A comprehensive program of seminars and keynote sessions provides the educational and inspirational platform at this year’s NeoCon trade show in Chicago. For the 46th edition of the largest commercial interiors trade show in the U.S.—to be held from June 9-11 at the Merchandise Mart—organizers have curated a compelling, content-rich array of topics that represent the breadth and currency of issues and ideas relevant to the industry today. Whether it’s continuing education, fresh thinking and approaches, or new trends, NeoCon has a diverse program offering to meet the needs and goals of its audience. With greater choice this year, attendees can tailor their conference experience to their specific areas of interest, experience level, schedule, and spending goals by choosing à la carte from the menu of over 100 CEU seminars, featured programs and association forums. Here are some of the broad themes of this year’s program to give a taste of the instruction, insight, and ideas at play.

Office Design / Living & Working Well

The transformation of the workplace is one of this year’s hot topics. Show organizers have put together seminars that address ideas around designing to enhance well being and productivity, from creating flexible and enriching office environments to predicting future scenarios and design solutions.

Happiness by Design: A Capital Idea explores how the workplace contributes to attracting, cultivating, and keeping happy employees. It will identify 10 specific areas in which design can make a difference to employees’ well being, and enumerate ways to measure employee happiness so designers can apply these skills to their workplace designs.

Monday, June 9, 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Dean Strombom, AIA, LEED BD+C, principal, and Sven Govaars, strategist, Gensler, Houston, TX.

Up the Ante On Your Office Designs looks at the revised BIFMA Ergonomics Guideline, which reflects the changing shape and size of the North American population, and how to use it to enhance occupant health, comfort and productivity. It will review recommendations for office furniture dimensions/ranges, and discuss the relationship between this guideline and LEED Pilot Credit 44 for an ergonomics strategy.

Monday, June 9, 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Lucy Hart, CCPE, BIFMA, certified ergonomist, The Global Group, Downsview, Ontario, Canada; and Dr. Teresa Bellingar, CPE, BIFMA, senior corporate ergonomist, Haworth, Holland, MI.

Working Well / Well Being presents the wisdom of experts who have held symposia across the country about workplace design and well being. It will expand the concept of integrated design to include more disciplines, and explore the fascinating ecosystem of building, people, culture, and process. The audience will hear what they’ve discovered about working well and sustainable environments, and learn about the influence of people-centric design.

Tuesday, June 10, 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Tracy Backus, LEED AP ID+C, director of sustainable programs, Teknion, Washington DC; Stephanie Douglass, LEED AP, workplace strategist, IA Interior Architects, Washington DC; and Susan Szenasy, editor, Metropolis Magazine, New York, NY.

How Will We Work in 2020? Furniture and Design Considerations explores how demographic shifts in the workplace influence furniture and design through the innovative ideas submitted to the “Workplace of the Future” competition, the results of which were announced last November by organizers Metropolis and Business Interiors by Staples. Panelists, including the competition winner, will discuss the winning design and myriad future trends, looking at how various forces like telecommuting, technology advancements, and co-working will shape the future workplace.

Tuesday, June 10, 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM

A.J. Paron-Wildes, LEED AP ID+C, Associate ASID, Associate IIDA, Associate AIA, regional architectural and design manager, Allsteel, Oak Park Heights, MN; Joseph Filippelli, project architect, Olsen Kundig Architects, Seattle, WA; and Dan Lee, AAHID, national design manager, Business Interiors by Staples, Dallas/Fort Worth, TX.

Business Best Practices

A number of seminars are devoted to the myriad ways that designers can strengthen their business, from using architectural visualization to communicate information to clients, to determining how best to charge for services, to creating attractive bids and high-impact proposals. For example:

Rules of Thumb For Protecting Your Creative Works will equip the audience with some basic tools to navigate the world of intellectual property (IP). It will provide “self-help” steps for cases without IP counsel, define different forms of IP and circumstances that may call for outside counsel, and enumerate the practical steps that can be taken prior to public disclosure under the new America Invents Act.

Tuesday, June 10, 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM

Mike Turner, attorney, and Brad Rademaker, partner, Neil Gerber & Eisenberg LLP, Chicago, IL.

The Higher Plane: Interpreting Design With Photography The president of Hedrich Blessing Photographers will show images and discuss his studio’s process of visual interpretation. Attendees will learn how to select the right photographer and create a consistent company portfolio, the value of leveraging quality photography for awards entries, and best practices to ensure a successful photoshoot with minimum client disruption. Tuesday, June 10, 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Jon Miller, president and photographer, Hedrich Blessing, Chicago, IL.

Hospitality Design

What are the forces shaping hospitality design today? Designers interested in fresh approaches to spatial design and how to translate everyday interactions into stimulating experiences can look forward to discussions along these lines:

Visitor Experience Mapping As A Design Strategy proposes a framework and basis for transformative design through understanding and mapping visitor journeys. It will reveal ways to create cohesive, memorable visitor experiences through design, exploring case studies with a focus on a major European hotel project. The audience will learn how to create the kind of ideal, powerful visitor experience that builds lasting brand loyalty.

Tuesday, June 10, 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM

Victoria Tentler-Krylov, LEED AP, senior designer, and Bruce Rhoades, IIDA, principal and director of interior design, KlingStubbins/Jacobs, Cambridge, MA.

Unchartered Waters: The Future of the Architecture and Design Industry looks at the traditional architecture and design firm projects (commercial, hospitality) and considers the need to be adaptive to create new business. It discusses what clients are seeking now—including efficiency, sustainable design, and a smaller footprint—illuminating new opportunities, and the skills and the mindset designers can adopt to take these on.

Monday, June 9, 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM

Richard Riveire, AIA, principal, Rottet Studio, Los Angeles, CA.

