Following the announcement of the winners of the German Brand Award, retail lighting expert Ansorg GmbH was delighted. The company received the coveted award for 2018 in the category “Lighting” for the best product and company brand. The gold award is conferred for outstanding achievement in branding within an industry. “We are very honoured that we were able to impress the jury with the brand alignment efforts we launched four years ago”, says Ansorg CEO Mario Dreismann. “The Ansorg brand combines technical know-how with quality design and lighting design expertise.” True to the brand’s guiding principle “The Retail Light Guides”, Ansorg consistently uses these qualities to promote the sales of its retail customers’ goods. As a lighting specialist that takes the brand identities of its clients into account, the company develops tailor-made concepts that fulfil the expectations of extraordinary brand experiences in their implementation.

The jury’s reasoning for the award in the class of “Industry Excellence in Branding” is therefore: “If you compare Ansorg’s current branding with its profile prior to its 2014 relaunch, you really have to take off your hat to them for how much they’ve accomplished in a mere four years. In fact, the brand, and with it the company as well, has undergone a veritable across-the-board transformation, down to the last detail. This evolution, which is nothing short of exemplary, encompasses the company’s branding and impact with respect to its customer base as well as its in-house communication.”

The success factors of effective brand building are clearly visible with their focus, clear differentiation and holistic understanding of the brand and its implementation. In its own assessment, the lighting specialist has been able to push ahead with key strategic brand management objectives in recent years. This includes anchoring the brand in the corporate strategy, its implementation within the core processes, the development of a new corporate design and its translation into corporate wording, content marketing and communication.

“Despite all the joy surrounding this award, it is also clear to us that the implementation of our brand strategy is a long-term transformation process that requires constant honing”, explains Head of Marketing, Eva Danischus. The award is an incentive to achieve even more within the framework of the value triad that has now been implemented. “We are enthusiastic about brand staging in the space itself and seize every opportunity to show off goods to their best advantage. This means that our employees are the basis for the success of the brand. Their commitment is and remains the decisive component for the positive image of our company”, Danischus concludes.

Hans Meier-Kortwig, Managing Director of GMK Markenberatung, adds: “Based on the guiding principle ‘The Retail Light Guides’, Ansorg has revised the entire experience chain of the brand. In addition to revamping its appearance, the product range and services for global customers were redefined and communicatively positioned on the basis of the brand. The management involved the employees in this process with openness and consistency from early on, making the brand project an anchor for the change required throughout the company as part of digitisation.”

Supplying high-efficiency LED luminaires to trade, retail and consumer markets, EcoAlly is always looking for ways to support environmental friendly products. Sustainability is at the heart of their operations.

The UK based Research and Development team are committed towards innovation and improvement of all LED light solutions.

Offering a range of over 75 LED lighting solutions for large scale projects, it is important that EcoAlly have a partner who can provide an efficient service to recycle the waste lighting that is displaced.

Joining the Recolight WEEE compliance scheme gives EcoAlly customers a free recycling service.

“With Recolight our customers can benefit from the free recycling service for large scale projects, and for smaller quantities, a network of over 3000 collection points across the UK. We see this as a value-added service for our customers.  We want to make recycling as easy as possible.” Mahwish Siddiqui, Managing Director of EcoAlly.

“Recolight was set up by the lighting Industry over 10 years ago, and to date has funded the recycling of over 300 million lamps. This is more than all UK WEEE compliance schemes combined. This has been made possible by the commitment of our Lighting Producer Members, and we welcome EcoAlly as a new member; helping to drive up recycling of WEEE lighting” commented Nigel Harvey, CEO Recolight.

Located in the heart of the desert outside the capital of Doha, Losail International Circuit is among the best motor racing circuits in the Middle East. This world class venue hosts the Grand Prix of Qatar every year, one of the flagship events of the MotoGP season. In 2008, the race became the first one to take place by night, at a more advantageous time for television broadcasts but also in order to benefit from milder temperatures.

Thanks to a permanent and ground-breaking lighting system, riders can ride on the 5.4 km track as if they were in daylight. Since 2016, the Losail Circuit Sports Club team relies on Airstar, the French manufacturer and world leader of lighting balloons, to light up the paddocks where teams prepare and adjust their motorcycles.

The Airstar balloons have also provided lighting for the Public Area, where additional entertainment and attractions are offered to visitors, such as camel riding, falconry, or traditional Arabic coffee making. This year, the Losail International Circuit also had the honour of receiving the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, who was attending the event for the first time.

