Environment & Energy | Friday 5 June, 2015 9:57 am |

The 4th edition of the annual Middle East Smart Lighting and Energy Summit will be held on 23-24 November 2015 at Jumeirah at Etihad Towers in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Produced by global conference organizers, Expotrade, the summit has evolved into Middle East’s leading energy efficient lighting event, with over 400 lighting industry professionals expected to attend. Featuring renowned local and international speakers and panelists, the summit’s agenda includes keynote presentations, panel discussions and case studies.
This year’s edition will be attended by municipality and public works officials, lighting designers, architects, engineers, consultants, developers and public sector representatives, among others. The speakers and delegates will discuss topics ranging from latest advancements in lighting technology to different strategies adopted in smart lighting, automation, fixtures, façade lighting, street lighting, architectural lighting, indoor lighting and urban lighting.
Lighting solutions are growing increasingly important in the UAE to realize plans of improving visual appeal using sustainable methods and technology. The Abu Dhabi City Municipality has recently replaced the traditional lighting of Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Zayed Bridge with a state-of-the-art LED system, which has significantly enhanced the beauty of the landmark and contributed to a sustainable environment by reducing power consumption by more than 77%. Also of significance is the fact that the UAE lighting industry is now worth Dh1 billion with an estimated growth of 15% in 2015. Industry reports indicate energy-efficient lighting products constitute 20% of this industry and are estimated to grow at an annual growth rate of 300% in 2015.
In such a scenario, the Middle East Smart Lighting and Energy Summit 2015 offers an ideal opportunity to learn more about the possibilities in the market and understand trends and emerging technologies in the global lighting industry. Key topics will include local municipalities’ lighting strategies and energy conservation plans; smart streetlight solutions; LED solutions; new-age lighting controls; light pollution and much more.
Speakers and panelists at this year’s edition include Martin Valentine, Lighting Expert, Abu Dhabi City Municipality; Florence Lam, Director, Global Lighting Design Leader, Arup; Dr. Martine Knoop, Lecturer at the Chair of Lighting Technology, Technische Universität; Martin Klaasen, Design Director, Klaasen Lighting Design; Faisal Ali Hassan Rashid, Director – Demand Side Management, Dubai Supreme Council of Energy; Dr. Simon Hugh Miller, Product Conformity Senior Analyst, Conformity Scheme Services - Product Conformity, Abu Dhabi Quality & Conformity Council; and many more.
The 2014 edition’s success consolidated its reputation as the leading lighting event in the region, with attendees’ commenting favorably on the summit. Martin Valentine, Lighting Expert, Abu Dhabi City Municipality, said, “It’s bigger and better than ever. I’m extremely happy to see that we have got exceptional delegates from the major stakeholders, the major specifiers, all our consultants; and have got the best of the industry supporting it.”
Simone Collon, Associate – Lighting Practice Leader Europe, Arup, said, “I think the conference is just about perfect. It’s a great mix of technical presentations and holistic, inspiring and creative presentations. And that’s exactly what was needed. I am pleased to have been able to speak here and meet a lot of people. Overall, I think it was a great event.”
Brad Hariharan, Regional Director, Expotrade Middle East, organizers of the conference, said, “Energy-efficient lighting is critical for furthering global sustainability goals. It is of special importance in the UAE in particular, because of its commitment to sustainable urban development and a greener future for its cities. With the opportunities in the sector opening up, the Middle East Smart Lighting and Energy Summit is primed to be the ideal platform to discuss the latest advancements in lighting technology as well as the current and future projects in the region. It gives us great pleasure to bring such a platform to our audience.”