Illuminate at NeoCon Explores Lighting’s Role in Wellness and Design

NeoCon, the largest and longest-running show serving the commercial interiors and architectural and design (A&D) industry, will launch Illuminate—an expanded program dedicated to architectural, technical, and decorative lighting. The show-within-a-show will debut June 8–10, 2026, on the 7th Floor of THE MART in Chicago where attendees will experience the transformative power of light through real-world vignettes, interactive installations, and expert-led education.

Connecting the A&D Community Through Lighting Showcase

Lighting has always been the invisible hand guiding how we feel in a space. As design priorities evolve to embrace wellness, sustainability, and personalization, lighting has emerged as a critical tool for achieving these goals. By giving lighting its own stage within the commercial interiors show, NeoCon is acknowledging its growing influence on everything from circadian rhythm support to building energy performance and aesthetic storytelling.

Lisa Simonian, VP of Trade Shows at THE MART, said Illuminate aims to connect the lighting industry, commercial design community, and over 50,000 architects, designers, and end-use decision makers who attend NeoCon.

“During our NeoCon 2025 show, we heard from several lighting industry professionals that there was a growing need to better educate and demonstrate the importance of architectural, technical, and design lighting to general A&D audiences. A lighting component at NeoCon offers an ideal opportunity to fulfill this need.”

Networking and Cross-Disciplinary Design Collaborations

In a robust field of lighting trade shows, including LightFair, LEDucation, and ArchLIGHT Summit, Illuminate seeks to integrate a unique lighting niche into NeoCon for the A&D community to explore alongside furniture, textiles, and wallcoverings.  A priority for Illuminate is to introduce partnerships with lighting design associations and industry groups to strengthen the program’s credibility.

The goal is to take architects, interior designers, contractors, and show-goers on a sensory journey beyond the luminaire's functional attributes into its emotional, architectural, and expressive abilities. The 7th Floor’s Exhibit Hall will feature:

• Curated Lighting Showcase: A mix of established and emerging brands presented in distinctive booth formats.
• Expert-Led Education: Programming that explores trends, technologies, applications, and best practices in lighting design.
• Immersive Demonstrations: Interactive vignettes and installations that reveal lighting’s effects in real-world environments.
• Networking & Collaboration: Special events, meetups, and design collaborations integrated throughout THE MART.

“We are working with lighting industry experts to design interactive vignettes and installations that show the transformative power of lighting and how lighting can shape spaces across different applications,” Simonian said.

She added that the program will explore topics like how light impacts paint color and uses for indirect lighting and downlighting. THE MART is also consulting with and hopes to partner with lighting industry associations to bolster the educational lighting design programs while meeting the varying degrees of lighting design aptitude of attendees.

“We are approaching a targeted selection of lighting manufacturers (both established and newcomers) whom we believe will be the most compelling and attractive to NeoCon’s audience,” Simonian explained.

Brands interested in exhibiting on the 7th Floor can contact Julie Kohl, vice president of exhibitor sales, at [email protected], and Madeleine Tullier, director of exhibitor sales, at [email protected].

While Illuminate will spotlight various luminaires on the 7th Floor, the cross-disciplinary collaboration is neither floor nor Chicago limited. Simonian hopes vignettes, programs, events and hospitality opportunities within the Illuminate space spark future collaborations both within and outside the lighting program. THE MART looks to connect exhibiting Illuminate manufacturers with other NeoCon exhibitors and showrooms.