Despite an early spring snow storm,The Designers Lighting Forum of New York’s (DLFNY) annual solid-state lighting (SSL) trade show,
LEDucation, now in its ninth year, drew 3,513 attendees over the course of the two-day expo, which ran from March 5 -6 in New York City at the Sheraton NY Times Square Hotel. The tabletop displays showcased the latest LED luminaires and related lighting products from 230-plus lighting manufacturers. And while there was a healthy amount of new products to see, exhibitors and attendees commented that the show’s tabletop format allowed them a thorough way to engage in conversation and gather that latest product information.
Complementing the manufacturer exhibits, a line-up of
17 seminars covered a range of topics related to SSL and the challenges faced by lighting designers, architects, and interior designers along with lighting manufacturers as this new technology integrates itself into the lighting arena. Everything from controls to color stability to the impact of LEDs on today’s lighting codes was discussed.
Highlighting the critical role that controls play in addressing LED component and driver compatibility issues, the expo featured interactive areas called “Mission Control.” These demo locations allowed attendees to test the functionality between different configurations of actual components.
“The DLFNY is absolutely thrilled with the outcome of this year’s show,” says Caroline Rinker of New York-based lighting agency O’Blaney Rinker Associates and a DLFNY board member. (The not-for-profit organization was founded in 1934 and is led by a volunteer board of managers.) “We’re so appreciative of all the participants--exhibitors, attendees, speakers, and volunteers--and their contributions in making this show a success.”
Elizabeth Donoff is Editor-at-Large of Architectural Lighting (AL). She served as Editor-in-Chief from 2006 to 2017. She joined the editorial team in 2003 and is a leading voice in the lighting community speaking at industry events such as Lightfair and the International Association of Lighting Designers Annual Enlighten Conference, and has twice served as a judge for the Illuminating Engineering Society New York City Section’s (IESNYC) Lumen Award program. In 2009, she received the Brilliance Award from the IESNYC for dedicated service and contribution to the New York City lighting community.
Over the past 11 years, under her editorial direction, Architectural Lighting has received a number of prestigious B2B journalism awards. In 2017, Architectural Lighting was a Top Ten Finalist for Magazine of the Year from the American Society of Business Publication Editors' AZBEE Awards. In 2016, Donoff received the Jesse H. Neal Award for her Editor’s Comments in the category of Best Commentary/Blog, and in 2015, AL received a Jesse H. Neal Award for Best Media Brand (Overall Editorial Excellence).
Prior to her entry into design journalism, Donoff worked in New York City architectural offices including FXFowle where she was part of the project teams for the Reuters Building at Three Times Square and the New York Times Headquarters. She is a graduate of Bates College in Lewiston, Me., and she earned her Master of Architecture degree from the School of Architecture at Washington University in St. Louis.