Progress Committee Delivers the Report; Regains Its Voice

For more than 30 years, I have attended the IES Industry Progress Report, and for most of that time, you never quite knew what you were going to get.

The products were serious. The presentation was fun.

Between introductions of new industry products, members of the Progress Committee performed skits that could be funny, irreverent, occasionally risqué and sometimes biting to break up the excitement of the new products. Your humble editor has been on the receiving end a few times. It was always in good fun, and the humor became part of the personality of the Progress Report.

Then came 2025.

The Progress Committee still did the hard work of reviewing submissions and selecting the products. However, the committee did not present the report on stage. Instead, the audience received a silent presentation—literally, no words and no humor. It fell flat.

There was a larger issue at play. Budgets were tight, and IES was working hard to put its annual conference on stronger financial footing. In fact, 2025 marked the first time in many years that the conference finished in the black. Still, the change created hurt feelings within the Progress Committee and considerable debate throughout the Society about what the Progress Report should be.

By October 2025, however, there was good news. Your humble editor reported at the time that IES26 would feature a new format.

Progress Committee Delivers Report on the Stage

This year, the Progress Report was back on stage. And perhaps the committee knew exactly how much everyone had missed them.

The opening skit featured committee members hiking through the mountains, apparently trying to find their way back. “Oh, there you are. What took you so long? Where have you been?” one asked.

Then came the line that seemed to capture the moment perfectly: “Long, long has the journey been. In fact, it’s been two years since we last were seen.”

The audience got it immediately.

The humor continued throughout the presentation. It was professional, funny and clearly well received. No one should confuse it with the elaborate Progress Report productions of years past. The committee simply doesn’t have the budget it once had. But that really wasn’t the point. They didn’t need elaborate sets or expensive productions. They needed their voice back.

Industry Progress Committee Chair Gregg Allen also recognized the people who helped make the return possible. He thanked the committee members and co-chair Shelley Prew for her years of support. The Progress Committee is one of the oldest committees in the Society and it has many long-term members, including Howard Lewis, with 35+ years of service.

Gregg specifically thanked Megan Carroll, Director of Marketing and Business Development, and IES President, Jared Smith, for their collaboration in getting the Progress Report back on stage. 

Fixture Feud Brings Back the Fun

A second skit was also well received. Rick Leeds hosted a game show called Fixture Feud, another sign that the committee’s personality had returned along with the Progress Report itself. One question that received a very strong audience response:  Something that a Manufacturer Says that Makes a Designer Suspicious.

The Progress Report dates back to 1910, and its fundamental purpose hasn’t changed: to identify meaningful developments that advance the art and science of lighting. Committee members volunteer their time and expertise. Each June, they gather for two days at their own expense, to review submissions and debate which innovations represent genuine progress.

But the Progress Report has never been just a list of products.

Its sometimes quirky, occasionally edgy personality became part of the institution. You could disagree with a joke—and occasionally find yourself as the punchline—but you knew the people presenting the report were not mean-spirited and cared deeply about lighting and about the Society.

It Felt Like the Progress Report Again

In 2026, some of that personality returned. It may have been a smaller production than we remember from the old days, but it felt like the Progress Report again. Judging by the audience reaction, people were happy to have it back.

My next article will go into detail about the products and categories.

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