The inaugural year of Light Middle East proved the importance of lighting design and products within the region

The event bought together lighting manufacturers, distributors, suppliers and designers from across the globe. This event was a forum for buyers, engineers, architects and interior designers from within the region and beyond to interact, network and educate themselves with respect to new products and solutions in the market. According to Media Matters PLC, an independent research and registration company, who inputted and analyzed all the visitor registration and survey data for the show, visitor numbers over the three days of the event exceeded 5500.

Light Middle East received a strong response from the lighting industry and was supported by some of the globes most established industry names including Philips and Osram. The exhibition and conference covered the whole spectrum of lighting design and solutions and included some interesting exhibits from companies such as first-time exhibitors MK Illumination, who showcased their specialised light motifs, rope lights with micro lamps, and decorative products for indoor use. The company stated that the show was the perfect way to enter the Middle Eastern market and build solid bridges that will guarantee future business. According to independent research carried out at the exhibition and conference, almost 75% of exhibitors believe that this event is crucially important to their marketing activity in the region.

Complementing the exhibition, Light Middle East staged the region's first dedicated conference for architectural lighting and lighting design which featured some of the world's most renowned lighting designers such as Jonathan Speirs, Mark Major, Rogier van der Heide, Gerd Pfarré, Alan Mitchell, Kevan Shaw, Ted Ferreira, Mike Tatem, Marcel Chamoun and Durham Marenghi. Bilal Assidi, Marketing Manager of Martin Architectural, who were the main supporters of the Light Middle East Conference, said "Light Middle East, in comparison to other shows within the region, far exceeds all our expectations. We are extremely impressed by the content of the Light Conference, which has joined together the most important lighting designers from across the globe, which overall has aided in attracting the key figures within the lighting field."

The success of the conference was such that the number of industry professionals wishing to attend each session far outweighed availability. Durham Marenghi, a leading lighting designer from Lumitect in the UK stated, "the Light Conference that took place during Light Middle East was a great success. It was great to attend such a well organized and attended exhibition and conference in this first year of Light Middle East. It was a privilege to be involved in the education of the people in Dubai with regards to the subject of good lighting design".

2007 will see the continuation of the Light Middle East Conference in conjunction with the exhibition, and will again see some of the world's leading lighting designers sharing their thoughts and experiences with regard to lighting design and solutions.

The IALD (International Association of Lighting Design) is supporting the show for 2007, which is the first time they have shown support for a lighting event in this region. This reflects their belief in the importance of lighting design for this region, and their belief that the Light Middle East exhibition and conference, organized by Messe Frankfurt, is the most important business platform in the region for architectural, retail and commercial lighting design solutions.