It’s that time of year again, when the commercial furnishings industry launches its newest products at the design expo, NeoCon. Last year, I assembled an article summarizing my favorite brands and products and included a first-ever blooper reel at the end of my summary. See NeoCon 2011 Unplugged. This year, I’m back with a vengeance to share highlights from 2012, but I’d like to change the order: fun first with this never-before seen NeoCon 2012 blooper reel.
Facts and Trends
After viewing these outtakes, it’s probably difficult to believe that the 40,000+ NeoCon attendees include the world’s most sophisticated architects and designers, specifically those that focus on commercial interiors. But it’s the truth!
For this reason, it’s a fabulous opportunity to analyze trending behavior in the industry, which often serves as a proxy for the economy at large and other leading vertical markets. Here are some findings I feel are particularly interesting.
Market Segments
22% of NeoCon attendees are currently working on a GSA project, 21% of are working on an Office project, 12% are working on an Education project, 11% on a Hospitality project, 10% on a Healthcare project, and 8% on a Retail project.
Magazines
Of the 28,000 attendees to participate in this survey, 39% read Interior Design Magazine, 26% read Contract Magazine, and 14% read Metropolis Magazine.
Media Consumption
Of the 15,000 attendees to participate in this survey, 46% consume content predominantly in a browser, 22% in print, 20% on a mobile phone, and 12% on a tablet.
Mobile Devices
Of the 31,000 attendees to participate in this survey, 47% use an iPhone, 20% use an Android, 16% use a Blackberry, and .04% use a Windows device.
I’m not an analyst nor economist, but my observations are as follows:
1. Private-sector construction as a percentage of total construction appears robust considering the state of our economy.
2. Without question, digital content consumption is no longer the future, but rather the present. More interesting, there are nearly more architects and designers consuming content on their mobile devices than in magazines.
3. Apple wins in just about every market it competes in. Keep in mind that the majority of design professionals are committed to Windows PCs because the industry’s computer drafting standard, AutoDesk, was only available for Windows until very recently. And even that being the case, nearly 1 of every 2 architects or designers is using an iPhone. That’s really quite profound.
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Read Jacob’s full post here.
