Lightfair (LFI), the “…annual architectural and commercial lighting trade show and conference,” which is sponsored by the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) and the International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD), and produced and managed by AmericasMart® Atlanta, has announced that the 2018 iteration of the show will take place May 6 – 10 in Chicago. The change in venue is cited in the press release as “a strategic move designed to accommodate its [the show’s] continuing growth, according to Jeffrey L. Portman, Sr., vice chairman, president and chief operating officer of LFI managing partner AmericasMart® Atlanta.
It will be the first time since 1995 that the trade show and conference will be held in the Windy City. The show will convene at McCormick Place, which has 2.6 million square feet of exhibition space, making it the largest convention center in the United States. “We expect Chicago and McCormick Place to help deliver a Lightfair experience of extraordinary relevance and resonance,” Portman said in a prepared statement. “The spectacular scope of Lightfair exhibits, together with its extensive conference programming, demands an environment of the scale which McCormick Place offers–one that our customers will embrace and enjoy.”
Lightfair has traditionally alternated each year between the east and west coasts. In 2016, the trade show was held April 24 – 28, and for the first time in San Diego at the San Diego Convention Center. There, the event set show floor and west-coast attendance records with 269,680 net square feet, 617 exhibitors, and 27,628 registered attendees. Lighfair 2017 will take place May 7 – 11 in Philadelphia at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.
“Chicago and Lightfair enjoy closely aligned postures within the global lighting design community,” said Marsha L. Turner, CAE, chief executive officer of LFI partner, the International Association of Lighting Designers, in the press release. “Both command pivotal roles as centers of lighting and technology innovation and thought leadership. We look forward to all that the 2018 trade show and conference will achieve in this uniquely advantageous setting.”
Timothy Licitra, executive vice president of LFI partner, the Illuminating Engineering Society, also echoed the excitement for the new location. “With Lightfair’s consistent and continuing growth must come exploration of different venues and new approaches to its staging. Chicago and McCormick Place create for Lightfair and particularly our exhibitors a new canvas for innovation and expansion.”
Lightfair serves as the lighting industry’s venue for showcasing the latest product offerings as well as offering a comprehensive lineup of educational workshops and seminars. For more information about Lightfair, visit the event website.
