Twin industry events to light up next-gen solutions for UAE’s events landscape

Dubai, UAE: The region’s premier exhibition and conference for lighting design and technology, Light Middle East, and the region’s dedicated exhibition and conference for professional lighting and audio & AV technology, Prolight + Sound Middle, open tomorrow at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC).

The events, organised by Messe Frankfurt Middle East and running 15-17 October, are poised to illuminate some of the global market’s most advanced technology and design solutions, with industry experts voicing pertinent topics impacting the lighting and audio industries.

Light Middle East

Market Intelligence Solutions provider, 6Wresearch forecast the Middle East smart lighting and home and building automation markets to grow to US$2.2 billion and US$3.3 billion in 2025, respectively, and the 14th edition of Light Middle East has expanded its exhibitor segments to cater for the burgeoning industries.

Featuring 311 exhibitors from 32 countries, the six dedicated segments cover LED lighting (42 percent of exhibitors), decorative lighting and accessories, home and building automation, electrical and electronic components and accessories for lighting systems; electric lamps; and technical lighting and accessories.

Elsewhere, the THINKLIGHT Conference will host more than 50 speakers from 13 nations across three days of themed tracks: ‘Professional Lighting Design & Architecture Forum’, ‘IoT & Intelligent Lighting Forum’ and the ‘Integrated Buildings Tech Forum’.

The annual ‘Ready, Steady, Light’ competition will see professional lighting teams contest three categories - ‘Most Creative Effect’, ‘Best Technical Solution’, and ‘Peer Prize’ - under strict judging conditions. Winners will be announced during the 2019 Light Middle East Awards, which take place on 17 October at Atlantis, The Palm.

Light.ication, in association with Light.Func, promotes lighting design through education and will host international teams creating bespoke lighting designs. All design installations will be linked to a world map displayed on an interactive LED screen.

Light.Func Designer Director and Founder, Sakina Dugawalla-Moeller, said: “Light.ication is about teaching, mentoring and raising awareness of the importance of lighting. What happens is seasoned “light.icators” use their past experiences to inform the variety, the mosaic of what we see in the installations.”

Prolight + Sound Middle East

Prolight + Sound Middle East, which features the latest products and developments in the professional lighting and audio industry will host 58 exhibitors from 10 countries this year. Carrying a strong hi-tech focus, the three-day event aims to tap into the regional Media & Entertainment market which, according to a report by 6Wresearch, is set to grow 12% (CAGR) – topping US $32 billion in 2019.

The Events Technology and Entertainment Forum, a free-to-attend conference run in tandem with the exhibition, will unite the industry minds to share expertise and give behind-the-curtain insights on best-practise lighting design at some of the biggest international events.

Lighting and sound professionals also have a chance to learn more about their respective industries through the Dante Workshop by Audinate – which will see professionals awarded training certificates for proficiency in audio over IP solutions. Elsewhere, the Pro Audio Workshops by HARMAN Professional University offer training and certifications on how to plan, design, install, program and configure HARMAN Professional products.

Leading audio industry brands will participate in the Sample Music Festival, a dedicated space where the latest turntables, finger drumming, beat making and visual DJing will fall under the spotlight.

Dishan Isaac, Senior Show Manager of Prolight + Sound Middle East and Light Middle East, said: “With UAE pressing ahead with world-class and far-reaching events portfolios in a number of Emirates, let alone the ongoing and widespread development of the country’s real estate sector, these strategically co-located events will progress knowledge-exchange and new solutions in lighting design and technology, professional lighting and audio & AV technology segments.”