Industry News

Lightovation, the largest residential lighting trade event in North America, experienced a sharp increase in attendees for the winter edition of the show, which ran Tuesday, January 10 – Friday, January 13. The show had a 130% increase in buyer, specifier and designer attendance over January 2022 and was also ahead of pre-pandemic editions of Lightovation.  

In addition to welcoming more attendees from every region of the U.S., international participants returned in dramatic fashion, especially lighting retailers from Canada. The number of retailers attending Lightovation for the first time also dramatically increased. 

“For four days in January, Dallas served as the center of residential lighting commerce and inspiration,” said Cindy Morris, President and CEO of Dallas Market Center. “The energy was high, exhibitors were excited, and retailers were eager to see so many new products and place significant orders. It was a great confidence booster for everyone.” 

The winter show featured new collections, expanded showrooms, and big celebrations across a 1 million square foot lighting marketplace.  

Among the new or expanded showrooms at the event were Elegant Lighting, Quorum International and its Oxygen brand, Quoizel, Samsung Electronics America, Hunter Fan Company, Livex, Lucas + McKearn, Ashore, B&S Lighting, Innovations Lighting, and Page One Lighting.  

Said Stan Drake, national sales manager for ZEEV Lighting: “It was nice to see the strong attendance from lighting customers at this year’s Lightovation, since I believe the turn out of customers and agencies was the best we have seen since before the pandemic!  We had moved into a new showroom this market and were extremely pleased with the number of new customers visiting, as the showroom was busy the whole time. 

Gregory Mazza, president of Innovations Lighting, added: “The January 2023 Lightovation show proved to be nothing less than extraordinary for IL.  Our showroom was crowded, customers were elated and our business boomed as a result.” 

Debuting in January was the International Pavilion, a new collection of global brands showing for the first time: Zafferano America, Aldo Bernardi, and LOFFKo Group, an agency for high-quality Italian lighting brands including Modo Luce, In-Es.Artdesign, Sylcom, Il Fanale, and Olev. 

Familiar exhibitors with new locations for January included Designers Fountain, Terracotta Designs and Modern Forms, which organized its new showroom around its Fans and Luminaires. New to shared showroom Spectrum was Electric Mirror, Morgan Lighting, Rayhil, Sarin Energy Solutions, Treehouse Lighting, and Zastro. 

Several Dallas exhibitors celebrated important milestones with events for customers, including AFX, celebrating 85 years; Sonneman-A Way of Light celebrating founder Robert Sonneman’s 60 years of design innovation; and the 20^th anniversary for Acrosentec. 

For the majority of Lightovation exhibitors, Dallas is either their only wholesale showroom in North America or their flagship showroom location. 

President of Quoizel, Rick Seidman, observed: “There was no better way to kickoff 2023 than starting with the Lightovation show at the Dallas Market Center.  Attendance was back to pre-Covid levels, and the mood and atmosphere were upbeat.  Thank you DMC!” 

2023 Trend Report 

The 2023 Trend Report encompassing major directions in lighting, home decor, architecture, building and remodeling debuted at the show. The printed report is exclusive for Lightovation attendees and was accompanied by new, on-site displays illustrating the trends. To support the report and displays, award-winning trend ambassador Patti Carpenter presented the trends from the report along together with Jaye Mize with trend forecasting company Fashion Snoops and Diane Falvey, editor and chief of Furniture, Lighting, and Décor magazine. A digital copy of the report can be accessed on the front page of the Dallas Market Center website. 

Falvey also moderated a panel of award-winning lighting showrooms from across the country, who shared how trends translate into their merchandising displays and assortments. Panelists included Matt Rowan of Dominion Lighting, Ben Parra of Lights Fantastic Pro and Drew Mihelish of Western Montana Lighting. 

Special Events and Lighting After Dark  

It wouldn’t be a Lightovation without celebration. Key events included cutting the ribbon on more than a dozen showrooms; numerous seminars and panel presentations; the grand opening of the International Pavilion, receptions for ALA’s Women in Lighting and Young Executives groups, and D Home magazine’s Best Builder Awards Kick-Off Party.  

On Tuesday evening, hundreds of attendees gathered on-site for the official Lightovation party: Lighting After Dark. Participants enjoyed winter décor with live music, dinner, drinks and prizes.  

Nominations Open for June Lightovation Honors 

Nominations are open for the 2023 Showroom of the Year Awards and popular Light Stars program.  The Showroom of the Year Awards will be presented at the June edition of Lightovation and will honor leading lighting retailers from across North America. Stores may enter themselves, and anyone in the industry may nominate by the March 7, 2023 deadline at www.SOTYAwards.com.  

The Light Stars program recognizes top retail salespeople who would benefit from the knowledge and networking gained from Lightovation, but would not normally have the opportunity to attend. If accepted into the program, Light Stars receive complimentary airfare and two hotel nights at the June edition of the show. Anyone in the industry may nominate a Light Star by the March 13, 2023 deadline at https://dallasmarketcenter.com/lightstars. 

Future Show Dates 

The next edition of Lightovation takes place Wednesday, June 21 to Saturday, June 24, 2023. Attendees who book accommodations at the Sheraton Dallas, the official Lighting host hotel, by February 28 will enjoy a special Early Bird rate of $109/night. All June Lightovation participants can book any property at https://book.passkey.com/event/50365936/owner/14227/home 

Next January, Lightovation returns to its traditional date pattern, Wednesday, January 10 to Sunday, January 14 and runs concurrently with the January 10-16, 2024 Total Home & Gift Market. The June 2024 dates are Wednesday, June 19 to Saturday, June 22. 

Upcoming Trade Events 

On the calendar for Dallas Market Center are the following events: Lighting Last Tuesdays, taking place every month on the last Tuesday of the month; Total Home & Gift Market + Apparel & Accessories Market, Dallas Design Days. 

In the fall, the next edition of ArchLIGHT Summit takes place September 19-20, 2023. ArchLIGHT Summit is a two-day commercial and architectural lighting event dedicated to delivering a dynamic, interactive, inclusive and collaborative experience for lighting designers and specifiers, interior designers, architects and other practicing and aspiring lighting professionals. More information on ArchLIGHT Summit is available at www.ArchLIGHTSummit.com.  

Additional information about the largest residential lighting show in North America is available on the Lightovation page of the Dallas Market Center website. Keep up with the latest developments by following the #Lightovation hashtag on social media, via the Lightovation Facebook Page and Lightovation - Lighting Industry Discussion Group. 

 About Dallas Market Center 

Dallas Market Center is a global business-to-business trade center and the leading wholesale marketplace in North America connecting retailers and interior designers with top manufacturers in lighting, home décor, furniture, gifts, and fashion. Inside its dynamic, five million square foot campus near downtown Dallas, nearly 200,000 customers from all 50 states and 85 countries seek industry trends, business education and new products via open-daily showrooms and from exhibitors participating in trade events held throughout the year. The Dallas Market Center website is available at dallasmarketcenter.com.