November 23, 2022

The 2023 Lighting Trade Show and Conference Calendar

A full slate of in-person lighting events return in 2023

This calendar was published in late 2022

Click here for the 2023-24 Lighting Trade Show & Conference Calendar »

In 2022, lighting industry conferences and trade shows made a widespread return – yet attendees and exhibitors were generally finicky in determining which events to attend – or not attend. The 2022 renditions of LEDucation and IALD Enlighten Americas didn’t seem to miss a beat as the attendance and enthusiasm was similar to or greater than pre-pandemic events. Many other conferences and trade shows are still in recovery mode as the COVID-19 hangover continues to impact B2B conferences and trade shows in many industries.

NYC Events:

In 2023, we will see LightFair return to New York City in a much more event-friendly climate compared to the October 2021 vax-and-mask required event that took place at the Javits Center. With six months to go, the LightFair floor plan currently shows 238 exhibitors. Eleven weeks prior, LEDucation takes place in Midtown Manhattan and currently cites 383 exhibitors.

Conflicts:

Many distributor-focused lighting people may need to decide between attending LightFair in New York or the NAED National Meeting which takes place during the same week in Marco Island, Florida.
Residential-focused lighting people tend to attend CEDIA Expo and the American Lighting Association Conference – but the different focus of high-end integration and residential retail may not cause too many conflicts in mid-September.
Will lighting people who are also parents to Trick-or-Treaters choose to spend Halloween at the IES Street & Area Lighting Conference in Indianapolis? Will a possible October 29 Indianapolis Colts home game pull in more attendees from the visiting team’s region?
The normal week-before-Thanksgiving timing for LDI Expo was moved to earlier November dates due to the November 16-18 Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix.

A regional show to watch:

The third annual ArchLIGHT Summit is slated for September 19-20 at the Dallas Market Center. The regional show takes place at a lovely venue and – in its first two iterations – has assembled top-notch lighting programs, but the event has also been hampered by exhibitors who are cautious about a slower-than-desired exhibition space. The event has relied heavily on two agents, Hossley Lighting & Power Solutions (HLPS) and NexGen Lighting Solutions to help attract a large chunk of exhibitors and attendees.
- Will show organizers be able to attract more exhibitors and attendees by pulling in other notable Dallas agent partners like ALA, Texas Lighting and/or Bell & McCoy?
- If not, what happens to the event if HLPS or NexGen decide to pull out?

Below is the rundown of 2023 events along with a way-too-early peek at 2024 events. We’ll see you at the breakfast buffet – and don’t forget to pack comfortable shoes!

Lightovation
Dallas, TX
January 10 - 13, 2023

LEDucation 2023
New York
March 7 - 8, 2023

LightFair 2023
New York
May 21-25, 2023

NAED National Meeting
Marco Island, FL
May 23-25, 2023

AIA Conference on Architecture 2023
San Francisco, CA
June 7 - 10, 2023

NeoCon
Chicago, IL
June 12 - 14, 2023

Lightovation
Dallas, TX
June 21 - 24, 2023

IES Annual Conference
Schaumburg, IL
August 3 - 5, 2023

CEDIA Expo
Denver, CO
September 7 – 9, 2023

American Lighting Association Conference
Lake Tahoe, CA
September 10 - 12, 2023

ArchLIGHT Summit
Dallas, TX
September 19-20, 2023

Greenbuild International
Washington DC
September 26 – 29, 2023