NEOCON 2013 - Here We Come!

B&OI/BD are NEOCON veterans...but that doesn't mean it doesn't help to brush up on the do's and don'ts from time to time. I'm pulling out an old blog from the archive to help refresh those attending, both new and old, on how to handle this amazing event!

NEOCON 2013 is being held at the Merchandise Mart in Chicago from June 10th - 12th. This is the premier tradeshow to go to if you're in the interior design / furniture industry for office, healthcare, educational, hospitality, GSA/gov, and retail. With amazing vendors showcasing their latest wares, this is the place to be to see the latest and greatest designs and schmooze with clients and vendors alike.

Check out NEOCON's official website here.
And follow them on twitter: @NeoCon

The bonus, of course, is that this is being held in an amazing city that offers a variety of shows, restaurants, and extra-curricular activities to attend. Besides the parties the vendors are throwing, you can catch an act at The House of Blues. Or, if you're in town for the weekend (10-12th), hit up the FREE Blues Festival.

And don't forget your restaurants!!!

The thing to remember with NEOCON is that it is a 3 day marathon of your senses. You're going to be meeting people, seeing tons of new designs, entertaining clients, being entertained, and you need to do it all in 72 hours (don't forget to sleep!). It sounds like enough time, right? It isn't. B&OI has been going to NEOCON for the past 15 years and every year they schedule as much as humanly possible in...it's an amazing feat.

Newbie tips
1. Research! Don't go in without knowing what you're coming up against. The show is on multiple floors and you're going to want to know where the vendors you're going to see are located
2. Start reserving restaurants now. Really? Yes. I tried to make reservations last year around this time and couldn't get into 2 popular restuarants...you can not just show up with 5 people on Tuesday night.
3. Prepare! There are a lot of parties and special events going on. Know which ones you can get to if they're off site of the Mart. Check with your reps and vendors - they should know!
4. If something falls through, don't stress! A lot can go right at this event, but sometimes, things go a little haywire. Being prepared and knowing back up plans is a great way to avoid stress and frustration.
5. Have fun! This is an amazing event and enjoy it and Chicago while you're there!

Enjoy!

~ Kendal

B&OI / BarclayDean 4th Floor Installation

With the merger and continued growth of our company, B&OI/BD had to expand. We chose a space in the Seattle Design Center one floor down from our current location. This new space holds our design team, coordinators, and accountants. Check out some fun pictures and great products!

This is a great collaboration space featuring Coalesse

Our "phone booth" space - privacy with room for flexibility

 

The artwork we received from Ghana fully framed!

 

Look at this fun space! Modern industrial at its finest!

 

Designer's station



Coordinator's Space

 

Not the best shot of the furniture, but look at that view! Hello Seattle!!!

Better, more professional photos are in the works. But I am so excited about how great this space has come together!

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The New IIDA VP of Campus Centers

CONGRATULATIONS JAYNE LEIGHTY!

B&OI/BarclayDean associate Jayne Leighty has received this prestigious honor: the VP of Campus Centers. According to the IIDA website, "Campus Centers provide an environment for the development and exchange of knowledge among students, educators, administration and design professionals. Participation in a Campus Center adds further value to your student membership because it involves working closely with your local IIDA Chapter or City Center to develop programs and events." Bella, a coworker of Jayne's, noted "Jayne is 1 of 2 design students chosen in four years to be honored in the Art Institutes Hall of Fame (graduating with honors). Past honorees include the guy who designed the Iron Man costumes, a culinary student who won Iron Chef, and a fashion student who was on Project Runway."

We completely agree with that statement. Congrats again!!!

Giving Back to Your Community

When B&OI and BarclayDean merged last year, one of the things that the B&OI associates were looking forward to was the philanthropic nature of our new counterparts. BD was known throughout the Bellevue and Seattle region as a very giving organization and devoted to the programs they were a part of. From Junior Achievement to Youth Eastside, Swedish to Providence Hospitals - we have maintained that level of dedication to continue our effort to support our community.

As a company, a locally owned and operated company at that, we feel we have a duty and our proud to give back. However, each company is different in what they can provide (a start-up versus an established 20+ year company may not have the resources to attend a dinner gala where tables start at $3000). But getting your company behind a few causes or local events is a great way to not only help out, but also promote team building. Here are just a few examples of things you can incorporate into your company culture.

1. Charity races and walkathons. These usually take place on the weekends and can be a great way to promote bonding and fundraising. Maybe the company can pay half entrance fee for each runner. Maybe you do internal fundraising for a select team. There are so many different races that benefit research and non-profits, you can reach out to employees and ask which organizations they want to donate to and plan accordingly.

2. YWCA / YMCA donations - Our local YWCA does an amazing job collecting donations around the holidays for children and families. From Valentine's baskets to Thanksgiving baskets, you can have you office adopt a family to help out. Donate 1 basket or donate 20. There are many charity organizations that do this and doing a google/bing/yahoo search of the area can bring you in contact with one.