“The Grand Prix of Qatar is the only MotoGP race that is held under floodlights. However, the lighting has to be perfect to ensure the safety of the riders, as if they were riding in day time. In addition, we wanted to give a nice and pleasant atmosphere to the place, and that is exactly what Airstar balloons offer”, comments Juan Baquero, CEO of the Losail Circuit Sports Club. “We know and work with Airstar for three years now, they are part of our MotoGP event.”

For this first race of the 2018 MotoGP season, the Airstar Middle-East team has deployed 50 Pixocom balloons. Measuring three meters in diameter and with a power of 9kW, the Pixocom – like all Airstar Balloons – provided a glare-free, efficient and aesthetic light to the 32,000 spectators. This glare-free aspect is particularly appreciated by riders who are not disturbed during their race.

Despite restrictions around the transportation of goods due to the location of the event, the Airstar and Losail teams both worked tirelessly, completing the installation in just four days. “We worked day and night” remembers Hicham Lalmi, Managing Director of Airstar Middle East. “But thanks to the professionalism of the circuit team, we were able to work in very good conditions to deliver the project on time. It has been a pleasure and an honour to work with them again.”

“With Airstar’s lighting balloons in place, spectators, just like the riders, were able to fully enjoy and immerse themselves in the race. The Airstar team was ready and willing to help us throughout the event and we look forward to continuing the collaboration in the years to come,” concludes Juan Baquero.

designjunction has been awarded the title of BEST UK TRADESHOW (2,000 – 8,000sqm) at this year’s AEO Excellence Awards.

The awards, hosted by the Association of Event Organisers, was held last week and 1,200 industry professionals attended the ceremony acknowledging and rewarding the UK events industry for excellent products and business performance over the past 12 months.

designjunction, which took place at King’s Cross last year, has been awarded for its outstanding and unrivalled contribution to the exhibition industry and for organising one of the most exciting and engaging events of cutting-edge contemporary design, attended by more than 28,000 international visitors.

The judging panel commented “designjunction combines an innovative use of space with experiential activations and tailored channels of engagement for visitors which have all contributed to a unique experience.”

designjunction’s Founder, Deborah Spencer said “This is a fantastic achievement for the show which couldn’t have happened without the support, energy and commitment from the team, our partners and exhibitors. We remain fully committed to breaking the mould of traditional trade shows to showcase world-class design within exciting and ambitious locations, creating a truly unique experience for visitors to the show.”

designjunction (20 – 23 September), now in its eighth year, will take over the creative and cultural South Bank this year in September for the annual London Design Festival (15 – 23 September) showcasing more than 200 global brands across multiple locations.

designjunction will present a stellar line-up of UK and international brands – both established and emerging – showcased across three key venues including the Doon Street site (furniture, lighting and retail), Riverside Walkway (outdoor installations) and Oxo Tower Wharf (exhibitions and experiential events), all of which are owned and managed by Coin Street Community Builders (CSCB).

For more information visit: www.thedesignjunction.co.uk

Guangzhou International Lighting Exhibition celebrated another successful edition as more than 165,000 visitors (5% increase from 2017) descended on the China Import and Export Fair Complex in Guangzhou from June 9 ‒ 12. A total of 2,602 exhibitors demonstrated the latest in lighting and LED products and solutions across 19 halls and 195,000 sqm of exhibition space. The main thoroughfare at the exhibition ­– The Pearl Promenade – was also a hive of activity as the THINKLIGHT: Embracing Changes Forum enticed thousands of visitors to a programme of talks from some of the world’s leading authorities in lighting concepts, technology and design.

While heavy rain and storm clouds greeted participants on their arrival in Guangzhou, spirits could not be dampened inside the fairground as the summer sunshine returned in time for the opening day of the 23^rd edition of the show. Adopting a theme of “Embracing Changes”, the fair showcased a plethora of innovative lighting and LED products and solutions as the show reaffirmed its position as the most comprehensive and influential lighting event in Asia.

Commenting on this year’s exhibition, Ms Lucia Wong, Deputy General Manager of Messe Frankfurt (Shanghai) Co Ltd, said: “Embracing change has never been so important for the lighting industry and I am truly pleased to have seen such earnest and forward-looking ideas and approaches on display at the fair. The rise in visitor figures demonstrates the renewed industry-wide confidence and positive future outlook for the lighting community. The global transition to connected lighting has the potential to improve the quality of our lives and it will undoubtedly bring previously distinct industry sectors together. GILE will continue to serve as platform that supports these innovations and nurtures future developments.”

