Event-GILE

Stealing the Show

LEDs emerged as the talking point of this trade show this year as it adopted a category centric approach

HELD CONCURRENTLY WITH Electrical Building Technology, a trade show for the electrical engineering & building, and home automation industries, the 16th edition of Guangzhou International Lighting Exhibition (GILE) concluded after four days (9-12 June) of hustle bustle at the China Import & Export Fair Complex in Guangzhou. "This show is the world's leading and most comprehensive lighting event," said Richard Li, deputy general manager of Messe Frankfurt China, the fair's organiser. "The statistics are vouching for our success, as this year the two shows gathered 1,00,465 visitors, a jump of 40% compared to 2010. Also, exhibitor numbers shot up to 2,931, a rise of 41% compared to last year."

Li added that the total area of the fair was stretched to 2,10,000 sqm of floor space. "Following the success of last year's show, the organisers of the Taiwan pavilion increased its size from 200sqm to more than 1,000sqm. We witnessed new pavilions representing Hong Kong and Japan, as well as the comeback of the US pavilion," he noted. This according to him was the result of a realisation among exhibitors that pavilions are a cost effective way of boosting marketing effort in new markets.

The success of GILE is being largely attributed to LEDs, which attracted a major chunk of the exhibitors and visitors. "Out of 20 halls, we dedicated 10 halls exclusively to the LED industry under the banner of LED Asia. We conceptualised this idea to provide the most comprehensive sourcing opportunities to traders, dealers and bulk buyers under one roof, by highlighting the upstream part of the industry like chips and raw materials, as well as the middle stream and its products such as packaging equipment," Li explained,adding that segmenting each LED hall into a particular sector helped buyers find their desired products more quickly and efficiently.

This idea found wide acceptance from the big boys of the industry, including Cree, General Electric, Osram, Philips Lumileds and Thorn, as they viewed the show as a hub for the development and demand of LED technology. "The fair provides a fantastic platform to promote new lighting solutions, understand customers' requirement for business development, and exchange views with authorities and experts from government and industry," said Ramon Zhou, marketing manager, Osram China Lighting Ltd..

Agreed Steve Landau, director of marketing communications for Philips Lumileds that displayed its Luxeon LEDs, which offer freedom from binning and hot testing technologies. "This lighting show is critical to the ongoing success and growth of the industry."

Underlying the importance of developing customised solutions, Tie Lin, director of China marketing communications of Cree Shanghai Opto Development Ltd, said, "We wanted to have first-hand information about various requirements of our customers, so that we can cater to them by developing need-based technology." General manager of Thorn Lighting (Guangzhou) Ltd observed that platforms like GILE enabled them to identify market trends and keep abreast of product designs.

GE Appliances & Lighting participated in the event to highlight their LED capabilities in different zones. "We wanted to focus on application, not so much the technology," said Marti Willemsen, the company's general manager, product management in Asia Pacific region. "This exhibition helped us to communicate with visitors, and make them understand how LEDs can redefi ne lighting in hotels and supermarket areas."

Visitors like Kees van der Klauw, R&D manager & chief systems architect for BG Professional Luminaires, Philips Lighting came to understand the market scenario in the Asia Pacific and China regions. "The show gives a very clear picture of what is going on here. It helps to get acquainted with the nature of demand and understand preferences of the customers."

Ketan B Shah, director of Arcade Lighting Pvt Ltd from India, observed, "The fair is one place where we look to re-align our business and source products for the energy-conscious Indian market. LED is fast becoming a choice of Indian commercial establishments and households."

The next edition of GILE will be held during June 9-12,2012.

Gulshan Aghi, vice president ISLE, while lauding the efforts of ISLE Chennai Chapter, stated that the Society was the first to decide way back in 1991 that a bridge between the industry and customers needed to be created. "For lighting professionals, customers as well as specifi ers, Lii has steadfastly been offering an opportunity to learn about the latest innovations in illumination. This tradition has been successfully taken to the south, a region that is witnessing impressive economic development." Aghi asserted that the strong support Lii received from local and international lighting companies is a reflection of the high esteem it enjoys in the industry.

Matching the tone, R Balasubranian, secretary ISLE-Chennai Centre, commented, "Lii has successfully raised the urgency of conserving energy through intelligent use of lighting. In fact it has comprehensively addressed the twin issues of energy-efficiency and light pollution. The dominance of non-polluting lamps and LED-based luminaires and accessories among the exhibits is a message in itself."

From new product launches to display of latest technology, the Lii venue was a hub of business activity as professionals engaged in business deals, networked with like-minded people, make new contacts, and reviewed countless business avenues. The stalls, ablaze with innovations in LEDs and their creative applications drew an enthusiastic response from all.

Lii2011 was spread across 11,500sqm, and the brightly lit halls were lined with lighting solutions for every application of the home, office and streets, as well as other specific areas. Concurrently held were product presentations, technical seminars, and electrician and architect meets. Sponsored by Indiamart.com along with others, the ISLE event was supported by government agencies like TNEB, TEDA, Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Industries, NSIC and others.