Light + Building 2020 cancelled
(Germany) – International trade show will not take place until 2022.
In view of the global situation caused by the Corona pandemic, and the prohibitions on events and travel restrictions associated with it, Messe Frankfurt has decided, jointly with its partners – ZVEI and ZVEH – and with the Trade Fair Advisory Council, to cancel this year’s Light + Building and to hold it, in accordance with its normal sequence, from 13 – 18 March 2022.
This year’s event was, at first, postponed to September, however as time has gone on, there has been much speculation within the lighting industry as to whether the event would definitely take place. A number of exhibitors had been reportedly disgruntled with the last-minute rescheduling of the show and lighting designers arc has spoken to have also been unconvinced as to whether they would attend a September show given the incurred extra costs for flights and accommodation.
In an official statement from the organisers, Wolfgang Marzin said: “The current regulations, combined with continued global travel restrictions and the potential threat to individual health, make it impossible to hold Light + Building in 2020.
“At the same time, in the interests of exhibitors and visitors, we must avoid unnecessary costs in good time. The decision has not been easy for any of us, but now we shall be directing our energies to holding the next Light + Building in its accustomed sequence in 2022.”
This decision also affects Intersec Building. Now, as a platform for connected security technology, the format will celebrate its premiere as an integral part of Light + Building in 2022.
“Light + Building is of quite particular importance for companies engaged in lighting and building services technology – it is here that industries with the latest technologies look far into the future. However much we regret the cancellation, we are also in favour of it,” said ZVEI President Michael Ziesemer. “Given the manifold uncertainties and challenges, it was right to make this decision now, jointly and in a dialogue between partners.”
The chairman of the ZVEI Association for Electrical Installation Systems, Daniel Hager, added: “In the present situation we would not have been able to experience the positive, cooperative and innovative spirit which Light + Building has embodied from its very start. Everybody’s mind is elsewhere and social distancing is not suitable for a trade fair. So we should all look forward: the fair will continue to exist, as a beacon for the industry and as a platform rich in the exchange of ideas. I am sure: in March 2022, with new energy, we shall have a better starting point for the fair.”
Manfred Diez provided the following analysis from the perspective of the ZVEI Association for Light: “The light industry is a very innovative sector, with many new products and technologies. To show these to a broad public, Light + Building is one of our most important tools. To make sure it stays so”, continues the Association’s chairman, “we must all pull together.”
At the same time ZVEH President Lothar Hellmann emphasised: “Over the past 20 years Light + Building has developed into ‘the’ information and technology platform for the industry. What makes this leading international trade fair so vital is the intensive exchange which takes place between its participants. That there is nothing to replace the personal meeting, despite all modern communication, has been a major experience during the corona crisis. I am therefore looking forward with pleasurable anticipation to Light + Building 2022, at which climate protection, electromobility and digitalisation will provide a major focus.”
Holger Heckler also had some words to say on the matter. The chairman of the VEG (German Electrical Wholesalers’ Association) said: “We can perfectly understand this decision. It is really unfortunate for the electrical industry that Light + Building cannot be held in 2020 and we must manage as best we can without our most important trade fair. But health comes first.”
light-building.messefrankfurt.com/frankfurt/
Meteor Lighting: The Lightflix Program
The Lightflix Program is a 12-minute video designed to help lighting professionals get to know the Meteor way. This video covers everything from product specs, to demonstrations and project applications.
Rofianda: Full sunlight spectrum fixture
Working together with Seoul Semiconductor, Rofianda has created a full sunlight spectrum fixture for optimal plant growth. Rofianda collaborated with Seoul Semiconductor in developing the chip that creates this spectrum.
www.rofianda.com
www.seoulsemicon.com
Astera factory assists with face mask supply
(China) – The LED manufacturer is providing face masks for global effort against Covid-19.
As to global effort to overcome the Covid-19 pandemic continues, LED lighting manufacturer Astera has joined the effort, using its 10,000sqm factory in Shenzhen, China to assist with the delivery of essential personal protective equipment (PPE), including face masks.
The company was in the process of temporarily scaling back its operations due to the impact that Covid-19 has had on the entertainment lighting sector, and was approached to see if they would be able to assist with the production and distribution of face masks.
Astera’s CEO Norbert Ernst said of the opportunity: “Naturally I jumped at the chance. It offered a path to keeping many staff employed full-time, and also helps contribute positively to the ongoing global demand for face masks, which are vital to help meet the unique challenge of containing Covid-19.”
