The ninth annual Lighting Showroom of the Year Awards competition, which honors exceptional lighting retailers, is now open and accepting entries and nominations. The 2018 Awards are hosted by Lighting & Decor magazine in partnership with Dallas Market Center, which presents Lightovation - the Dallas International Lighting Show twice a year in January and June.
All independent lighting retailers are eligible for the Lighting Showroom of the Year Awards, which are judged on several business factors, including merchandising display, marketing and advertising, customer service and engagement, employee education and motivation, and community involvement.
Retailers may enter their own store for award consideration. Anyone in the lighting industry is also welcome to nominate a store. Entry and nomination forms are available online at www.SOTYAwards.com, and all must be submitted no later than Feb. 28, 2018.
The 2018 Lighting Showroom of the Year Awards finalists will be profiled in the May 2018 issue of Lighting & Decor magazine and online at LightingandDecormag.com.
At an evening reception on Wednesday, June 20, during the summer edition of Dallas Market Center’s June 20-23 Lightovation event, one Lighting Showroom of the Year will be awarded in each of three dollar-volume categories (Revenue Under $2 Million, Revenue Under $5 Million, and Revenue $5 Million and Over) from a field of five finalists per category. All finalists also will be eligible for three specialty awards: Outstanding Merchandising Display, Exceptional Community Involvement and Social Media Star.
“This is the only awards program exclusively honoring lighting retailers so we encourage nominations from across the industry. We also encourage retailers to submit videos this year with their entries to provide an even more compelling business story,” says Nicole Davis, Editor-in-Chief of Lighting & Decor.
“It is our privilege to help recognize the hard work and innovation of the best lighting showrooms throughout North America,” says Cindy Morris, President and CEO of Dallas Market Center. “To be named a Lighting Showroom of the Year is a tremendous achievement so we encourage participation by retailers small and large.”
The 2017 Showroom of the Year Award winners were Lightology, Chicago, IL (Revenue $5 Million and Over); Ferguson Enterprises, Clive, IA (Revenue Under $5 Million); The Lighting Design Center at Warshauer Electric, Tinton Falls, NJ (Revenue Under $2 Million); WaterPlace, Crown Point, IN (Outstanding Merchandising Display); Crest Lighting, New Lenox, IL (Exceptional Community Involvement); and Montreal Lighting & Hardware, Montreal, QC (Social Media Star).
Social media coverage before, during and after the 2018 awards presentation will feature the hashtag #SOTYAwards.
