In 2001, LIGHTFAIR moved from San Francisco to Las Vegas. LFI had been alternating from the East Coast to West Coast annually and we were a more literal industry back then. Your humble editor was on the IES Board of Directors at the time and I recall Bill Hanley, Executive Director of IES, trying to explain how Las Vegas was really on the West Coast.
As a good Catholic boy from the South, I was a bit concerned about our most important tradeshow moving to Sin City, but my good friend Mike (who won’t let me use his last name) comforted me and said it was OK. He explained that Las Vegas had really moved to more of a family environment and that is why you see all of those fathers and daughters running around together!
Turns out that moving from San Francisco to Las Vegas was a brilliant move and helped the show grow immensely.
You learn certain tricks about a host city. For instance, we used to ship last minute literature to our hotel via fed/ex, but the hotel would charge up to $50 per box, just to receive it. If they felt like it, they charged storage, too. If we shipped to a Fed/ex location and picked up, there is no fee. Also, we learned over the years that the Fed/ex in the Convention Center charges a hefty service fee on out-bound shipping, but the Fed/ex at Hughes Center (3 miles away) has no service fee—or lines. The show moves to San Diego in 2016 and we’ll pass on things we learn there as well.
Observations from LFI 2014:
- The mood of the industry is upbeat and most companies believe the industry is healthy and expect sales to continue increasing.
- “Impossible.” This was the word a GE Lighting competitor used to describe GE’s new phosphor that yields: 90 CRI with 170 LPW with r9 at 90.
- Not only did Venture show LED Drivers, which was a departure from their DNA. More important, they showed their AUER glass reflectors. Acrylic reflectors are rated at 85C; Auer is rated at 400C—and AUER can sell their glass at the same price point of Acrylic. In addition, tooling for glass is about 30% less than Acrylic.
- UL held a dinner where they talked about being more flexible. (Editor’s note: It is difficult to write UL and flexible in the same sentence.)
- Charlie Jerabek (OSRAM SYLVANIA) passed away the week before LIGHTFAIR.
- The President’s plan to reduce carbon emissions by 30% by 2030 should have a positive effect on our industry. Here’s why. There are very few ‘good’ rebates in areas that have low energy rates, such as TVA areas. These low energy rate utilities will likely be forced to offer energy efficiency rebates to reduce their load.
- Neptun showed a full line of beautiful LED fixtures made in Chicago.
- Hubbell Lighting launched something called Lightweave Linear. With no visible frame or border, the Lightweave uses a light diffuser to weave light across the visual plane, placing 80% down and 20% uplight.
- IR-Tec launched their Super High Frequency motion detectors. These products offer better aesthetics as they have eliminated the front slot. Also dipswitches are set from the front, so they are easy to change. In addition, the sensors can easily be changed from occupancy to vacancy sensors.
It’s been a good run in Las Vegas, but we are happy to see the show move to San Diego.