My colleagues and I at Endeavor Business Media (EBM) have recently rebranded our venerable Strategies in Light conference, expanding the focus outward to encompass more industries and emerging technology areas, including building and construction, design engineering, energy, the Internet of Things (IoT), and smart buildings and cities. Like many industries, we’re adapting to the pandemic and economic disruption by planning to include a virtual overlay for the conference, so there are now more options to participate.
EBM is the largest business media company in the US, with deep expertise in the professional development market and a diverse portfolio of media brands across many industries including building and construction, industrial, city services, healthcare, transportation, energy, design, and technology. Our team has made a concerted effort to make Strategies in Light a unique and powerful learning and networking experience, based on connecting people, technology, systems, ideas, and solutions in the built environment. If you’re an expert in lighting or any of these other areas, we invite you to participate by submitting an abstract to speak at the conference, which is scheduled for Feb. 9‒11, 2021 at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA.
Lighting provides a vital connection
to the evolution of an intelligent,
adaptive, and resilient built environment.
Systems are becoming increasingly connected
The lighting industry has been talking about “connected lighting” for some time, but if we ask, “connected to what?” the answer so far has generally been about lighting being connected to itself rather than to other important building systems and services. The transformation that’s taking place with lighting and, more slowly, with other building systems, is the addition of two capabilities layered on top of control systems: sensing and analytics. These two layers are part of a bigger shift in the entire construction industry, which is that what has evolved for centuries as a largely craft-based, rule-of-thumb practice is becoming evidence-based, driven by measurement and analysis. So far, lighting has played a part in driving this shift — by hosting sensor systems on top of its network — but has lagged behind as lighting practitioners have for the most part not yet developed the expertise to manage new technologies such as IoT.
Increasingly, building owners want the benefits of unified, connected systems, where sensors and analytics begin to optimize not only energy use but all system operations, saving time and money, providing a healthier environment, and preserving or increasing the asset value of real estate. Lighting provides a vital connection to the evolution of an intelligent, adaptive, and resilient built environment. There is historical precedent for this connection: Lighting led the way with electrification over a century ago and can help lead the way to a more connected world today.
Conferences shape the future. You can, too
Conferences have always played a vital role in the development and direction of industries, technologies, and science. Strategies in Light has one of the strongest and most visionary teams in the industry that can execute on providing strategic direction for the future. By speaking at the conference, you can help to show lighting and other building industry professionals how lighting can lead the way.
Get to know our expert
CLIFTON STANLEY LEMON is CEO of Clifton Lemon Associates, a consultancy providing strategy, product development, marketing, and education services to manufacturers and firms in the lighting and energy sectors, and is co-chair of Strategies in Light. Formerly marketing communications manager for Soraa, Lemon has deep knowledge of sustainability, MEP, lighting, and LED technology; is well connected to the Bay Area, national and international AEC and lighting communities; and is passionate about lighting, sustainable building, and behavioral issues in the built environment. He is an active writer and speaker and is a past president of the Illuminating Engineering Society, San Francisco Section, and is on the advisory boards of LightFair International and LightShow West.
