From lighting controls to lighting as a service, the National Association of Innovative Lighting Distributors (NAILD)’s upcoming conference offerings will prepare lighting companies for the next wave of success.
NAILD Innovation 2018, Unlocking the Future of Lighting, will be held Feb. 13-16, 2018, at the Westin Mission Hills Golf Resort & Spa in Rancho Mirage, Calif. Register by clicking here or by calling (609) 297-2216.
“We help our member companies thrive in an ever-changing market,” NAILD President Robin Watt says. “From our educational sessions to the Product Sprint to the business relationships that are forged at the conference, NAILD offers the resources you need to position your business for future success. We look forward to seeing everyone this year.”
NAILD Innovation 2018 will offer lighting professionals educational sessions, workshops, golf and other networking opportunities, as well as a first-hand look at innovative lighting products on the market. The organization will also present its second annual Forces Under 40 awards, recognizing the next generation of rising stars in the industry.
The 2018 educational sessions:
- Who Moved My Light Bulb: Adapting Your Business for the Future: Industry consultant Paul Hafner will moderate an attendee workshop, featuring four industry practitioners who have adapted their businesses to face the new realities of lighting and emergence of controls.
Randy Johnson, president, U.S. Lamp
Craig Meadows, president, CTI Energy Group
Cory Schneider, CEO, Lighting Unlimited
Steven Spritzer, principal, Monterey Lighting - The Lighting Industry: Today’s Landscape and Tomorrow’s War for the Ceiling: Jack Curran of the U.S. Department of Energy will highlight changes that have rocked the lighting industry during the past decade and the revolution still looming.
- Lumens as a Service: Iain Campbell of the Rocky Mountain Institute will explain how to develop relationships with the specialized financiers behind this model to deliver value to clients and secure market advantage.
- Indoor Horticulture: Learn How to Navigate This Budding Market: Dave Inman of ProGrowTech will outline the growing market for indoor horticulture lighting—from biofuel to row crops to vertical farming and cannabis. Learn the lighting design differences for greenhouse and warehouse cultivation, what makes a quality horticulture fixture and tips to sell to the cannabis market.
- Light and Health: What We Know, What We Don’t Know and What We Need to Know: Mariana Figueiro of the Lighting Research Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute will explain how light isn’t just for vision. When lighting throws off circadian rhythms, the effects can be detrimental to human health. Hear about the its research and how to improve living environments with healthy lighting.
- The Rise of Autonomous Buildings: How AI and Sensors are Transforming Buildings: Dan Ryan of VergeSense will discuss how a combination of technologies—from intelligent sensors to connected Internet of Things devices to edge computing and artificial intelligence —is laying the foundation for the buildings of the future.
- Removing Barriers to Market Adoption: A representative of the DesignLights Consortium will discuss efforts to provide more transparency and predictability for future requirements and specifications for color tuning, field adjustable products, replacement lamp form factors, horticultural lighting, networked lighting controls and flicker.
The Product Sprint offers exhibitors the opportunity to showcase their products and member voting will determine the winners in six categories: Best Luminaire, Best Lamp, Best Control, Best Ballast/Driver, Best Accessory/Service and Best Overall.
Organized Casual Conferences (OCCs) give members a chance to get in front of new customers in an organized networking format. Distributors will have an opportunity for one-on-one introductions with vendors.
NAILD members are lighting distributors, manufacturers of lighting equipment, products and supplies used by MRO, contractor and facility end-user customers. Members also include full-line electrical distributors, energy service companies, lighting sales reps and other industry stakeholders.
For more information on NAILD’s Annual Conference, visit the website.