The 25th edition of LIGHTFAIR® International (LFI®) set new all-time attendance and tradeshow records for its five-day run in Las Vegas June 1-5, according to Jeffrey L. Portman, Sr., vice chairman and president of LFI managing partner AMC, Inc.
The LFI 2014 tradeshow floor covered a record 239,800 net square feet and spotlighted 576 exhibitors, including 107 first-time exhibiting companies and 103 manufacturers headquartered outside the U.S.
Attendance broke all previous records with 26,059 professional attendees registered. The LFI 2014 attendee population included representatives from 74 countries.
“LIGHTFAIR International 2014 achieved its ultimate calling as the world’s global stage for lighting design and technology,” notes Portman. “In every dimension, from education to product presentation to industry convergence, the show was unprecedented in scale and performance across its 25 years of growth,” Portman adds.
LIGHTFAIR International is the world’s largest annual architectural and commercial lighting tradeshow and conference. It is sponsored by the International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD) and the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) and produced by AMC, Inc.
“The 25th anniversary of LIGHTFAIR International represents more than just the history of lighting, it promises the quickly-evolving future of lighting and design – which is only seen at LIGHTFAIR,” says Marsha Turner, chief executive officer, IALD.
“LIGHTFAIR International brings together exhibitors from across the globe and offers world-class education,” notes William Hanley, executive vice president, IES. “Missing LIGHTFAIR is not an option if you want to keep up with trends and stay ahead of the competition.”
LIGHTFAIR International has been recognized by its ranking within the Trade Show News Network (TSNN) 2013 listing of the Top 25 Fastest-growing Trade Shows for Net Square Footage and the 2013 listing of the Top 250 U.S. Trade Shows. LFI also has been listed as a Trade Show Executive (TSE) 2013 Fastest 50 honoree and 2012 Gold 100 honoree.
LFI’s expanded tradeshow floor featured a product mix of more than 40 categories that included integrated design, alternative energy and solar power, OLEDs, healthcare, hospitality, digital signage and software.
The 2014 LFI Conference curriculum offered more than 220 hours of education and contained 81 accredited courses, making it the largest Conference in LFI history. LIGHTFAIR introduced two Forums this year – the LFI Healthcare Lighting Forum and the LFI Hospitality Lighting Forum.
The LFI Innovation Awards® highlighted the best in new product innovation and celebrated 25 years of innovation by recognizing its 25-year exhibitors. LFI received 261 submissions from 135 companies and spanned 14 categories that were judged by an independent panel of lighting professionals. For a full list of the LFI Innovation Awards submissions and winners, please visit http://www.lightfair.com/lightfair/V40/lia/.
The LFI 25th Anniversary Celebration and ribbon-cutting ceremony took place in the LFI 25 networking lounge. During the tradeshow, attendees gathered in LFI 25 to celebrate the 25th anniversary event by watching a celebratory video, having their photo taken or taking selfies with the photo backdrop and participating in the #LFI social media conversation on the interactive digital wall.
Institute keynote Craig W. Hartman, FAIA, design partner, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM), presented poetics of light in architecture in “Shadow and Light: Reflections on Architecture.”
Institute keynote Richard Seymour, co-founder and design director, seymourpowell, inspired attendees with a look ahead to the future of design and to the dramatic changes that are turning science fiction into reality in “Organicz: The Organic Digital Interface.” Impact speaker Martin Klaasen, owner, founder and principal, Klaasen Lighting Design, discussed the impact of the fast evolution of LED lighting technology on lighting design and explored the question “Have LEDs High-Jacked the Lighting Design Industry?”
The LFI Mobile App offered enhanced features to assist attendees with a personalized schedule, tools to easily and quickly navigate the tradeshow floor with SmartRoute and quick access to important event information to provide the ultimate on-site experience.
Attendees and exhibitors stay connected to LFI on social media during the show and can engage LFI all throughout the year via Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube. Videos released during the show on YouTube captured the LIGHTFAIR experience through highlights and attendee and exhibitor interviews.
