Topflor China Limited

By Darius Helm, Anne Harr, Ruth Simon McRae, and Jessica Chevalier

There was a relaxed but upbeat mood at this year’s NeoCon contract design expo, and the return to color along with the emphasis on innovation seems to suggest that a corner has been turned. The commercial market is far from firing on all cylinders. However several commercial sectors are strong right now, and there’s a sense that there’s much more to come. 

The 45th annual NeoCon, held in Chicago’s Merchandise Mart, drew 41,488 attendees, up marginally from last year’s 40,947, and over 700 exhibitors showcased their products, including 490 on the seventh and eighth exhibit floors, and most of the rest in the permanent showrooms on the third, tenth and 11th floors.

A walk around the show floors revealed that the strongest sector right now is healthcare—both acute care and senior living. Many of the most prominent manufacturers had products designed specifically for the senior living sector, which has more long-term prospects for growth than just about any other commercial market.

This year’s show featured a lot of experimentation with materials, and some of the leading manufacturers came out with hybrid collections that blur the line between carpet and hard surface. There was also plenty of high design, some of which was probably designed more to attract accolades from the design community than to generate huge revenues. Nevertheless, these new designs open up pathways and keep the industry fresh and forward thinking, so it’s always a good sign when the show is filled with surprises.

This year, some manufacturers in the flooring industry chose not to show their products in the Mart. Invista didn’t have a space this year, and Fortune relinquished its permanent showroom. Bentley moved from its large interior showroom and took over Fortune’s small space, and at the same time opened a permanent showroom in a building directly across the street from the Mart. Interface also moved out of its large permanent showroom—though it kept a smaller permanent space—and also opened a showroom across the street from the Mart. J+J, however, added a showroom for its new J+J/Kinetex brand.

The show floors were bustling for the first two days of the show, though there were occasionally pockets of quiet. But most manufacturers seemed pleased with the volume of traffic and the promise of upcoming projects.