March 26, 2025
Can LightFair 2025 Shine Despite Declining Numbers?
Industry event faces key exhibitor withdrawals, raising questions about the show’s trajectory
For decades, LightFair has been the defining trade show for the North American lighting industry — an event where product launches, networking, and education converged on a grand scale. But as the 2025 edition approaches, the show faces mounting challenges: major exhibitors are pulling out, exhibitor numbers are lower than they’ve been in decades, and questions linger about whether the event can reclaim its former prominence.
LightFair is equally owned by the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES), the International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD), and Messe Frankfurt, which now also serves as the show’s co-organizer under the "Light + Building" moniker. The event has long been a pillar of the lighting industry, but recent shifts in exhibitor participation have put its future direction under scrutiny.
Major Brands Reconsider LightFair Commitment
One of the biggest exhibitor withdrawals from LightFair 2025 is LMPG, a major player in architectural lighting. The company — whose portfolio includes brands like Lumenpulse, Fluxwerx, ALW, Vode, Sternberg, and Lumca — had originally committed to the show with multiple booths and a 3,500-square-foot presence. But now, they’ve reversed course.
WAC Lighting and TCP, both of which had significant booth spaces (30x50, or 1,500 square feet each), initially withdrew, along with AFX and numerous other brands. But in a rare reversal, TCP just signed back on yesterday, weeks after dropping out.
While the event has added about a dozen new exhibitors since mid-February, the net exhibitor count remains under 240 — the lowest since the early 1990s. With just six weeks to go before the May 4 LightFair kickoff in Las Vegas, the likelihood of a last-minute surge in exhibitors appears slim.
What Messe Frankfurt and LMPG Are Saying
Messe Frankfurt remains optimistic despite the challenges. In a statement provided to Inside Lighting, they acknowledged that exhibitor participation can fluctuate but emphasized that more than 60 new brands have signed on, and they remain confident in the event’s value as a premier industry gathering. Many of these new exhibitors are international players, reflecting a shift toward a more globally diversified show floor.
LMPG, for its part, insists that the decision to withdraw is strategic rather than a rejection of LightFair itself. The company stated that it is continuously reevaluating the best ways to engage with customers and that sitting out LightFair 2025 aligns with its broader engagement strategy. They stressed their continued commitment to industry support through various initiatives, including education programs and partnerships with key organizations like IALD and IES.
A Larger Pattern of Exhibitor Drop-Off
LMPG’s withdrawal is notable but aligns with a broader industry trend that has been unfolding over the past several years. Several major players that once had a strong LightFair presence are also sitting out in 2025:
- Acuity – Last exhibited in 2019
- Current – Last exhibited in 2022
- Signify’s Genlyte Solutions – Last exhibited in 2022
- Cooper Lighting – Last exhibited in 2022
- Lutron – Exhibited in 2023 after sitting out 2021 and 2022
- Legrand’s Lighting Brands – Exhibited in 2023 after most brands sat out 2021 and 2022
In May 2024, Inside Lighting’s LightFair Manifesto identified these six companies, along with LMPG, as critical to LightFair’s success. LMPG was the only one of the seven to initially commit, but now they, too, have withdrawn.
With tariff threats that began in late 2024 and economic pressures shaping company strategies, some exhibitors have recalibrated how they invest in trade shows. At the same time, the growing popularity of New York City’s annual LEDucation event — seen by many as a more focused and cost-effective alternative — has further shifted industry dynamics.
LightFair, like other large-scale events in numerous industries, is navigating a moment of transition.
Looking Ahead: A Show in Transition
Despite exhibitor reductions, LightFair’s organizers are betting on a reimagined show experience to engage attendees. This year’s event will introduce curated Lightineraries — developed in collaboration with groups like NEMRA and ASLA — designed to guide attendees through industry-relevant themes. Other new elements include the Luminary Leaders program, expanded community engagement areas, TRENDS spaces on the show floor, and a renewed focus on international exhibitors.
Education remains a core pillar of the event, with over 50 CEU-accredited sessions covering topics like AI in lighting, controls integration, and emerging trends in exterior lighting. Seven of these sessions will also offer AIA-HSW credits, reinforcing LightFair’s role as an educational hub for the industry.
Messe Frankfurt, with its extensive global trade show expertise, has the experience to reshape LightFair’s trajectory in the years ahead. But for 2025, the show’s success may hinge on whether these new initiatives can energize and attract attendees despite a reduced exhibitor presence.
LightFair’s days of drawing 25,000+ attendees and 500+ exhibitors are long past, and reinvention is no longer optional. The show has spent years searching for a formula that works. The real question is whether 2025 marks a turning point, or a continuation of LightFair’s search for stability.