Ernst added that, by having the factory working in this
capacity, it will assist in a rapid return to full LED lighting manufacture once
conventional business starts to resume.
Two types of mask are being safely and cleanly packed at the
factory – the standard disposable face masks, and KN95 respirator masks. The masks
are enclosed in sanitised plastic bags, which are then sealed and packed into
an inner carton, then into outer boxes, which are secured and palletised, ready
for shipping around the world.
During normal peak times, more than 250 people work at the Astera factory across all departments. Currently, around 100 staff, primarily from production, quality control and the warehouse, are working on this project, while Astera’s management team in Shenzhen are considering bringing in another 100 temporary workers for the face mask project, depending on demand.
The contract is in place for three months, after which
Astera has the option to continue, or switch back to producing its range of battery-powered
LED fixtures.
LIA conducts Covid-19-related industry survey
(UK) - The Lighting Industry Association (LIA) surveyed its members to establish the effect of the current lockdown on the lighting industry.
According to a recent survey about the Covid-19 effects on the lighting industry conducted by the LIA, currently: "89% of [LIA] members reported their business remained open in some form with the most operative functions being sales (95%), dispatch (90%) and accounts (87%).
"The average capacity lighting businesses are running at is around 45%. Approximately 44% of staff are currently furloughed and only 4% reported that they had made any redundancies as a direct result of the coronavirus lock down."
They continued in the report that many companies (69%) had reported "difficulties in obtaining raw materials or components with a variety of reasons, down to late deliveries, shortage of shipping capacity and slow return to manufacturing capacity in China among the most common."
The survey also asked members if they had attempted to access the various Government support schemes, of which 47% reported positively. However, many had experienced difficulty owing to the portals not being fully ready or lack of support from banks.
Furthermore, "38% reported that their customers had either asked for or had simply taken extended credit with others reporting late payers deducting early payment discounts outside the qualification period."
More positively, 71% of LIA members reported having a recovery plan in place ready for the removal of lockdown measures.
In a recent update since the survey results were first published, LIA adds: "Following our survey of LIA members on the impact of the Coronavirus on the lighting industry, our colleagues in other European lighting associations have been running the same or similar surveys. Here is a comparison (where possible) of the latest results from the UK, Italy, Spain and Belgium. We will update this as more results arrive."
The Full UK report can be read here
Lighting Design Collective: Fortum Transition Tunnel
Lighting Design Collective (LDC), in collaboration with Kohina Design Agency, designed The Transition Tunnel, an ambient communication tool for Fortum ́s new headquarters in Espoo, Finland.
The tunnel acts as a vehicle to transform the mindset of people entering the space; light walks with you as you transition to work or start your journey home. By stepping in to the tunnel you are led into an ambient immersive space where light patterns express real-time data-triggered events such as wind direction in combination with Fortum brand messages.
This short movie explains the inspiration behind, and the reaction to the tunnel.
Nulty launches “Light Up Your Lockdown” photo competition
(UK) – Competition asks participants to share
inspirational moments of light.
Nulty has unveiled a new photography competition, inviting
participants to “look at the way light enhances our everyday lives” in an
attempt to find positivity in the darkness.
The competition, entitled ‘Light Up Your Lockdown’ will run
until 15 May, and asks people to seek out and capture inspirational moments of
light through a camera lens.
“Whether it be a beautiful shaft of light across the wall or
floor in the home, or the mesmerising way light filters through a tree on a
daily walk, the idea is to share personal experiences of light, together,” the
design studio said.
To enter the competition, participants need to take a
photograph of light that expresses how they feel, and post it on Instagram
using @nultylighting and the hashtag #lightupyourlockdown. At the end of the
competition, the team at Nulty will vote for their three favourite photographs;
winners will then be announced on Instagram on Tuesday 19 May. The three
successful entries will win a Mathmos Lava Lamp.
For more information on the photography competition, click here.
Nulty: The Light Lunch Series - Drawing with Light
Episode two of Nulty's Light Lunch Series sees Seraphina Gogate and Sophie O’Rourke present Drawing with Light. Here, they discuss the role of art within the world of light and its importance in spatial composition. Using seminal artistic and design works through the ages as precedent, they take you on a journey from charcoal and chalk through to Adobe Photoshop, to illustrate how light has been drawn and painted through the ages.
Video courtesy of Nulty.
New lighting brand launches
(UK) – humanlumen looks to take a mindful approach to provide creative lighting concepts.
