NeoCon 2025: Plan Your Visit

In case you hadn’t heard, Design Pool will not be exhibiting at NeoCon 2025. But that doesn’t mean we haven’t been busy! We have some exciting things coming up that we can’t tell you about just yet. (Stay tuned for a big announcement in the coming weeks.) Even though we won’t be there in person, we’ll be following along as best as we can remotely. If you’ll be there, we hope you’ll be sharing your experience on Instagram so we can follow along.

Want to get the most out of NeoCon?

NeoCon is such a fun show with a lot to see and do. If you need help getting ready to attend, we have resources for you. First, we updated our annual NeoCon Survival Guide for 2025. In this guide, we share the tips we’ve picked up over the years to help you enjoy the show and leave inspired.

Also, if this is your first time, check out our 10 Quick Tips from a NeoCon Newbie. In this post, I share ten tips I wish I had known before my first NeoCon in 2021.

Whether this is your first time attending or your tenth, it’s worth reviewing all NeoCon has planned so you don’t miss out on anything exciting or interesting. To make it easier for you, we’ve pulled together the major happenings all in one place. For details on any of these features, head over to the official NeoCon website for more information.

NeoCon 2025 Highlights:

Keynotes

Designing for Global Innovation
Annie Jean-Baptiste, Author, Building for Everyone
Monday, June 9, 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. CDT

Design as an Attitude
Alice Rawsthorn, Author of Design as an Attitude and Co-Founder of Design Emergency Podcast
Tuesday, June 10, 9:00 – 10:00 a.m. CDT

Bring Impossible Ideas to Life
Chris Barton, Founder & Creator, Shazam
Wednesday, June 11, 9:30 – 10:30 a.m. CDT

Featured Presentations

IIDA Collective Design LIVE: How to Design a More Inclusive Future
Monday, June 9, 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. CDT

Why Are We Still Talking About Return to Office?
Monday, June 9, 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. CDT

Back to Office: A Tale of Two Companies
Tuesday, June 10, 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. CDT

Integrating Fractal-Based Design for Stress Reduction
Tuesday, June 10, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. CDT

Brain Works in the Workplace: Decoding Neurodiversity
Tuesday, June 10, 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. CDT

Co-Creating Spaces of Inclusivity and Connectivity with ASIDx10 Collective
Tuesday, June 10, 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. CDT

Designing a Better Chicago — Insights From 2025 Grantees
Wednesday, June 11, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. CDT

NeoCon Talks

On the 7th Floor Exhibit Hall, Work Design Magazine is once again presenting NeoCon Talks. These twelve, 20-minute conversations “will delve into bold perspectives on next-gen creativity, workplace evolution, technology & AI, human-centered design, and brand & storytelling.”

These short talks are perfect when you need a break or want to rest your feet in the middle of exploring the 7th floor. While they all sound interesting, we highly recommend making sure you don’t miss the presentation by our friend Nicole Lashae (Ben) Hall of Thrive in Design on Monday, June 9, 1:30 PM – 1:50 PM. She’ll be presenting, Mic Up, Stand Out: How Podcasting Supercharges Your Brand.

Additional Events

As usual, NeoCon planned many additional events, activations, and CEU sessions. Be sure to visit the official NeoCon website to find the complete listing of all programs and events happening at NeoCon 2025.

Have fun! We’ll miss seeing you!