March 23, 2026
NeoCon 2026 Brings New Exhibits, Collaborations, and More
For architects and designers, June in Chicago means one thing: NeoCon. From June 8–10—with a new Preview Day on June 7—thousands will descend on the Windy City, filling its streets with seasoned A&D professionals, dealers and manufacturers, emerging talent, and design lovers alike. Held at The Mart, the show spans 1 million square feet of exhibition space and features more than 450 leading and emerging exhibitors. A major commercial interior design trade show since 1969, NeoCon—now in its 57th edition—is a hub for design insights, product launches, and more. Guided by the 2026 theme, “Where Design Connects,” the show will serve as an important nexus for the people, products, and perspectives driving the industry forward. Below are a few highlights to add to your itinerary.
Illuminate at NeoCon
New this year, the lighting show, Illuminate at NeoCon, spotlights the power of lighting in the built environment—from new products and more than 50 brands to the technologies and trends shaping the industry. Illuminate will offer attendees interactive vignettes and installations, educational programming, special events, and more.
“With Illuminate, our goal is to create a dynamic new hub connecting the lighting industry with the commercial design community and NeoCon’s audience of more than 50,000 architects, designers, and end-user decision makers,” says Lisa Simonian, vice president and head of trade shows at The Mart. “We are responding to an important need for lighting to be more properly recognized as a key and essential component of good design.”
Collab Space
A 2,800-square-foot installation by Charlie Greene Studio, Collab Space takes a different approach from the typical trade show booth. Drawing inspiration from “Chicagohenge”—the city’s iconic solar alignment with its street grid—the installation explores the idea of design synergy. The space integrates materiality, color, and products into a cohesive environment, showcasing brands such as Allseating, Kriskadecor, Mohawk Group, Paul Brayton Designs, ROOM an OFS Company, and Simii Design in context.
Emerging Design
Sixtysix magazine’s Paved States and Haworth’s DesignLab return to NeoCon for an edited vision of what living looks like next. Jointly curated by Patricia Urquiola and Chris Force, the exhibition expands into The Mart lobby, presenting a diverse group of emerging designers working outside usual industry constraints.
The focus is the home as a continuous space where living and working merge, shaped by new rituals, materials, and culture. Anchored by the Paved States concept store and Haworth DesignLab gallery, the exhibition combines objects, books, and magazines with experimental programming and activations where curation itself becomes the point of view.
Inside Design
Returning for its encore year in collaboration with the Design Museum of Chicago, Inside Design offers attendees experiences that take them beyond the show and into the spaces, processes, and collaborations shaping contemporary design culture.
The 2026 lineup features a range of immersive explorations, including Design + Build: Home Court at the Obama Presidential Center, Makers, Mission & Material at Good Chaos, Designing the World of Steppenwolf Theatre Company, and Plant-Based Pigments & Patterns: A Living Design Practice with Erika Allen. This year’s Inside Design series is sponsored by Good Chaos, a Chicago-based studio investing in community spaces, artists, and creative visionaries, and initiatives that cultivate long-term cultural and economic impact.
Keynotes & Programming
For its 57th edition, NeoCon will showcase a programming lineup designed to inform, inspire, and provoke new ways of thinking. Leading the charge are three keynote speakers—entrepreneur and inventor Jessica O. Matthews, futurist Nick Foster, and digital prophet David “Shingy” Shing—who will open each day with forward-looking perspectives on innovation, foresight, and creative resilience.
Beyond the keynotes, the program pans a variety of formats and experiences, including seven Featured Presentations, seven hands-on Workshops, and a CEU offering with seven onsite sessions and more than 60 virtual opportunities. Attendees can immerse themselves in four Inside Design Experiences, engage with 12 NeoCon Talks—including a new partnership with Design Milk—and explore 13 Illuminate Spotlight Sessions highlighting the future of lighting.
The next generation of design talent also takes center stage with a dedicated day of student-focused programming Wednesday of the show, reinforcing NeoCon’s commitment to shaping what’s next. NeoCon Programming Registration opens April 1.
To explore the full scope of what’s in store and complete your registration, visit neocon.com.
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