SECOND ANNUAL NEOCON® EAST IN BALTIMORE, MD., DRAWS MORE THAN 6,000 ATTENDEES
BALTIMORE (Oct. 29, 2004) — In its second year at the Baltimore Convention Center, NeoCon® East drew 6,000 attendees from across the Mid-Atlantic region. The business-oriented trade show, which was held Oct. 6-7, 2004, showcased the latest commercial products for interior design and the built environment. The interior designers, architects, facility managers, dealers, manufacturers’ representatives, students, federal employees and corporate executives who attended the show experienced products from more than 230 exhibitors, 23 percent more than in 2004, in 177,000 square feet of exhibit space, a 44 percent increase in net show space from its debut year in 2003.
“I was satisfied last year with NeoCon East, but this year it has outdone itself. We’ve had a lot of attendee traffic. It was a wonderful opportunity to share our product regionally. We will absolutely be back next year with a bigger booth,” said Anthony P. Minite, president of Bentley Prince Street, Inc., City of Industry, Calif.
“We are extremely proud of the success of NeoCon East. The momentum and growth of the show, coupled with the vibrant energy of the design professionals who exhibited and attended, point to a boom year ahead and bright start to 2005,” said Mark Falanga, vice president, Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc. (MMPI). “In addition to new offerings at NeoCon East this year, we had tremendous support from exhibitors and show partners, for which we are grateful.”
The 2004 installation of NeoCon East was completely sold out with major manufacturers in the commercial design industry participating with wonderfully aesthetic looks and large exhibit spaces, including: Haworth, Inc.; Herman Miller, Inc.; Kimball Office; Knoll; Steelcase, Inc.; Teknion; and The HON Company. Hundreds of new products, including some not available for viewing at NeoCon® World’s Trade Fair earlier this year, were showcased at NeoCon East. More than 85 percent of exhibitors have recommitted and re-signed for NeoCon East in 2005.
“We came back to NeoCon East mainly because of the GSA environment and the response we got last year,” said Christopher Zoucha, director of marketing of RFM Preferred Seating, Hillsboro, Ore. “If you have anything to do with the government and GSA, you need to be here. If you have anything to do with designers in the East Coast market, you need to be here. All of these things put together make this a win-win situation.”
Produced by MMPI, the show consists of four components: Government Interiors, Buildings Show®, GREENlife™: Products for Sustainable Environments and the Architectural Stone and Ceramic Tile Exposition. New this year was the Product Design Showcase, a “village commons”-type area sponsored by Interior Design magazine and OMWorkspace, where attendees learned more about the inspirations behind the different products seen at the show directly from the product designers. The Best of NeoCon® Gallery also had a whole new look and feel with representation from all the 2004 winners either through product displays or graphics. The space was all-encompassing, giving attendees the full breadth of what Best of NeoCon is all about: the best of the best products.
“NeoCon East is a wonderful event that allows industry members an opportunity to meet with a variety of local vendors and distributors. The ease and convenience of having local access to these manufacturers and their furnishings is unbeatable,” said Taifa A. Coger, interior design and space planning specialist for the Executive Office of the President, The White House.
With a sophisticated style and feel, the expanded NeoCon East show floor featured white aisle carpeting and exceptional, high-end exhibit designs. The welcome party on Wednesday evening on the show floor had Haworth serving white martinis with delicious appetizers, and Bentley Prince Street serving champagne and tasty fare while featuring one of New York City’s trendiest disc jockeys spinning techno tunes in garb outfitted by Bentley Prince Street. Interesting displays covered the show floor including those from the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), student displays from various schools, American Institute of Architects (AIA, Northern Virginia Chapter) and AIA Baltimore design awards displays.
With a focus on attracting government-related buyers from the General Services Administration (GSA) and
commercial designers, MMPI heavily marketed this year’s show ensuring the targeted audience of design professionals from across the board would make NeoCon East an important stop in their work schedules. The representation from the A&D community was much larger than last year as firms sent whole teams of architects and designers to the show.
