It was all about innovation at the recently concluded Light Middle East (October 17-19, 2017) event at Dubai World Trade Centre. A glittering awards ceremony has capped off a successful three-day exhibition at the Middle East’s premier lighting design and technology exhibition. The 12th edition of Light Middle East saw nearly 5,755 visitors from 84 countries.

Showcasing their latest products and solutions were 345 exhibitors from 30 countries, with the world’s leading manufacturers and regional distributors mixing it up with their latest innovations, from smart home lighting and controls to LED street lights that integrate Wi-Fi, electric car charging stations, CCTV, loudspeakers, and motion detection sensors.

That was before a fitting finale at the 5th Light Middle East Awards, where 700 industry professionals gathered at a gala dinner to celebrate the best in architectural lighting and design, as a shortlist of 40 projects and 29 products contested for the ultimate accolade across nine project and six product categories.

The shortlist was drawn from more than 250 entries, with the most hotly contested category being the International Lighting Project of the year, where entries from France, USA, UK, Germany, and Italy made the cut.

Abu Dhabi’s Khalifa University, The National Museum of Oman, and Lightscapes at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2016 were among 15 winners at the awards function. Khalifa University was the only shortlisted project to be nominated for more than one category this year, with the UAE’s top ranked university eventually winning the Exterior Lighting Project of the year.

An award also went to Team One from Heriot-Watt University in Dubai for their lighting project at Light.ication, a popular student competition at Light Middle East in collaboration with design studio Light Func. The initiative is aimed at nurturing the talent of future designers, where university teams, with the guidance of design studio professionals and equipment from Light Middle East exhibitors, conceptualise and display their own inspirational lighting installations during the show.

Light Middle East 2017 also featured the Think Light forum, a two-day conference discussing lighting from the three perspectives of concept, project and application, and featuring an expert speaker line-up of more than 30 interior designers, architects, lighting designers, and engineers.

Ahmed Pauwels, CEO of Light Middle East’s organiser Messe Frankfurt Middle East, said: “Light Middle East 2017 has fulfilled its objective of creating a vibrant atmosphere where experts in diverse disciplines come together to present, discuss, debate, exchange and explore best practices and emerging concepts. A large number of major industry players were board again this year, while the many new companies that took part reinforces a bright future for the regional lighting sector.”