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Over the last 3 years, healthcare systems worldwide have undergone extreme changes brought on by tremendous pressure. They continue to be taxed and look toward the future as the world continues to recover from the pandemic. As hospitals and other healthcare facilities are taking the time to recover, they are also examining their design process and making changes to patient well-being through furniture design.

In 2023, the major healthcare furniture design trends that we are seeing are in direct response to the issues that arose during the pandemic. Manufacturers and contract furniture salespeople should keep the following issues in mind when planning layouts for clients in the healthcare vertical with The KITS collaborator.  Proper healthcare furniture design can help clients manage issues such as overcrowding and space flexibility; staff comfort and retention; and the behavioral health of both caregivers and patients. These healthcare design trends are sometimes similar to the ones we’ve seen in education and business settings as well, showing consistent responses to the societal changes we’ve seen in the early 2020s.

We’re excited to announce that Vonhauke is now available on The KITS collaborator! Explore their digital catalog filled with contemporary office furniture. 

Last week, we had the privilege to travel to Chicago and attend NeoCon 2023. NeoCon is one of the largest events in the commercial interior design industry. People from all over the globe travel to NeoCon to check out showcases, attend sessions and show off new products to the rest of the community. This year we were able to set up in the INDEAL Inc. showroom and we were able to connect with many colleagues and other professionals in the industry. 

We find that during our time at NeoCon, we always can get a good snapshot of the current design trends in the industry. It’s a great way for contract furniture salespeople and those who use The KITS collaborator to get an idea of what people may be looking for in their layouts today. For those who were unable to attend, we’ve put together a NeoCon 2023 recap of the top industry design trends that we saw.

Embracing the Hybrid Work Model in Office Solutions

The workplace landscape has experienced a significant shift with the rise of hybrid working. As organizations adapt to the new normal, office meeting spaces have become crucial in facilitating collaboration, communication, and productivity. They have a new and elevated purpose when people are in space together less often. In this blog post, we will explore the latest trends in meeting spaces for offices and discuss how they align with the hybrid work model. As The KITS Collaborator aims to equip sales representatives with valuable insights for your clients, we will delve into key aspects of office design and how you can make your presentations better while showcasing the industry knowledge you bring to your client partners.

The furniture industry is no stranger to trade shows, and one of the biggest events of the year is Neocon, held every June in Chicago. It's a great opportunity for furniture manufacturers and designers to showcase their latest products and connect with potential buyers and partners. However, the limitations of physical events restrict their reach to a limited audience. To overcome this hurdle, furniture businesses are turning to virtual showrooms, turning their Neocon showrooms into Virtual Showrooms and elevating the value they receive from the show.  

By harnessing the power of virtual reality (VR) technology, companies can showcase their furniture products to a global audience year-round. Let's delve deeper into the benefits and opportunities presented by the Neocon Virtual Showroom concept.

We’re excited to announce that Pedagogy Furniture is now available on The KITS collaborator! Explore their digital catalog filled with furniture designed by teachers for teachers.

We’re excited to announce that OttLite is now available on The KITS collaborator! Explore their digital catalog and include their many lighting solutions for any space in your designs. 

The KITS collaborator is invaluable software for contract furniture sales reps. With its wide array of features and simple visualization tools, it’s a great way to visually sell your ideas to your clients and translate your ideas into easy-to-understand layouts. However, like any software, it’s possible you may need a refresher or have questions about some of the features of The KITS collaborator to get the most out of your tools.

To help you out, we have gone through KITS users’ feedback and pulled out some of the top frequently asked questions about The KITS collaborator. We’ll go through each of these questions and provide you with some solutions and our best tips and tricks for getting the most out of The KITS collaborator. 

How does one go about taking a space and transforming it into a well-designed and thought-out workspace, lobby, atrium, etc.? There can be a lot of pieces that can go into that space. You must consider a lot of variables such as the size of the furniture, how much space you need for foot traffic, and how to work with the physical restraints of the room. A Space Planning and Specification team is the support team one needs to help create the ideal space that takes advantage of every square foot. 

A space planning and specification team may not be a service that is as recognizable in the design world, but it should be. They do crucial work for designers, manufacturers, and visualizers to ensure the spaces they design are realistic and properly thought out with all logistics in mind. A space planning and specification team looks at both the little and big picture when it comes to spaces. 

Join us as we break down what exactly our space planning and specification can do for you and go through all the different services and skills they offer.

The KITS collaborator is a great tool for contract furniture sales that puts a lot of power into the hands of sales teams and their design partners. It has many tools and features that outpace traditional sales methods. This includes features that can help you visually present, re-specify and sell your products, including high-quality renders and augmented and virtual reality. A lot is packaged into The KITS collaborator to give you the power to show and sell. 

To make sure new users, and those who may need a refresh on some of the more intricate features of The KITS collaborator, are comfortable using The KITS collaborator, we have many different help sources that you can visit. To make things easier, we’ve compiled the top support resources for The KITS collaborator in this article to act as a jumping-off point for those looking for support or just a refresher on how some features work within The KITS collaborator.