ATLANTA, GA-- LIGHTFAIR INTERNATIONAL 1999, the largest architectural and commercial lighting Trade Show in North America and the world’s largest architectural and commercial lighting Conference Program, exceeded its attendance expectations in San Francisco when it hosted almost 14,000 architectural, engineering, and design professionals at the Moscone Convention Center, May 10–13, 1999.

LIGHTFAIR INTERNATIONAL in San Francisco featured more than 357 commercial and architectural lighting manufacturers, occupying 900 booths, as exhibitors for the 1999 event. Laura Carpenter, Electrical Engineer at Henderson Engineers comments that LIGHTFAIR INTERNATIONAL "was a great experience! I have learned a lot and am looking forward to future LIGHTFAIRS!"

A record-breaking number of tickets were sold for the San Francisco venue for Workshops, Seminars, and the New Product Showcase & Awards Presentation, providing world-class architectural and commercial lighting education to the architectural, engineering, and design professional. Gary M. Jensen, AIA, Senior Architect, Ford Motor Land Services Corporation writes LIGHTFAIR INTERNATIONAL is "very good. As an architect/owner, this has been exceptional to formulate tools to better manage the design/construction process and preserve the intent/performance of lighting systems."

Manufacturers utilize LIGHTFAIR INTERNATIONAL to introduce new products developed during the previous year by participating in one of the most well attended presentations, The New Product Showcase & Awards Presentation, sponsored by Architectural Lighting Magazine and inter.Light. A panel of Judges selected the following award winning products. The Best New Product of the Year Award was presented to the Phos by Prescolite; The Technical Innovation Award was presented to the MultiNeon ColorChanger™ by Lowel-Light Mfg., Inc.; The Design Excellence Award was presented to the Symphony by Tech Lighting; The Energy Award was presented to the Airflow Tolerant Sensor by Novitas, Inc. The 1999 event also featured two new awards. Mr. Jim Benya of Benya Lighting Design presented the first annual Roeder Award, in appreciation of the late Mr. Craig A. Roeder for his dedication and commitment to the lighting industry, to Color Kinetics for the iColor Cove. Also, Mr. Richard Miller of Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum, Inc. presented the first annual Judges Citation Award to Lightolier for Metallics-Track Lighting. Complete product details are featured on the www.lightfair.com website.

The fourth annual Best Booth Awards were presented to exhibitors in four categories based on size and other design criteria. The 1999 winners were: 100 to 200 square feet: Idaho Wood; 300 to 400 square feet: Elux; 400 to 600 square feet: Sterner Lighting; 600 square feet and larger: Philips Lighting Company.

The Image Awards, a new Awards addition for 1999, recognized exhibiting manufacturers for excellence in pre-event marketing campaigns promoting their participation in the 1999 event. The 1999 Image Awards were presented to Color Kinetics, Basic Source, and Leviton Manufacturing.

Holly Swarztrauber, Marketing Communications Manager for Color Kinetics states "LIGHTFAIR INTERNATIONAL is a tremendous exhibitor show. The crowd this event pulls in is targeted, steady and qualified. We look forward to it every year! To state it bluntly, LIGHTFAIR rocks! Case closed."

The LIGHTFAIR INTERNATIONAL 1999 Conference Program featured thirty-six seminars and four daylong Workshops, all offering AIA, ASID, IIDA and IESNA accreditation, and providing NCQLP Lighting Education Units. "If you can only do one conference a year, this is the one to do," states Douglas Buhr, President, Douglas Engineering Pacific Inc.

Created specifically for the architectural, engineering and design community, three seminars SOLD OUT, and over 7,658 individual seminar tickets were purchased within 5 defined Tracks. Brian Stacy, Lighting Designer, Ove Arup & Partners stated that "the Professional Development Track has been a wonderful addition for the lighting design professional – a huge growth in a great conference for an emerging industry." John Camp, President of Light Lines, Inc. added "it has been refreshing to attend seminars where the speakers are genuine in their interest to contribute their professional knowledge to the lighting industry."

The balance was made-up of general contractors, non-exhibiting manufacturers, educators, retail end-users, visual merchandisers/store planners, general contractors, utility executives, government, landscape architects, and students.

"The quality of visitors at LIGHTFAIR INTERNATIONAL 1999 was first class! We will continue to exhibit at LIGHTFAIR, which provides us the opportunity to showcase our products at the number one lighting event in North America!" states J. R. Zimmerman, Vice President, E Lux.

These specifiers identified their purchasing functions as follows:

-31.5% Influence purchasing/specifying
-30.5% Specify
-21% Recommend
-17% Approve

Geographical representation was international. As expected, the majority of attendees (45%) came from the state of California. There were also large delegations from the north eastern states of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania area (15%); and the mid western states including Illinois and Ohio (13.2%). All fifty states including Alaska and Hawaii were represented, as well as Puerto Rico. The 1999 event experienced a healthy number of International attendees (9%), and International exhibitors (35). Altogether, 60 foreign countries were represented from North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, Central America, South America, and the islands. Canada and Mexico were best represented among international attendees, along with large Asian (China, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea) and European (Germany, United Kingdom, France) representation.

