January 13, 2023
Signify & Cooper Withdraw from LightFair 2023
Numerous notable names now on the sidelines. One major brand returns.
In a setback for the upcoming LightFair 2023, Signify and Cooper Lighting have decided to withdraw from the trade show and have pulled their large exhibit spaces from the event. Each company had planned sizable, 2500 square-foot booths right by the main entrance of the trade show floor at the Javits Convention Center in New York City.
Cooper Lighting and the Signify North America brands go to market separately, but are part of Netherlands-based Signify – the world’s largest lighting company. Pulling out of the event may come with financial penalties but also may save Signify a significant mid-to-high six-figure dollar amount.
We reached out to a Signify spokesperson who shared with us, “Signify has decided not to exhibit at LightFair 2023. Given the need to regularly connect with our customers and selling partners, we will pursue alternative formats for showcasing our latest innovations. We value LightFair’s role in advancing our industry and will continue to engage with the community to shape the future of lighting.”
Dan Darby, LightFair Show Director, shared his reaction, “LightFair is the industry’s leading source of innovation and inspiration. Hundreds of established and emerging brands are already confirmed for 2023. Their decision not to participate is disappointing.”
What does the show floor look like now?
Cooper and Signify are the latest of some of North America’s largest and most important lighting brands to decide not to participate in LightFair 2023. Seven weeks before LightFair was to take place in October 2021, Acuity Brands pulled out of LightFair 2021 and hasn’t yet returned. Current HLI Brands (the former Hubbell Lighting) and Current GLI Brands had a large presence at LightFair 2022 in Las Vegas, but didn’t commit to this year’s show. LSI Industries exhibited last year, too, and is also not expected to return for LightFair 2023. Cree Lighting will also sit out again. And Legrand’s important lighting and controls brands, which often didn’t exhibit before the pandemic, have remained on the sidelines too.
Based on the current LightFair floor plan, the following companies have the largest booths, each 2000-2500 square feet:
- Crestron
- Edison Price Lighting
- Keystone Technologies
- Samsung
- Satco
Above: A portion of the LightFair 2023 trade floor map – before and after the Signify & Cooper changes.
The 50-foot by 50-foot, prime booth locations abandoned by Signify and Cooper Lighting, have been filled by two other exhibitors, Samsung and Keystone Lighting, that each had been assigned booths with the same exact footprint on other parts of the trade floor. Samsung was relocated from a less-desirable part of the trade show floor to now occupy the booth that many attendees will see first when they hit the show floor.
Slightly behind 2022 pace
We are 19 weeks out from the event that is slated to begin on May 21. Currently there are 260 exhibitors on the LightFair 2023 exhibitor list. At the same “T-minus 19 weeks” point for Lightfair 2022, there were 268 exhibitors on the list. LightFair 2022 ended up with 327 exhibitors at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
One big name returns
In one bit of good news, after not exhibiting at LightFair since 2019, Lutron first appeared on the LightFair 2023 exhibitor list in late December. On Thursday, we spoke with a high-ranking Lutron executive who reaffirmed the company’s plans to exhibit at LightFair 2023. Our conversation occurred before we became aware of the Signify and Cooper Lighting news. Lutron is slated for a 30-foot by 20-foot booth in the Technology Pavilion.
Second-order effects
The withdrawal of Signify and Cooper along with the other majors who are not exhibiting will likely have a negative impact on show attendance and profitability. Acuity Brands, Cooper, Signify, Current HLI, Current GLI, Legrand, LSI and Cree Lighting are among the most important companies for the top C&I lighting agents in each local market throughout the U.S. and Canada.
It’s hard to imagine specifiers writing a fixture schedule for a school, office, healthcare facility or hotel without citing at least a few of those major brands on the fixture schedule. Every electrical distributor in the U.S. or Canada likely sells one or more of those brands. With so many of the majors not participating, many lighting agents may not promote the show, bring customers or even attend at all.
LightFair was praised in late 2022 for announcing its decision to convert to a biennial event that would occur in odd years only. The announcement was met with strong enthusiasm from many lighting people causing many to be hopeful that the show will accelerate its return to the late 2010’s high points. Two important booths pulling out of the 2023 event is a short-term setback, for sure, but the show owners, the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES), the International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD) and International Market Centers (IMC) will work to keep reinventing the show and will work to find more ways to make LightFair attractive to all lighting industry stakeholders.
Up until 2019, LightFair was by far the largest source of revenue for both the IES and IALD. LightFair's future profits are expected to continue to have a direct and meaningful impact on the future framework of both the IES and the IALD.
The LEDucation Factor
The LEDucation Trade Show and Conference takes place annually at the New York Hilton, usually in March, and continues to build a large following for its smaller scale multiple hotel ballroom event. For many in the design community, it has become the preferred event. The 2023 event begins in 53 days and has a waiting list of exhibitors seeking to score a table at this year's show. What started as a New York City event, developed into a strong regional show and now attracts lighting people from all over North America.
LightFair show organizers have demonstrated for decades that it can bring value as the industry's large national/international event. The show has added many recent features including the Designery and an upcoming Immersive Lighting Installations 2023. Show organizers remain optimistic about the upcoming 2023 event and future of LightFair. LightFair 2025, 2027 and 2029 are each scheduled to return to New York City. Even before it was certain some big names would sit out this year, some lighting people expressed hope that the event could pursue Western U.S. locations in 2025 and 2029.
