A brand-new interior design conference is set to bring more than 100 industry professionals, speakers and business leaders to Hoboken this fall, with organizers capping attendance to keep the three-day event intimate rather than a sprawling trade show. The NorthEast Design Conference, known as NEDCON, runs October 5-7 at the Antique Loft at Riverview and marks NEDCON's inaugural event.
According to Jersey Digs, NEDCON will include keynotes, breakout sessions, networking opportunities and an awards ceremony, drawing attendees from across the country. The conference has strictly limited registration to 100 “founding attendees,” a cap organizers say is meant to ensure an intimate, highly interactive format rather than a large-scale trade show, according to the event's own FAQ page. The inaugural gathering takes place at the Antique Loft at Riverview, located at 33 Newark Street in downtown Hoboken, per the conference's travel and hotel guidance.
A Hoboken Studio Owner Behind the Vision
NEDCON was founded by Jen Atkinson, who owns Clear Concept Design, a Hoboken-based design studio, and who said she wanted the conference to happen in Hoboken, per the same Jersey Digs report. Before entering the design world, Atkinson spent 14 years as an international TV news producer for Reuters in London, Jerusalem, Singapore and New York, according to her own website bio, before launching her Hoboken studio. That background in global journalism gives the conference's organizer an unusual pedigree compared with most industry event founders.
Atkinson's civic work extends beyond her design practice. In 2017, she launched Making Mats Matter, a non-profit that repurposes used yoga mats into sleeping pads for unhoused individuals across New York and New Jersey, the same bio notes. That project runs alongside her commercial interiors business.
Speakers Span Design and Business Strategy
The lineup features designers and entrepreneurs including Luann Nigara, host of A Well-Designed Business; Laurie Laizure, founder of Interior Design Community; luxury designer Nikki Levy; London-based keynote speaker Alex Dauley; Sharon Sherman, the 2025 KBB Person of the Year; New York staging expert Jason Saft; Texas builder-designer Erin Stetzer; award-winning designer Beth Diana Smith; and design industry podcaster Pamela Durkin, per Jersey Digs. Beyond design keynotes, the conference also addresses business topics.
Sessions are structured around pricing, profitability, leadership, AI, client experience, operations, sales, marketing, networking and business development, with the goal of helping designers build stronger businesses, Jersey Digs reports. Atkinson said NEDCON aims to give attendees stronger business strategies, industry relationships and confidence, and the small headcount is meant to enable direct networking with guest speakers, honorees and other industry professionals.
Gala Night Honors Industry Leaders
The NEDCON2026 gala awards ceremony will honor Cheryl Eisen, Nikki Levy and Antonio DeLoatch, while Elizabeth Scruggs receives the conference's Legacy of Leadership Award, according to the Jersey Digs report. Eisen founded her firm, Interior Marketing Group, in 2007 after transitioning from real estate broker to luxury home stager, eventually growing the business to stage multi-million-dollar residences, according to her Wikipedia entry.
Full registration covers three days of programming, food and beverages. Gala cocktail party admission is limited to Heritage and Gold Crown Pass holders. Tickets are non-refundable but 100% transferable to other design professionals ahead of the event, per the conference FAQ. Organizers have recommended two regional waterfront hotels for out-of-town participants, the W Hoboken and the Sheraton Lincoln Harbor Hotel in nearby Weehawken, according to the same FAQ page.
Local Economic Ripple Effects
Jersey Digs reports that NEDCON is expected to support Hoboken hotels, eateries and businesses over its three-day run.
The conference's terms are governed by New Jersey state law and cap liability at the registration ticket cost, according to the conference's own terms and conditions. Organizers plan for NEDCON to become an annual Hoboken event, per Jersey Digs, with more details available on the conference's official site.