One of the highlights of this year’s fair was the success of the THINKLIGHT: Embracing Changes Forum. Divided into the THINK and ACT Forums, more than 80 renowned speakers shared their insights into the future of lighting over the first three days of the show. Exploring many conceptual and strategic ideas, the THINK forum examined lighting’s potential while those on the ACT stage examined current applications and real-life business studies.

Reflecting on the importance of gathering such influential and highly regarded speakers to the show, Mr Philip Beesley, Professor, School of Architecture, University of Waterloo, commented: “I think that an exhibition like this can not only emphasise industry and commerce but also culture and deeply felt common values in the lighting industry. This forum has brought together a cultural gathering of research and careful thought. It is an extraordinary intellectual festival that could have a tremendous impact on participants.”

Smart lighting, lighting design in smart cities, human-centric lighting, OLEDs, miniaturised LED drivers and horticultural lighting were just a few of the topics broached in the presentations delivered on both stages.

Key figures at a glance

• Visitors: Over 165,000 (2017: 156,898)
• Exhibitors: 2,602 (2017: 2,428)
• Exhibition area: 195,000sqm (2017: 180,000 sqm)

Comments from exhibitors:

“Regarding the fair theme this year “Embracing changes”, the lighting industry has been evolving at a fast pace. Our team is dedicated to learning about experiences from other industry professionals and by staying in tune with the latest market intelligence. GILE is an important fair to facilitate the development of the lighting industry in China. It is a place where lighting companies of various size and scale gather in one place. By learning from each other, companies are better able to develop innovative products and technologies for the market.”
Mr Jack Liu, Sales Director, MLS Co Ltd, China

“Just half way into the show we had already achieved our goals for the fair. GILE is an effective trading platform for us and this year we have found dozens of new customers. The show theme of the fair was very accurate to describe what is going on in the lighting industry. The market environment is dynamic, and while we are embracing these changes, we still want to have fun. As a global company with colleagues based all over the world, this is a good platform for us to engage with everyone in the industry.”
Mr Eric Teather, President, WhiteOptics LLC, USA

Comments from buyers:

“As a lighting wholesaler in Singapore we are looking for industrial and hospitality lighting products which can be used in factories and hotels.

Last year we had great success at GILE and we are still working with some of those suppliers that we met. This exhibition provides us with a good opportunity to meet a wide range of exhibitors who provide high quality and inexpensive products. That being said, I am really impressed by the advanced lighting technology in China. I am happy to see there are more decorative lighting products at this edition as its demand is increasing recently, especially in Singapore. I will definitely return next year as GILE is a very professional trading platform to source new products and make connections with new business partners.”
Mr Y.P. Yion, Founder, YP LED Supplies, Singapore

“Our company provides integrated lighting solutions for human-centric lighting. We joined the show this year as we are keen to see what is happening in China and we want to get more information about the industry in Asia. We are very happy to have found two serious potential partners to produce products for us. The show is obviously the centre of the Asian lighting industry where you can see the latest trends and technologies.”
Mr Raimar Geffken, President Director, PT Ralum, Indonesia

Comments from speakers:

“I think the show theme and the THINKLIGHT event programme have been set up perfectly. You have to think both strategically about your products and their future potential but you must also act now and build these products before you fall behind your competitors. Having both of these THINK and ACT sections at the forum is really important because businesses need to be thinking carefully about the product and technology selection. Embracing change today has never been so important for device makers.”
Mr Skip Ashton, Vice President Software, Silicon Labs, USA

“I think the connected city is going to be the next big thing for the lighting industry. Suddenly many different industry sectors want to work with the lighting industry and be involved in smart lighting products. The challenge is how to connect, work together and learn from these experiences. By being at GILE you are able to learn and meet people from all around the world who are involved in similar projects. These events are crucial because you get to meet the right people and the best professionals.”
Ms Elisa Hilgen, City of Light Coordinator, City of Jyväskylä, Finland

The 23^rd edition of GILE was held concurrently with Guangzhou Electrical Building Technology (GEBT) and, for the first time, the Guangzhou Public Security Technology (GPST) fair. As technology becomes more connected and smart devices proliferate, a diverse array of industry sectors are collaborating and working more closely together than ever before. Visitors commented favourably on the concurrent format of the fairs and praised the synergy that was created by holding the three shows under one roof.

