There was vibrancy to Lightfair 2008. An impressive lineup of seminars and workshops, including the Lightfair Daylighting Institute, contributed, along with a busy trade show floor.
Sustainability, both at home and abroad, was the focus of the keynote talks the first two days of the conference. Dave Irvine-Halliday, founder of the Light Up the World Foundation (LUTW), spoke of the organization’s work in providing attainable and affordable lighting to developing nations. Started in 2002, the LUTW has been involved with more than 16,000 installations in 42 countries. (See “Lighting the Way: LEDs for the Developing World,” June 2004.)
David Gottfried, founder and CEO of WorldBuild and founder of the U.S. Green Building Council, presented the second keynote. Gottfried spoke of his personal experience in arriving at a “green” awareness in his business and everyday life. Both thought-provoking keynotes left the audiences inspired and motivated to take action.
The trade show floor was extremely busy with 510 exhibitors and a number of luminaire offerings. There was the usual array of light-emitting diode products, but lighting controls were in abundance. Several manufacturers showed control systems of varying degrees of complexity depending on project scope and user needs.
The LFI Innovation Awards presentation, which A|L co-sponsors with eLumit, saw program refinements implemented last year pay off. This year’s assembly of products reflected the requirements of today’s marketplace—energy efficiency and incorporation of new technologies. Fourteen products received “Best of Category,” and the overall Innovation Award winner was SPOT Version 4.0 from the California Energy Commission. This software evaluates electric lighting, annual daylighting characteristics, and associated energy use of a space. SPOT also received the Attendees’ Choice Award, a new component of the program introduced this year to actively engage Lightfair attendees.
