From using lighting design to enhance cultural landmarks and drive revenue in the retail and hospitality sectors, to exploring the untapped potential of AI-powered lighting, this year’s Lighting Design & Technology Summit will reveal how the demand and need for state-of-the-art lighting products is creating a seismic shift in the industry in Saudi Arabia.
The inaugural two-day summit is part of this year’s Lighting Design & Technology Expo, which takes place from September 10 to 12 at the Riyadh Front Exhibition and Conference Centre.
Co-located with the Hotel & Hospitality Expo, and Index Saudi Arabia, the Lighting Design & Technology Expo will offer a dedicated platform for the global and regional lighting industry, said the organisers dmg events.
The summit will cover the gamut of the lighting design industry in Saudi Arabia, with experts from all sectors in the region and globe looking to tackle the industry’s most pressing subjects, discuss solutions, highlight market disruptors, and predict future trends, they stated.
"Over the last few years, there has been a seismic shift in the way lighting design is being used and thought about," remarked Elaine O’Connell, the Vice President Design and Hospitality of dmg events.
"While aesthetics is front and centre, today we are also witnessing lighting design being used strategically: as a catalyst for transformation in the kingdom. At this year’s summit, we want the audience to walk away with the knowledge that lighting design has the power to transform, whether across smart buildings, or its ability to aid sustainability goals, or through the understanding of consumer psychology to grow the bottom line of any business," she noted.
With the construction, tourism, entertainment, and real estate sectors driving the demand for modern and futuristic lighting design, Mohannad Alsalkhadi, Principal Lighting Designer, ATI Lighting, a speaker at this year’s event, said that due to the increasing number of iconic projects, the momentum of current developments and the desire to deliver high quality projects is pushing the lighting industry in a new direction.
"With ultramodern and strategic lighting evolving and gaining prominence among major developments, it will enable each project in the future to have its own identity and allow it to stand out in Saudi Arabia’s new skyline," said Alsalkhadi.
While Waleed Fakousa, Principal & Partner at CD+M Lighting Design Group LLC and a key speaker at the event, said that as dark sky compliance and light art installations become key industry trends, the industry will also witness a few disrupters as it manages unrealistic design and co-ordination duration and contractors executing work without the aid of lighting professionals.
"At this year’s summit, I really want audience to walk away with the knowledge that good doesn’t always mean expensive, that lighting design is an engineering and artistic field, sharing bad or failed case studies is the only way the industry can learn from mistakes, and finally, Saudi Arabia is investing in experience so trust the people in charge of shaping it’s future," stated Fakousa.
With the Kingdom looking to highlight and preserve its rich cultural heritage, the summit will deep-dive into the subject with its session: Cultural Lighting Design in Saudi Arabia.
The session, on the opening day, will explore how striking a balance between preserving the country’s cultural heritage and embracing contemporary lighting design practices will enhance the kingdom’s unique identity.
Later in the day, the conversation switches to smart technology and AI with Shinning Smart: The transformative role of lighting in driving the evolution of smart buildings and The synergy of AI and light: Unleashing innovative possibilities in lighting design.
In both these sessions, industry thought-leaders explore the game-changing relationships between IoT, AI and lightings design, while showcasing cutting-edge case studies that are currently leveraging new technology and revolutionising lighting design.
With special focus on the retail and hospitality sectors on September 11, the Summit will address how lighting can influence consumer behaviour in retail and commercial spaces, drive sales and foster positive interactions with brands and products in the session: Lighting the path to purchase: The power of influencing customers’ behaviours through light design.
While the session, 'The tangible impact of lighting on hotel business revenue,' will put spotlight on how strategic lighting design can enhance guest perceptions, spending behaviour and retain customer loyalty.
Among this year’s notable speakers are: David Mcneil, Partner, dpa lighting; Abdulaziz Al Azem, Founder, dts lighting Consultants & Advisor to RCRC DQO; Abeer Nowailaty, Architect and Lighting Specialist, Bricklab, Ambassador for Saudi Arabia, Women In Lighting; Paul Traynor, Head of Light Bureau UK, Light Bureau; David Gilbey, Lighting Design Director, Diriyah Gate Development Authority; and Regina Santos, Founder, Light Fusion.-TradeArabia News Service