LIGHTFAIR® International (LFI®) 2015 broke all registration and trade-show records with double-digit growth marking the largest staging in its 26-year history, according to Jeffrey L. Portman, Sr., vice chairman, president and chief operating officer of LFI managing partner AmericasMart® Atlanta.

“The convergence of light and technology is a defining factor in LFI’s 2015 unprecedented success,” notes Portman. “For more than a quarter century, LIGHTFAIR has created the world’s global stage for lighting and design innovation. At LFI 2015, technology emerged as the omnipresent force linking innovation and design in transformative ways,” Portman adds.

LFI’s 2015 five-day run in New York May 3—7 posted an all-time trade show floor record with 268,580 net square feet housing 599 exhibitors, including 108 first-time exhibiting companies and 110 manufacturers headquartered outside the U.S., according to Rochelle Richardson, CEM, LIGHTFAIR International vice president. “The 2015 trade show depth, breadth and diversity captures the holistic nature of LFI’s expanding exhibitor mix,” Richardson observes.

LFI 2015 registration grew to 29,900, a 15% gain over the previous record set in 2014, with representatives from 89 countries.

LIGHTFAIR International is the world’s largest annual architectural and commercial lighting trade show and conference. It is sponsored by the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) and the International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD) and produced by AMC, Inc.

“LFI has long been the nexus of lighting, design and thought leadership. The 2015 showing sustained that mission in a global dialogue exploring the future of light and technology across virtually every dimension of integrated design practice,” notes Marsha Turner, chief executive officer, IALD.

LFI’s expanded trade show floor featured a product mix of 44 categories that included integrated design, alternative energy and solar power, LEDs, OLEDs, healthcare, hospitality, digital signage and software.

“The volume of product and design innovations recorded at LFI 2015 produced a collective energy previously unseen in all aspects of trade show and Conference,” notes Paul Mercier, president, IES. “The resonance of LFI 2015 will be immediate and far-reaching,” Mercier adds.

The 2015 LFI Conference curriculum offered 198 hours of education and contained 78 accredited courses. LIGHTFAIR introduced a new Forum this year – the LFI Controls & Connectivity Forum. The LFI Innovation Awards® highlighted the best in new product innovation. LFI received 286 submissions from 151 companies and spanned 14 categories that were judged by an independent panel of lighting professionals. For a full list of the LFI Innovation Awards submissions and winners, please visit http://www.lightfair.com/lightfair/V40/lia/.

Keynotes Shuji Nakamura, Ph.D., 2014 Nobel Prize Winner in Physics and inventor Chuck Hoberman, president and founder of Hoberman Associates offered their unique perspectives on lighting and design, respectively. The LFI Impact Speaker series featured iconic lighting designer Howard Brandston, founding partner of the Brandston Partnership and Mark Rea, Ph.D., director of the Lighting Research Center who shared their inspiring ideas. The “Reception & Celebration of the International Year of Light (IYL)” included opening remarks by Dr. Ana Peršic from the UNESCO office in New York followed by a member of UNESCO’s Steering Committee for the IYL, Dr. Eugene Arthurs, CEO, SPIE. LIGHTFAIR International is a Gold Sponsor of the International Year of Light.

The LFI app provided attendees with a personalized schedule, tools to easily and quickly navigate the trade show floor with SmartRoute and quick access to important event information to provide the ultimate on-site experience. Attendees and exhibitors connected to LFI via social media during the show and can continue all throughout the year on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube. Videos released during the show on YouTube captured the LIGHTFAIR experience through highlights and attendee and exhibitor interviews.

For LIGHTFAIR International 2015, the Pre-Conference program took place from Sunday, May 3 – Monday, May 4, 2015 and the LFI Trade Show and Conference ran from Tuesday, May 5 – Thursday, May 7, 2015. For more information about LIGHTFAIR International, please visit WWW.LIGHTFAIR.COM.

LIGHTFAIR® International is the world’s largest annual architectural and commercial lighting trade show and conference and is sponsored by the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) and the International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD). The event is produced and managed by AmericasMart® Atlanta.