Reflection on Lightfair

Last month, the lighting universe came together at Lightfair (or LEDfair, depending on who you ask).  Manufacturers from far and wide were displaying their best and brightest new technologies.  And though the weather was not always the most inviting, the city of Philadelphia most certainly was.  What a great venue.

For those of you who missed it, a couple of key trends for the lighting systems of tomorrow seemed to surface as the week progressed.

Flexibility.  Wherever you are, take a look around you and observe the surrounding surfaces and objects.  If you were in your office, you might see a computer stand, a cubicle wall, ceiling tiles, some shelves, carpet, and file stand.  Now envision each and every one of those objects as a light source.  Future LED and OLED light sources will only be limited by your imagination and their power supply; and if what we saw at Lightfair was any indication, the latter may soon cease to be a constraint.

Sustainability.  The most efficient lamp is the one you never have to turn on.  Daylight is as efficient, abundant, and sustainable as it gets in lighting.  Daylighting device manufacturers had plenty of new technologies and techniques to display at this year’s event.  Though daylight management standards and best practices are still in their infancy, the effective integration daylight and electric light in lighting systems will surely prove as revolutionary as the incandescent bulb did over 100 years ago.

Interactivity.  The gatekeeper to the capability and utility of new lighting systems is lighting controls, and I’m not just talking dimmers.  Lighting controls today are able to adapt to the time of day, type of activity, or your mood.  As lighting technologies evolve, lighting controls and a simple, immersive user experience are the essential elements that will drive market adoption.

Quite a show, look forward to catching another glimpse into the future at next year’s in Vegas.