Yesterday, as the show opened, there was a noticeable absence of the usual crowds. Complaints started to surface about a printer problem. Upon reaching the registration desk, I was greeted with a long line of impatient people, numbering in the hundreds if not thousands. The LightFair team informed us that the WiFi was down, causing delays. Bill Attardi shared that his commute from Jersey to Javits was shorter than his wait for a badge.
Initially, LightFair decided to hand out blank badges for entry. However, they quickly changed their approach and asked attendees to write their names on the badges themselves. This allowed the crowds to enter. Approximately an hour later, the printers started working again, and official badges were printed. Many attendees took the opportunity to return to registration, where there were no lines, to obtain their proper badges.
After the printers began working, LightFair reached out to those who had registered but hadn’t picked up their badges, reminding them of the necessity to have their printed badges before entering on Wednesday. Despite the initial challenges, the show was busy in the first day and even crowded in some areas.