• Circadian lighting can be used to improve health and wellness
  • Women in Lighting takes centre stage as industry looks to become more socially inclusive

DUBAI, UAE – Lighting experts from across the globe voiced a collective call for the industry to unite and educate clients and stakeholders on the need to create a circular economy, as Lighttalks opened with an illuminating debut at the 16th Light Middle East | Intelligent Building Middle East at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) today.

An innovative addition to this year’s event, Lightalks brought together industry leaders and sustainable lighting champions to chart an efficient future for the sector.

In a thought-provoking keynote session, Praveen Thampi, Creative Director, Ministry of Light, India, told delegates that designers must take the lead in talking to project stakeholders at the initial design phase to develop sustainable solutions.

Thampi said designers must “educate peers” on digital flow diagrams (DFD) and “educate clients” on lighting as a service that helps the circular economy produce use, recycle, and identify products with longevity and minimal impact.

“Human values and wellbeing are essential,” added Thampi. “All designs have to be human-centric.”

Thampi also talked about how circadian lighting designs in homes and offices can increase alertness, improve mood, reduce hyperactivity, reduce errors and accidents, increase productivity, and tackle a growing issue of vitamin D deficiency by adopting vitamin D synthesis.

Meanwhile, in a lively panel discussion on lighting and the circular economy, Paul Nulty, founder of lighting design consultancy Nulty+, said: “The issue we have is clients and marketplace aren’t ready for it [circular economy]. It’s time to test clients’ desire for fully sustainable solutions.  We need an industry voice. The only way we can go to full sustainable carbon economy is for governments to step in and help.

Fellow panellist Erin Denikovska, of Delta Lighting Design, agreed, adding: “We want to change the way the whole industry thinks, starting with clients and sharing the knowledge; designers and manufacturers. We can design certain ways, but the challenge is the clients’ desire for it.”

Ruth Kelly Waskett, of Hoare Lea, UK, added: “The circular economy is about changing the way we do things and looking at the opportunities on how we collaborate.”

Nulty cited an example of where his firm proposed the reuse of lighting solutions from a major event, only to get embroiled in legal debates over who would be responsible in the event of a lighting accident, resulting in the project being dropped.

LIGHTING THE WAY WITH TECH

In an insightful panel session on ‘The Future of Lighting Design: Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain and Digital / Physical Interactions,’ experts explored how the future of lighting, powered by new, convergent technologies, will create more interactive spaces and meaningful interactions with light delivering content and experiences.

The panellists also looked at how technology such as AI will optimise Building Information Modelling (BIM) by reducing onsite commissioning costs and time.

Lightalks also included key sessions such as ‘Women in Lighting: Design for Social Inclusion,’ a panel discussion with female leaders in the lighting industry sharing their experiences, knowledge, techniques, and real-life examples of how they conquered the industry and established socially inclusive designs. They articulated the principles of human-centric design and how, in an effort to make spaces more inclusive, designs are based on assessing the needs of actual users of spaces rather than generic groups represented by standard approaches.

Additionally, a keynote session titled ‘Rise of the Light Festival: Artists working with light to create immersive experiences,’ outlined how creativity can drive the lighting industry forward.

Another major highlight on day two of the 16th Light Middle East | Intelligent Building Middle East was the launch of the International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD) Middle East chapter.

Light Middle East | Intelligent Building Middle East 2023 is a global gathering of industry leaders, bringing together 172 exhibitors from 27 countries.

The 16th edition of Light Middle East | Intelligent Building Middle East is co-located with Intersec to create MENA’s leading trade fair for lighting and building services technology, bringing together 172 exhibitors from 27 countries.

“Lightalks has been an engaging addition to Light Middle East | Intelligent Building Middle East, urging the industry to challenge the norm and chart a bright future amid ever-increasing demand for innovative lighting solutions,” Dishan Isaac, Show Director at Messe Frankfurt Middle East.

“Adding focused dialogue alongside the networking and business opportunities has helped elevate the show’s appeal as the place to be for professionals from the global lighting industry.”

INNOVATION RECOGNISED

Key highlights on the final day of Light Middle East | Intelligent Middle East on Wednesday, 19 January, include the Light Middle East Awards 2023, a celebration of individuals, products and companies for their outstanding performance, vision, contribution and achievement across the lighting industry and Middle East region.

Held under the theme ‘Innovative Design’, ‘Sustainable Future’ and ‘Seamless Integration’ the coveted industry awards will be handed out a gala evening at the Ritz Carlton.

Day three of the Smart Building Summit will conclude with thought-provoking sessions such as ‘Smart Construction in the Metaverse: Hope or Hype?’ and ‘Architecting Digital Twins.’

-Ends-

About Light Middle East Dubai

Light Middle East | Intelligent Building Middle East brings together world-renowned brands, regional players, and promising innovators for an exciting three-day showcase featuring products within lighting, electrical engineering, home, and building automation. The exhibition has played a vital role in the growth and development of the industry since its launch in 2006, with a solid representation of global products and brands, several educational conferences, certified workshops, and leading awards programme to recognize the very best the industry has to offer.

For more information, please visit our website.

Background information on Messe Frankfurt

The Messe Frankfurt Group is one of the world’s leading trade fair, congress, and event organisers with their own exhibition grounds. With a workforce of 2,200 people at its headquarters in Frankfurt am Main and in 28 subsidiaries, it organises events around the world. As in the previous year, annual sales for 2021 were significantly lower owing to the COVID-19 pandemic: approximately €154 million compared with Group sales as high as €736 million in pre-pandemic 2019. We serve our customers’ business interests efficiently within the framework of our Fairs & Events, Locations and Services business fields.

Sustainable business practices are a central pillar in our corporate strategy and strike a healthy balance between ecological and economic interests, social responsibility and diversity. Another of Messe Frankfurt’s strengths is its powerful and closely knit global sales network, which covers around 180 countries in all regions of the world. Our comprehensive range of services – both onsite and online – ensures that customers worldwide enjoy consistently high quality and flexibility when planning, organising and running their events. We are using our digital expertise to develop new business models. The wide range of services includes renting exhibition grounds, trade fair construction and marketing, personnel and food services. With its headquarters in Frankfurt am Main, the company is owned by the City of Frankfurt (60 percent) and the State of Hesse (40 percent).

For more information, please visit our website at: www.messefrankfurt.com

About Messe Frankfurt Middle East

Messe Frankfurt Middle East’s portfolio of 16 exhibitions includes Automechanika Dubai, Automechanika Riyadh, Beautyworld Middle East, Beautyworld Saudi Arabia, Hardware + Tools Middle East, Hypermotion Dubai, Intersec, Intersec Saudi Arabia, Gifts & Lifestyle Middle East, Light Middle East, Materials Handling Middle East, Materials Handling Saudi Arabia, Middle East Cleaning Technology Week, Paperworld Middle East, Prolight + Sound Middle East, and SPS Automation Middle East. In the 2021/22 event season, Messe Frankfurt Middle East exhibitions combined featured 2,394 exhibitors from 53 countries and attracted 83,124 visitors from 116 countries.

For more information, please visit our website.