For four days this summer, Dallas will be the global center of inspiration and insights for the lighting business during Lightovation: Dallas International Lighting Show, held June 19 to 22. Inside the largest residential lighting marketplace in North America, leading-edge technology and design will be showcased alongside thought leadership, special awards programs and business inspiration.
“This summer we welcome buyers from around the world to make connections, gain insights, and see the latest in technology and trends inside a dynamic center of inspiration,” said Cindy Morris, President and CEO of Dallas Market Center. “Whether you are a newly opened showroom or are taking your enterprise to a new level of success, the summer edition of Lightovation offers you and your company the opportunity to advance your business and stay ahead of the competition.”
The SMART Center Seminar Schedule
Now entering its second year, The SMART Center (TM 4826), continues to be a hub for valuable educational opportunities in partnership with the American Lighting Assn. (ALA). For June 2019, ALA Conference speaker David Avrin will bring an insightful and actionable keynote on the subject of customer experience, as well as a follow-up session and a book signing. Digital marketing and social media expert Leslie Carothers also returns to Lightovation to help lighting retailers and other professionals compete in the age of Amazon and maximize return from their online assets.
New Products and Market Choice Awards
The marketplace will feature new product introductions from dozens of companies, many of which will compete for buyer votes in the Market Choice Awards. This summer Lightovation competition recognizes new product introductions in six categories and serve as an opportunity for exhibitors to showcase their latest styles and innovations. This year, a record 129 entries from 48 brands were submitted for the sixth edition of these awards, which are determined by popular vote.
One Market Choice winner will be named in each of the six product categories: Bath, Ceiling Fans, Chandeliers and Pendants, Outdoor, Portable Lamps and Technology. The awards are sponsored by enLIGHTenment magazine and include a new honor for 2019: The enLIGHTenment editorial team will also select an Editor’s Choice winner as a “best in show” among entries in all categories.
Voting for the Market Choice Awards will open May 30. Attendees will also have the opportunity to vote at a designated kiosk near the north escalators on the Trade Mart’s third floor, as well as on a touch screen in The SMART Center (TM 4826). You can also vote via the Lightovation app. Winning products will be announced at Lightovation after voting closes at noon on Thursday, June 20.
At this edition, lighting buyers can also discover many new products and collections such as:
- Access Lighting Corporation (TM 3939) debuts the Transformer, Sparc and ModPLUS Series.
- American Brass & Crystal’s (TM 3938) first-ever designer partnership with David Santiago.
- Capital Lighting Fixture Co. (TM 3931) introduces New Natural Rattan Fixtures and Mirror; New Finishes, Styles and Sizes for Bestsellers; New Pieces in Oxidized and Galvanized Metal, Stone Seeded Glass, Mercury Glass, Jute and Wood.
- Eurofase (TM 4002) will introduce new construct, mast and route lines, as well as new extrusions, mirrors, decorative outdoor wall mounts and path lights.
- Hammerton Lighting (TM 4523) presents their Blossom and Glacier Collections.
- Hinkley Lighting (TM 3210) will showcase Regency Ceiling Fans for the first time since acquiring the brand.
- Matthews Fan Company (TM 4737) introduces Molly, Mollywood, Dana, Steven, Lindsay and T-24 Product Families
- Progress Lighting (TM 3840) debuts Adley, Briarwood, Mast, Rushton, Kempsey, Seneca, Foster Greene Ridge and Gulliver Collections
- Razzetti Italy (TM 4432.17) introduces Ceramic Chandeliers, Italian-Made Ceiling Fans and Tiziano and Porto Cervo Chandeliers.
- Star Fans (TM 4432.10) presents Star Propeller Ceiling Fans.
- Varaluz (TM 4507) will continue to expand its Varaluz Casa line.
- Vaxcel International Co. (TM 3942) introduces Rainier, Seville, Grant, Georgetown, Anna, Colton, Quincy, Nikko, Curie and Southport Lighting Collections.
