Lightovation Recap: It’s Complicated

By Linda Longo

It used to be that the “success” of a trade show was measured in body count: how many people filled the halls, atriums, and showrooms. That metric has changed over the years — away from how many orders were placed on-site and more toward how many qualified buyers attended and expressed interest. The truth is, order-writing had already been waning way before the pandemic. Over the past decade, “market orders” appear to be made by consensus at the showrooms after the buyers return.  

Now, while manufacturers have told me that not as many orders were placed during Lightovation as in years past, I observed plenty of buyers viewing the lines with their reps, creating Wish Lists on sales tablets, and making plans to order within 30 days. I consider that to be a positive sign of market conditions; those boom times in the 1990s and early 2000s aren’t going to happen to that degree again. In addition, that bump in sales that many experienced during the pandemic when consumers were spending discretionary dollars on renovation projects in lieu of travel and entertainment is not likely to repeat in the immediate future since those home décor, furniture, and lighting purchases are only a few years old, therefore still “new” in consumers’ minds.

Then came the biggest disruptor for Lightovation: the unfortunate timing of a rare snowstorm in Dallas. Reps told me they had last-minute cancellations due to the weather — and those weren’t only from among buyers in driving distance, but also from other states where air travel was significantly impacted because of the storm’s wide path. The weather’s impact made assessing how well the market was faring even more difficult.

In speaking with those buyers who did come to Lightovation as well as exhibiting manufacturers, I learned that most had experienced a flat year in 2024 and were expecting about the same for 2025. Whenever anyone told me that their sales were up for 2024, the number they cited was often under five percent (with three percent being more typical).

Now for some better news. Instead of playing it safe in a lackluster economy, most manufacturers pulled out all the stops in developing and presenting innovative and creative lighting designs. Better yet, buyers seemed eager to bring in the new looks versus merely replacing staid stock. The reason has everything to do with maintaining a competitive advantage (in design freshness) over the online retailers.

Interestingly, many showroom buyers I spoke with were interested in diversifying into the light commercial/architectural category and were exploring companies at Lightovation that they hadn’t purchased from previously in order to tap that market. While the overall number of starter homes being built has recently slowed nationwide, there has been noticeable growth regionally in smaller hotels, boutiques, non-chain restaurants, and multifamily properties in many areas that showrooms serve. In those scenarios, showrooms are looking for slightly more decorative options than what specifiers and electrical contractors would typically find while still remaining price competitive.

As expected, amid the optimism and fresh designs displayed at Lightovation, there was talk about impending tariffs. Since President Trump made his plans known prior to the election, almost all of the manufacturers I spoke with have been preparing for what appears to be an inevitable increase. Even exhibiting manufacturers who import from countries other than China have been maximizing their inventory levels since summer in order to lessen the financial blow to their customers should all of the proposed tariffs take full effect within Q1. Of course, mitigating the financial impact on customers can only last for so long if the tariffs become permanent.  

Overall, it’s my opinion that the “market temperature” at Lightovation was relatively optimistic among both manufacturers and showrooms. The year 2025 will bring some economic changes – what those might be is still undetermined – but everyone in the industry appears ready to take it on.