Maria Cristina Malyf Gardolinski, Lighting Designer/Architect, Brazil states that the event was "Above my expectations! Very well organized and successful!"

LIGHTFAIR INTERNATIONAL celebrated its 10^th Anniversary with a Cocktail Reception on Tuesday, May 10, 1999 sponsored by Architectural Record Magazine, GE Lighting, MagneTek, Belfer Lighting, Hubbell Lighting, Devine Lighting, Sterner Lighting and Leviton. Mr. John C. Portman, Chairman of JPA Architects and a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects made welcoming remarks.

The IALD 16^th Annual International Lighting Design Awards Presentation, co-sponsored by Architectural Lighting Magazine honored some of the world’s most outstanding lighting designers. A cocktail reception and dinner at War Memorial Opera House entertained the honorees and over three hundred IALD members and guests. Philip Gabriel, Chairman of the IALD, states "the following awards celebrate some of the outstanding individual achievements IALD members have made this year. More importantly, they raise public awareness about the value of excellent lighting design." Over 134 entries were received, and the most prestigious Award of Excellence was bestowed on the designers of four projects: Chek Lap Kok Airport in Hong Kong, China by Charles G. Stone II, Scott J. Herschman and Enrique Garcia Carrera, Fisher Marantz Stone, Inc; Chung Lien Bank in Taipei, Taiwan by J.K. Yao, IALD, chroma33 Architectural Lighting Design; Erasmus Bridge in Rotterdam, The Netherlands by Douglas Brennan and Andre Tammes, IALD, Lighting Design Partnership; and Sagawa Art Museum in Shiga, Japan by Takeshi Konishi, EPK Corporation.

The Nuckolls Fund for Lighting Education Luncheon and Seminar, benefiting the Nuckolls Fund for Lighting Education, awarded its 2000 grant in the amount of $20,000 to the University of Colorado at Boulder. In addition, the annual Edison Price Award, a memorial to the late lighting pioneer, was awarded in the amount of $5,000 to Sandra Stannard, University of Idaho, and will be used in conjunction with the Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory in the development of the Desktop Radiance shareware program. The fund also awarded a $5,000.00 grant to the National Council on Qualifications for the Lighting Professions (NCQLP). "The Fund considers itself a progressive foundation and anticipates the development of an additional grant for institutions without existing lighting programs," states Fund president Jeffrey Milham. This year’s luncheon featured a presentation by Richard C. Peters, FAIA, Professor Emeritus, University of California at Berkeley, who spoke on his personal view of "light" and "lighting."

The National Council on Qualifications for the Lighting Profession (NCQLP) held its annual Lighting Certified (LC) Luncheon, which featured Mark Ginsberg, Deputy Secretary, Office of Building Technologies of the U.S. Department of Energy as the keynote. More than 150 LCs (Lighting Certified) and others in the lighting industry heard his excellent presentation and comments about the DOE’s interest in lighting technologies and the lighting industry. Recognition awards were presented to past presidents Michael Neils, PE, LC and Gary Gordon, LC, IALD.

The IESNA International Illumination Design Awards Luncheon Seminar was held for the second consecutive year, led by IIDA committee members Donald Newquist, Chairperson, and Jim Zastovnik. The seminar covered a wide range of topics for designers to improve IIDA submissions into the awards program including helpful tips for submissions and a presentation of project entries and submittal procedures for the prestigious lighting design award program of the IESNA. The IIDA Awards Program celebrates its 26^th year in 1999.

The Lighting Industry Resource Council (LIRC) Luncheon allowed attendees to gain more insight about the LIRC, an IALD adjunct for manufacturers. Presentations included updates on current activities, future plans and a panel discussion with members of both the IALD and LIRC on specification integrity.

The San Francisco Bay Walk in memory of Craig A. Roeder, sponsored by Belfer Lighting, Inc., raised over $14,000 to benefit the Nuckolls Fund for Lighting Education. Forty-five LIGHTFAIR attendees participated in the walk, and 41 financial contributions were made from all over the country. Due to the tremendous success of this event, another fundraising event is being planned for New York.

During the three days of the San Francisco event, exhibitors selected booth space for the 2000 event, which will be held at Javits Convention Center, in New York City, New York, May 9 - 11, 2000. Currently, a strong mix of both domestic and international manufacturers has already reserved a vast majority of booth space.

The 2000 event, which will encompass a Pre-Show Conference held Monday, May 8, 2000, and three days of exhibits and seminars, May 9 - 11, 2000, will feature over 350 exhibiting manufacturers in close to 1000 booths, in addition to industry special events which coincide annually with LIGHTFAIR INTERNATIONAL.