From our perspective, LIGHTFAIR was a HUGE success this year! We can only hope LFI decides to make Philadelphia it’s new home. The rumor mill is turning, that’s for sure!
Read below for what some of our designers thought about this year’s show…
“I was pleasantly surprised by some of the reputable lighting manufacturers now venturing into LED territory. The color temperature and color consistency from their display lighting led me to believe I was looking at low-wattage ceramic metal halide sources. Even the light output has improved dramatically over the last few years. It’s great to see responsible and thoughtful integration of LED technology into luminaires. I value those manufacturers treading slowly and lightly into LED sources; there’s a learning curve to successfully implementing this complex technology into useful lighting tools.”-Jered E. Widmer, Associate
“My best memory from Lightfair was attempting to walk through the crowds of people waring Lightfair badges in the Reading Terminal Market. Philadelphia’s hospitality was the star of the show.” – Alfred R. Borden, Principal
“I thought LIGHTFAIR was a big success this year. The Pennsylvania Convention Center’s new show floor is huge which allowed room for all the manufacturers to spread out and showcase their new products. I saw several exciting innovations and was happy to see LED being integrated into traditional fixture forms in more appropriate ways than we’ve seen over the past few years. As a host city, Philadelphia really impressed; many out of town lighting designers and manufacturer reps I spoke with were very happy with the setup of the convention center, the close vicinity of great hotels and restaurants, and the lighting design they were seeing throughout the city.” -Stephen R. Hoppe, Lighting Designer
“This was my first LIGHTFAIR and it was definitely a great experience. The opportunity to see hundreds of luminaries presented in mock-ups was extremely informative and expressed characteristics that I may not have understood entirely had I not gone to the show. As a former electrician’s helper, I really enjoyed the manufacturers’ booths with color changing LEDs because I have never had the opportunity to install fixtures like the ones I saw on display. In the end, it was great to be able to compare different manufacturers’ products side-by-side and I cannot wait for next years show!” – Ryan C. Conover, Lighting Designer
“While I was very impressed with most of the products I saw on the trade show floor, I was especially happy with the seminars I chose to sit in on this year. The first seminar was about communication, in both the graphics and spoken forms. It’s always good to step back from design and look into the ways we communicate our ideas – an idea is only as good as it is presented to your client. The second, which was more of a presentation, was an interview with Ingo Maurer. He took the time and told us how he got into the business of designing lighting fixtures and then proceeded to present his extensive portfolio of work. It was truly inspiring seeing all of his creative masterpieces (which are ALL handmade, by the way).” – Heather M. Kilroy, Project Manager
*Post by Heather Kilroy, former Associate with The Lighting Practice
