Viva Light Vegas!

By Leif Elgethun

LightFair returned to Las Vegas on June 19-23 with their full conference and trade show. LightFair showed why it’s the premier event for our industry, offering plenty of formal educational classes, informal training and learning opportunities, 350 vendors showing off their products, evening social events ranging from small and intimate to Vegas-sized, and all-you-can-eat networking. NALMCO members showed up in force, and, once again, NALMCO exhibited to share the many benefits of NALMCO membership and certifications with the lighting industry.

Photo Credit: LightFair Facebook

Photo Credit: LightFair Facebook

LightFair is anything but boring, and this year proved no different, with a major ramp up in exhibitors, attendees, and events compared to NYC last fall. NALMCO members shared their top takeaways from the show for folks that couldn’t make it this year. The big themes were:

1. A big increase in size from the fall show in NYC

2. Controls everywhere

3. An expansion of EV charging stations and solar powered lighting products

4. DLC 5.1 impacts and products

5. Inclusiveness and diversity in the lighting industry

The first takeaway was the increase in both size and, more importantly, quality in this show. Cary Mendelsohn, Imperial Lighting, explained, “I found it to be beneficial, much more so than the October 2021 LightFair in NYC. There were many more exhibitors than before and many more attendees. As in the past, not all exhibits are applicable to NALMCO members, but there were enough to make it worthwhile. Overall, I found LightFair to be well worth my time and expense.”

Photo Credit: LightFair Facebook

Ron Hughes, Lighting Resources, said, “It was fulfilling to donate time volunteering in the NALMCO booth. It gave me opportunity to catch up with old friends and invite new people to join and take advantage of our Certification programs. My many meetings netted positive results relating to upcoming projects for my business. It really felt like more quality and less quantity at LightFair this year, which was awesome.”

Photo Credit: LightFair Facebook

The second big takeaway? The ubiquity of controls. It seemed like there were more control options than slot machines. There were integrated lighting control systems for many of the lighting manufacturers, third party lighting control systems, and increasingly general control and IoT systems. Jason Brown, UtilityGenius, explained, “More and more unique controls technologies are coming out, and the utilities continue to seek opportunities with the DLC to promote more permanent kWh-reducing controls installations. They also are getting more aggressive with their rebates in an effort to drive higher adoption rates. This is a great opportunity for NALMCO members to push hard on selling and installing controls with LED retrofits, as it's so much more challenging to sell and install them alone.”

The third big takeaway was the major expansion of EV charging solutions and solar lighting solutions. Jason Brown stated, “Last year we saw this trend begin, and it has only accelerated since then. Many lighting manufacturers are making the leap to add electric vehicle charging stations to their offerings. UtilityGenius has accelerated our tracking of the utility rebates available for EV charging, and we continue to see incentives grow across the country. It’s a good time to consider adding EV charging stations to your lighting retrofits and checking with NALMCO vendors to see if they have an offering.”

The fourth takeaway was the DLC’s new 5.1 standard and its effect on manufacturers and utility rebate programs. Jason went on to say, “Manufacturers are adjusting to the change, and most seemed to have a game plan for ensuring their products stay listed. Many products won’t meet the new standard and may be delisted on June 30th and not available for rebates. However, many utilities are offering grace periods so that these products remain rebate-eligible, and manufacturers have more time for next steps.” We recommend that NALMCO members stay on top of this so that your projects and incentives go on without a hitch.

Photo Credit: LightFair Facebook

The final takeaway was the continued focus on increasing inclusiveness and diversity in the lighting industry. Jason explained, “Organizations like Women in Lighting, Equity in Lighting, WILD (Women in Lighting + Design) and NACLIQ (North American Coalition of Lighting Industry Queers) exhibited and hosted networking and educational events. Members shared their experience and the importance of having inclusive and diverse identities in lighting. As we look towards an increasingly diverse future, amplifying these voices in the lighting industry is something that we can all learn from.”

A final bonus takeaway is the value gained through attending and participating in LightFair every year. Sharing real world insights, learning about the latest and greatest technologies, and enjoying conversations with new and old friends is the lasting takeaway of LightFair and NALMCO. It felt great to be surrounded by friends under the glimmer of Las Vegas, pushing our industry forward together. From our collective point of view, the lighting industry’s future has never been brighter, and that’s saying a lot after being in Las Vegas. Let’s make LightFair 2023 in NYC the best one yet! ■