Inaugural Light Middle East Awards Expected To Attract Wide Response From Regional Lighting Design Industry

The inaugural edition of the Light Middle East Awards which will be held alongside Light Middle East 2013, taking place next month from October 7th to 9th, is expected to attract a strong response from the regional lighting design community. Designed to recognise and celebrate excellence in lighting and design, the Awards will feature some of the outstanding examples of lighting design excellence in the region.

Being held with the support of the Emirates Society of Engineers, the Light Middle East Awards will cover a range of different categories, emphasising the importance of innovative design in various applications. 

The award categories are:

• Innovative lighting project of the year
• Sustainable lighting project of the year
• Lighting for Public Building
• Residential Lighting project of the year
• Interior Lighting for a hotel project
• Exterior Lighting for a hotel project
• Retail Lighting project of the year
   

Nominated projects in the various categories will be shortlisted and evaluated by a jury of select lighting design experts with the final results being announced at the awards ceremony itself.

Evaluating the merits of the nominated projects will be: Florence Lam, Director/Head of Global Lighting Design at Arup; Martin Valentine, Lighting Expert at the Municipality of Abu Dhabi; Robert Reid, Asst. Professor, College of Architecture, Art & Design, American University of Sharjah; Ahmed Abdulla Al Salami, Head of Business Systems Development Unit, Qualification & Building Studies Section, Building Department, Dubai Municipality and Barry Hannaford, Director, Spa Lighting Consultants FZ LLC.

Ahmed Abdulla Al Salami, commenting on the awards, said: “There has been no such platform in the region for recognising excellent work in lighting design. The Light Middle East awards will fill this void and award outstanding projects from across the region. This will be a great way to encourage further innovation and forward thinking in lighting design and will also serve to make case studies on regional best practices available in the market.”

The Awards will culminate in a glittering gathering of leading lighting designers, industry luminaries and select guests and will be one of  the biggest industry gatherings of its kind in the region.

“The object of the Awards is not just to recognise outstanding examples of design excellence in lighting projects but to also underline the importance of design and conceptualisation in fashioning lighting solutions,” said Ahmed Pauwels, CEO of Epoc Messe Frankfurt. “As the foremost trade and networking platform for lighting design in the region, Light Middle East is the ideal stage to highlight and promote regional design talent,” he added.

Murray Cameron, Regional Manager Middle East for ERCO Lighting Pte. Ltd, one of the world's largest lighting design companies, stated:

“ERCO is excited to be part of the first ever Light Middle East Awards, it is a perfect opportunity for designers and consultants to not only showcase their lighting designs but also to be celebrated for the amazing contributions they have made to projects within the region. The awards also provide us with the opportunity to offer our support to the Middle East design community and we look forward to  a continued involvement with them on their future projects.”

Light Middle East 2013 is expected to attract strong interest from the regional lighting and design fraternity. The exhibition will highlight the latest in innovative products and design with an emphasis on energy efficient products and sustainable lighting solutions.

Light Middle East 2013 will also feature Light Insight Arabia - a comprehensive programme of conferences and workshops. Highly acclaimed by lighting industry professionals, designers and consultants, the interactive forums, instructional workshops and seminars will throw fresh light on key industry issues and trends.