IIDEX NeoCon Canada/Light Canada took place Sept. 23 to 24 in Toronto, with a wide array of interior design and lighting products on display. Light Canada represented about one-third of the exposition's booths, and presented a series of nine seminars over the two days of the IIDEX conference. Attendees numbered over 15,000, the highest attendance for IIDEX to date.
In the Light Canada exhibit area, Canadian lighting manufacturers were well represented. Two of these, Ruud Lighting Canada and Contrast Lighting, received awards for their booth design. A lighting feature by Traxon Technologies, built in collaboration with Toronto custom lighting manufacturer Lighting Nelson & Garrett, served as a centerpiece for the Light Canada area. Suspended from the exhibit hall ceiling, this cylindrical beacon used programmed color-changing LEDs to create a festive atmosphere. LEDs were on display in nearly every booth, incorporated into decorative and architectural luminaires. Six of the exhibiting manufacturers were recipients of IIDEX Innovation Awards for new products, and all but one of their awards were for LED-based products.
A range of informative topics was offered in the seminar series. Dr. Joan Roberts of Fordham University presented research findings on the effects of lighting on human circadian rhythm and health. Lighting designers Philip Gabriel of Toronto-based Gabriel Mackinnon, Denise Fong of Seattle-based Candela, and Avraham Mor of Chicago-based Lightswitch, along with architect Rada Doytcheva of RADA Architects in Chicago, each spoke on different aspects of lighting for urban spaces, including sustainable lighting, lighting for heritage areas, and dynamic lighting projects. Howard Yaphe (with lighting manufacturer Canlyte Philips) presented a comprehensive summary of solid-state lighting technology as it relates to various applications, along with an overview of recent standards and advances in LED lighting solutions.
Light Canada has continued to grow since its inception in 2007, with great support and enthusiasm from the Illuminating Engineering Society's (IES) Toronto Section, IIDEX Neocon Canada, and lighting communities across Canada. Toronto's next big lighting event comes this November when it hosts the 2010 IES Annual Conference, Nov. 7 to 9.
Jesse Blonstein is a lighting designer with Lightbrigade Architectural Lighting Design in Toronto.
