What THE MART and Fulton Market Tell Us About Our Priorities as an Industry

For some people in the office furniture and workplace industry, going to Chicago in early June is an established ritual. For others a repeated and unwelcome burden. For still others a delightful diversion. Regardless, the industry focuses its attention there and then. Has for years. But that focus is getting increasingly fragmented. 

The first fragmentation surfaces in the name. Some people will be attending an event called NeoCon, a decades old industry exhibition held within the confines of THE MART along the Chicago River. Others will be attending, during the same week in June, an event called Design Days in the Fulton Market area of the city. Shuttle buses, taxis, and ride shares will move many folks back and forth to participate in both events. Walking is a challenge.  

Industry veterans know that this June fragmentation is relatively new. Starting with the departure from THE MART of Knoll in 2019, there has been a steady migration of major brands to move their showrooms from THE MART to the Fulton Market area. This will be the last year for the Steelcase showroom in THE MART, leaving only Haworth as one of the traditionally major brands to remain there. But the gigantic building on the Chicago River is not empty. 

“We began having a brand presence at NeoCon in the early 1990s, first in temporary booth space on the 8th floor and then moving to a permanent showroom,” says Rob Mayer, President and CEO of Mayer Fabrics, a growing textile provider to the industry. “When we moved to our current showroom on the 11th floor of THE MART, our traffic tripled. It’s clearly an advantage for us to have our customers all under one roof.” Mayer Fabrics has leveraged the availability of permanent showroom space in THE MART, and it has enabled them to effectively position their brand and build increased brand awareness. “We’re quite pleased,” adds Mayer. 

HNI and its flagship brand, Allsteel, were an earlier manufacturer moving to the Fulton Market neighborhood. “We know we’re asking a lot of attendees coming to Chicago to cover two distinct places,” acknowledged Natalie Murray, Director of Brand and Marketing for HNI Workplace Furnishings. HNI has also made an intriguing move this year, opening a showroom for their HON brand in the building that was once called The Apparel Mart next door to THE MART. Though the buildings are connected by a skywalk, HON will not be permitted to use the NeoCon moniker for their activities in that location in early June. Murray says that HNI is focusing on creating energy for design in multiple Chicago locations.

For anyone who strolls the 11th floor of THE MART this year at Neocon the vast square footage of the OFS showroom and its diverse array of products will signal a brand growing in stature and committed to a significant presence in that massive building. You would be wrong. This is the final Neocon at THE MART for OFS, as they too will move to the Fulton Market area for next year’s Design Days. Maria VanDeman, a Workplace Advisor and Sales Manager at OFS would tell you it’s largely a business decision for OFS. “We want to have more flexibility and a stronger brand presence throughout the entire year for our products and our company, not just during one week in June. Having our own space in Fulton Market will help us do that.” VanDeman says she will miss the energy she always feels during NeoCon at THE MART. “I hope all the division between locations won’t damage the spirit of this week for our industry.” 

Office and workplace manufacturers and suppliers must weigh an array of factors in making decisions about the locations for their showrooms and their presence and activities in June in Chicago. No one is more keenly aware of that than Dan Chong, the new President for North America for Boss Design, the highly regarded British manufacturer. Boss Design currently has a showroom on the 3rd floor of THE MART. “Convenience is certainly a factor to consider, but so is the overall experience for the attendees,” says Chong. “It will be interesting to see what will become the sort of epicenter of the week.” He muses about the evolution of the event, “Will it be a furniture industry week or a design week in Chicago?” 

As companies evaluate their options and assess the overall trends that are emerging, one element seems unfortunately clear. The showroom location decisions for this week in early June are not driven primarily by attendee priorities. It is unmistakably true that most attendees prefer the convenience of having an industry event under one roof. Whether measured by time efficiency, the ease of making and keeping an array of appointments, or the relished opportunities for serendipitous connections with colleagues in the hallways of THE MART, attendees would prefer one show in one place. While manufacturers focus on the year-round variables that drive their business decisions, attendees in Chicago focus on what works best for them during those days in June. However, the evolution of the industry may well be assigning a different set of priorities.