During LightFair (North America’s annual largest trade show of architectural and commercial lighting ) 2008, most attendees were caught up in the waves of excitement and opportunity washing in and around the booths featuring LEDs and LED fixtures, reports JULIE MACSHANE.

More than 19,800 attendees flooded LightFair 2008, and it seemed like most spent their time pooling in the booths of LED exhibitors. Once there, architects, designers and specifiers jammed together in the small spaces and asked big questions about using LEDs in their products and applications: How bright? What colors? How much money can I save? Many visitors were looking at LEDs as the long-term lighting strategy to save energy and thus money, a more urgent quest with the price of oil rising ever higher.

Exhibitors Galore

Along with attendees, there were 510 exhibitors spanning more than 157,000 square feet - LFI’s largest show floor to date. As usual, the exhibitors made their own piece of real estate into a totally unique space. From Belfer Lighting’s showy, bar-inspired booth to the tough metallic lines of Albeo Technology’s troffers, there was something for everyone interested in LED fixtures, not to mention the latest options in LEDs.

Above the booths, area and street lights were aglow. If the convention center had turned off lights at the back of the hall,  visitors would have had no problem navigating the area, what with the high displays mounted at Cree, Beta/Ruud and Acuity Brands Holophane, said LEDs Magazine contributing editor Brian Owen.

Along with the bright overheads, there were stars of another kind. A delegation from the Clinton Foundation’s Clinton Climate Initiative LED by Lighting Domain director Michael Cavallo toured LightFair to assess solid-state lighting technology and products for CCI’s outdoor public space and commercial building initiatives. The DOE was also there to announce it’s new Bright Tomorrow “L” Prize competition designed to spur lighting manufacturers to develop high quality, high efficiency SSL products to replace the common light bulb.

So, from LightFair we come to know LED Lighting is likely to be the most popular lighting in the future.