Each year, more than 50,000 design professionals head to NeoCon at The Mart in Chicago to experience cutting edge new solutions from top brands, network and take advantage of timely educational opportunities. The 51st edition of the show, June 10-12 will deliver an impactful, multidisciplinary offering of over 100 CEU seminars from some of the most influential voices in the industry. To accommodate the robust schedule, NeoCon has added an extra day of programming, with presentations beginning on Sunday, June 9. Ranging from exploring the role of play in cultivating innovation, to design in the era of the #MeToo movement, the 4-day conference program will feature a wide range of sessions to choose from across a number of vertical markets.
Monica DeBartolo, Director of Programming, remarks, “NeoCon is a great resource for professionals who are looking for a rich and immersive educational experience and it’s a great way for them to fulfill their CEU requirements in a matter of days. The additional day of programming will allow attendees to get a head start.”
Below is a list of some of the seminars on tap for 2019. The complete list of seminars is available here.
SU02: PLAY TO INNOVATION: EXPLORING THE ROLE OF PLAY IN CULTIVATING INNOVATION
Sunday, June 9 • 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM
How can environments that promote innovation be created? While there’s no single – or simple – solution, understanding how innovation works can help to inform the process of designing spaces that support it. Based on extensive research, attendees will be provided with insights into the role of play in cultivating innovation. Insights will be supplemented by showing how to leverage the designed spaces to support innovation. Attendees will learn how and why play has been linked to higher rates of innovation across multiple settings and disciplines, as well as specific strategies that may be applied to create spaces that support and encourage innovative processes and results. [Intermediate] [INST] [OF]
Speakers:Rebecca Milne, LEED Green Associate, senior associate, Perkins Eastman, New York, NY; Scott Fallick, AIA, LEED AP, architect, Perkins Eastman, New York, NY
M114: IRREDUCIBLE COMPLEXITY'S POSITIVE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
Monday, June 10 • 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Designers and manufacturers must consider their impact on human health and the environment. Embracing efficient design as part of the design process is an important element of their social accountability today. It is complex and requires dedicated resources to achieve. However, efficient design can yield tangible returns on both investment and long-term sustainability. This conversation explores the importance and benefits of efficient design throughout the product design and development process. This seminar will consider every aspect of product design, from product strategy, design and development, to supply-chain and manufacturing. Attendees of this intriguing seminar will discover how this holistic approach guides efficient design and leads to reduced cost, optimized materials, healthier manufacturing processes, longevity of a product, and most importantly, minimized environmental impact. [Basic] [GR] [WE] [HSW]
Speaker:Todd Bracher, industrial designer and design strategist, Todd Bracher Studio, Brooklyn, NY
M116: WITH WOMEN IN MIND: HOW INTENTIONALLY DESIGNED HEALTHCARE SPACES BENEFIT THE BOTTOM LINE
Monday, June 10 • 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
According to the most recent research, women make approximately 80 percent of healthcare decisions. As the chief medical officers in their homes, they set the health and wellness agenda for themselves and their families. A woman’s experience will inevitably shape where she turns for care, and for many women, her first encounter is in women’s health services. This presentation will highlight how well-designed women’s care spaces positively affect the institution’s financial health. While not always the most profitable services at a hospital, women’s services act as important marketing tools and create brand loyalty. Presenters will help to bring these concepts home by illustrative examples from a wide range of women’s health services. [Intermediate] [HC] [FM]
Speakers:Carolyn Blake, IIDA, LEED AP, EDAC, senior interior designer, Gresham Smith, Jacksonville, FL; Amy Jordan, chief nursing officer, Gordon Hospital, Calhoun, GA; Beth Hiltonen, IIDA, LEED AP, healthcare principal, Gresham Smith, Jacksonville, FL
M125: CAN MANAGING ACOUSTIC STIMULI IN THE WORKPLACE HELP REDUCE BURNOUT?
