NeoCon is no longer the only show in Chicago in June. The city’s official designation of Chicago Design Week last year signals that Chicago — including Fulton Market and areas beyond — are also primed for design exploration. Opinions on the shift vary. Is the change good for the industry’s most important event? During Chicago Design Week, I spent time traveling between THE MART and Fulton Market. I asked attendees how they feel about the growing need to travel from one part of city to the other and gathered a few key takeaways.
Where are the showrooms?
My wife and I walked into a showroom thinking it was a coffee shop. Other people walked into coffee shops thinking they were showrooms. I spoke with Kelsie Scharp, a graphic designer from Haworth, and two of her colleagues while they were waiting for a bus back to THE MART. “The wayfinding is just not great,” she said. “We were looking around trying to find a map. We couldn’t find anything, so we were kind of just guessing. We’re like, do we go in there? Do we not go in there? THE MART, it’s just very clear. You go in everywhere.”
There are benefits to having everything in one building. THE MART is a high functioning, ordered and accessible hub. Suite numbers and a centralized food court make it one of the best places in the world to have a showroom.
On the other hand, Fulton Market is a patchwork improvisation. Cari Jacobs, director of project management at DeskMakers, told me: “It’s really easy to walk past showrooms that you intended to go to because they’re not all in one building, which is the nature of Fulton Market.” In terms of wayfinding, Design Days is still struggling.
NeoCon casts a big shadow
There is no use in running from it. As the influx of companies at Fulton turns from a trickle to a flood, Design Days is flourishing. But, like an uber successful older sibling, the comparisons to THE MART are inevitable.
“They need to choose a location,” said Abby Leopold, partner at CH411 Furniture. “I think attendance is down, because it’s hard to know what to do and (people) need to choose. Everybody needs to exit THE MART or go back to THE MART.” Despite the obvious benefits of an outdoor adult playground (seriously, they have basketball hoops in the street), the new location is polarizing.
Glenn Grow, CEO and founder of Innovasia, expressed an alternative perspective. His suggestion? “There could be more of the pop-ups…bring the seventh floor from THE MART over here in the middle,” he said. Grow, among others I spoke to, thinks the outdoor setting is a nice change of pace. Still, he looks to THE MART for opportunities to improve.
Fulton Market Design Days are here to stay
When the city officially designated the second week of June as Chicago Design Week, it was a strong statement. Design days are no longer a supplemental addition; though not officially part of NeoCon, they supplement the idea that Chicago is a design destination, regardless of location. Get used to the bustling, festival energy of Fulton Market in June.
That shift was evident when I spoke to Gwen Woodard, visual designer at Mannington Commercial Flooring. She told me that from her company’s perspective, “NeoCon and THE MART were very wonderful and functional for historical purposes, but all the new hip things happened at Design Days and that it’s important to relocate.”
Even amid the protests and comparisons, attendees seem to agree that both events are worth attending. Representatives from Haworth, whom I mentioned earlier, traveled three hours from Michigan. With only one day in Chicago, they still managed to visit both THE MART and Fulton Market.
Others demonstrated a similar commitment. They arrived using Ubers, by foot, and using event-provided transportation, underscoring their willingness to navigate the city to experience both events.
As a Chicago native, I see the appeal of both entities. Even in the 90-degree heat, the social pulse there made the pop-ups more fun and the showrooms more vibrant. There are restaurants that make traveling to that area as a tourist well worth the journey. The enthusiasm surrounding Fulton Market is undeniable, but its continued growth will depend on how effectively organizers address the challenges that come with expansion.
For all its promise, several changes are necessary to help Design Days mature as a complement to NeoCon. Better signage, maps and more cohesive messaging must be implemented to help people recognize that the scope of Chicago Design Week extends beyond THE MART. Companies are lured to Fulton Market because it is trendy, exciting and new. They will stay there if their showrooms are accessible and featured effectively.