Est. 2019 · Edition VII
Convene
April 4 – 6, 2026
Chicago Merchandise Mart · Hall C
240+
Exhibiting Makers
3
Days · 6 Craft Halls
18
Craft Disciplines
What is Convene
A three-day marketplace where the person who made it is the person you meet.
Convene brings together master woodworkers, ceramicists, textile dyers, and small-batch metalworkers under one roof — not to sell wholesale catalogs, but to open their entire practice to the buyers, designers, and collectors who understand what handmade actually costs.
Visitors are retail buyers scouting next season's inventory, interior designers sourcing one-of-a-kind pieces for client projects, and gallery owners hunting for the next maker worth representing.
"This is where I found the three makers who define my shop."
— Dana Park, Buyer · Folia Goods, Seattle
Blacksmithing & Metalwork
Luca Ferraro · Pittsburgh, PA
"Iron is honest. Every mark you leave is a decision you made with your whole body."
Hand-forged iron fixtures, architectural hardware, and functional sculpture. Ferraro's work ships to restaurants, boutique hotels, and private residences across the country.
Blacksmithing & Metalwork
Textile Dyeing & Weaving
Amara Osei · Brooklyn, NY
"Indigo has its own opinion. You propose a color — it decides whether to agree."
Natural-dye textiles in indigo, madder, and walnut. Sold by the yard and as finished throws to independent boutiques and interior design studios.
Textile Dyeing & Weaving
Ceramics & Stoneware
Yuki Tanaka · Portland, OR
"Clay remembers every touch. The bowl knows exactly how many hands shaped it."
Wheel-thrown stoneware and porcelain for table, kitchen, and gallery. Tanaka's line carries accounts with 40+ boutique retailers and three Michelin-starred restaurant groups.
Ceramics & Stoneware
The Show Floor
Every booth
a life's work.
"Three days. Six halls. Two hundred and forty makers who drove through the night, loaded their vans by hand, and set up their entire world under convention lights — just to shake yours."
240+
Exhibiting Makers
3,800+
Trade Buyers in 2025
$4.2M
Orders Written on Floor
18
Craft Disciplines
The Makers
Hands behind
the work.
Every maker at Convene is juried. You won't find mass-produced goods or brand reps — only the person who made it.
Woodworking
"Every grain tells you where to go."
Thomas Halverson · Asheville, NC
Ceramics
"Clay remembers every touch."
Yuki Tanaka · Portland, OR
Textile Dyeing
"Indigo has its own opinion."
Amara Osei · Brooklyn, NY
Blacksmithing
"Iron is honest — it shows every decision."
Luca Ferraro · Pittsburgh, PA
Leatherwork
"A good stitch outlives everything else."
Rosa Mendez · Santa Fe, NM
Woodworking & Furniture
Thomas Halverson · Asheville, NC
"Every grain tells you where to go. You don't fight the wood — you read it."
Heirloom furniture and architectural millwork in reclaimed hardwoods. Halverson takes 12 commissions per year and opens his remaining inventory exclusively at trade shows.
Woodworking & Furniture
April 4 – 6, 2026
Reserve
Your Badge.
Three days on the floor with 240 juried makers. Bring your open orders, your eye, and a good pair of shoes. Badges are trade-only — verified at the door.