Monday, June 10 • 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Burnout costs a lot—an estimated $125-190 billion annually in healthcare spending. Much of the discussion about burnout has focused on individual factors and job characteristics. So, what can designers do? This seminar will work out some answers centered on workplace design. As more workplaces favor open office design, there is also more opportunity for distraction. Limiting acoustical disruptions with workplace interventions, such as sound masking and designating quiet workspaces, helps employees better manage these stimuli. And employers know that by harnessing design to prevent stress, they can help their employees stay focused, engaged and productive throughout the workday. [Intermediate] [FT] [WE]
Speakers:Lida Lewis, IIDA, WELL AP, LEED AP ID+C, designer, Wingate Hughes, Washington, DC; Dr. Whitney Austin Gray, director of applied and industry research, Delos, New York, NY
T205: THE ROI OF SUSTAINABLE INTERIOR DESIGN
Tuesday, June 11 • 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM
This presentation provides a simple framework to align owners’ goals, project design and product selection to deliver quantifiable impact reductions on watts, water, carbon and costs. Attendees will be guided through a proven methodology used by clients in the public and private sector to measure total cost of ownership and the impacts of their design decisions with green building rating systems such as LEED, WELL and Living Building Challenge. [Intermediate] [GR] [FM] [HSW]
Speaker:Paul Shahriari, USGBC, CEO and founder, Ecomedes, Cape Coral, FL
T215: INTERIOR DESIGN AND #METOO: HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PROBLEM
Tuesday, June 11 • 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Women have historically made up a large proportion of those in interior design—yet their numbers in senior management are not proportionate. Why is it that the numbers fall off so radically as we move up the ranks of leadership? The presentation will examine the current state of—and status of—women in the industry through the numbers. Furthermore, it will cover research that illustrates how social expectations, company culture and individual behaviors can prevent women from becoming successful as leaders. The session will also cover non-profits as well as companies and firms that are working to develop tools to encourage women leaders to thrive and change the metrics. [Intermediate] [PD] [FM]
Speakers:Joan Blumenfeld, FAIA, FIIDA, LEED ID+C, principal, Perkins+Will, New York, NY; Cynthia Kracauer, AIA, executive director, Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation, New York, NY; Gabrielle Bullock, FAIA, IIDA, NOMA, LEED AP, principal, director of diversity inclusion and eng, Perkins+Will, Los Angeles, CA
T219: DESIGNING FOR RESILIENCE: WILLIAM & MARY'S NEW MCLEOD TYLER WELLNESS CENTER
Tuesday, June 11 • 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Colleges and universities today face an unprecedented demand for student health services. To respond, college counselors and wellness directors are ramping up their health and wellness programming. In this session, you will learn about the story of the College of William and Mary’s new wellness center (opened Fall 2018). Specifically, our discussion will include the drivers behind its design, specific building strategies used, as well as pre- and post-occupancy data collected by research partners at the University of Virginia. By participating this session, attendees will better understand the intersection between student health issues and wellness programs, as well as how the physical environment can better support students and their care providers. [Intermediate] [INST] [WE]
Speakers: Leigh Stringer, LEED AP, principal, EYP Architecture and Engineering, Washington, DC; Antoinette Ayers, IIDA, lead interior designer, EYP Architecture and Engineering, Washington, DC; Dr. R. Kelly Crace, associate vice president, health & wellness, College of William & Mary, Williamsburg, VA
T220: THE THREE PILLARS OF HUMAN CENTRIC DESIGN
Tuesday, June 11 • 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
In the last 30 years, three major movements have evolved to become the cornerstones of modern human-centric design, in the United States and globally. The most recent, wellness design, deriving from today’s trend toward health and well-being, has joined universal design and biophilic design as major contributors. This trio has allowed designers to meet the human needs of interior spaces, as well as facilitating more functional, healthy and aesthetically pleasing design. This presentation will examine the synergistic combination of these major approaches by delving into unique highlights of each. The session will also take a look at where all three disciplines intersect, such as encouraging safety, health and wellness, daylighting, interior air quality, comfort and visual enhancement. Further, this presentation will provide visual examples of how designers can successfully integrate these into residential spaces to improve quality of life. [Intermediate] [RES] [HSW]
Speaker:Barb Mueller, ASID, NKBA, interior design, Designs Anew Houston, Seabrook, TX
T221: FRICTION IN THE WORKPLACE: HAS EASE BECOME TOO EASY?
Tuesday, June 11 • 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM
For 25 years workplace design has moved steadily in the direction of comfort. The efforts of designers of commercial interiors have focused on creating environments that make the job easier and the worksite more inviting. Has the industry gone too far? Young office workers who know nothing other than in-house cafes and light filled schmoozing zones ("collaboration") seem ill-equipped to handle setbacks, too inclined to embrace the first idea and too often creatively passive. This lecture will explore the idea of building resistance back into the work environment, making space that is less like a worker's utopia and more like the psychological reality for which all working people need to be prepared. [Basic] [OF]
Speaker:Verda Alexander, IIDA, founder, Studio O+A, San Francisco, CA
T228: GIVE ME A REASON
Tuesday, June 11 • 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
With 50 percent of employees always ready to leave and only 15 percent engaged in their jobs, today’s workplace needs designers who can offer a solution. Join us to discover how to design a work experience to foster engagement and performance and keep employee disengagement at bay. Because physical space, technology and culture all influence an employee’s experience, real estate, technology and human resource functions must be in alignment to help re-engage and retain employees. This presentation will explore parallel processes and effective tools designed to create an environment where individuals and organizations thrive. [Advanced] [OF]
Speakers:Dean Strombom, FAIA, principal, Gensler, Houston, TX; Sven Govaars, principal, Steelcase ARC, San Francisco, CA
W304: CONFLICTING WORKPLACE TRENDS: A FRAMEWORK FOR SOLUTIONS
Wednesday, June 12 • 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM
While many sources offer information on workplace trends, the findings often appear to be conflicting and confusing. In this session, two workplace strategists, a multinational corporate end-user, and an architect present a framework for clear decision-making on workplace designs. Attendees will discover how organizations can make effective workplace decisions based on specific needs and organizational culture and hear about the recent Harvard study of open-plan offices that demonstrates the downside of applying trends in a vacuum. Details about the framework that is presented for determining how teams work at an organization, and how needs for new work approaches could evolve will be addressed. These include space requirements and operational needs, organizational goals of higher productivity, interaction, and innovation, as well as cultural implications and employee wellness. Case studies illustrate the multinational services firm’s workplace decisions and strategies. [Intermediate] [OF] [FM]
Speakers:Ashley Dunn, AIA, director of workplace, Dyer Brown Architects, Boston, MA; Bryan Parker, national real estate, workplace design sr. manager, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Tampa, FL
NeoCon is open to trade, media, C-Suite executives and other industry-related professionals. Registration is available online at www.neocon.com. Expo: online registration by June 7th - free; On-site registration - $65. Keynote Presentations: free. CEU Seminars: online registration by June 7th - $65 each; onsite registration - $75 each.