Lovers of Light is a cocktail networking game show introduced to entertain and engage the lighting community. The structure features two exciting rounds: a 15-minute opener with three topics, followed by a 10-minute lightning round. Audience members vote by applause to award symbolic points, making participation highly interactive. The game show includes six contestants, each adopting a creative alter ego with a bio and walk-on music, competing for a prize. This networking event is moderated by Dave Young and includes a scorekeeper, buzzer system, cocktails, and a panel of experts, bringing together engagement and professional discussion.

Understanding marketplace dynamics is essential when introducing disruptive lighting products or services, whether powered by AI or not. Artificial Intelligence is currently the most disruptive technology this century. This session will explore why groundbreaking innovation fails without market alignment. We’ll explore how to identify the five buying groups, their consistent patterns, starting with early adopters. Provide an overview the 5 W’s of AI – Who, What, When, Where and Why. Key implications for the Canadian Lighting Industry, Lighting Companies and You – As Investors, Owners, Management and Employees.

“Seek first to understand, then to be understood.” – Steve Covey.

Recommended prerequisite – Overviews of Geoffrey Moore’s Crossing the Chasm and Zone to Win.

Learning Objectives
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

• Understand Why AI-Driven Digitization Reshapes Lighting Workflows: Attendees will grasp the implications of Bold’s 6 D’s (Digitization, Deception, Disruption, Demonetization, Dematerialization, Democratization) on lighting industry workflows, using the film-to-digital camera analogy to recognize patterns of resistance and transformation. They’ll reflect on questions like “Why do lighting workflows resist digitization?” to anticipate changes, such as Ontario’s LED retrofit (80% in 15 years)
• Recognize Why Adoption Patterns Determine Competitive Positioning: Attendees will learn why AI’s adoption follows the Crossing the Chasm model (Innovators, Early Adopters, Majority, Laggards) and its implications for their roles in Canada’s lighting industry (Slide 3). By reflecting on “Why is my workplace on this curve?” and noting stats like 12.2% Canadian businesses using AI, they’ll assess their position and the risks of lagging behind.
• Explore Why Implications Are Central to Navigating AI’s Future: Attendees will understand the FOCIS framework (Facts, Opportunities, Challenges, Implications, Solutions), with a focus on why implications (e.g., 60–80% job offload, privacy risks) drive strategic thinking in a rapidly shifting AI landscape (Slide 4). Interactive discussion prompts (e.g., “List one implication for your role”) will encourage them to identify personal and industry-specific “why’s,” reinforced by Canada’s $4.4B AI Strategy.
• Adopt a Forest-View Mindset for Ongoing AI Reflection: Attendees will learn to apply a high-level, forest-view perspective to uncover unseen AI implications (e.g., Musk’s moveable power plant, 10x–1000x productivity gains) and commit to ongoing reflection through actions like writing a “why” question post-talk (Slide 5). Resources like The Rundown AI (therundown.ai) will equip them to stay updated on high-level AI trends, ensuring they remain ahead in the $

Building on last year’s Sustainable Lighting session, this presentation explores the next frontier: integrating daylight, renewable energy, storage, and advanced lighting controls. We will examine how daylight harvesting, dynamic shading, on-site solar PV, and battery storage can reduce reliance on artificial lighting while improving comfort and resilience. A key focus will be networked lighting controls (NLCs) and their ability to support demand response and peak load reduction, especially through Ontario’s Save on Energy incentives. Attendees will see how combining storage, predictive controls, and renewable-aware strategies enables buildings to actively support grid flexibility, carbon reduction, and long-term sustainability.

Learning Objectives

• Explain how daylight harvesting, dynamic shading, and renewable integration reduce artificial lighting demand while improving occupant comfort.
• Evaluate the role of battery storage and DC microgrids in supporting resilient, renewable-powered lighting systems.
• Identify how networked lighting controls (NLCs) enable demand response and peak load reduction, and how these are supported by Ontario’s Save on Energy incentives.
• Apply predictive and grid-interactive lighting strategies to help buildings actively contribute to grid flexibility and decarbonization.

The vast majority of lighting design research is focused on architectural and human-centric lighting. A knowledge gap exists between lighting designers, manufacturers and distributors and horticultural lighting practices. As interest in controlled-environment agriculture grows, the need increases for lighting professionals to create effective horticultural lighting systems in environments where the needs of plants, rather than people, dictate the lighting strategy. This paper provides a broad overview of horticultural lighting, including key metrics, luminaire choices, and the current state of the field. We also highlight key differences between horticultural and human-centric lighting, with the goal of orienting lighting professionals to the unique requirements of plant growth. We discuss the differences in how light is quantified for plants, using spectral quantum flux as opposed to spectral power, as well as the active spectral ranges for human visible light and plants (PAR and PBAR). Topics also include the effects of different wavelengths, light quantity, timing, and duration of lighting, as well as the spatial distribution of light. By outlining these critical distinctions, this paper aims to bridge the knowledge gap for designers, manufacturers and distributors in adapting their expertise to meet horticultural demands. Note that the article is not intended to provide a comprehensive review, but rather an overview and introduction to the key concerns in horticultural lighting design.