Launched this spring, a new British lighting brand has
entered the market.
Humanlumen is a collective of lighting professionals and
experts with a broad range of expertise that is on a mission to create
effective and efficient lighting solutions that are “as positive for people as
they are for the environment and business”.
Spanning a range of sectors, from hospitality, retail and leisure
to residential, education and healthcare, humanlumen hopes to understand the
structural form of lighting, and take a mindful approach to provide creative
concepts.
The brand was launched with the aim to change the landscape
in which interior designers and consultants approach their lighting concepts, driven
by a desire to provide human-centric lighting design and products.
The new brand is led by Andrew Boydell, a principle with
more than 24 years’ experience working within the construction sector on high-profile
interior projects both in Europe and the Middle East. His most recent role was
as Regional Director for Future Designs in the UAE. Prior to that he was
General Manager at the Nordeon Group in the UAE.
Of humanlumen, Boydell said: “Our creative team is based in
Clerkenwell, in the heart of London’s design scene, the obvious choice with all
the experience we have collectively in the local and international lighting
market, and our aim is to develop the brand globally.
“With the use of innovative software design, alongside the
vast range of products that we design and manufacture, we will offer relevant
and creative solutions.”
The humanlumen product portfolio encompasses more than 3,000
lighting designs, including a high-specification downlight, track and spot, and
linear pendant range. The mix also accounts for both indoor and outdoor use to
serve a vast range of lighting schemes.
Hugo Rohner named CEO of Tridonic
(Austria) – Rohner brings a wealth of experience in digitalisation and IoT to the role.
From 1 May, Hugo Rohner takes
over as CEO of Tridonic, the lighting technology company of the Zumtobel Group.
Rohner is an internationally
experienced manager in the fields of digitalisation and IoT, and was most
recently the CEO of the Skidata Group in Salzburg, Austria. Prior to that, he
held leading positions at international companies in Switzerland, the USA and
Germany.
Born in Switzerland, Rohner holds
a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of St. Gallen
(HSG), and a Master’s degree in International Management from the Community of European
Management Schools and International Companies (CEMS).
Rohner will report directly to
Alfred Felder, CEO of the Zumtobel Group. Of the appointment, Felder said: “We
are delighted to have acquired the services of such an experienced manager in
Hugo Rohner. Tridonic will benefit from his know-how from the IT industry,
among other things.
“The Tridonic leadership team with
CFO Thomas Erath and COO Alexander Jankovsky, is now complete again.”
IALD reschedules Enlighten conferences
(USA) – The IALD’s Enlighten Americas and Enlighten
Europe conferences have been rescheduled for 2021 and 2022 respectively.
The IALD has announced that, due to the continued concerns
about the Covid-19 pandemic and the uncertainties around what the situation
will be in October and November of this year, its Enlighten conferences have
been postponed.
The Association has decided to move both the Enlighten
Americas conference, due to be held this October in Palm Springs, California,
and Enlighten Europe, scheduled to take place in Oslo, Norway this November, to
2022. Both events will be held in the same locations.
The next Enlighten conference will now take place in 2021,
with Enlighten Americas to be hosted in the scenic mountain destination of
Banff, Canada from 21-23 October.
“While rescheduling Enlighten Americas and Enlighten Europe 2020 was a difficult decision to make, over the past two months it has become clear it is the right thing to do for our members, for IALD, and for the larger community that we serve,” said IALD CEO, Marsha Turner.
“As a global organisation that is built around community and connections – both locally and globally – the IALD’s priority is the health and safety of our members, sponsors and attendees. This was a major consideration in the decision to move both 2020 conferences to 2022.”
IALD President Douglas Leonard added: “IALD’s Enlighten
conferences have always focused on lighting designers and those passionate
about lighting design. Moving the conferences is the best action to take as
responsible leaders who care about our greater lighting community.
“In these difficult times, it is more important than ever
that we leverage our professional connections. Through IALD, we can rely on our
lighting design community to support and strengthen each other in these times
of change.”
The IALD is currently exploring options for delivering some of the content from both 2020 conferences online. The call for presentations for Enlighten Americas 2021 will open in October 2020.
The Lighting Practice: IoT and Smart Lighting Explained
The Lighting Practice's Jered Widmer dives into the world of IoT and connectivity, explaining the important role that lighting plays in the IoT ecosystem. He also provides some tips for facilities interested in utilising smart technology.
Video filmed and produced by Oak Leaf Media.