March 4, 2022
Going Remote: IALD to Close Chicago Headquarters
With revenues mainly tied to live events, the IALD makes a practical and financially beneficial move
CHICAGO, IL – In a move that is both practical and financially beneficial, the International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD) is closing its Chicago headquarters office and transitioning its staff to a remote work environment.
The IALD has been responsibly reducing costs during the pandemic. The organization tightened its belt in early 2021 with a staff reduction and now, in 2022, is shedding the overhead expense of its headquarters space which has been in a desirable business district of Chicago for many years.
The organization explained “With staff throughout the USA, Belgium, UK, Japan, Australia, and Uganda and the technology we all have relied on for the last two years, we have found that our staff is able to work well in a fully remote office situation. This has opened IALD up to new opportunities and changes in how we work for the association.”
The 2022 American workplace certainly looks different than it did a couple of years ago. Workers have adjusted to being productive while being scattered among various locations, time zones and countries. This move by the IALD will capitalize on those dynamics while also helping the organization significantly in the short-term as a cost-cutting measure.
The lack of live events has limited the ability for IALD to generate revenue. IALD's pre-pandemic financial reports indicate that LightFair consistently contributed over 80% of all IALD revenues. Other revenue categories – Annual Conference, Regional Meetings and Awards – also rely heavily upon in person events, too.
LightFair expenses and revenues are divided equally among the IALD, the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) and International Market Centers (IMC). IALD consistently pulls in over $3.5 million in revenues for pre-pandemic LightFair events. That obviously has changed the last couple of years. Membership dues typically generate between $400K and $500K per year and are not directly reliant upon in-person events.
Above: IALD $4.7+ million revenue split in 2018
With LightFair making its pandemic comeback four months ago, and reappearing again in Las Vegas this June, the show aims to rebuild and hopefully return to the healthy 7-figure revenue heydays of years past. Important annual IALD events – Enlighten Americas and Enlighten Europe – are all-systems-go for this coming fall, too. The in-person Enlighten events have not occurred since 2019.
The Chicago office closure will be effective March 29. Going forward, the association’s mailing address will be as follows:
International Association of Lighting Designers
242 N. York Street, Suite# 514
Elmhurst, IL 60126
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