Neocon winds down

Storm clouds flew away exposing sun and warmth on the last day of Neocon. The third and last day of Neocon traditionally is dubbed "student day." This year, as in the past, students filled the passageways sharing their contagious enthusiam and energy with all. With attendance numbers down from the first two days of the fair, designers, sales reps, and others have more time to talk to students helping them learn the business. The hoopla, high energy, and partying, along with networking, product news, seminars, continuing education classes, raffle drawings, and free food has now ended. Apple's IPad was the most popular raffle drawing. I think I entered a half dozen different IPad drawings including the Neocon.com Scavenger Hunt where I had to scan my registration badge at 21 designated showrooms. I hope I win for it will help me blog remotely! Other raffle prizes I'm excited about include a task lamp from Luxo, Cubs baseball tickets from Abet, and 200 sq. ft. of porcelain tile from Crossville. I'll let you know when I win something. Neocon may now be over, however, this blog is not. My work is just beginning so keep checking in because I have several pages of notes from Neocon regarding product and seminar news to share.

Michael Graves Entertains Neocon Audience

Michael Graves led a large Neocon audience on "A Grand Tour" of his life early Tuesday morning. The second day of Neocon began with witty remarks and great stories of his remarkable life. Some of his impressive credentials include studying at the University of Cincinatti, Harvard, and the American Academy of Rome and teaching at Princeton. He has been awarded twelve honorary doctorates and information on his two business practices can be found at www.michaelgraves.com. Graves talked about his love for drawing and showed us many examples of his incredible artistry skills. He talked passionately about inspirational artists and their work like Walter Gropius and his Bauhaus school, Andrea Palladio, Francesco Borromini, Gianlorenzo Bernini, and the Josef Hoffmann pot. While in Rome, he sold his drawings to fund travel but, fortunately, we were able to see pictures of these drawings. He also talked fondly of the home he bought in Princeton, NJ and he shared many pictures of the transformation of his home and his many precious collections. It was fun to view pictures of these collections and learn about where the inspiration of his many wonderful designs came from. He is well known for the consumer products sold at Target stores and for other useful objects like the Alessi stainless steel kettle with the iconic triangular shape, blue handle and red rooster. Of late, Graves has been working on improving design in health-related facilities after spending time in eight different hospitals over the last seven years. It was truly a pleasure to listen to Graves talk about his life. I never knew what a truly funny and entertaining man he was.

Neocon remains a lively and thriving convention

I don't know attendance numbers for today, but from what I saw, Neocon is as popular as ever. What a fun day it was for those who braved the cold, damp, and foggy Chicago weather. For those of you who are from out of town, yes, Chicago can get quite hot - but not today. Inside was chilly too. The air conditioner was turned on for high attendance. Tomorrow, I will wear long sleeves and a jacket. As I approached the Merchandise Mart this morning, the building's majestic and grand facade reminded me of what lies inside. Visitors cannot be disappointed by the plethora of products and architecture boosting style, design, imagination, and innovation. It is all so visually stimulating. My plan to take a break every two hours worked well this year as I saw many new resting areas and eating spots scattered throughout each floor. I appreciate this thoughtful accomodation! The more rest we get, the more we can take in and absorb. Tomorrow morning, bright and early, I hope to see keynote speaker, Michael Graves. I look forward to hearing about his background in architecture and design. I hope he tells us about his design work with Target.

Discover what's new and exciting at Neocon 2010

Hello interior design lovers. Tomorrow is the first day of Neocon 2010 and I'm so excited I can hardly believe it. I have my three outfits and new Merrill walking shoes ready to go for three full days of seeing new products, networking, seminars, and meeting with friends. I wonder if Sherwin Williams will have their brightly colored M&Ms again this year promoting their new paint colors. That is a favorite of mine. An IIDA sponsored seminar tomorrow, Rethinking, Redefining, and Reinventing Our Work, is said to have ten design leaders talk about and give examples of how to stay on top of the design industry. That's perfect for me. Part of the excitement of Neocon is seeing the new funky and innovative products. I will soon find out what the hottest new paint colors are to inspire me to redecorate my home!