Codes

Codes: can’t design with them, can’t design without them. Designers wanting to get up to speed with the latest industry standards can choose from a variety of informative and instructive seminars that will reveal the latest releases and how to use them, such as:

Understanding the New ADA Standards for Accessible Design reviews the revised ADA standards for Accessible Design adopted by the U.S. Department of Justice. It discusses the differences between previous accessibility guidelines and the current ones and what they mean to designers in practical terms. Spaces designed for use by children, educational housing, residential units, and lodging and medical care facilities will be addressed.

Monday, June 9, 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM

Gerald Morgan, project manager, University of Missouri Campus Facilities, Columbia, MO.

Occupant Load Explosion examines the rising trend of densely populated office spaces—which is reaching 1 person to 100 square foot—as open work environments become more common. The seminar will discuss what and who is driving the trend, and the potential limitations of office design and building codes in these environments.

Monday, June 9, 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM

Kimberly Marks, ASID, president, The Marks Design Group, San Antonio, TX.

The International Building Code for Interiors addresses how to apply Building Codes to interiors projects proficiently, and attain a smoother, more efficient overall process. It will distill the IBC down to the most relevant sections and chapters—using real-life examples of fundamental code concepts applied in commercial interiors—to help designers improve their overall understanding of IBC standard and build specific skills.

Tuesday, June 10, 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM

Kimberly Marks, ASID, president, The Marks Design Group, San Antonio, TX.

Institutional & Public Spaces

These two fascinating talks explore the complex programmatic challenge of designing for iconic legacy institutions through high-profile case studies:

The George W. Bush Presidential Center: A Case Study previews the complex, LEED-Platinum design of the Presidential Center, located on the Southern Methodist University campus, which combines a public museum and presidential library operated by the National Archives and Records Administration. It will address how to tackle creating a dignified institutional setting, comprising high-traffic spaces, VIP reception rooms, and private offices, with sustainable features and furnishings from local sources.

Monday, June 9, 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM

Alexander Lamis, AIA, partner, Robert A. M. Stern Architects, New York, NY.

Building Transformational Design for Legacy Institutions explores where libraries are headed through the Columbus (Ohio) Metropolitan Library, the top-ranked library in the U.S., which has an ambitious building project: designing 10 buildings in three years. It looks at designing brick and mortar spaces that are both iconic and anticipate a wholesale revolution as content migrates from paper to digital. Designers can learn how to create an environment around flexibility and ever-changing technology needs, and leverage an institution’s brand in a changing environment.

Monday, June 9, 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Stasia Czech, IIDA, senior associate and interior designer, NBBJ, Columbus, OH; and Alison Circle, chief customer experience officer, Columbus Metropolitan Library, Columbus, OH.

Green Building / Health Safety and Welfare

What are the new sustainable building practices? How can designers increase comfort and safeguard the health of a building’s occupants? A selection of seminars, such as the ones below, will discuss the latest data and guidelines to help designers make sound choices for their clients and the environment.

LEED 4: What to Expect with the New Certification Systems! will bring the audience up to date with LEED v4 in regard to the LEED BD+C, LEED ID+C and LEED EB: O&M Rating Systems. Attendees will learn about the structure and changes of LEED v4, the departures from v3, and understand how the revisions may affect design, construction, and operations at a project site.

Monday, June 9, 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Alicia Snyder-Carlson, LEED AP ID+C, Associate IIDA, Allied ASID, senior consultant, and Webly Bowles, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, O+M, associate principal, Green Building Services, Portland, OR.

Sustainable, Small, and Spectacular: Highlights from the U.S. Dept of Energy Solar Decathlon will discuss the latest DOE Solar Decathlon competition, in which 20 college teams were challenged to design, build and operate sustainable, attractive, and cost-effective zero-net energy houses. Attendees will learn how both innovative and traditional techniques contribute to maximum energy savings, and how “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” applies to water conservation as well as building materials. Monday, June 9, 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM Susan Aiello, ASID, LEED AP, president, Interior Design Solutions, New York, NY; and Brian Baker, LEED AP, owner and director of marketing and design, Baker Development Group, Orefield, PA. What’s In This Stuff: Ingredient Disclosure and the Commercial Interiors Marketplace will educate on the most updated chemical of concern disclosure programs from an assortment of sources: LEED v4, LBC, HPD, Declare, BIFMA e3 and GHS (international). It will explore how to use data and tools that can facilitate chemical selection and evaluation and provide insights into known ingredient hot spots and manufacturers’ efforts to address them.

Monday, June 9, 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Denise Van Valkenburg, LEED AP, design for the environment and sustainability engineer, Herman Miller, Inc., Zeeland, MI; Morna Hallsaxton, LEED AP, ANSI/BIFMA, Intertek, Kentwood, MI; and Kirsten Ritchie, LEED AP O+M, principal, director of sustainable design, Gensler, San Francisco, CA.

These are just some of the many sessions that await NeoCon attendees. As programming is a key component of the NeoCon experience, MMPI has worked vigorously to bring together a diverse group of designers and thought leaders. The keynote line-up is stronger than ever. Headlining the multidisciplinary program, the 2014 speakers include: designer and strategist Todd Bracher, theformer head of Tom Dixon Design and Creative Director of Georg Jensen; Tom Eich, CIO and partner of IDEO; author and cognitive psychologist, Scott Barry Kaufman; and award-winning architect Adrian Smith of Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture.

Keynote presentations are free to attendees. CEU Seminar Online Registration by June 2 is $55 each, CEU Seminar On-Site Registration is $65 each, and fees vary for all Special Events. Visit https://reg.neocon.com/?sem to register for Seminars and Events.