Lighting Report: ALA Conference wraps up; lighting discussions at What’s New What’s Next
Here’s what happened in the lighting industry this week.
Members of the lighting industry gathered in Palm Beach, Fla. this week for the American Lighting Association’s annual conference. Keynote sessions included a look at trends, an economic forecast and a discussion about AI adoption. Educational tracks included presentations on business management, design trends & marketing, and technology. There was also a Hall of Fame induction and a Women in Lighting event. (We can’t help but note with pleasant surprise that each morning offered the opportunity for yoga from 6 – 7 a.m.)
No doubt attendees discussed the acquisition of Kichler Lighting, which was announced last week and which followed on the heels of Capitol Lighting’s acquisition of the Bellacor brand in August.
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Visual Comfort drew a crowd to its 200 Lex showroom in New York last week during What’s New What’s Next. Its panel discussion, entitled “Cutting the Cord,” discussed the game-changing nature of new cordless, rechargeable floor and table lamps, as well as Visual Comfort’s “cordless bulbs,” which plug into a charging base, making it easy to swap bulbs in and out since the recharging base can hold several bulbs at once.
The advent of these lamps makes it easier for interior designers to work with open floor plans said one panelist, because you no longer need to incorporate outlets into hardwood floors or cut holes in rugs to access them.
The rechargeable bulbs also expand design possibilities because you no longer have to incorporate the battery into the fixture, noted panelist Sean Lavin, who designed several collections for Visual Comfort.
Also at WNWN was RTO Lighting founder Robert Ogden who, together with his wife, Natalie Page, designed the firm’s latest light offering, the Alina floor lamp, which stands on four legs (the cord discreetly snakes out of one leg) and is topped by an oval hair-on-hide shade that is available in four colors. RTO is headquartered in Philadelphia and makes its line in Pennsylvania. It showcased its line in the Fair showroom founded by designer Brad Ford.
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