On the theme of this year’s show, Ms Lucia Wong, Deputy General Manager of Messe Frankfurt (HK) commented: “The goal of this year’s fair was to focus on the future, and to encourage the industry to be optimistic about the positive developments and technological advancements that are and will continue to emerge. That’s why we chose the theme ‘The Future is Now’, focusing on the four main areas of technological innovation, strengthening market segments, promoting cross-industry collaboration and adding value to the lighting industry. In addition we aimed to work with the sector to promote a transition towards personalisation, digitalisation, energy-saving and quality improvement.”
Ms Wong continued: “The industry landscape is going through a number of changes at present due to technological innovation and evolution in the concept of lighting, with new business models emerging and lighting companies adjusting the direction of their product development in order to adapt. This has been evident from the new products and technologies on display at this year’s fair, as well as the changing sourcing demands from visitors. And while the situation with the pandemic in the lead up to the fair naturally restricted the number of visitors in attendance this year, we are optimistic that the industry is in a good position to recover and thrive, driven by these new advances in lighting technology.”
The Future is Now: innovative products for a new smart lighting era
In addition to smart lighting markets such as smart home, smart city lighting and smart light poles continuing to grow, new sectors are also emerging. Some key examples include smart health lighting, educational lighting and agricultural lighting, all of which were on display at this year’s GILE is the perfect platform to showcase these kinds of products and an ideal place for businesses to source them.
At this year’s fair, the organisers in collaboration with the Shanghai Pudong Intelligent Lighting Association (SILA), developed the first ever Smart-health crossover demonstration pavilion to better highlight the latest IoT and smart technologies, and various smart lighting applications. It aimed to support lighting manufacturers in developing partnerships with other industry players related to various applications, including smart modules, cloud computing, gateways, industrial design, IoT solutions, apps, sensors, big data and AI.
Highlights of the fringe programme
More than 250 seminars and forums revolving around the theme ‘The New Decade of Lighting’ were held as part of the concurrent fringe programme. The Cultural and Night Tourism Pavilion was another highlight of the fair, which included both a lighting art display and an event programme.
Exhibitors’ comments
“This year we came to GILE with our smart home products, including a home intelligent control system. This edition the buyers who came to the fair are those who want to bring something new to the table. They are the ones who want to find better opportunities for cooperation and learning, and to make the lighting market even better. You can also see that there are many manufacturers exhibiting smart products this year.”
Mr Baiyu Liu, Senior Product Manager, Product Department, TCL Very Lighting Technology (Huizhou) Co Ltd, China
“Everyone knows that GILE is the biggest trade fair for lighting in China. We discovered that in recent years, the diversity, scale and number of the fair’s exhibitors have improved greatly. GILE has become an opportunity for showcase, communication and learning for the various sectors in the lighting field, so we will continue to participate. On the other hand, we think that the industry has entered a fiercely competitive stage that requires us to work together to find out how we can grow and increase the industry’s overall output value – and GILE has provided us with such an opportunity to do so.”
Mr Li Peng, Deputy General Manager, SANANBIO, China
“It was a good decision to go ahead with the fair this year, and we are as determined as ever to participate. People here are still optimistic overall, and there have been more visitors than expected. At present in the Chinese lighting industry, smart lighting, agricultural lighting and education lighting are all promising trends. We have already invested in education lighting and achieved great results, and have collaborated with smart manufacturers such as Tuya in the field of smart lighting.”
Mr Deming Lin, Brand Centre Manager, Guangdong OML Polytron Technologies Inc, China
“There is a positive outlook in the health lighting market segment in China as the country has placed great importance on the health of youngsters, especially when it comes to lighting in schools. We’re glad to see more exhibitors here are focusing on products related to this trend. We joined the fair this year as we want to send out a positive sign to our clients and the industry at one of the most reputable lighting industry events in the world.”
Mr Yong Shen, Lighting Business General Manager, Shenzhen Fluence Technology PLC, China
“This is our company's first time to attend GILE. We learned from the industry that the fair is one of the most influential exhibitions in China, so our headquarters decided that since we plan to enter the Chinese market, we will need to exhibit here to use this very good platform to showcase and introduce our products.”
