International Experts and Local Stars to Speak at Major Lighting Summit in Middle East

A host of new speakers have added their name to the notable line-up of experts and thought-leaders confirmed to present at the Middle East Smart Lighting and Energy Summit being held on 5-6 November 2012 at the Rocco Forte Hotel, Abu Dhabi. Recent announcements include international talent Margaret Maile Petty of Victoria University in New Zealand, Paul Brown - Australian leader in sustainable building and street lighting management, and London-based Arfon Davies – Associate Director at Arup Lighting. This will accompany a number of distinguished local guests including George Kenich of ALDAR Properties, DPA Lighting Director Barry Hannaford, and Christopher Brown -Vice President at HOK.

The latest announcement of high-profile speakers comes just weeks before the event kicks off and will secure the Summit as the region’s leading lighting event of 2012. Over 200 senior level decision-makers from architecture, lighting design, development and construction firms around the Middle East, together with municipalities from the region, will converge at the event to discover the challenges, prospects and cutting-edge technologies in smart lighting from a range of lighting technology, architecture and project management specialists. The event, being held under the patronage of the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City and supported by Diamond Sponsor Samsung, intends to create a platform for delegates to learn from and connect with leaders driving the evolution of energy efficient lighting systems throughout the Middle East and the rest of the world.

Hearing the stories of lighting strategies that have been implemented internationally will be of particular importance for executives and government officials preparing to roll out Abu Dhabi City’s Sustainable Public Lighting Strategy and other intelligent lighting initiatives planned for the Middle East. Paul Brown, Managing Director of Ironbark Sustainability and key international speaker is one of Australia’s leading advocates in sustainable building and street lighting management, having been involved in the planning and delivery of 30 Australian local government projects and assessing of more than 50 LED (light-emitting diode) products in the past two years. Ironbark Sustainability is the first port of call for LED manufacturers wanting to enter the Australian market, and Brown will be educating delegates on his Australian experiences in street lighting efficiency projects, best practice approaches and their application in the Middle East.

Joining Paul Brown from ‘Down Under’ is Margaret Maile Petty, Deputy Head of The School of Design at Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand. In recent years the Middle East has experienced unprecedented growth, with governments and the private sector embracing the importance of lighting design, integrating it into iconic projects throughout the region and paying particular attention to the impact of developments on the environment. Originating from the USA, Petty has had extensive experience in lighting design working previously at the famous Parsons - The New School for Architecture in New York and was the Coordinator for the USA Division of the Professional Lighting Design Association (PLDA). Also speaking on lighting architecture and design will be Wael Al Awar - Principal Architect and Founding Partner of Ibda Design, Arfon Davies of Arup Lighting, Barry Hannaford - Director at DPA Lighting and Christopher Brown - Vice President at HOK.

The population growth and economic development in the Middle East has seen the continuous demand for new buildings and with this the challenge of conserving the regions natural resources and reducing its ecological footprint. Implementing smart and sustainable practices and balancing this with the need for infrastructure has been important for both private and public sector developments. Presentations from HOK and George Kenich of ALDAR Properties will focus on some of the impressive projects that these industry leaders have been involved in, looking at both the challenges and opportunities in smart lighting from their experiences first hand. 

The Summit will showcase the most cutting-edge lighting technologies from innovation giants and event Gold sponsors Samsung, Philips, OWLS AG, Flashnet and Cooper Lighting, and many more. Expotrade is the organiser of this year’s event, having delivered some of the largest, most successful B2B industry conferences and events in the construction, smart cities, banking and finance, healthcare, IT and energy sectors.

For more information on the Summit, visit http://www.lightingsummit.com