August 6, 2025
LightX 2025 Delights Lighting People from Across the South
Bell & McCoy and FRM draw over 1,000 attendees to Orlando for exhibits, education, and engagement
If you needed a pulse check on where the lighting agency landscape is headed, LightX 2025 delivered one — loud, confident, and strategically lit.
Held at Orlando’s Rosen Shingle Creek resort on July 28-29, the event brought together over 1,000 lighting people from across the Southern U.S. and beyond. With 91 manufacturers showcasing new technologies — up nearly 20% from the previous year — the two-day gathering offered specifiers, engineers, architects, and contractors not just a glimpse of what's next, but direct access to the companies shaping it.
Organized by mega rep Bell & McCoy and FRM Lighting & Controls, LightX has grown steadily in both scale and significance. In just a few years, it's become the largest private lighting event in North America — part trade show, part conference, and a clear reflection of how much reach one agency network now has.
CEO’s Message: Size Is Just the Starting Point
In his opening remarks, Bell & McCoy CEO Chris Coursey framed the event as both a celebration and a checkpoint.
“There's not another rep agency in the country with a footprint like this,” Coursey told attendees, referencing the combined Bell & McCoy and FRM presence across the southern half of the U.S. With over 175 employees from the agency in attendance, alongside 175 manufacturer people and hundreds of invited guests, the message was clear: this isn’t growth for growth’s sake — it’s infrastructure.
Above: Bell & McCoy CEO Chris Coursey greets guests with opening remarks at LightX 2025
Coursey outlined the mechanics behind that growth: warehousing operations totaling over 648,000 square feet, 356 lighting and controls employees, and new lighting offices from Nevada to North Carolina. He highlighted how the agency's in-house applications, engineering, and commissioning teams are increasingly embedded in complex project delivery — not just selling fixtures, but helping ensure jobs are specified correctly, installed properly, and supported long after the punch list is complete.
And he introduced something new: SpecCheck, a formalized service promise to specifiers that if Bell & McCoy/FRM helps with a design, they’ll stand behind it if issues arise. “If we’re going to be partners in design,” Coursey said, “then we’re partners in risk.”
Above: "Never Gonna Give You Up," promises Current, right before the opening of their MTV-themed booth. Photo credit: Current
Manufacturers and Designers Find Real Value
LightX’s power lies not just in numbers, but in focus. This event offers targeted, regional engagement — something exhibitors notice immediately.
Chip Taylor from Current called it “one of the most dynamic shows on the market.” Jessica Nuez from Power Design Inc. noted the practical advantage: “There’s a plethora of actual product here — which you might not get at those bigger shows.” And Tim Boyd from Save Electronics added, “It’s fantastic. A lot of good companies here… and Bell & McCoy is great to work with.”
Above: Lighting people get connected with controls in the booth of the worldwide leader
The exhibit floor offered hands-on demos and product launches across categories — from high-performance linear and LED “neon” to high-tech lighting controls. CEU courses ran throughout the two days, offering continuing education credit alongside new product knowledge.
Importantly, manufacturers saw the show as a platform for quality connections. “Everyone is a decision-maker or a high-value prospect,” said Nick Senofsky of LED Inspirations. “It’s a high-impact show. I wouldn’t miss it.”
Above: Slickwood entertains lighting people at LightX 2025
A Hospitality-First Playbook
Of course, LightX doesn’t just deliver learning and networking. It offers moments that feel personal — even celebratory. Bell & McCoy and FRM continued their now-established formula: a lively pool party on day one, followed by a private concert on night two. These weren’t just breaks between sessions — they were opportunities to relax, unwind, and build genuine camaraderie among colleagues, partners, and peers.
While the scale and content of the event have grown, the focus on hospitality remains consistent. Invited specifiers had their travel expenses covered, with many also choosing to bring a spouse or significant other — whose travel was included as well.
Above: Lighting designers gather poolside for an impromptu IALD Southeast Chapter meetup.
Photo credit: Madison DiAddezio, EXP
Not everything at LightX 2025 was scripted. While the main pool buzzed with cocktails and casual networking, a different moment unfolded at the southwest corner — where members of the IALD Southeast Chapter staged an impromptu meetup during the opening night party. Designers from Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas and other markets found themselves gathered poolside, to mingle and connect.
Lighting the Road Ahead
If the event felt like a new milestone, it’s because it was. With the agency’s recent acquisition of Smart Lighting Solutions in Atlanta earlier this year and other expansions across Arizona, Florida, and the Carolinas, the LightX stage provided a moment to reflect on just how wide the Bell & McCoy/FRM footprint and influence has become.
But the deeper takeaway was strategic alignment: manufacturers and designers now have a formidable partner across vast swaths of the southern U.S., one that’s investing in people, process, and infrastructure. And they’re doing it while throwing what has possibly become the most talked-about agency-hosted lighting event on the continent.
