LiGHT Expo Now Has Same Parent as Lightfair

Less than two years after taking over (and rebranding) Lightfair, German trade show organizer Messe Frankfurt has added a British lighting show to its Light + Building portfolio.

Messe Frankfurt, headquartered in Germany, has acquired LiGHT Expo London from [d]arc media. The show will be run out of Messe Frankfurt’s London subsidiary.

A relative newcomer to the lighting trade show circuit, LiGHT was launched in 2022 and has become one of the UK’s leading events for the lighting specification community, bringing together architects, interior designers, lighting designers, engineers, specifiers and international lighting brands.

This recent acquisition adds LiGHT to Messe Frankfurt’s Light + Building portfolio and reinforces the organization’s commitment to supporting the lighting industry through premium trade fairs and industry platforms. The portfolio includes events in Frankfurt, Buenos Aires, Dubai, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Istanbul, Kuala Lumpur, Las Vegas, Mumbai, New Delhi, Shanghai, and Tashkent.

The Messe Frankfurt UK office will build on the strong foundations created by [d]arc media, while preserving the event’s distinctive community-focused identity and commitment to the lighting specification market. Show founder [d]arc media will remain closely involved, continuing to support the event through promotional activity and the curation of its content program.

Noted Messe Frankfurt UK CEO, Simon Albert, “LiGHT has become one of the most important meeting places for the UK lighting and design community in a remarkably short space of time. We have long admired what the [d]arc media team has built and the passionate community that has grown around the event.”

He added, “This acquisition represents an exciting opportunity to support LiGHT’s continued growth as part of Messe Frankfurt’s international lighting portfolio, while carefully preserving the qualities that have made it such a success. We are committed to investing in the event for the long term and ensuring it continues to deliver exceptional value for exhibitors, visitors and the wider lighting industry.”

Paul James, MD of [d]arc media echoed the sentiments, “When considering the future of LiGHT, it was important for us to find a partner that not only had the scale and expertise to support the event’s growth, but also genuinely understood the lighting industry and the community we have built around it.”

He continued, “Messe Frankfurt UK shares our commitment to the sector and brings significant experience in delivering high-quality international events. We are excited to support the next chapter of LiGHT’s journey and look forward to seeing the event continue to flourish.”

The next edition of LiGHT Expo is slated for November 18 and 19 at the Business Design Center in Islington, London.

The next edition of Light + Intelligent Building North America (the rebranded event formerly known as Lightfair) will be held March 15 to 18, 2027 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

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