Chicago—Chicago Design Week 2026 kicked off June 8-10 with NeoCon, the commercial design industry’s premier North American trade show, hosted here at The Mart. This year’s theme, “Where Design Connects,” was evident in the hustle and bustle of showrooms and exhibition spaces—some of which featured the latest in commercial flooring design.
Attendance at NeoCon 2026 was on par with last year’s show according to pre-registration numbers. “Registration right up to the beginning of the show was about where it was in 2025, slightly over,” Byron Morton, vice president and co-head of leasing, NeoCon, told FCNews. “But I think the real telling number is our hotel room block was up 10%, and from the energy and the showroom visit numbers, that increase seems to resonate.”
NeoCon 2026 had several new activations this year that drew swaths of attendees to its halls. The show officially launched a Preview Day, which was held Sunday, June 7. It gave attendees early access to showrooms and exhibits as well as additional time for quality meetings before the official opening. “Last year we had a lot of feedback from several manufacturers who told us there just simply wasn’t enough time,” Morton explained. “We gave it a shot, and it worked out. Feedback so far is unanimously positive across all market segments, from showrooms and temporary exhibitors.”
The show also debuted NeoCon Collab: Half Light, a 2,800-square-foot installation designed by Charlie Greene Studio. The space brought together multiple brands in a hospitality-focused environment inspired by Chicago’s urban grid. It also gave brands not otherwise represented at the Mart a chance to participate in the show, its award program and lead capture system. Mohawk, for example, was a part of the space and even took home a Best of NeoCon Award.
Suppliers at the Mart noted the show’s continued draw. “I go to a lot of trade shows, but there is something so special about NeoCon,” said Shannon Crider Langley, director of marketing, workplace, Shaw Contract. “People come here with such great anticipation. Day one at the Mart is probably the most exciting day all year. You can see that everyone is smiling and chatting.”
At the same time, Design Days at Fulton Market continued to draw crowds. Now in its third year, the event counts five flooring suppliers among its featured showrooms. While not in any way a joint venture, the two events did collaborate on transportation and permitting to help ease the flow between shows.
For NeoCon, however, drawing those flooring suppliers back into the fold remains a long-term objective—one that organizers acknowledge won’t happen overnight but believe will come as the show continues to evolve.
“Bottom line, we want them back,” Morton said, “And that’s going to take time. The way people attend shows and design festivals, and what they expect from them, has changed a lot and continues to change. People are looking for more experiential things, and we’ve answered that in the form of new activations and new exhibits, we’re growing into different categories and we’re also concentrating on our four legacy categories as well. So it’s going to take some time, but we’re in the long game. And I honestly do see a lot of those companies coming back.”
Commercial market health
Chicago Design Week helps to gather some of the industry’s top commercial flooring executives who not only show off the latest innovations but also speak to the current health of the market.
“The commercial side of the business is where we’re seeing the strength right now,” Jennifer Zimmerman, chief commercial officer, AHF Products, told FCNews. “It’s been a good first half for us. We’re really excited.”
Jeff West, vice president of marketing and design at Shaw Contract, agreed, noting, “Overall business is really good—good results for both soft and hard surface. Interestingly, broadloom has also done well.”
The commercial business is also holding strong for Milliken. “Overall, we’re happy about the year so far,” said Allie Bruski, VP of marketing and design. “There’s a lot going on in the world, but we’ve got a great team, great strategy, and we’re leaning into that.”
The market segments most suppliers at the show touted this year were hospitality, education and—believe it or not— workplace/office. “Corporate has bounced back a lot,” Kent Clauson, Patcraft’s vice president of marketing, told FCNews. “The companies that are coming back in workplace are investing in Class A buildings. They’re investing at higher levels to attract their team back, but also to make high-impact environments. So not only is it coming back, but it’s coming back in a way where people want to invest more.”
For some, hospitality is a new segment but one that is ripe for growth. “Hospitality is an area we’ve just entered into,” AHF’s Zimmerman said. “We’ve got a hospitality team and some really great products now with the Timber Tones and the 4.5., and the Crossville brand. So it’s a growth segment for us, and we’re really seeing a lot of bright spots in hospitality.”
When it comes to product, suppliers touted hard surface, which is doing well across segments. “By far we do really well with education, government and healthcare,” said David Duncan, senior vice president business development, segment & channel at Mohawk. “Hard surface is doing really, really well. We launched a lot of product last year, and we’re reaping the benefits of it this year. We’ve done a lot of LVT, and that’s not all wood—we have some abstract looks. That’s worked really well in retail environments, education and healthcare.”
(For more on new products and design trends from Chicago Design Week, see future print editions of FCNews and fcnews.net.)
