LiGHT is the UK’s only dedicated exhibition for lighting specification. Held over two days at the Business Design Centre, the first-ever LiGHT exhibition held on 22 & 23 November 2022, closed its doors to a buzz of positivity, from both visitors and exhibitors alike. The two-day event is a much-need offering for lighting design built on our knowledge and experience of the lighting specification market.

LiGHT is an exhibition dedicated to lighting specification brought to you by [d]arc media, publishers of arc and darc magazines, and the team behind the incredibly popular [d]arc awards and [d]arc sessions. The design community came out in force to support the new show, with almost 3,500 visitors passing through the doors to see more than 100 high-end international lighting brands present their latest product ranges for the architectural and decorative specification market.

The UK has the second largest design industry in the world and is the largest in Europe and London has seen design-led businesses more than double since 2010. Lighting is a vital aspect of the design industry and the design process.

Of the 217 lighting design practices in the UK, over half (116) are in the Greater London area (source ILDS 2021). This is by far the biggest concentration of lighting designers in one city in the world. And that’s not to mention the thousands of interior designers and architects that are based in the UK’s capital and beyond. Most of these designers not only specify in the UK but have a significant portfolio overseas. This makes London the capital of international specification.

Show highlights included the [d]arc thoughts talks programme, which benefited from a steady stream of guests across the two days, keen to learn more about the hot topics in lighting.

Visitors to the show also made good use of the dedicated workspace area on the gallery level. LiGHT Work was a beautiful relaxing space allowing show attendees to complete office tasks, while offering dedicated wi-fi, free coffee, and charging points.

The buzz around the new lighting event continued into day two with a LiGHT networking lunch hosted in the [d]arc thoughts talks arena, allowing visiting designers and manufacturers to meet in a relaxed space.

The show was also heavily supported by industry trade bodies and organisations including: SLL; IALD; ILP; LIA; BIID; SBID; Women in Lighting, along with industry media organisations: ICON, On Office; Archiproducts; DeZeen; NLA; World Architecture News; and STIR.