In Review...

The first-ever LiGHT exhibition, held at the Business Design Centre in central London, closed its doors in November with a resounding success, gaining over 3,000 visitors across the two days. With a high calibre of brands and an incredible selection of panellists, moving forward, the show looks to be even bigger and better.

Held over two days at the Business Design Centre, the inaugural LiGHT exhibition finished with a buzz of positivity, from both visitors and exhibitors alike.

The design community came out in force to support the new show, with over 3,000 visitors passing through the doors to see more than 100 high-end international lighting brands present their latest product ranges for the architectural and decorative specification market.

Show highlights included the [d]arc thoughts talk programme, in collaboration with lighting control specialist Lutron, which benefited from a steady stream of guests across the two days, keen to learn more about the hot topics in lighting.

With every talk well attended, the headline panel saw more than 250 people crowd round the stage to see Masters of Light(ing) designers Sally Storey (Lighting Design International); Mark Major (Speirs Major); and Nick Hoggett (dpa lighting consultants) take to the stage to share their knowledge and expertise with the industry.

Other panel talks, moderated by darc’s editor Sarah Cullen, covered topics such as The Future of Materials, which saw Esther Patterson of Curiousa, Oksana Bondar of Biohm, Dave Hollingsbee of Stoane Lighting, and Massimiliano Tosetto of Lodes discuss the future of sustainability within lighting production, and the importance of driving the demand for change from suppliers. Other talks included The Lifespan of a Project with Carmela Dagnello of WSP and Women in

Lighting, Colin Ball of BDP, and Kristina Allison of Atkins Global, which delved into the future-proofing approaches to design, and the value of lighting principles (such as TM66); Specifying Bespoke Lighting with manufacturers and designers Matt Burns of Unibox, Simon Shuck of Inspired by Design, Darren Orrow of Into, Mark Sutton Vane of Sutton Vane Associates talking through the benefits and challenges of working with bespoke fittings on a project; and Design for Wellness with Miguel Aguardo of Lutron, Kael Gillam of Hoare Lea, Sam Bird of Trindade and Bird / BIID member, and Dr Shelley James of Age of Light Innovations where panellists discussed wellness terminology and how it differs for each individual, and as such, so should design.

Each talk sparked deep conversations between panellists as well as active audience participation, gaining interesting feedback and questions from those in attendance.

Visitors to the show also made good use of the dedicated workspace area on the gallery level. Illuminated by table lamps from British lighting brand Tala, LiGHT Work was a beautiful relaxing space allowing show attendees to complete office tasks, while offering dedicated wi-fi, free coffee, and charging points.

Day one closed with a late-night drinks party hosted by the organisers [d]arc media and brand stand parties throughout the space.

The buzz around the new lighting event continued into day two with a LiGHT networking lunch hosted in the [d]arc thoughts talk arena, allowing visiting designers and manufacturers to meet in a relaxed space, while taking in a video interview with internationally celebrated product designer Michael Anastassiades.

The show was also heavily supported by industry trade bodies and organisations including: SLL; IALD; ILP; LIA; BIID; SBID; Women in Lighting, along with industry media organisations: ICON, On Office; Archiproducts; DeZeen; NLA; World Architecture News; and STIR.

Delighted with the success of the first year, [d]arc media Managing Director, Paul James says: “The show has been a resounding success with the design community coming out in force to support this first year. LiGHT caters to the ever-growing design sector in London and further afield and is a new offering for lighting design built on [d]arc media’s knowledge and experience of the lighting specification market that spans more than 20 years.

“We have had nothing but positive feedback from exhibiting brands and visitors alike and I am really looking forward to what next year’s show will bring.” www.lightexpo.london

Free to attend, dates for next year’s show are confirmed as 21 & 22 November 2023.

Images: James Gifford-Mead