August 5, 2026
LightX 2026 Turns Up the Heat and the Hospitality
Bell & McCoy and FRM's private lighting event returns to the Gaylord Texan with a formula that keeps working
Texas delivered triple-digit heat for the fifth annual LightX, and the response from more than 1,000 attendees gathered at the Gaylord Texan Resort was about as practical as it gets. When the temperature climbs past 100 degrees, lighting people know exactly where to go: straight into the pool.
That mix of serious business and unbothered fun has become the signature of LightX, the invitation-only conference hosted by mega-rep agencies Bell & McCoy and FRM Lighting & Controls who merged in 2023.
This year's event, held July 27 and 28, brought together over 750 lighting decision makers from across the Southern United States, joined by roughly 90 exhibitors showcasing new fixtures, controls and building technologies. We were there for our exclusive look inside what remains the largest private lighting trade show and conference in North America.
The View From the Customer Side
Leadership Triumvirate: Chris Coursey, Jason Shaver and Rob Duncan led the opening day remarks.
Customers were greeted by warm, informative and occasionally entertaining remarks from Bell & McCoy leadership on opening day. But LightX also brought in outside perspective this year, adding a general keynote from Arsene Aka, senior economist at Dodge Construction Network, on where commercial project spending is heading. Data centers are moving the needle, Aka told the room, though the broader story runs wider than that single sector.
For architects like Yaz Dawkins of KSQ Design and Darshan Patel of W Design, both based in Tulsa, LightX has become an annual fixture, three years running for each. The draw is straightforward: the exhibit floor gives them a close look at new products they can bring back to real projects, a chance to inspect materials and finishes up close rather than through a spec sheet. The resort setting and the social calendar, from the pool deck to the concert stage, are simply a bonus.
That enthusiasm extended to first-timers as well. Frank Agraz, ESCO Solutions Manager at FSG, attending LightX for the first time this year, put it plainly: nearly 100 exhibitors and roughly 1,000 people, all under one roof, in Texas. Guests had time to go deep on product and have the kind of meaningful conversations that a crowded trade show floor rarely allows.
On the Floor
The exhibit hall leaned into its now-familiar blend of showmanship and substance.
The penalty shot draws a crowd at Filament Field, Current's World Cup-themed booth where a virtual goalie stood between attendees and a trophy. Photo credit: Current
Current, an anchor exhibitor for several years running, built a World Cup themed booth wrapped in stadium and soccer imagery, centered on a penalty shootout game that pitted attendees against a virtual goalie, with scorers walking away with a trophy. Inside Lighting's Al Uszynski did not walk away with hardware, a familiar result that traces back at least as far as a certain high school junior varsity soccer roster.
Williams brought its big presence again, this time really flexing its architectural capabilities, while LSI Industries and Lutron held down their customary positions among the show's dominant presences.
Above: LEDI's Neon product line draws a crowd on the LightX exhibit floor.
Beyond the booths, the education sessions reflected where the industry's attention is heading. Corey Birch, an engineer with SSR, described the CEU classes and pointed to circadian rhythm and tunable lighting as recurring themes, part of a broader migration of lighting science into healthcare and wellness applications. The interest, per Birch, comes down to control: dimming, color temperature and the ability to shape a space through light rather than simply illuminate it.
The Business Behind the Party
None of this happens by accident. Bell & McCoy and FRM have grown steadily through acquisition in recent years, extending their footprint from Texas and Florida, into the Carolinas and across to Arizona.
Above: “A singer in a smoky room. A smell of wine and cheap perfume.” Skyrocket performs at LightX 2026.
That expansion is part of what makes LightX possible at this scale, and part of what made the announcement of the 2027 event's location, Nashville, a topic of quiet speculation among attendees. Whether the choice reflects a coming push into a market where the agency does not currently have a lighting and controls presence, or simply a great city for a party, remains an open question. This year's impromptu 1:30 a.m. dance party at a Texas speakeasy suggests the agency knows how to close out a show either way.
What Stays With You
Part of what makes LightX distinct is who gets to attend, and how. Invited specifiers have their travel covered, and many bring a spouse or partner along for the trip. An engineer from Louisiana gets to turn a work obligation into a genuine weekend away, pool included.
The details at LightX say as much about the agency's strategy as any acquisition announcement: relationships built poolside tend to outlast the ones built over a Panera Bread lunch & learn.
As LightX heads to Nashville next year, the lighting people who made it to Texas this time already have a story to tell the ones who didn't.
Sponsored Content:
This article is presented in partnership with Bell & McCoy and FRM Lighting & Controls.