Mr Ton Qin, PM China (LED Lighting Division), Vossloh-Schwabe Lighting Solutions (Zhuhai) Ltd, China
Visitors’ comments
“I visit GILE every year. So far I’ve connected with some suppliers who we’ve worked with before, and we also want to learn about what’s new in the market from other exhibitors so we can have better planning of our business for the second half of this year and beyond. A lot of exhibitors here focus on products for plant lighting, and this is an area full of potential in the future.”
Mr Zhixiang Deng, Sourcer, Shenzhen Tai Lang Decoration Co Ltd, China
“This is our sixth time at GILE. We hope to find controls and systems, and we’ve also looked at some innovative antimicrobial LED lights. We have communicated with some companies and exchanged contacts already. I think the fair can help the industry to recover from the pandemic and generate more business opportunities.”|
Mr Xie Qing Sen, Sourcing Assistant, DECC, China
Speakers’ comments
“Our purpose of joining today’s forum was to convey the message that our products and technologies are suitable for many of the participants of this fair. Through participating, we saw some very interesting adornments and designs. We are an exhibitor at GILE as well, and since it is not easy to find new customers during the pandemic, we hope to make use of this platform to meet with new customers.”
Mr John Liu, CEO, Ayla, China
“I think the forums at GILE are very suitable to enable interactions and further cooperation amongst different parts of the industry. It is great for us to learn more about the industry and have sharing sessions through this platform. I believe GILE is extremely successful as I can see every participant is trying to find their own direction and seek a breakthrough. What’s more, the fair is becoming an international trading platform which is beneficial for the whole industry.”
Mr Wang Jun Jie, General Manager, Light & Shadow Technology Co Ltd, China
Audience comments
“This forum has been very rewarding. I want to learn about the development trends of plant lighting and the demand for this as we may launch new products in the future. Through this forum I have discovered a number of new things. We are also here to visit our customers’ booths, to seek new products and further cooperation opportunities, and we will definitely visit the fair again to look for more new innovations.”
Mr Wang Zhao Can, Account Manager, JiangXi JingLiang Sci & Tech Corporation, China
The next editions of Guangzhou International Lighting Exhibition and Guangzhou Electrical Building Technology are scheduled to take place from 9 – 12 June 2022.
Guangzhou International Lighting Exhibition is part of Messe Frankfurt’s Light + Building Technology fair portfolio headed by the biennial Light + Building event in Frankfurt, Germany. The next edition will be held from 13 – 18 March 2022.
Messe Frankfurt organises a number of trade fairs for the light and building technology sectors in Asia, including Shanghai Intelligent Building Technology, Shanghai Smart Home Technology, Parking China, Thailand Building Fair and Thailand Lighting Fair. The company’s lighting and building technology trade fairs also cover the markets in Argentina, India, Russia and the UAE.
For more information on Light + Building shows worldwide, please visit http://www.brand.light-building.com. For more information regarding the lighting shows in China, please visit http://www.light.messefrankfurt.com.cn or email light@china.messefrankfurt.com.
Background information on Messe Frankfurt
The Messe Frankfurt Group is the world’s largest trade fair, congress and event organiser with its own exhibition grounds. The Group employs approximately 2,450 people at its headquarters in Frankfurt am Main and in 29 subsidiaries around the world. The company generated annual sales of approximately €257 million in 2020 after having recorded sales of €736 million the previous year. Even in difficult times caused by the coronavirus pandemic, we are globally networked with our industry sectors. We have close ties with our industry sectors and serve our customers’ business interests efficiently within the framework of our Fairs & Events, Locations and Services business fields. One of the Group’s key USPs is its closely knit global sales network, which extends throughout the world. Our comprehensive range of services – both onsite and online – ensures that customers worldwide enjoy consistently high quality and flexibility when planning, organising and running their events. We are expanding our digital expertise with new business models. The wide range of services includes renting exhibition grounds, trade fair construction and marketing, personnel and food services. Headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, the company is owned by the City of Frankfurt (60 percent) and the State of Hesse (40 percent).
For more information, please visit our website at: www.messefrankfurt.com
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