BALTIMORE, MD-- For design professionals seeking continuing education and those hungry for new ideas, theNeoCon Eastschedule of seminars and educational events covers everything from office collaborations to smarter renovations. In addition to the inspiring 2013 keynote presentations from Michael Graves and Suzanne Tick, the two-day lineup is packed full of fresh content, featuring over 30 CEUs presented by top interior designers, architects, manufacturers and workplace specialists, many of which hail from the Baltimore -- Washington Metropolitan area.

Leading local projects will also take center stage as the conference program offers an insider's look at the 330,000 built-to-suit headquarters of media organization NPR, the classrooms of the new Baltimore Design School and more. Another highlighted program at this year's show features a discussion about the new George W. Bush Presidential Center. The 11th annual edition will take place at the Baltimore Convention Center from October 16 to17, 2013.Here is a sampling of seminars not to be missed: 

Michael Graves keynote

Wednesday, October 16, 11:00 AM

The renowned American architect and product designer will speak about the foundation of his design philosophy and how a personal healthcare tragedy focused his attention on improving healthcare experiences by design. Graves will present recent projects that range from military housing for returning wounded warriors, to a revolutionary transport chair for the acute care hospital, to performance textiles for all healthcare environments.

Speaker: Michael Graves

Right-sizing the government workplace

Wednesday, October 16, 1:00 to 2:00 PM

In 2012 General Services Administration (GSA) embarked on a project to implement desk sharing and/or hoteling for approximately 50% of the people in the Chicago regional office. See how the team reconfigured existing furniture to create a mobile, flexible space. There were no construction costs, no design consultant costs and minimal furniture reconfiguration costs. Discussion includes the steps that will get you that critical 100% employee buy-in through voluntary participation GSA.

Speaker: Ronnie Bent is a Region five workplace executive for the General Services.

Baltimore Design School – a case study

Wednesday, October 16, 2:30 to 3:30 PM

Newly opened in August 2013, The Baltimore Design School is a Baltimore City Public School serving middle and high school students with a focus on the design arts of Fashion, Architecture and Graphic Design. With perspective as both the architect and a founding board member of the school, hear from an authority who will present the design for Baltimore Design School's new $26.85 million, 110,000-square-foot facility created from an abandoned factory building in Baltimore's Station North Arts and Entertainment District. The school demonstrates the power of design through exposed systems and best practices for historic renovation, adaptive reuse, educational design and sustainable design.

Speaker: Steve Ziger, AIA is a founding partner of Ziger/Snead Architects of Baltimore.

For a complete list of programming, please visit NeoConEast.com.