CHICAGO – The 44th annual NeoCon, to be held June 11-13 at Chicago’s Merchandise Mart, provides show attendees a full calendar of special events for networking and unwinding after navigating the largest contract furnishings show in North America. Following is a summary of scheduled special events featured throughout the show:

SPECIAL EVENTS

DIFFA/Chicago Believe 2012 GardenGala

6:30 p.m., June 9

Marriott Chicago Downtown Magnificent Mile

Designers, architects and design industry leaders will show their support and continue to fight towards a future without AIDS at the Believe 2012 GardenGala, a creative black-tie/garden-party-chic event. With a focus on meals and nutrition, the GardenGala will feature an organic farm-to-table dining experience and live auction bookended by a cocktail reception, dinner and dancing. This year’s event will benefit Chicago-area service agencies that provide assistance, education and outreach to those living with HIV/AIDS. For more information, please visit diffachicago.org/believe or call 312.644.6412.

LEED Green Associate Overview & Exam Prep

9:00 am - 5 p.m., June 10

Merchandise Mart Conference Center

Michelle Cottrell, IIDA, LEED AP BD+C, O+M, ID+C, Vice President & Director of Education at Green Education Services, Author of Guide to the LEED® Green Associate Exam (Wiley, 2010) will lead the LEED Green Associate Overview & Exam Prep workshop. USGBC’s Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED®) is the universally accepted green building rating system. This workshop will provide a comprehensive overview of LEED, and is designed to prepare individuals to pass the introductory LEED credentialing exam, LEED Green Associate. Registration is required and includes all recommended LEED certification study materials, including 500 practice exam questions. For pricing and registration information, please visit www.neocon.com.

COOL, IIDA Black Tie Awards Celebration

7 p.m., June 10

The Ritz Carlton Hotel

Attendees will kick off NeoCon with an elegant evening of cocktails, awards, dinner and dancing at the 2012 IIDA black-tie awards gala, celebrating the winning projects and design firms of the 39th Annual Interior Design Competition and 20th Annual Will Ching Design Competition. For details and ticket information, please visit http://www.iida.org/content.cfm/iida-cool-gala.

2012 Best of NeoCon Award Winners’ Breakfast

7:30 a.m., June 11

The Renaissance Hotel Chicago

Celebrating its 23rd year, the Best of NeoCon® (BON) honors new commercial interiors products. These products are introduced to the market in 42 categories ranging from Architectural Products to Workplace Technologies. Tickets to the annual Best of NeoCon Award Winners’ Breakfast can be purchased at www.contract-network.com.

Showroom Parties

5 p.m., June 11

The Merchandise Mart floors 3, 10 and 11

The momentum of NeoCon will be in full swing on Monday night. Attendees will showroom-hop on floors 3, 10 and 11 to see fabulous products, network and wine and dine with colleagues and friends from the industry in select showrooms.

BIFMA International’s Annual Membership Meeting

7:15 a.m., June 13

Holiday Inn Mart Plaza, Wolf Point Ballroom

Members of the Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association (BIFMA International) and invited guests are encouraged to attend this year's breakfast meeting to hear BIFMA's annual state-of-the-industry and state-of-the-association reports. Pre-registration is required. For more information, contact BIFMA at (616) 285-3963

Meet the President’s Day

9 a.m., June 13

The Merchandise Mart NeoCon 2012 Show Floors

Attendees will have the opportunity to network with some of the industry’s top influential leaders as presidents of exhibiting manufacturers to share their expertise and insight about their products and companies. A full list of participating exhibitors will be available at www.neocon.com.

Innovation in Reuse: Designing Green Buildings with Reclaimed Materials [SE2]

9:30-11 a.m., June 13

The Merchandise Mart, Room MMCC1

Fee: $55

NeoCon attendees will have the chance to hear from a panel of experts who will discuss a world of opportunity in deconstruction, reclamation and reuse. This session will provide an overview of the basic concepts, barriers and opportunities involved in reuse projects. Using specific project examples, the panel will discuss the variety of sources that exist for excellent used materials. Panelists will also discuss ways to achieve LEED MR credits associated with building deconstruction and reuse.

Panelist : Matt Nardella, AIA, LEED AP, Moss Architecture and Design, William Emmick, NCARB, LEED AP, Studio Gang Architects, Blake Sloane and Cynthia Main, ReBuilding Exchange.

Moderator: Rashmi Ramaswamy, LEED AP Shed Studio

For more information to register for special events visit www.neocon.com.

The 44th annual NeoCon®, the National Exposition of Contract Furnishings, is North America’s largest exhibition of contract furnishings for the design and management of the built environment. NeoCon features the latest trends, products, and concepts in office, healthcare, hospitality, residential, institutional and government environments from more than 700 exhibitors. Approximately 40,000 trade professionals are expected to attend.

Registration is now available at www.neocon.com. NeoCon attendees are encouraged to pre-register by June 4th to save time and money. As part of an effort to increase online pre-registration, attendees who register at www.neocon.com by June 4th will be admitted into the show at no charge. Attendees who wait to register on-site will be charged $25 for a show badge.

For more information about NeoCon, visit the www.neocon.com or call (800) 677-6278 (MART).

Outside of the United States call (312) 527-7600. NeoCon is only open to trade professionals with proper credentials.

NeoCon® is a registered trademark of MMPI.

Source: MMPI