Lightfair International 2019 Adventures

On the 22nd of May, 2019, five members of the electrical engineering team took the early train from DC to Philadelphia to attend Lightfair International 2019. Lightfair is the largest architectural and commercial lighting trade show and conference in the world, displaying a wide variety of products such as LEDs, OLEDs, energy-efficient and smart lighting products, solar powered products, decorative lighting, control systems, power systems, software, and more.

When we arrived at Lightfair, we split up, and I was paired with Pete who was a delight to hang out with. It was my first time at the fair, and Pete was my walking google substitute, as he answered all my questions, sometimes even quizzing me on the spot. We walked from booth to booth, coming upon fascinating and cutting edge lighting products – some that haven’t even hit the market yet. They ranged from indoor residential to commercial, outdoor parking lots, street lights, lighting for sporting stadiums, and decorative; they were all there, contributing to the illumination of that massive warehouse that hosted the fair.

At about noon, we regrouped with the others  and went to the indoor market right across the street for lunch. It was so busy, we had to wait 45 minutes in line just to place our order, but the food was good, so it was worth it. I played it safe and ordered the philly cheese steak. I didn’t regret it. After lunch we split up again, and Pete and I were at it once more. Lightfair was a great learning experience; I got the best exposure to the lighting industry that one can get in a matter of a few hours. And having a senior engineer who’s known the industry for decades was the icing on the cake!

The entire team met back up in the afternoon and walked to the station to catch a late afternoon return train to DC. I look forward to more of these company trips.