Rival Chicago design events NeoCon and Fulton Market Design Days must start working together for the benefit of the city, an organiser of one of the fairs has said.
The two events, both geared towards the contract furniture market ? furniture meant for commercial installation ? take part over the same few days in early June.
Design Days is a fledgling flair just a few years old but is supported by a number of marquee brands such as Herman Miller, Knoll and OFS that have recently moved over from NeoCon, which has been running for nearly six decades.
NeoCon takes place yearly at The Mart in Chicago. Photo by Gillian Fry
"I think both sides know that there's something that needs to be discussed," Fulton Market Design Days (Design Days) development director Rob Tivadar told Dezeen. "But nobody's sitting down and trying to hash anything out."
NeoCon is located at The Mart, a massive two-block-long structure with 25 storeys and more than 250 showrooms, as well as offices.
Fulton Market is just a mile away, and by contrast consists of a strip of showrooms intermixed with restaurants and anchored by new buildings with multiple tenants such as the stepped, SOM-designed 800 Fulton Market building.
Both events have social components, with NeoCon hosting a number of events for registered attendees, many of whom pay for their badges, while Design Days has no central event but this year hosted several activities, including screen-printing t-shirts.
NeoCon involves hun...