The Guangzhou International Lighting Exhibition is a part of Messe Frankfurt’s Light + Building Technology fairs headed by the biennial Light + Building event.

Messe Frankfurt also offers a series of other light and building technology events worldwide, including the Shanghai International Lighting Fair, Thailand Lighting Fair, BIEL Light + Building in Argentina, Light Middle East in the United Arab Emirates, Interlight Moscow powered by Light + Building in Russia as well as Light India, the LED Expo New Delhi, and the LED Expo Mumbai in India.

For more information on Light + Building shows worldwide, please visit www.brand.light-building.com.

A project for Ibstock Brick that will deliver in excess of savings of 170,000 kg CO2 per year has been Highly Commended by the Electrical Contractors Association (ECA) at its Annual Awards.

Ibstock Brick, which has made a significant investment in a new factory in Leicestershire, commissioned leading building controls integrator Abtec Building Technologies (Abtec BT) to deliver an alternative approach to traditional lighting and controls. Abtec BT proposed a solution for the new manufacturing facility which is an exemplar of intelligent building management.

The ECA’s panel of independent judges rewarded the project to Abtec BT for its demonstration of significant CO2 savings, anticipated energy savings of 50% and project paybacks of under 2 years.

The Highly Commended certificate was collected by Ibstock Brick’s Site Engineering Manager John Grew and Quality, Environmental & Energy Manager Michael McGowan alongside the Director of Abtec BT, Dave Watkins.

Ibstock Brick’s Quality, Environmental & Energy Manager Michael McGowan said:

“There can be few UK manufacturers who invest as much in sustainability as Ibstock Brick. Our new factory – which is officially launched later this month (June 2018) – is the most sustainable of its kind. By constantly evaluating and considering new approaches, strategies and technology-led solutions we are able to deliver on our commitment to reduce our environmental impact and carbon emissions. This commendation from the ECA is testament to the work of everyone involved. This is energy efficiency at its most ‘intelligent’.

Commenting on the commendation by the ECA, Site Engineering Manager John Grew said:

“What we have achieved with the team from Abtec BT is the coming-together of the key elements of energy management. This includes lighting that is controlled by presence detection, automated emergency lighting testing, constant daylight control, as well as scene-setting. All of this is integrated within a wider, site-wide building management solution. The result is a 50% saving when it is compared with the cost of a traditional lighting solution – thus saving 170,041 kg CO2 per year, when coupled with the automated emergency testing further savings that are expected. These numbers are very significant indeed and make a major contribution to our overall energy efficiency goals.”

Ibstock Brick’s engineering team is now working with Abtec BT to fully integrate the building services on the new site and the wider estate to provide even greater energy management.

The Lighting Industry Academy is holding its Open Day on Tuesday, 3 July at the Lighting Industry Association (LIA) in Telford and invites all those interested in finding educational opportunities for working in and developing their careers in lighting.

The Academy Open Day is being promoted as an opportunity for prospective students to find out what courses are available and seek guidance from the industry experts from all areas of lighting, who are also the tutors at the Academy. The attendees will be able to see first-hand, where and what they will learn, and explore the learning options for a career in the lighting Industry.

Opened in September 2016, the Academy was developed to create a hub for high-quality learning for the lighting community, and since has helped individuals and companies gain knowledge and develop the up-to-date skills required for lighting today.

The Open Day will also be an opportunity for progressive businesses in the lighting industry to find out how the Academy has progressed since opening and what it can offer to the lighting community in education, training and personnel development.

Chief Executive of the LIA, Steve Davies commenting about the need for education in the lighting industry and the Academy’s role in it said:

“The lighting industry is changing as new technologies, lifestyle changes and government initiatives are creating fantastic new opportunities for people working and looking to come into the industry.

“The Lighting Industry Academy continues to invest in the learning tools required to maximise these and future opportunities.”

With a range of courses covering lighting application, design, software, legislation, energy efficiency etc., the Academy offers a wide choice of unique learning opportunities.

Offered at a level that suits a learner’s experience and knowledge, the courses at the Academy range from introductory, certificate, advanced certificate and all the way up to Higher National Certificate and Diploma (HNC and HND) in Lighting Design and Technology (in partnership with the University of South Wales), which are the first qualifications in lighting at this level in the UK.

Trainee Lighting Designer at it does Lighting Ltd, Chandni Patel is from the first batch of students who enrolled on to the Academy’s HNC course. Chandni said about her experience on the course:

“I joined the HNC course with the LIA early on in my career, which has helped me to understand not only the fundamentals of light but also be able to apply them in my job. The mixture of theory-based knowledge and practical work has allowed me to grasp concepts easily with the support of tutors who have been excellent.

