Okay, now I’m convinced the industry is turning around. At the time I’m writing this, I’ve only recently gotten back from NeoCon 2013 in Chicago, and all the sights and sounds of commercial and contract flooring manufacturers showing off their latest designer-friendly, durable products in eye-catching booths are still fresh in my mind. Last month in this column I mentioned that we seem to have been seeing a trend of industry shows with bumps in attendance and higher levels of optimism. Well, there’s no maybe about it anymore. After returning from NeoCon, I’m sure this trend is real, and the industry is back on track.
We’ll have a full write-up on the NeoCon show in next month’s issue, but suffice to say, this show was brimming with energy. More than one exhibitor told me this was the best turnout he’d seen at NeoCon in nearly five years. Five years. If you do the math, that means this is the best NeoCon that many of these exhibitors feel they have been part of since before the recession, when everyone abruptly had to dial back on their plans and become a lot more conservative in their approach to business.