A Record-Setting ArchLIGHT Summit in Dallas

ArchLIGHT Summit attracted a record number of exhibitors and attendees from the architectural, specification and design communities to Dallas Market Center for its recent two-day trade event and education platform held Sept. 17–18, according to a news release.

The show featured more than 100 exhibitors, welcomed attendees from coast to coast, and hosted dozens of CEU opportunities, panel discussions and immersive experiences.

ArchLIGHT Summit, which experienced a greater than 34 percent attendance increase over 2023, was held at the same time as Dallas Design Week and Total Home & Gift Market, all occurring on the campus of Dallas Market Center.

Active participation in the show by leading local agencies contributed greatly to the growth of the show, summit officials said. This included support from ALA, Hossley Lighting & Power Systems, NEXGEN Lighting Solutions, Preferred Lighting Group and Texas Lighting Solutions.

An expansive number of exhibitors filled a sold-out show floor and included many of the top brands in lighting. Some of the first-time exhibitors included industry leaders such as Finelite, Inter-lux, Lightheaded Lighting, OCL, QTL and The Lighting Quotient. Returning exhibitors included special partners Casambi, Sourcery, Luminii, Zumtobel and The Lighting Exchange.

Returning exhibitor and sponsor, Paul Boken with Sourcery, said, “I think it's my favorite show because it is like the perfect scale.”

Michael Baudo, Director Global Key Accounts with Zumbotel agreed: “It was a great opportunity to share the knowledge we have … And it was a great success.”

For first-time sponsor and exhibitor, Texas Lighting Sales, Principal, Aaron Larmer, the show was a great way for customers to engage with its lighting and controls lines, “as well as for our team to have a chance to see some of the latest products and technology in the industry. It was great to see so many attendees at the show from all different parts of our lighting community.”

On the afternoon of Sept. 18, participating permanent showrooms at Dallas Market Center welcomed ArchLIGHT attendees to a new “Showroom Spectacular” that included tours of the companies’ permanent exhibit spaces at Dallas Market Center, featuring hospitality and entertainment.

Guided tours of these exhibits were topical presentations including colors and finishes; luminaire scale, placement and design; and materials. Participating showrooms included Kuzco|Alora, ELK Lighting, LEDI, Varaluz, Hubbardton Forge, CSL, WAC Lighting, Modern Forms, Oxygen, AFX, Minka Group, Eurofase, Acrosentec, Avenue Lighting, Sonneman-A Way of Light and Gama Sonic Solar.

“It’s been really good,” said Michael Brown with Gama Sonic. “We have some gaps in our commercial sales reps and we talked to some great folks here. We also have had great conversations with specifiers as well as landscape architects, which fits our line perfectly. We also talked to some students that were excited about the lighting industry, which is fantastic.”

In addition to visiting the show floor and permanent showrooms, hundreds of lighting designers, architects, interior designers and other professionals attended ArchLIGHT Summit’s two stages and demonstration vignettes, which offered guests informative and interactive sessions on health and lighting, UGR ratings, human-centered design, visualization tools, safety, personal branding, photometry, lighting regulations, collaboration and systems integration.

On Monday evening, a welcome party was sponsored by WILD, Women in Lighting + Design. The Tuesday evening opening night party, which offered attendees food, drinks and entertainment, was sponsored by Casambi.

New experiences for attendees included specialized lighting vignettes by Behavioral Health, sponsored by Visa Lighting, and the UGR, sponsored by Zumtobel.

In the Behavioral Health Vignette, a carefully designed presentation helped demonstrate the importance of behavioral health/high abuse luminaires and interior design elements. When it comes to patient and staff safety, behavioral health/high abuse facilities need light fixtures that are tested and proven to perform to the highest standard in these specialty environments. 

In the UGR Vignette, guests experienced a real-life setting to demonstrate how the Unified Glare Rating (UGR) numbers calculated on paper actually feel. This unique installation enabled attendees to experience various glare and comfort aspects of UGR, to experience what the UGR Rating is that you specify, and learn why it’s important to understand the different settings. A subject matter expert from Zumtobel was also present to answer questions and guide participants to experience and understand the various measurements.

Another unique feature of the show was the Immerse Yourself in Light experience, presented by The Lighting Exchange. The VR experience allowed participants to dive into real projects from designers from all over the world; to explore the fundamental elements of light and interact with the products that illuminate the world around us; and to experience the real impacts of light in the built environment.

Student Day at ArchLIGHT Summit, Sept. 18, welcomed students from nearly a dozen colleges and universities including Oregon State University, Kansas University, Indiana University-Bloomington, University of Oklahoma, and seven Texas schools including Texas Christian University, the University of North Texas and Baylor University.

New association partners for the event included the International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD), an internationally recognized non-profit organization dedicated to supporting lighting design professionals worldwide. ArchLIGHT Summit continues to support the IALD Education Trust with unique programming and fundraising opportunities during the two-day event.

The IALD Education Trust supports students and educators and promotes the profession of architectural lighting design. ArchLIGHT Summit partnered with procurement platform Sourcery, which streamlines product collaboration among specifiers, agents and manufacturers to benefit the IALD Education Trust. Attendees scanned and saved favorite products on the Sourcery platform, and in return a contribution was made by participating exhibitors.

Other new association partners include Association of Outdoor Lighting Professionals (AOLP), International Landscape Lighting Institute (ILLI), and The National Association of Women in Construction. New media partners include Bisnow and D5 Design Magazine.

Official event sponsors include Casambi, Visa Lighting, Zumtobel, Luminii, Sourcery, and The Lighting Exchange. Official Agency Partners include ALA, Hossley Lighting and Power Solutions, NexGen, Preferred Lighting Group and Texas Lighting Solutions.