An Inside Look at How IES and IALD Will Manage Education at LightFair

By Randy Reid and Katie Smith

Whether you’ve been in the lighting industry for a week or for decades, you know that LightFair is the largest tradeshow of the year. Held annually, LightFair provides the opportunity for lighting professionals to come together for a week of education and networking. Next year’s show will take place in late May in New York City. Now that tradeshows are mostly free of the restrictions imposed by the pandemic, the expectations for LightFair 2023 are sky-high.

An important part of meeting those lofty expectations will be a newly implemented educational program, now under the guidance of IES and IALD. IMC (the show manager) and their predecessor, AMC, have historically managed the educational content of the show, but that will change in 2023.

Brienne Musselman, IES Director of Education and Standards, shared with me her inside take on the new educational program at LightFair. Her background and experience in lighting perfectly positions her to understand what the industry really needs when it comes to education. Before joining IES in 2019, she worked for nine years as a lighting designer. She served as president of the Detroit IES section (2013-15) and Chair of IES Annual Conference Committee in Orlando and Portland (2016-17). She is an Honorary Affiliate of AIA and was named one of Lighting Magazine’s International 40 under 40 in 2017.

She explained that the education programs fall into one of five tracks – Science, Business, Art, Process, and Technology. The tracks shouldn’t be viewed as distinct silos, however, but rather as opportunities to explore convergence. Art and Technology may have an overlap, as will Process and Business. One session might be on how to write an abstract, while another might present best practices for constructing contract language and legal documents. The tracks will offer something valuable for everyone, be they sellers, designers, ESCOs, distributors, facility managers, or end users.

Brienne explained, “We have looked for ways to reignite educational interest in LightFair.” By introducing practical topics such as business skills, public speaking, visual storytelling, visualizing data, and understanding and utilizing contract language, LightFair 2023 will help prepare the next generation to submit to speak at future shows.

From a DEIR perspective, it is smart to prepare the next generation to speak publicly. This is especially important for emerging professionals.

Brienne feels that we’re heading into a new era of what we consider generalists and experts. She explained, “The term ‘lighting expert’ is tricky now because there are so many niche areas where someone could have expertise. Being a generalist expert may not be possible anymore. This is why we are trying to help with overall business skills, which are applicable to everyone.” The inclusive new idea here is, “If you are interested in lighting, you belong at LightFair.”

LightFair Live has been rebranded as IES Live and will consist of live sessions on the show floor. Don’t let the name fool you, though; IES Live is “live” on the show floor but will not be offered in a hybrid model or broadcast online anywhere. This experience is for attendees only. She elaborated on the new initiative, explaining, “With IES Live, you might not get a CEU credit, but you could benefit from quick-takeaway learning (sometimes called microlearning), like knowledge about one of the new 13 standards published in the past year.”

The LightFair Designery has been reimagined as the IALD Designery, and IALD will manage this portion of the show floor.

Brienne reminded me of two major benefits that set LightFair apart. The sheer scale of the show sets it apart from smaller tabletop shows, allowing the displays to be more immersive and context-specific. And, because of the timeframe, LightFair allows for more interaction. Education will occur in the classroom, at IES Live, at the IALD Designery and in the individual booths. She emphasized, “This helps us evolve from death by PowerPoint.”

Brienne is in constant contact with IES and IALD stakeholders, and she discussed the new leadership in both organizations. IES Executive Director Colleen Harper is relatively new with IES, as is IALD CEO Christopher Knowlton. She explained, “Because we have new leadership, no one is territorial. We care a lot about institutional knowledge, but Colleen and Christopher are able to look at things objectively and collaboratively to benefit our respective members. Together, they offer a fresh outlook on the show.”

Brienne shares this information alongside the idea that journey maps and curated experiences will empower attendees to find LightFair 2023 to be the most immersive and educational show yet. Because of the broad scope and nearly endless opportunities of the lighting industry, these tracks and journey maps will allow individuals to make LightFair as effective and educational as possible.

LightFair will hire a Conference Operations Manager, which allows Brienne to focus on curating educational plans, rather than spending time on the day-to-day operations of planning. She is now able to understand and balance what IES and IALD need for their members and non-members to know and learn, and how the education at LightFair can foster those learning experiences.

With her lighting design background, Brienne is capable of bringing her industry and institutional knowledge into the field and, together with other people’s input, create a better experience for attendees. LightFair is a place for a cohesive educational experience with more effectiveness than anywhere else, so let’s hope that the 2023 LightFair proves itself the go-to place for inclusive, relevant education.