How to Make the most of LEDucation 2020

Update! LEDucation has been postponed

Due to concerns surrounding the outbreak of Coronavirus, LEDucation has been moved to August. The details below will be amended when a new speaker schedule is posted. Official announcement here

Rush and U from Coronet

Some of us remember LEDucation as a tiny table top show with just a few manufacturers, now it's the most important lighting trade show in NY every year, displacing Lightfair (sorry, but it's true).

One of the major benefits to LEDucation is that it's organized by rep agency, meaning you can see aligned offerings within the same section of the hall. The SDA World of Light has an impressive presence at the show this year. Occupying nearly half the main hall, we'll be showing nearly all of our primary manufacturers. We're extremely proud of our offering and can't wait to see you out on the floor. SDA is a platinum sponsor of LEDucation. You can register for free using the code: SDA2020

LEDucation moves fast, only two days, and it's jam packed with things to learn and see. Most visitors wander in and walk the floor, but with a little planning, you can make the most of the show and come away a more educated specifier.

Here's how to prepare...

Take classes

The slate of classes on offer this year is amazing. So many of the classes on the list look impressive that it’s hard to edit down a list. If I were attending the show as a specifier, here’s what I’d check out.

The World of Illusion vs. Allusion

March 17th 10am-11am

Speakers: Abhay Wadhwa and Justin Moench, AWA Lighting Designers

Shall we pursue options that allude to the architecture, or willfully create illusions that are superimposed on a willing architecture? Through this analysis arise two distinct visual worlds— a world of illusion or a world of allusion. The appropriate choice of direction for the project is then a mirror to the cultural and historical context, through the prism of illusion or allusion. We will present two projects, Soularium (as illusion) and Ismail Building (as allusion), highlighting and relating to real-life designing.

This looks like such a deeply interesting and fresh topic.

PANEL DISCUSSION: What's The Deal with Healthy/Circadian/Human-Centric/WELL Lighting? And How Does It Impact Design?

Tuesday, March 17 10:30am – 12:00pm Dorothy Underwood, KGM Architectural Lighting; Kassandra Gonzales, RAB Lighting and Lesa Lorusso, Gresham Smith

This course takes an overview of the various conversations, recommendations, and certifications around the idea of healthy lighting, and distills what the audience needs to know as an industry. The presentation will delve deeper into the science behind all these conversations to see where they come from, and where they overlap. Finally, the focus will shift to what everyone really wants to know: How does this affect us? What is the impact of healthy lighting for designers, manufacturers, clients, and end users?

So much of the discussion around human-centric lighting focuses on metrics, spectrum and technical data. Most of these metrics are opaque at best. I’ve been dying to hear what designers think about this topic and how it should be handled.

PANEL DISCUSSION: Project Management from a Woman's Perspective

Tuesday, March 17 4:00pm – 5:30pm Andrea Hartranft, Hartranft Lighting Design; Kelly Roberts, WALD Studio; Robin Charlick, Lehrer Cumming; Shayna Bramley, Stantec; and Robert Bazan, Chelsea Lighting

Join the Women in Lighting and Design roundtable as we discuss navigating project management from design development through commissioning. At this roundtable we’ll discuss our unique experiences, from finding a seat at the table with architects, engineers and developers to maneuvering the construction site with contractors and distributors. We’ll explore how to build a project powerhouse team, how to avoid pitfalls, and how to strengthen your voice as a woman from any field in the design and construction industry. This session welcomes and encourages all lighting industry professionals to participate, regardless of your role, sex, or profession.

As a straight white male in the lighting industry I try to be aware of the privileges I enjoy. This seems like an important discussion to listen to and learn from to gain perspective from smart, experienced women in the industry.

PANEL DISCUSSION: Lighting Controls — By Others?

Wednesday, March 18 8:30am – 10:00am C. Webster Marsh, Horton Lees Brogden; Carl Camenisch, CC & A International; Chuck Cameron, Stan Deutsch Associates; Gary Dulanski, The Dulanski Group; Paula Martinez-Nobles, Fisher Marantz Stone; Shaun Fillion, NYSID|Rab Lighting

A panel discussion of how technology and user expectations have changed the process of designing lighting controls. How often does this phrase appear in contract documents for projects, and how do we collaborate to realize the goals of the design? Our panel considers lighting control scope from the initial narrative, to whole building networking, to individual luminaire controls and what happens between drivers and the LEDs that they control. This scaled approach will focus on the teamwork involved in turning on and tuning a light in a connected building._

We always need a few controls throw-downs at LEDucation and never has this conversation been more important as controls become an ever-more-important part of the performance of a building.

Take a Curated Tour

Birchwood

Sadly, for me, I will probably only get to sneak out for one or two classes. I’ll be busy doing my job. Hopefully, my loss is your gain. If you’ve ever visited me at LEDucation, then you know I curate my walks through the SDA area with my customers. I know my designers’ time is valuable so I don’t spend a lot of time showing you products that won’t be interesting for you. If you’re a hospitality designer, I won’t be showing you much by way of cleanroom troffers, if you’re a hospital facilities manager, I won’t show you much of our video or color changing product.

I’m trying something new this year. If you know when you’re planning on coming to the show, you can book a tour with me here. Of course, you can always all or text me when you get to the venue. I'll come find you.

Stop by the TM-30 Demonstration Room

CRI is an out-dated metric, yet TM-30 hasn’t taken off industry-wide. From 9am-2:30pm in the Nassau East room Jason Livingston of Studio T+L , Wendy Luedtke of ETC and Jess Baker of Shuler Shook will be demonstrating the real-life implications of TM-30 and how it can enhance design.