You probably already know that I’m headed once again up to NYC for ICFF in about a week (wow, that crept up fast…). Be sure to follow Design Milk on Twitter to keep up with me while I’m there, where I’m at and who I’m meeting. What you may not know, though, is that in June, I’m headed to NeoCon in Chicago. It’s going to be my first time at the World’s Trade Fair, where I’ll get to browse over 700 showrooms and exhibitors. Phew! I’m gonna need my walking shoes!
If you have a recommendation for places we should see while in Chi-town, leave me a comment or send me an email. For my whole trip, I’m staying at the super-luxe Amalfi Hotel, which I’m also pretty excited about.
Anyway, I wanted to share some cool info about the partnership between MMPI, publicly traded owner of 18 properties and over 300 shows in 11 industries, and 3-year old tech start-up DesignerPages.com co-founded by high school friends Jacob Slevin and Avi Flombaum. Designer Pages has been a big supporter of Design Milk over the past year and we hope to really get to know them much better while we’re there.
With the newly redesigned Neocon.com (designed in collaboration with Rus Yusupov of Manhattan-based digital creative agency Commercial Pop) Designer Pages, and MMPI are working to bridge the physical and digital experience of the show. The process of sourcing products in person (i.e., picking out samples, collecting brochures, etc.) now integrates far more seamlessly with the online experience by way of an online product catalog and workspaces that replicate all products showing on the floor.
This is the first time ever that NeoCon has made all products showing available online to the community by way of its own website. This means that attendees can log on to My NeoCon (launching soon) and browse products in advance of the show and share them with colleagues and friends via NeoCon Guides.
They are also trying to reshape the dinosaur lead-generation model of trade shows: Gone are the days of an excel sheet 2,000 names long with zero recognition of who the person was or what they were interested in. Their new NeoCon.com Customer Relationship Manager (CRM), powered by DesignerPages.com, will be able to gather salient public information about attendees like what friends they have in common on Facebook, the ability to automatically connect via industry peers on LinkedIn, direct message them on Twitter, even learn what projects they have worked on in the past and what websites they visit for industry-related news. Creepy, yet way better than sending info to people who aren’t interested, or on the flip side, getting info that you don’t want!
And, lastly, they are trying to democratize the conversation about design: NeoCon Live is the show’s virtual press room and the design community’s one-stop shop for all news about NeoCon. Aggregating live editorial content from design blogs, tweets, photos and videos, NeoCon Live will serve as a single platform wherein both new bloggers and internationally recognized magazine editors can contribute content side by side in one place where everyone’s opinion matters. More fun developments are in the works for 2011, but I’m excited now just writing about NeoCon 2010. Can’t wait to show you what I find!
Remember, if you’re going to be at NeoCon as an exhibitor or attendee get in touch. Also, if you’re a native to Chicago, shoot me an email about where to go/what to see/what to do (and more importantly, where to eat)!
vanderleun on 05.04.2010 at 16:18 PM
So, you’re down with the home page title reading “NeoCon WTF” !?
The jokes just write themselves.
Lindsay on 05.04.2010 at 16:33 PM
Come by the Lightology showroom and see us! Get ready to eat and drink like crazy, that’s all us Chicagoans are good for. Revolution Brewery is a hot new spot with great beer and food, and Longman and Eagle is also choice if you’re looking for hipster fancy food. Let me know if you need a dinner/drinking partner! Those are both in my neighborhood!
Jaime (post author) on 05.04.2010 at 19:50 PM
I will try for sure!
Avi Flombaum on 05.04.2010 at 17:03 PM
So as a programmer (and CTO of Designer Pages), someone basically only 4 years into the design world, NeoCon suffers from a number of unfortunate branding situations, doesn’t it? NeoCon, outside the design world, speaks to the political conservative movement in the US, and then, technically, it’s the NeoCon World Trade Fair, as though the “World Fair” was still a thing (or even “Fairs” were still a thing…nothing should be called a “Fair” today unless preceded by Renaissance). So you abbreviate World Trade Fair and you get WTF. Now, in the end, after haivng worked with NeoCon for over a year, they are an awesome company with passionate and talented people putting together the largest contract furniture fair in the world, and that’s awesome. I think the brand is so strong that despite these coincidences, it still draws respect and only the occasional inside chuckle, like a private joke…in the end NeoConWTF FTW!
Jaime (post author) on 05.04.2010 at 19:50 PM
HA I know I keep saying I’m going to WTF!
Elizaveta Fredericia on 05.04.2010 at 18:42 PM
Hi Jamie,
Are you going to be there for the IDNY meetup next Thursday. Would be great to meet you in person. I’m over for that, then heading out to Vegas for HD, we’re exhibiting as part of a Danish trade office thingie. Will you be coming out there for that also?
Jaime (post author) on 05.04.2010 at 19:51 PM
Hi Elizaveta,
Probably not, I am trying to work on my schedule now. It’s getting insane!
Home Design on 05.05.2010 at 08:28 AM
i like this site..it’s the NeoCon World Trade Fair, as though the “World Fair” was still a thing (or even “Fairs” were still a thing…nothing should be called a “Fair” today unless preceded by Renaissance). So you abbreviate World Trade Fair and you get WTF. Now, in the end, after haivng worked with NeoCon for over a year, they are an awesome company with passionate and talented people putting together the largest contract furniture fair in the world, and that’s awesome.
Home Design