The 15th edition of Light Middle East, the region’s premier exhibition, conference, and awards programme for lighting, design and technology, opened today (September 28) in Dubai featuring 100 exhibitors and brands from 23 countries.

 

Organised by Messe Frankfurt Middle East, LME this year has several exhibiting countries including Germany, US, France, Italy, Netherlands, Russia, Spain, Poland, Belarus and Finland.

 

Dishan Isaac, Senior Show Manager for Light Middle East, said: "Large scale construction activity and considerable investment by regional governments into buildings, industrial and commercial infrastructure is expected to sustain long term demand for the latest in lighting technology and innovations."

 

"Research has shown that the region will continue to be a major growth market for LED and smart lighting systems in particular, due to the existence of increasingly environmentally-aware governments and local populations," he stated.

 

"Infrastructure developments coupled with comprehensive smart city initiatives are key indicators of the market potential, while the drop in LED costs and increased demand for energy efficient lighting have kept the market in a decidedly upbeat mood," he added.

 

According to Isaac, the exhibitors are using Light Middle East to showcase their latest technologies and solutions – for most this is the first opportunity they’ve had to meet and connect with the industry physically, and in-person at a trade fair since the outbreak of Covid-19 in March 2020.  

 

Halliday Lighting from the UK is among those companies launching new products and partnerships, including the announcement of an exclusive partnership with Siteco-Germany, a leading global supplier of technical lighting.

 

Kirit Panchal, Sales Director for Middle East and Africa and APAC for Halliday Lighting, said:"The recent opening of our new regional office in Dubai supports our ambition of expanding our reach while remaining close to markets and customers across the MEA."

 

"At Light Middle East, we announce our exclusive partnership with SITECO-Germany and are showcasing some of the latest exterior lighting products for sports, area and urban lighting applications," he added.

 

Panchal said the event also marked the Middle East launch of its sister company Intelligent Play. "The new entity provides the only sports pitch management system in the world which uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to maintain pitches in smart way," he added.

 

Sustainability, IoT, smart and human-centric lighting is high on the agenda at Light Middle East 2021, with exhibitors keen to show how their products are better for the environment and human health.

 

Lumentek, a privately owned company with a manufacturing plant in the UAE, is among those eager to show how their solar-powered lights are a game changer in innovative technology. 

 

"We’ve already solved limitations of solar lighting systems for different applications, and we’re the only company that offers solar street lighting for highways and freeways as well as solar flood light masts for stadiums and sport complexes with 3-10 days back up in cloudy, rainy or sandy conditions," remarked its CEO Reza Jadidzaded.

 

"We’ve also very good solutions for converting old traditional city lighting to solar led lights, while all our products are tailor made based on geographical locations," he added.

 

Meanwhile, 3Brothers, an Egyptian-headquartered LED manufacturer with more than 30 years’ in the MEA, is presenting its 2022 line-up of international designer’s product lines, germicidal technology and Sunlike – its own Human Centric Lighting offering.

 

Managing Director George Michael said: "Sunlike is a natural spectrum LED technological feature that enables consumers to experience the light that closely matches natural sunlight and can mimic spectral changes of sunlight."

 

"We're thrilled to be back at Light Middle East, as our experience in 2019 was excellent, we miss face-to-face engagement and last year passed by with no major exhibitions which makes us more excited to be here this week," noted Michael.

 

"The lighting industry is evolving every day and we are having huge leaps each and every year.  By 2022, who knows what new advancement there might be out there, but we always love to see what Light Middle East has to offer to the lighting community as we consider it to set the lighting trends in the region," he added.

 

This year LME is back with its ThinkLight conference featuring more than 30 speakers across eight verticals, certified workshops, said the organisers.

 

It will see experts focus on key topics such as sustainability, energy efficiency and net zero buildings; transport and infrastructure; healthcare lighting; IoT and intelligent lighting.

 

On the concluding day of the event, the top lighting design works will be recognised with the LME Lighting Design Recognition Awards at a ceremony to be held at the newly opened Lock, Stock & Barrel Business Bay. A total of 45 firms are in the race for the awards being given in eight categories.