The 23rd edition of LIGHTFAIR® International (LFI) has set new all-time attendance and trade show records for its five-day run in Las Vegas May 9-11, according to Jeffrey L. Portman, Sr., president and chief operating officer of LFI managing partner AMC, Inc.
 
The LFI 2012 trade show floor covered a record 206,800 net square feet and spotlighted 505 exhibitors, including 93 first-time exhibiting companies and 87 international manufacturers.  
 
Attendance broke all previous records with 24,121 professional attendees registered.  The LFI 2012 attendee population included representatives from 73 countries.
 
LIGHTFAIR® International is the world’s largest annual architectural and commercial lighting trade show and conference.  It is sponsored by the International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD) and the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) and produced by AMC, Inc.  LIGHTFAIR International has been recognized by its ranking within the Trade Show News Network (TSNN) listing of 2011’s 250 largest U.S. trade shows.  LFI has also been named to Trade Show Executive's (TSE) 2012 Gold 100 honoree list. 
 
Highlighting the LFI 2012 performance was the LFI Innovation Awards®, which received 228 submissions in the 14 designated categories for products making their debut on the 2012 trade show floor and were judged by an independent panel of lighting professionals.  Winning entries exemplified the best in innovative design and thinking.  For a list of all of the LFI Innovation Awards® submissions and winners, please visit http://www.lightfair.com/lightfair/V40/innovativeAwards2012/Welcome/.
 
The debut of the New Exhibitor Pavilion also helped to advance the LFI 2012 performance with a spotlight on select first-time exhibitors.  In conjunction with the New Exhibitor Pavilion, LFI introduced the Passport Program for attendees to explore featured exhibitors and participate in the daily drawings for a chance to win the new iPad® and a MacBook® Pro.
 
The LFI Conference offered 72 unique courses and 220+ hours of educational programming covering topics in retrofitting, daylighting, LEDs, OLEDs, lighting design, controls, energy efficiency and more.
 
Attendees enjoyed the Institute keynotes: Don Marinelli engaged the crowd with a presentation on his 21st century curriculum including a concrete and virtual world view, and Paul Debevec described his lab’s impressive LED-based “Light Stage” facial scanning systems used in movies such as Spider-Man 2 and Avatar.  Show keynote speaker U.S. Ambassador Bruce Oreck discussed the geopolitical impact of lighting technology and our new relationship with energy to an attentive crowd in the Spotlight Lounge.
 
The LFI Mobile App offered enhanced features to assist attendees with a personalized schedule, tools to easily and quickly navigate the trade show floor, and quick access to important event information to provide the ultimate on-site experience. 
 
For LIGHTFAIR® International 2013, the LIGHTFAIR Daylighting Institute® and the LIGHTFAIR Institute® take place as part of the Pre-Conference program on Sunday, April 21 – Monday, April 22, 2013 and the LFI Trade Show and Conference will run Tuesday, April 23 – Thursday, April 25, 2013.  For more information about LIGHTFAIR International, please visit www.lightfair.com.  Download the LFI Mobile App at m.lightfair.com.