Messe Frankfurt, the producer of Light + Building, has acquired 33.3% ownership of LightFair from ANDMORE.
First, a little history. IALD, IES, and AMC formed LightFair, each with 33.3% ownership; each organization has 2 votes, for a total of 6. AMC announced a sale to IMC on 27 JUL 2018, although EdisonReport announced it the previous month. AMC provided the management of the show and billed their management fees to the show.
In June 2023, AMC underwent a rebranding process and emerged as ANDMORE.
The acquisition by Messe Frankfurt does not alter the shareholding structure for IES and IALD, as both retain their respective 33.3% shares and two votes each.
Your humble editor spoke via Zoom to Kristy Meade, VP of Technical Shows for Messe Frankfurt, and Christopher Knowlton, CEO of IALD, this morning. Christopher stated, “I am so excited to have Messe as a partner. If you think globally, there is no one with more experience than Messe. This will improve the quality of the show for both attendees and exhibitors.”
Christopher also said that LightFair will continue the new every-other-year format with the off-year cadence with Light + Building.
We are told that Show Director Dan Darby, the former Show Manager, and Lea Tranakos, the former Executive Director, will remain with ANDMORE.
Kristy Meade said, “Messe Frankfurt is excited about having LightFair join the family, and we will provide a fresh new look for the show. We have a great platform to manage LightFair.” She also stated that Messe would keep the name LightFair.
As best as I can tell, Messe Frankfurt now manages about 10 global lighting shows. With the global footprint that Messe brings, we think this is an excellent decision and will help bring badly needed fresh energy into LightFair.
Read the official press release here.
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