Sweet Home Chicago - Robin Blows into the Windy City to Showcase the Future of Work

We don’t think it’s odd for us to be attending the largest design exposition and conference for commercial interiors in North America. But you might. The National Exposition of Contract Interior Furnishings - NeoCon for short - is a pretty big deal for the architecture and design professional in the commercial market.

The show is massive. Many booths are the size of small towns. So why did we decide to fly a small team out to Chicago to talk about Robin? Read on fearless reader.

OFS Brands, an office furniture manufacturer, asked us to help them create an engaging digital experience in their booth as part of a connected furniture showcase. OFS makes wonderfully-designed furniture that helps make people comfortable and productive in the office. Using our presence-sensing software - Robin - we’re helping tell the story of how rooms that can react to the people and the things in them drives comfort and productivity to unprecedented levels. When these two paths cross, the office becomes a place that people actually want to work.

Connected furniture is not a new concept. In 2012 Ikea announced a new furniture line for the home that integrated an LED TV, a sound system, and an internet connection. But connected furniture is not about just including a USB charger on the side of your favorite comfy chair so your iPhone doesn’t die while playing Minesweeper. We see it through the same lens we see the future of the workplace itself. It should react to people. Our goal at NeoCon is to show how furniture and technology and software can combine to create exciting new workplace experiences.

We believe deeply in the idea that a big part of loving your work is loving the actual place where you work. This is really important. Like clean air, or water, is important. Okay, maybe not that important. But almost.We're not the only ones that believe technology is an important part of space design alongside furniture. Why shouldn’t the sofa be able to tell you who is sitting in your lobby? Without spoiling the show, we can promise a demo of a contextual "board room of the future".

We’re excited for the opportunity to show what Robin can do to an audience that is beginning to think about how technology can enhance the workplace experience when bundled with well-designed furniture. It’s going to be a blast!