7 tips for making the most out of Lightfair International

Posted by Ginny Skalski

If you’re in the lighting biz or interested in lighting, Las Vegas is the place to be next week. That’s when more than 19,000 people will pass through the Las Vegas Convention Center for Lightfair International, the world’s largest annual architectural and commercial lighting tradeshow and conference.

Scene from Lightfair International 2009.

The tradeshow features more than 1,600 booths, and we’re pretty sure you’re going to see LED lighting pretty much everywhere you turn. I asked a couple of my coworkers who are Lightfair veterans to offer some tips for those who are going. Here’s what they came up with:

1. Wear comfortable shoes. There is no exception to this rule. You will be on your feet constantly and the Las Vegas Convention Center boasts more than one million square feet of exhibition space.
2. Decide what you want to get out of Lightfair before you leave. Just like it’s a good idea to determine how much money you’re willing to gamble when you’re in Vegas, it’s a good idea to determine your Lightfair goal before you enter the show floor. Are you going to learn more about LED lighting; to purchase lights for a specific project; to see the latest and greatest technologies; to find a job? Set your goals so that you don’t end up wasting time.
3. Bring along a list of questions for LED manufacturers. It won’t be hard to find booths displaying LED lighting for a variety of applications. But don’t come to Lightfair prepared to accept everything exhibitors tell you about LEDs. Come armed with some solid questions. Here’s a good place to start.  
4. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Now that you’re armed with some good questions to ask, speak up. Don’t take attitude from any exhibitors. If you don’t understand something, keep asking follow up questions until you do. But don’t be obnoxious either. No one wants to be that guy.
5. Let exhibitors scan your badge. Don’t shy away from being placed on a mailing list by exhibitors. Most of these lists are e-mail based, which means you can unsubscribe later with a click of a button. That said, if an exhibitor offers to scan your badge and you’re not interested, say so.
6. Avoid eating lunch at noon. The food vendors are swamped come noon. So plan on eating early or eating a little later. There’s no point in standing in a long line for a piece of pizza when you could be looking at more energy efficient LED lights!
7. Make time for the exhibits everyone is talking about. Obviously you’re going to see what the big companies are up to. But poke around a little to find out which smaller companies are boasting innovative products. You can even ask at the information desks who the ‘must see’ vendors are. You don’t have to be a big fish to boast a good lighting product. Besides, big fish often have mercury inside them, and that’s not good for anyone.

And, of course, you should stop by the Cree booth (#149) because that’s where I’ll be, and if you’re reading this, I want to meet you. And if you’re tweeting from Lightfair, be sure to use the hashtag #Lightfair.

If you have any tips of your own or want to let everyone know what’s worth seeing in your booth, leave us a comment below. See you at Lightfair!

4 Responses to “7 tips for making the most out of Lightfair International”

1. Tweets that mention Cree Blog : 7 tips for making the most out of Lightfair International: If you’re in the lighting biz or interested... -- Topsy.com says:

   May 6, 2010 at 10:08 am

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2. Chris Burke says:

   May 6, 2010 at 10:31 am

   Another couple of trips from a tradeshow veteran (with the fallen arches to prove it): If you’re setting up meetings with exhibiting companies, consider making them either early in the day before the crowds arrive); or late in the day (while the crowds are streaming out). The cab lines/waiting times are always longest at the end of the day – same with the monorail – so you can use that wait time more productively by finding a place to sit down and meet. Another alternative is to make your meetings completely off the show floor during off-exhibit hours.

   Also, try to map out your booth visits so you’re not criss-crossing the show floor repeatedly (even if you’re wearing comfortable shoes, that’s going to wear you out.)
3. Ginny Skalski says:

   May 6, 2010 at 10:42 am

   Chris,
   Those are excellent tips. Thanks for sharing.
4. LED Lighting Bulbs says:

   May 10, 2010 at 6:49 am

   Missed this years as we were just getting setup – may make next years, thanks for the tips.