5 Qs With… Lucia Kennerly
Lucia Kennerly: Well, we expect to interact with our known customer base, lots of designers, and also users and furniture manufacturers. We have a pretty diverse market group so we have versatile product – that’s one of the reasons you see lots of different things at different price points. Not only do we have to work with the AD community but the also the OEM market. So we do extensive work with the furniture manufacturers.
ID: How much, if any, business will you actually transact here?
LK: Well, you know, in this industry you don’t write business on the spot, I wish we did but you don’t place an order right then, you make relationships and preview your product and sometimes people are looking for something and sometimes we do get orders after NeoCon. But mostly we are here to make relationships and let them know who we are, what we’re doing right now, and how we’ve changed. We have a new showroom which is exciting for you because before now we were on the 8th floor – and we still have extra space there, actually.
ID: Based on prior years, what are the must see booths?
LK: Well, I’ve been coming to NeoCon since 1985 so I’ve been to a lot of Neocons. I think we are always looking for the next interesting thing, something that’s innovative and beautiful.
ID: Is there anything you are especially looking forward to?
LK: For us we are looking this to see what kind of interaction we get from a different kind of presence and also different kinds of product, like the new drapery by Drapilux. And the Positive Thoughts collection benefits Common Thread for the Cure, so it’s about giving back. Our themes this year are hope, sustainability, and discovery. We are expanding our horizon so it’s not just what we are getting, it’s about positioning things differently.
ID: Is it all work once you’re here, or do you get to do/see something things just for fun?
LK: We have fun. You see people that you haven’t seen in a year and everyone has a blast. In fact, I see people from North Carolina, which is where I live, that I don’t get around to see during the year so it really is like reunion week and it’s fun to see people. That’s the fun part of it is just sort of reconnecting with them.
