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IIDA Sets the Stage for Second Annual Chicago Design Week

Press Room

CHICAGO—The International Interior Design Association (IIDA) is thrilled to officially welcome the second edition of Chicago Design Week (CDW) occurring during the second week of June 2026. Officially recognized by the City of Chicago, this week-long celebration is a unique, organic platform that brings the design community together to exchange ideas, showcase innovation, and celebrate the city's creative spirit. Taking place in collaboration with NeoCon and Fulton Market Design Days, CDW events will focus on design, culture, education, and thought-leadership to complement the trade events, with a goal to give visitors a holistic view of Chicago.

“Chicago Design Week reflects the power of design to connect people, ideas, and place,” said IIDA Executive Vice President and CEO, Cheryl S. Durst, Hon. FIIDA. “Chicago Design Week offers an expansive, inclusive platform that celebrates the city’s creative energy while advancing recognition of the inclusive nature of design practice around the world."

In addition to events organized by IIDA, CDW will feature programming and activities hosted by design organizations representing all areas of design across the city – including design firms, manufacturers, museums, and galleries. Chicago’s design community are encouraged to submit their events occurring during the week to become official Chicago Design Week partners, and to invite the trade show participants and residents of the city to experience Chicago as a world-class design city. This opportunity amplifies visibility on a citywide stage while fostering deeper connections and a stronger sense of community among designers and the industry at large.

A selection of the current Chicago Design Week events organized by IIDA can be found below:

Saturday, June 6 and Sunday, June 7:

  • Jurying of 22nd Annual IIDA Showroom and Booth Design Competition: This design competition honors original interior design and the visual impact of showrooms, temporary booths, and pop-up exhibitors at NeoCon and Fulton Market Design Days with an emphasis on the innovative use of product, materials, space, color, texture, and environmental graphics. Entries will be reviewed onsite by a jury of influential design leaders and specifiers from the commercial interior design industry. All winning spaces will be exhibited throughout the show. Submissions are open from March 3 to June 5 on . Winning spaces will be exhibited throughout the NeoCon and Fulton Market Design Days shows. The Best of Competition winners for both shows will be announced and celebrated live during IIDA’s premier celebration, Revel in Design, the evening of Sunday, June 7, with one ultimate winner receiving the Best of Chicago Design Week award.

Sunday, June 7:

  • 2026 IIDA Annual Meeting: The IIDA Annual Meeting is a yearly gathering for IIDA members to celebrate and connect in-person. Presented by IIDA Executive Vice President and CEO, Cheryl S. Durst, Hon. FIIDA, along with outgoing International Board of Directors President Stacey Crumbaker, IIDA, the program includes the induction of the 2026 IIDA College of Fellows, 2026-27 International Board, as well as the presentation and celebration of IIDA’s International Honors and Awards. IIDA Members only. Time: 12 p.m. CST. Location: WorkLife Meetings at The Mart, 222 W. Merchandise Mart Plaza, Suite 250.
  • Revel in Design: IIDA’s annual celebration of design is hosted by IIDA Executive Vice President and CEO, Cheryl S. Durst, Hon. FIIDA, and features prominent international interior designers and global manufacturers gathering to celebrate global design professionals and the industry. The evening of powerhouse networking, delectable dining, and revelry will honor the winners of the 52nd annual Interior Design Competition, the 33rd annual Will Ching Design Competition. The Best of Competition winners for the Interior Design Competition and the 22nd annual IIDA Showroom and Booth Design Competition, as well as the winner of the Best of Chicago Design Week award, will be announced live during the event. Individual tickets will go on sale May 2026. Time: 7 p.m. CST. Location: Four Seasons Hotel Chicago, 120 E. Delaware Pl.

Monday, June 8:

  • NeoCon Monday Keynote presented by IIDA: “Find Your Fight: The Power of Taking it Personally” When challenges feel insurmountable and the odds are stacked against you, how do you find the will to fight—and win? In this powerful keynote, Jessica O. Matthews reveals why the most groundbreaking innovations often emerge not from privilege or power, but from struggle, uncertainty, and deeply personal motivation. IIDA’s Executive Vice President and CEO, Cheryl S. Durst, Hon. FIIDA will introduce Matthews and lead the Q&A session. Programming registration is available to NeoCon attendees on NeoCon.com starting April 1. Time: 10 a.m. CST. Location: NeoCon Presentation Studio, THE MART, 222 W. Merchandise Mart Plaza, Suite 250.
  • Collective Design LIVE: “The Future of Your Big Idea”. IIDA’s Collective Design LIVE series brings together top minds in design who will tap into research-based expertise in the forces shaping the future to give our audience a look at where entrepreneurial thinking and ideation might take us in the decades to come. We’ll share perspectives from the innovations group at Mattel; a truly interdisciplinary design firm; and a visionary textile designer and entrepreneur on how big ideas come to fruition, and how they can move the design world, and the world at large, forward. Panelists include: Suzanne Tick, Textile Designer and CEO, Suzanne Tick Inc.; Adi Goodrich, Spatial Designer and Founder, Sing-Sing Studio; and Carrie Buse, Senior Director of Discovery, Mattel’s Future Lab. Moderated by Mark Bryan, IIDA, Chief Research and Strategy Officer, IIDA. Programming registration available to NeoCon attendees on NeoCon.com starting April 1. Time: 11:30 a.m. CST. Location: NeoCon Presentation Studio, THE MART, 222 W. Merchandise Mart Plaza, Suite 250.
  • Fulton Market Design Days: IIDA will meet and greet its members, chapter leaders, NeoCon attendees, and the residents of Chicago as they gather and explore the West Loop area as a burgeoning design district. Time: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. CST. Location: The corners of W. Fulton Market St. and W. Aberdeen St.

Tuesday, June 9:

  • IIDA Student Design Charette: The annual IIDA Student Design Charette, held during Chicago Design Week, brings together students from across the nation for a day of design, collaboration, networking, problem-solving, and fun. On the day of the Charette, students are assigned to a team, posed with a design challenge, given collaborative time to create a design solution, and then present it to a panel of esteemed jurors. Student attendees are nominated and selected through IIDA’s network of design educators. Time: Charette will be from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. with the Charette Awards Ceremony immediately following. Location: IDEA Studio at IIDA Headquarters, 111 E. Wacker Dr., Suite 222.
  • Fulton Market Design Days: IIDA will meet and greet its members, chapter leaders, NeoCon and Fulton Market Design Days attendees, and the residents of Chicago as they gather and explore design in Chicago. IIDA will be onsite in the West Loop’s burgeoning design district. Time: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. CST. Location: The corners of W. Fulton Market St. and W. Aberdeen St.

Additional events hosted by design organizations across the city will be announced in the coming months. For more information on Chicago Design Week community programming, visit chidesignweek.org. To learn more about IIDA and its programming, visit IIDA.org.