needs of visiting family members and friends as well as healthcare staff.

With post-event blues setting in its amazing to be able to revisit one of our favourite spaces of the show with KI’s 3D NeoCon 2019 Showroom Tour.

NookPod:

With the ensuing madness that NeoCon naturally brings the silent sanctuaries that are Nook Pods were a welcome break. For a first timer at NeoCon there was no sign of being crowded out by the bigger names with the companies debut certainly turning a few heads. With the company's slogan ‘a new type of furniture for new ways of working’ it was fitting that additions to the Nook family were revealed, with the Nook Solo, Nook Skinny and a prototype of the ADA friendly Nook in the Lab on display contemplating the renowned award-winning Nook as well as Sensory Nook - the world's first mobile refuge for those that suffer from sensory integration disabilities. Impressed attendees looking to recharge their batteries in more ways than one were in luck with NookPod teaming up with Air Charge to bring a wireless charging station to the segment of ‘Merchandise Mart’.

Sedia Systems:

Chicago based Sedia Systems had a short journey to NeoCon 2019 but weren't short of innovative designs on display with the JumpSeat taking centre stage once again. There was a sense of the ‘WOW’ factor at Sedia’s stand this year with custom detailing once again demonstrating the company’s vast and innovative capabilities. Every day's a school day right? Well, it was at the Sedia stand with the company’s partners keen to showcase their wide-ranging product portfolio with lecture hall seating on display in the form of the Humanscale collaboration -  M60, auditorium seating with the G20 with complimentary seating best represented by the award-winning Gnosi.

The Senator Group:

The show not only provided Senator with the opportunity to showcase their extensive product portfolio but also was fruitful in that they were the beneficiaries of the Best of NeoCon Silver award with the latest addition to their desking range, Array picking up the award. As the name suggests, Array is a multi-purpose, multi-use desking solution that can be used as a traditional, vertical work or meeting space, or alternatively used as a presentation or collaboration tool. There was also room for celebrations with the unveiling of two new products with Lyft and Set Me taking all the plaudits, with both being described by the group as a user first with flexibility, mobility and adaptability at the core of the designs.

A final message from us:

With NeoCon the hub for innovation in the industry, it was no surprise we at DS were in awe at some of the latest products to hit the market. With opinions never the same it was to our amazement that the Best of NeoCon awards were awfully similar to our top selections of the show; with the LeanTo by OFS a favourite.

If you would like any further information on any of our showcasing partners or alternatively information on NeoCon 2020 please do not hesitate to get in contact with us at sales@ds-ergonomics.com