New exhibitors at January 2019 Lightovation include Asfour Crystal (TM 4432-03) and Xanlite North America – An Enchante Company (TM 4733). Acclaim Lighting (TM 4432-04,05,06) will expand its footprint in the Spectrum shared showroom. Lantern & Scroll (TM 4432-14) has also taken space in Spectrum while retaining its open-daily presence in IHDC GL08. And former Spectrum exhibitor Ren-Wil will expand into a dedicated showroom (TM 4933) for June, more than doubling the company’s size.
June 2019 Lightovation will also celebrate the opening of Smarter Living by Design, the first smart home showroom in North America. The open-daily showcase, located inside Light + Design on Ten in the World Trade Center (WTC 10085), will feature brands spanning home technology categories from lighting, sound and appliances to artificial intelligence. The showroom will be the first to unite advanced technology from Europe, Asia, and the U.S. in order to demonstrate how technology can seamlessly and stylishly integrate into the modern home. Anchored by Samsung, the showcase will be coordinated by HomeTronics, a Dallas-based custom electronics integrator and will feature a series of five custom-built lifestyle vignettes: Family Room, Master Suite, Outdoor Cooking, Outdoor Living, and an Interactive Technology Showcase. The lighting industry is invited to visit Smarter Living by Design as part of the Lightovation experience. More information on participating brands can be found here.
New Location, Time for Showroom of the Year Awards
To commemorate the 10th edition of the Showroom of the Year Awards, presented in partnership with Furniture Lighting & Decor magazine, the event will be held in a special location at a new time. Still on opening night, Wednesday, June 19, the event will kick off at 7:30 p.m. in the Wedgwood Foyer at the Hilton Anatole hotel, which is the host hotel for June 2019 Lightovation. The awards will honor one Showroom of the Year in each of three dollar-volume categories, as well as three specialty awards in the areas of merchandising display, social media engagement and community involvement.
The Showroom of the Year Awards event is open to all attendees, exhibitors and reps at Lightovation with no tickets or additional registration required. A complete list of finalists is available here and you can follow social media posts about the awards through the #SOTYAwards hashtag.
Lighting After Dark: New Location For The Legendary All-Market Party
The all-industry Lighting After Dark party will run 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. in the Hilton Anatole’s Wedgwood Ballroom. Celebrate a successful first day at market with this party, which will be themed LED Them Eat Cake, a decadent mashup of the Palace of Versailles and the disco era. Lightovation attendees, exhibitors and reps are all welcome to attend Lighting After Dark; bring your show badge for entry.
Honoring Top Salespeople and Welcoming Special Groups
Among the newest attendees at this edition of Lightovation will be dozens of members of the Light Stars class of 2019. The Light Stars program provides travel and hotel support for top retail salespeople from across the United States and Canada who would not otherwise have the opportunity to experience the largest residential lighting show in North America. Along with rewarding hard-working and talented showroom employees, the Light Stars program enhances the perspective of the next generation of lighting retailing by exposing salespeople to educational opportunities, display inspiration and a higher level of engagement with product introductions. Profiles of the 2019 Light Stars will be featured on an interactive touch screen in The SMART Center (TM 4826). Anyone in the industry can already nominate for the 2020 Light Stars program.
Lightovation will include hospitality for two networking groups within ALA. The Minka Group will host the Women in Lighting Reception in TM 3725 at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, June 19. This event is open to all women from all segments of the lighting industry and all levels of experience. ALA’s Young Executives group will team up again with the Under 40 group of ART – The Creative Home Furnishings Network for Beers With Peers on Thursday, June 20, at 5 p.m. in the Progress Lighting showroom (TM 3840).
Prior to the start of June 2019 Lightovation, Lighting One will host its annual Convention at the Hilton Anatole and celebrate 20 years of supporting independent lighting showrooms. The lighting co-operative has more than 300 members in all 50 U.S. states and five Canadian provinces. Lighting One has been hosting its annual Convention in Dallas in tandem with the June edition of Lightovation for the past six years and has confirmed that it will continue to do so through 2024.
To register for June Lightovation, visit the Dallas Market Center website. Also plan ahead for January 2020 when a new, earlier date pattern for Lightovation will mean a head start on business for the new year. Lightovation will take place January 8 to 12, 2020, and travel plans may be made in person in The SMART Center during the June show.
