Light exhibitors have their say

Successful second edition lighting event

"Our participation in Future Lighting certainly meets expectations," says Bas Taman of MacBright. "Finally we can again introduce our relations to our new products in a quick and good way. In cooperation with the architect, we think along about the aesthetics and technical can of lighting." 

Manufacturer Erco Lighting attended Future Lighting for the second time this year. However, it is not yet certain whether there will also be a third edition for this company, Ruud Schellings explains. "This is a very specific fair, so I don't know if it is really suitable for us. We would like to see even more architects and developers as visitors."

Henk Schaap of Unlumited Lighting Solutions was very positive about participating in the lighting fair. "The event certainly brought us what we hoped for. This edition had twice as many exhibitors as last year and was also better attended. I think Future Lighting has a strong story, especially in combination with the congress. So the trade show is professionally strong and attracts people who are really into lighting. It might be a good idea to create segments, of functional and architectural light, for example." Henk continues: "We had good conversations about the lighting solutions we offer, for example with our unique light lines. Totally new are our 'inground' ranges: they are overflowable, drivable and offer various options for the desired light image.

Future of lighting

Koopman Interlight has been active as a lighting supplier for 75 years, but in recent years has increasingly focused on the architect. Account manager Rody van den Heuvel: "We like to sit down with the architect and contractor to take over work that they would otherwise have had to do themselves. We can supervise the entire process." The lighting fair pleased the company. "This is where people come who really do something with light. As the name Future Lighting suggests, we show the future of lighting. With Interlight Thinq, for example, we offer a complete lighting control system that is scalable and future-proof. With sensors, every fixture becomes smart in no time. 

In addition, sustainability is an important theme. We have a brand new fixture made of a material based on flax. Now this is still very expensive, because the mold has a very short lifespan. However, we will continue our search for good and sustainable lighting solutions."

At Performance in Lighting by GEWISS, the atmosphere was good. "People really come here for light and for us the fair has been above expectations so far," Jeroen Appelhof told us. "The first day was a bit quiet, but Thursday was a lot more bustling and there was a good vibe." PIL is very busy because the acquisition by GEWISS is changing a lot. "It's exciting to see how the integration goes. In any case, we are positively surprised by the lighting of GEWISS that we saw during an initial visit to Italy. In addition, it is a nice prospect that we can now fill entire projects with more. Think of everything besides the lighting, including charging stations and plugs. Even the entire power plan we can now take care of."

Professionals

Future Lighting was generally an enjoyable trade show for Led4Lighting, explained Rudi Plessers. "It's nice that only professionals come here. We have already made nice contacts and notice that there is real interest in our products." The company wants to distinguish itself mainly by the way Led4Lighting works. "Everyone sells fixtures here, but we offer products that are not only of good quality, but that we can also deliver directly. We think this will allow us to gain even more of a foothold in the Dutch market." The event was also the immediate launch of the new Motionz brand, which will focus on event lighting. "Of course with the good quality and decent price people are used to from us."   

Putting your own stamp on lighting... That's possible, according to project manager Richard Kouw, with Berla Lighting's fixtures. "We supply standard profiles, but also specialize in customized products. For both the residential and contract markets, we offer profiles that are available in different colors and sizes." 

The company therefore works a lot with architects, a target group Berla Lighting would like to see even more of at Future Lighting. "For architects, light color is important, as is light control. We can offer what they are looking for on both fronts."

Sustainable

"Fine, another light event," says Danny Miac of Klemko Techniek. "Of course it could have been even busier, but we are certainly satisfied. We were also able to meet many Belgian customers here." At Future Lighting, Klemko told the story of the company, which focuses on lighting controls and connection technology in addition to luminaires. "Recessed spotlights remain popular, but after a number of years other A-brands' parts break down and the entire luminaire has to be replaced. This is not necessary with our modular spotlights. Of these, the appearance can be changed as well as replacing a component. That is of course much more sustainable than buying new products." For example, it is possible to replace the only driver or add a component so that the spotlight can communicate with Zigbee, Z-wave, Casambi and Bluetooth."

And the winner is...

The award for the most beautiful booth at Future Lighting probably went to Detelec. The company showed at the fair how its own-made light lines can be applied. Owner Luc Lenaerts: "We develop our own profiles for the design market. They are ideally suited for the interior builder and cabinetmaker." There is certainly interest in the Belgian company's products from the Netherlands. "We are very satisfied with our participation in this fair and have made many good contacts."

Italian Lombardo S.r.l. showed design lighting for indoor and outdoor use at Future Lighting. Giulio Botti: "The first day was not very busy, but I am more satisfied with the second day. We met both existing and new customers here." The company is growing more and more in the Benelux market and showed in Gorinchem two new outdoor fixtures, Hasta and Lymfe. Hasta is a slim floor lamp in five different colors with a modular height: from about 1.20m to 3m. Lymfe is a series of outdoor lamps in four different colors and different sizes, reminiscent of reeds in appearance.

ETAP Lighting International has built a strong reputation in custom and refurbishment solutions. "Our solutions allow old recessed products to remain in the ceiling. We provide luminaires that fit exactly into the existing housing. This allows us to refurbish the lamps while allowing work to continue as usual." The new luminaires come in different shapes and with different technologies. 

A special presentation was from Unifit, the partner of operating system Casambi. At Future Lighting, the company stood with a tuktuk filled with switching/presentation equipment. "For Casambi, this is a useful fair," says co-owner Louk Blok. "We had very useful and concrete conversations, among other things about current projects."

Kees Smit of Integratech barely got to lunch on the second day. "That means it was well busy," he says with a laugh. "The first day was a little quieter, especially in the afternoon. Now we are out all the time showing that we offer the total picture. We unburden our customers and just provide good products, whose returns keep improving. Developments are rapid, so we make sure that we are not behind the times. On the contrary: we keep raising the bar!"

"Here you don't need to see thousands of people," states Spectrus' Lars van Beek. "After all, this is where the good visitors who work with lighting come anyway. We show fixtures from the brands we distribute. Think Emilux, Ideal Lux and One Light, but we also collaborate on projects. For example, we offer guidance on programming Casambi-controlled fixtures." A new Casambi-controlled luminaire was on display at the trade fair. "Of these, it is easy to change the light color, also by setting scenes." 

As an agent importer, Hateha is the exclusive Dutch representative for lighting manufacturers Schuch and Meyer. "At Future Lighting, the people with whom we do projects are definitely present," says Sjaak Hissink. From the company Meyer, a lighting specialist, Hateha showed the lines Monocube and Monospot. They are suitable for lighting both modern and historic architecture. "The illumination of architecture is really an expertise. People used to hardly do this, but we really want to illuminate the beautiful details and then you have to know what you are doing." 

"We are present at Future Lighting to increase our visibility in the market. Nowhere can we see so many customers in two days," said Gerjan Woelders of DMLUX. "Among other things, we are showing Unibright's Smart Tracklight, which focuses on the color it shines on. This comes in very handy in a showroom, for example, or at a performance, to optimally highlight the art. We also notice that in office spaces, pendant luminaires, such as Northcliffe Lighting's Etesian fixture, are increasingly being chosen.

According to Maarten Verbruggen, managing director of Tronix, visitors were waiting before the fair opened. "We met real lighting professionals and had good conversations. There were deliberately few products on display at our booth, because we don't want to talk at length about luminaires. From us ultimately comes the technology and the customer invents the application." One such application is Tronix Black Neon Light, a rope light in silicone casing. When it is black, the light itself appears black.