Special Show for Lighting Designers at EuroShop 2014

Elke Moebius: "The entire space will be presented in a purist style, featuring elegant black-and-white contrasts."

EuroShop 2014 (16.02.-20.02.2014) in Duesseldorf will, for the first time, provide an own platform for the growing number of designers who have specialised on lighting concepts for retail. Elke Moebius, Director EuroShop, Messe Düsseldorf, answers questions on the „Lighting Designer's Zone“ and on the new exhibition area shop lighting.

EuroShop as an international trade fair location for lighting solutions will have to contend with competition from other trade fairs in 2014. What arguments will you use to convince exhibitors and trade visitors interested in store lighting to come to Düsseldorf in February of 2014?

Indeed there are numerous national and international lighting trade fairs, but EuroShop is unique due to its special focus on shop lighting. We cater specifically to the needs of retailers, be it through special lighting solutions for the fruit and vegetable counter, for exclusive fashion boutiques or for entire shopping malls. There is no other place where exhibitors targeting retailers can find such high-level retail decision-makers from around the world – all in one place and within the span of only five days. At the same time, it’s the perfect place for visitors to directly compare industry leaders and their products, catch up on current trends and initiate concrete discussions across five continents. Our new special, the “Lighting Designers’ Zone,” should be of particular interest this year, as it is our first time offering a separate platform to independent lighting planners and designers.

What’s the significance of the exhibit’s lighting segment within the overall context of EuroShop 2014?

It’s huge! Because lighting has been one of the fastest-growing segments at EuroShop for years. For the first time it will occupy all of Hall 11 in 2014, with 16,600 square meters of exhibition space. The entire spectrum of modern lighting technology and lighting design for shops will be covered here, anything from lighting as a sales promotion tool to lighting as an emotional design tool used in shopfitting to corporate lighting concepts. Energy-efficient, sustainable lighting architecture will also play a central, because lighting continues to be one of the largest consumers of energy in retail, which also drives up air-conditioning and cooling costs. So lighting is at the very top of the list for almost all EuroShop visitors for a variety of reasons.

What considerations went into offering the Lighting Designers’ Zone exhibit, and what benefits will there be for visitors?

Retail lighting goes far beyond just providing a pure light source – it’s decisive for the consumer’s shopping mood and a feel-good shopping atmosphere. It’s enormously important as an emotional design element in shopfitting – and that’s precisely the point where lighting planners and designers come into play. The Lighting Designers’ Zone offers an opportunity for them to present their trade and to show the retail establishment the still-untapped potential of lighting design. That’s because we’re talking about independent lighting planners, which means they aren’t tied to any manufacturer, product or brand but are free to act independently and develop new visions from scratch fuelled by product ideas from around the world. That’s also precisely where the advantages lie for EuroShop trade visitors, namely in the free flow of ideas and the unbiased approach to finding solutions these companies are able to develop.

How will the space be arranged for this Special Show, and where will it be located within the trade fair?

The Lighting Designers’ Zone will be located centrally in Hall 11 – the lighting hall – and occupy a total area of 300 square meters. The entire space will be presented in a purist style, featuring elegant black-and-white contrasts. Individual stands will be grouped around a lounge area with bar, a very inviting setup for in-depth discussions in pleasant surroundings.

How have lighting designers responded to this offering? Who should interested exhibitors turn to?

It’s already becoming obvious that lighting designers are very interested. We’ve set a goal of finding ten exhibitors for the premiere of the Lighting Designers’ Zone and operate under the assumption that we will reach that number. Three companies have already signed up: Lichtspiel, Start Design und Tobias Link. Interested lighting designers can watch our presentation of the Lighting Designers’ Zone on the EuroShop portal or get in touch directly with the exhibitor management team.

The interview was conducted by Winfried Lambertz.