3. Bowlathons/Golf Tournaments - currently, B&OI/BD has partnered with Junior Achievement (www.jawashington/bowling.org) to raise money for their educational programs (and their organization is international, so there may be a branch in your area). But I also know that Sleep Country USA partners with the local foster care program -another worthy and great cause (http://www.pajamabowl.com/)! Each individual raises money to meet the team goal and bonds over brews and bowling. Or why not check out which local charities are holding a golf tournament? We know of quite a few in our region that hosts for a specific cause and are also a great time!

4. Habitat for Humanity - I know if seems obvious, but this could be a great way for your company to give back. Why not offer a paid day off for your office to go build a house for a local family in need. It offers your workers a way to get away from the daily grind and work together for a great cause - almost like a retreat without the scavenger hunt.

There may already be organizations/non-profits that you're thinking about supporting - this is a great way to give back to your community and tie it in to your company culture. Make that 12K race an annual tradition! Know that every year around the holidays, you will hold a coat drive. Simple things make big differences and giving back to your community makes you feel good.

Event Alert! IIDA on March 28th!

 

 

B&OI / BarclayDean is a proud member and sponsor of IIDA and we are excited for next week's great event on Corporate Responsibility.

 

The event includes breakfast, networking, and of course, a great speaker:

 

"Speaker Vincent Stanley, co-author of The Responsible Company, is Patagonia’s vice president of marketing and has been with the company on and off since its inception in 1973. For the past eight years he has focused on the intersection of the company’s brand, sport and environmental stories. He has helped initiate and produce the Footprint Chronicles, the Common Threads Partnership; and Patagonia Books".

 

Event Date: March 28, 2013

Event Time: 8 am – 11 am

Location: Hyatt Olive 8

 

Tickets are still available for this great event (click on the picture) and we will definitely be there to learn and interact. Will you?



 

 

Advanced Educational Furniture and Technology

Today, our company went to the University of Washington's supplier fair where the various vendors showcase their products and hopefully get new sales. This is a great opportunity to highlight both new and old items to the members of the University who need these tools to make their workday a whole lot easier.

Fortunately for us, Steelcase has a wide range of products that fit in great at UW(as well as many other schools and universities) that we feel will keep paving the way for updated classrooms. Click on the names to go directly to their product page for more in-depth information.

 

Verb is an integrated collection of classroom furniture designed to support a full range of teaching and learning styles on demand.  

 

Node is designed for quick, easy transitions from one teaching mode to the next. A classroom can transition from lecture mode to team mode and back again, without interruption.

 

 

Fuse, the all-in-one digital visualizer, is a document camera to display and annotate over live demonstrations, web camera to connect with other classrooms and scanner to capture student work.

 

 

Through the integration of furniture and technology, media:scape is reshaping the way people collaborate in a connected world.

 

Have you seen these out in your schools? I know Gonzaga has the media:scape in their library...let us know!



 

Tired Eye Syndrome or Your Eyes vs. The Office

As I sat in the eye doctor's office this morning, my eyes dilated and scratchy, corneas yelling at me for wearing my contacts too long, too often, etc., all I could think about was having to wear my dumb glasses for the next 2 weeks and how I was going to run my race on Saturday with my dumb glasses tied to my head (I then went and bought less dumb glasses and talked the optometrist into letting me wear single use lenses for a few hours race day...whoot!).. What I wasn't thinking about was how much pain I'd be in when I get back to work and the amount of strain I put on my eyes normally.

We stare at our monitors and portable devices for hours and it does have serious impact on our comfort. Take a second and ask yourself, do you regularly get the following symptoms?

• burning
• dry and strained eyes
• headache
• neck ache
• blurred vision

My neck and head constantly hurt throughout the day. I try to get up every 50 minutes but a lot of the time I'm deep in a project and the pile just gets higher. I do sit to stand at my desk, but that doesn't give my eyes a chance to rest. Here are a few tips good tips I found to help alleviate computer eyestrain.

1. Take a break. I know I said it's hard to pull away from the pile, but between the two articles I read, this is the highest on the list. IPN Lighting suggests that "if you can't leave your desk, lean back, close your eyes and relax".

2. Use proper lighting. Both sites have this as number 2 on the list and as a person who works in a dimmer area,, I definitely get the importance of having better light. If you can get away from overhead fluorescent lighting, that would be ideal. if not, see if you can get "the current fluorescent tubes with "full spectrum" fluorescent bulbs designed to be more similar to natural sunlight and therefore more comforting to the eyes than conventional fluorescent lighting".

3. Air Dry? Get humidity. "Natural plants in your workspace can increase humidity as well as control dust and other irritating particles".

4. Upgrade computer display settings. By adjusting the display, it can help to alleviate eye strain. Look at brightness, text size and font, and color temperatures.

All About Vision (article here) and IPN Lighting (article here) wrote great informational pieces with a few more tips. Check them out!

Let us know the tricks or tips you use to reduce eye strain in a message below.

Thanks!

Kendal