LightFair International 2018 — A Glimpse into the Future
May 17, 2018
The Future. Illuminated. Under this theme participants, visitors, presenters and exhibitors gathered at LightFair International (LFI) from May 6 to 10, 2018 at McCormick Place in Chicago.
Preceding and setting the stage for the trade show opening, the LFI Innovation Awards highlighted the industry’s most innovative products and designs introduced during the last 12 months. The 2018 LFI Innovation Awards saw 238 entries spanning 14 categories, with each submission judged by an independent panel of lighting professionals.
Among the 18 winning entries were these key awards:
- Ledra Brands (Vector) — Most Innovative Product of the Year andthe program’s highest award, recognizing the most innovative new product,
- Acuity Brands Lighting (Juno FlexConnect featuring micrOptix technology) — Design Excellence Award, recognizing outstanding achievement in design,
- Crestron Electronics (CCT & Lux Sensor (GLS-LCCT)) — Technical Innovation Award, recognizing the most forward-thinking advancement in lighting technology
- Resilient, Lumefficient (LumEfficient’s LiFi) — Judges’ Citation Award, special recognition of an innovative product at the judges’ discretion
Visit lia.lightfair.com for a full list of LFI Innovation Awards 2018 entrants and winners.
Luminaries of the lighting profession gathered at Chicago’s trendy Revel Fulton Market on May 9 to honour the winners of the 35th Annual International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD) International Lighting Design Awards. Seventeen projects from eleven countries were on display, including interiors, workspaces, museums, hospitality sites, and a place of worship. This year’s winners represent some of the most innovative and inspiring work found anywhere in the world of architectural lighting design.
The highest point score winner across all categories, in addition to receiving an award of excellence for their project, receives the IALD Radiance Award for Excellence in Lighting Design. Winners of the Radiance Award do not know in advance of their Radiance Award-winning status prior to the evening, only that they should be present at the evening’s award ceremony.
Accepting the Radiance Award for Excellence in Lighting Design were Stephanie Grosse-Brockhoff and Andreas Schulz, IALD, part of the project team from Licht Kunst Licht for the German Ivory Museum in Erbach, Germany (shown in photo: an exhibit in the museum). Of the 17 projects recognized, two entries earned special citations, eight earned awards of merit and seven earned awards of excellence. Watch for more on winning projects in upcoming issues.
On the trade show floor, applications and software that communicate with each other with their preferred protocols. Without doubt, lighting controls are the future. Another ongoing trend on display at the trade show was solutions to challenges raised by LED technology. This year, as Canadian participants pointed out, saw solutions for tunable white. Speaking of visitors, all felt and wrote or underlined that there were fewer participants and exhibitors in this LFI edition. There were empty spaces on the floor. However, I spoke with many Canadians —exhibitors and visitors — who almost unanimously emphasized the success of this edition of LFI. Why? Because they come here to find answers to specific questions, to build partnerships, to expand their networks.
Several exhibitors talked about the specificity of the Canadian market. John Preville from LEDVANCE introduced the company’s new SYLVANIA LED T8 lamps, emphasizing those that respond specifically to the demands of the Canadian market, for example the DuoTube LED T8 which has a flexible design to work on various ballasts including select T12 magnetic ballasts and T12 electronic ballasts, allowing for upgrading T12 fixtures without having to change the ballast. It also works on a T8 Instant Start ballast, providing the option of using one lamp for mixed applications where lamps and ballasts may have been spot replaced. Others, in horticultural lighting, also presented products that addressed the specific needs of the Canadian market, which has not yet experienced the revolution in this market segment.
See you in Philadelphia from May 19 to 23 for LFI 2019.
Line Goyette is Managing Editor of LDS; linegoyette@kerrwil.com.