Learning Objectives
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

• Identify the various important lighting metrics and how they differ from human needs.
• Be aware of the difference between spectral quantum flux and spectral power in how the former is the required manner to gauge lighting for horticulture.
• Identify some critical distinctions such as the effects of different wavelengths, light quantity, timing, and duration of lighting, as well as the spatial distribution of light.
• Understand there is a knowledge gap for adapting design expertise to meet horticultural demands and being able to articulate the those differences.

Find out what you need to know for your next exterior lighting project from these lighting professionals covering best practices in both design and product. Learn strategies to balance human and environmental needs, reduce wasted light and skyglow, and create effective, responsible night-time-active spaces.

Learning Objectives
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

• Describe trends and issues shaping outdoor lighting design.
• Consider the balance between the need for outdoor lighting and the need for beneficial darkness.
• Understand ways to specify, compare, and select lighting products.
• Identify outdoor lighting design and application resources available within the IES Lighting Library.

This panel will spotlight the power of collaboration between Interior Designers and Lighting Designers through two compelling case studies. By walking through real projects, our panelists will reveal how early partnership, shared vision, and integrated design decisions elevate both function and aesthetics. Panelists will share how working together from the start doesn’t just enhance the design process, it delivers better, more impactful and more inspiring spaces.

When designers work together, spaces shine brighter.

Session Overview

This ARIDO Lunch Panel will showcase how collaboration between interior designers and lighting designers has shaped award-winning projects. By highlighting the unique contributions of both disciplines, this session will demonstrate how intentional collaboration enhances design outcomes and creates spaces that truly resonate with users.

Through case studies, panelists will share insights into the design process, challenges, and successes achieved when lighting design and interior design come together.

Key Takeaways

• Understand how early collaboration between interior designers and lighting designers leads to innovative and functional solutions.
• Explore real-world case studies demonstrating how lighting elevates interior design concepts.
• Gain practical strategies for integrating interdisciplinary perspectives into project workflows.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

• Identify the unique roles and contributions of lighting designers and interior designers in creating cohesive project outcomes.
• Analyze and help identify where collaboration between the two disciplines can directly impact the functionality, aesthetics, and user experience of a space.
• Apply strategies for integrating lighting design considerations early in the interior design process to enhance project success.
• Evaluate best practices for fostering effective interdisciplinary collaboration to achieve innovative and sustainable design solutions.

For over a decade the lighting industry has attempted to bring the benefits of healthy lighting to market, across a number of sectors. Most of this work has focused on Sleep and Circadian responses and patterns. These have proved to be difficult to implement in real world settings. Efforts have fallen short of hopes and expectations despite being built on a good foundation of scientific evidence. Why is this? Perhaps we need new ideas by looking at the science, applications, and benefits of healthy light from new perspectives. This will inform us with new ways of addressing markets, selling products, and generating revenue.

We will start by looking at how light affects the brain and nervous system. There is more to this than meets the eye; the body maintains a dynamic balance between a number of physiological processes affecting arousal, alertness, pain, mood, mental health, immune function, eye health, and other things.

Moving beyond the physiological functions of light, we will discuss how lighting can be applied to address a number of the health concerns that our fellow human beings live with in their daily lives. These can be neurological, psychological or just an expression of personal preferences. They range from addressing immediate needs to the long-term management of chronic conditions. When applied in these ways, lighting can be a bridge between scientific knowledge and support of deeply humanistic core values. Isn’t that the business we aspire to be in?

Finally, we will consider ways to tangibly deliver on the promise of lighting as a Health and Wellness solution. What products and services should we be offering and selling, and with what capabilities? How do we deliver both tangible and intangible value to customers? What knowledge and skills will be required to do so? Which markets offer the best opportunities to do so? How do we demonstrate that we have delivered on what we are promising? The good news is that the technology to deliver beneficial effects of lighting already exist, and nobody will have to go back to school to learn a new skill unless they wish to. Instead we are re-framing our offerings, engaging customers in meaningful and value-based ways.

Learning Objectives
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

• Gain an understanding of how light affects the brain and the nervous system in a physiological manner.
• Obtain a basic understanding of how light can be used to address a number of health concerns for a better quality of life.
• Articulate the need of suitable and effective lighting for health considerations to clients.
• Apply lighting for health beyond circadian for home and client’s projects.

This session delves into how colour changing light technology works as well as the “whys, whens, and whats” to consider in application to projects. The presentation carries increasing relevance due to the ever-growing usage of dynamic light in our cities, from large commercial/institutional developments to personal properties; this type of technology and application considerations is only becoming more expected for design consideration, if not final inclusion. With this presentation I hope to prepare your team to better understand the technology and how it best fits (or doesn’t) within a design.

Learning Objectives
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

• Learn to speak and understand the nomenclature of Dynamic Lighting
• Understand how Dynamic Lighting devices work and connect.
• Gain insight into core Dynamic Design principles.