The conference program for this year’s event in Bregenz, Austria, (20 to 22 September) has increased to five parallel running tracks with over 100 lectures, four workshops, three forums and three keynotes.

The three days of the symposium have been divided into a Strategy Day, a Technology and Design Day and ends with a Solution Day. Over 100 exhibitors will present innovations and the current status of LED and OLED lighting in the 3,000 q m exhibition area. More than 1,500 visitors from over 50 countries are expected.

Smart Technologies for Lighting Innovations is a theme that runs through all tracks and presentations. The five parallel tracks are: Lighting Trends, Lighting Intelligence, Lighting Design, and the ISA and Photonics Cluster forums. On the Technology and Design Day, the core topics are Light Sources, Smart Lighting, Connectivity and Engineering, together with a Design and Intelligent Lighting workshop. Finally, the Solution Day gives insights on System Quality, System Qualification, Applications, Horticulture and Internet of Things, respectively, Artificial Intelligence.

Two forums with discussions will mark the first day of the conference. ISA, the Chinese Solid-State Lighting Alliance, will present news on emerging markets, innovative application of LEDs in different fields, solid-state lighting developments in Asia with a co-operation model, and LED performance insurance. The Photonics Cluster forum will provide an overview of alternative light sources with its technologies and market potentials as well as insightful information on laser light sources. On the second day APIL, the Association of Italian Independent Lighting Designers, will hold a Design meets Technology Forum to help understand the needs and requirements of lighting designers in regards to design criteria in applications.

Four interactive workshops are hosted by HI-LED, EPIC, Instrument Systems/TÜV and Jakajima. The aim of the Spectrally and Tunable LED and OLED Lighting Workshop, is organised by the EU FP7 HI-LED project. HI-LED is probing the effects of light on people’s health and circadian rhythms, the growth rate of plants, and the preservation and perception of paintings. They are developing new light engines by optimising LED configurations and by combining LEDs with OLEDs as well as creating dynamically tunable lamps that can fit many different applications.

EPIC, the industry association that promotes the sustainable development of organizations working in photonics in Europe, is organising a Horticultural Lighting Workshop, and will present the latest findings in plant growth system lights. The workshop, organised by Instrument Systems and TÜV will cover Solid-State Lighting Measurements – From Basics to Recent Developments. Jakajima, the organizing company of the annual Internet of Things Event in Eindhoven and Matchmaker for Innovators, will cover Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence in their workshop and group discussions.

The lighting industry will be represented by the following national and international organizations, academia is also represented at the event, with keynotes by the Nobel Prize laureate, Professor Shuji Nakamura, inventor of efficient blue and white LEDs, Dr. Ronan Burges, deputy head of photonics at the European Commission, and Diederik de Stoppelaar, Secretary General of the LightingEurope.

During the three days of the symposium, attendees will have hands-on experience in the latest lighting trends and future developments. It’s a combination of technological knowledge, application views, realisation challenges and business opportunities, says event director, Siegfried Luger.