HCD '23: Our Unique Perspective of the Industry's Ultimate Expo
Written by CS Mgr, Mike Delin
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As the Business Development Manager for our Interior Product Solutions, I had the honor, along with several of my colleagues, of representing Construction Specialties at the 2023 Healthcare Design Conference + Expo in New Orleans. The Conference is the premier healthcare design industry show, highlighting best practices and top healthcare design products. Although the overall footprint of the show seemed smaller than previous years (a trend seemingly accelerated by Covid), the attendance, foot traffic, and engagement at the CS booth were all at peak points compared to previous years.
Hot topics at this year’s show were behavioral health solutions, patient privacy, space savings, and sustainability. The booth’s functional and engaging design gave us the ability to demonstrate how CS meets each of these needs. We had a HUSH Curtain® installed over an alcove into which architects, designers, and hospital representatives could enter. Once the curtain was closed, the din of the tradeshow was effectively muffled by HUSH’s sound-absorbing and blocking properties, replicating how HUSH can benefit patients in a hospital.
Our new Acrovyn® Recycled Content woodgrains (which launched at the show!) were on full display alongside a process diagram showing how we are able to turn discarded water bottles into the same durable and cleanable Acrovyn that facilities have come to rely on—but now with up to 50% post-consumer recycled content. Attendees were pumped about how CS is doubling down in this next step in our sustainability journey, especially because we are the only wall protection manufacturer to offer this. The new woodgrain and microtexture offerings didn’t hurt either.
Behavioral health-minded designers had lots of questions about our Acrovyn Barrier-Resistant Door, which gives facilities the ability to include durable Acrovyn doors with rounded, replaceable edges in their high-impact environments while keeping an emphasis on patient safety. The door-within-a-door design allows staff to visually check on a client if the client were to barricade themselves in a room, while still providing the dignity of privacy.
And our Acrovyn Curved Door was a huge hit—providing all the benefits of our Acrovyn Door while, at the same time, offering innovative healthcare design that provides space savings and increases sight lines to patients from the outside of the room. I personally engaged with several people on the last day of the show who came to the booth specifically because colleagues told them that they had to see the Curved Door for themselves.
The last day of the show is usually the slowest, but the CS booth was steady and full, even past the point of booth teardown. Good thing it was designed with plenty of room to show all of the CS solutions, including our Architectural Products such as entrance flooring, louvers, sunshades, and expansion joints. I heard several comments along the lines of, “I didn’t realize Construction Specialties was the same company that offered all of these solutions.”
After being part of the process to bring these solutions to the market, the satisfaction of seeing them resonate with designers and facility owners really hammers home the creativity and solutions-driven aspects of our company values. I’m excited to see these solutions fulfill our promise of People. Buildings. Better. and am already looking forward to HCD next year in Indianapolis!