“I would strongly recommend the course to any new starters to the industry, or for people wanting to embark on a career in lighting.”

Chandni and some of her fellow students will be present on the day to share their learning experience with prospective students.

Also present will be Academy Ambassadors, who are some of the key businesses in lighting and are passionate supporters of the Academy in reaching its full potential in delivering the skills and education to take the industry forward. The Ambassadors will share their reasons for joining the Academy’s Ambassador programme and their experience so far.

Visitors will also have the opportunity to see the state-of-the-art LIA Laboratory in action, which is Europe’s largest independent testing, measurement and certification laboratory dedicated to lighting.

More information about the Lighting Industry Academy Open Day can be found on the event page at the link below, which can also be used for online booking of attendance.

https://www.thelia.org.uk/events/lighting-industry-academy-open-day

FUTURE Designs explore the effects that light and sleep have on our wellness with a sleep experiment carried out over 24 hours, during the week of the longest day of the year

From 10am on Tuesday 19^th June until 10am on Wednesday 20^th June, lighting experts FUTURE Designs, will perform an experiment to test and analyse the effects of light on the circadian rhythms of two volunteers.

Led by their consultant sleep expert, Dr Neil Stanley, the experiment will take place at FUTURE Designs new technology hub in Clerkenwell.

The exercise will analyse and record how two areas lit to the extreme of the Kelvin band (cool versus warm light) can affect the human wake and sleep functions over 24 hours. The experiment will reveal the effects of tuneable white lighting on the human race and how, or if at all, ‘human centric’ lighting affects our body’s circadian rhythm in relation to feelings of wellbeing.

Two volunteers of similar age, height and weight will work and sleep under two distinctly different lighting tones. The technology hub will be divided in two spaces both facing on to the street where people will be invited to watch the experiment through the double height windows. However, the spaces will be lit differently – one under 6000 Kelvin cool blue light and the other under 2700 Kelvin warm yellow light. Both areas will have identical illuminance levels that will alter between working hours, rest and sleep – although the two identical areas will always be lit for 24 hours.

Light has powerful non-visual effect on our sleep, day time performance and mood. In order to be at our most productive we need to rely on higher-order cognitive processes, such as problem solving, reasoning, organising and planning. These processes are associated with the prefrontal cortex, and this part of the brain appears to be particularly sensitive to sleep deprivation. Although accidents and mistakes can have profound consequences, the psychological process that underlie them, however big or small, are very simple, a missed red light can result in a small shunt at the traffic lights or a nuclear disaster, all because you failed to react to a simple stimulus.

During a simulated working day, the volunteers will have their memory, reaction time and vigilance measured regularly, and they will be questioned about their mood and alertness. They will evaluate their sleep and their cognitive function in the morning and will be tested. In order to evaluate the effect of the lighting regime the volunteers will be kept as far as possible identical, they will eat the same things at the same time, their caffeine intake will be limited, their exposure to blue light from screens will be controlled and they will have the same bed and wake up times.

The results and conclusions of this experiment will be published in the form of a white paper.

On 14th June 2018, the Official Journal of the European Union published the EU Waste legislative package.  This revises the Waste Framework Directive, the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive and other directives.

EucoLight, the European Association of lighting WEEE Compliance schemes warmly welcomes the EU publication of the Package. EucoLight wholeheartedly supports the inclusion of minimum requirements for Extended Produced Responsibility (EPR), which it has been advocating throughout all the legislative process. EucoLight considers that robust EPR requirements are vital for a successful transition to the Circular Economy. Making them legally binding guarantees the best functioning of EPR schemes.

The commitment to improving transparency on financial matters and governance and operation of EPR organisations is important, along with the recognition of EPR as a ‘shared responsibility’ for all actors involved, including distributors and waste producers. Marc Giraud, EucoLight Secretary General commented “EucoLight’s 19 members consider that these measures constitute an important step forward in establishing a fair and level playing field amongst EPR schemes.”

Nigel Harvey, EucoLight Vice President and CEO of Recolight added: “The inclusion of plans for an enforcement framework to ensure online marketplaces comply with their EPR obligations is particularly significant, given the growth in non-compliance through some online retailers.  Whether or not the UK chooses to implement the CEP post Brexit, this is one change that would be very beneficial to adopt.”