“Baltimore is the perfect location for this show, with close proximity to major metropolitan areas in the Mid-Atlantic region. We’ve found our niche as government business is booming. We capitalized on this and worked closely with the GSA to promote NeoCon East through all the appropriate government channels,” said Melvin R. Schlitt, vice president, MMPI.
The NeoCon East marketing team also worked with C.B. Richard Ellis, a leading commercial real estate services firm, on a personalized letter and invitation campaign to more than 200 contacts actively looking for commercial space in the Mid-Atlantic Region, representing an estimated 5 million square feet of commercial space over the next five years. Furthermore, MMPI, along with subsidiaries of its parent company, Vornado Realty Trust, reached a broad audience of buyers. Charles E. Smith, a division of Vornado and sister company to MMPI, provided the NeoCon East team with lists of brokers and facility managers in the Washington, D.C., real estate community.
The additional marketing tools proved worthwhile as registration was packed from the onset. Exhibitors were impressed with the quality of attendees and were pleased with the steady traffic over the course of two days. The GSA booth was packed with customers both days of the show as were the Government Interiors seminars. Every major association participated in the show with both the national and local chapters of ASID and International Interior Design Association (IIDA) represented. Shuttle buses to and from the Washington Design Center and the Federal Buildings Expo (at the Washington Convention Center) provided attendees an easy way to get to the show and to tap into the Federal Buildings Expo audience of 2,500 federal government buyers representing 1,800 federally owned buildings and 6,500 leased buildings.
The show’s two keynote addresses were at standing-room-only capacity. Sponsored by Interior Design magazine and presented by IIDA, Kenneth Catlow, principal deputy director of the Pentagon Renovation and Construction Program, focused his presentation on government work, rebuilding Wedge 1 of the Pentagon after 2001. Sponsored by METROPOLIS magazine, Shashi Caan, a favorite in the design community, spoke about "Imagination and Responsibility" and had some inspiring insight into the profession's goals and requirements for the future. The Student Day keynote address, which was sponsored by METROPOLIS magazine, was presented by Douglas Fanning, design entrepreneur with DYAD Studios. Fanning provided students with valuable insight into what it takes to keep a young design business successful. Herman Miller, Inc. sponsored the NeoCon East 2004 Student Day.
The well-attended educational programs were excellent and offered something for everyone. A few packed seminar highlights include: Paul Manno’s (with Gensler) "Creating a Culture of Design"; Arnold Levin’s (with Mancini Duffy) "Creating a Strategic Approach to Workplace Design"; Mary Beth Gotti’s (with GE Lighting) "Trends in Lighting Applications"; Stormy Friday’s (with The Friday Group) "Staying on Track in FM”; and Beverly Russell’s (educator and editor) "The Enrichment Workshop: Walking the Labyrinth", which offered attendees a chance to journey towards personal enrichment.
“We were delighted with NeoCon East this year. It really was a ‘wow’ experience for us. We’re definitely coming back next year and will be doubling our booth size,” said Frank DeSerio, creative director of Avio Galleries, Inc.
NeoCon East will be held Sept. 14-15, 2005, at the Baltimore Convention Center. For more information about NeoCon East or any of the NeoCon shows, please call 800.677.6278 or visit www.merchandisemart.com.
NeoCon East is a registered trademark of Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc. (MMPI). MMPI is a trade show, leasing and property management firm, specializing in managing buildings devoted to wholesale showrooms and commercial office space. MMPI produces more than 300 trade shows, market events and conferences each year.
MMPI manages The Merchandise Mart, 350 North Orleans/Chicago Apparel Center, and 33 North Dearborn in Chicago; Market Square, the Suites at Market Square, Hamilton Market, Plaza Suites, Furniture Plaza and the National Furniture Mart in High Point, N.C.; the Architects & Designers Building in New York; the L.A. Mart in Los Angeles; and the Washington Design Center and Washington Office Center in Washington, D.C.
Vornado Realty Trust, owner of MMPI, based in New York City, is a fully integrated equity real estate investment trust. Vornado's common shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange and are traded under the symbol VNO.
MEDIA INQUIRIES ONLY:
Joanna Mineau
Director of Public Relations
Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc.
312-527-7074
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