Information is Power: Lighting Industry Digital Resources
Whether you’re new to the lighting industry or a seasoned veteran, the very nature of this fast-paced, competitive, and ever-changing business makes it essential to stay informed about it.
To be respected by your peers and customers, and more importantly to be successful in your career, you need to have technical knowledge, possess a working understanding of the products and technologies, and develop an understanding of the competitive landscape, industry news, and events so you can spot and communicate trends.
Thankfully there are plenty of resources available to help you do just that, and we’re going to share a few of them. This list will guide you to a few of the places you can check for your daily news, subscribe to for updates sent directly to your inbox, and navigate to for technical references and learning tools when you need to explore things more in depth. While all of these listed are great resources, we understand that it’s impossible to check all of these regularly, so we’ve highlighted a few of these in red text. These red-highlighted resources are the ones we highly recommend because we believe they will be the most impactful for you.
WHAT YOU SHOULD BE READING DAILY:
Edison Report: One of the industry’s most respected online news magazines that delivers breaking news and in-depth information about the lighting, controls and electrical marketplace since 1999. Edison Report delivers competitive company news, industry stock prices, and new product information daily. NaturaLED proudly advertises in and supports Edison Report
EnergyWatch Website: Founded by industry legend Bill Attardi, and now one of the Edison Report digital platforms, it provides industry news and information as well as personal and professional insights from Bill Attardi himself. It’s a great reference for competitive products and technologies. Naturaled proudly advertises in and supports EnergyWatch.
LightNOW blog: One of the most upwardly trending digital resources for lighting professionals. The LightNOW blog delivers news and resources, including product news from industry experts such as David Shiller and Craig DiLouie. Posts include manufacturer news, short opinion pieces, and “New Product Mondays.” They also include links to new research, standards, and regulations. NaturaLED proudly advertises in and supports LightNOW
LightED: An online news magazine directed toward electrical distributors and lighting manufacturers. It provides daily news about lighting, lighting products, and company news. It also provides insights into the changes taking place in the industry. This is the digital publication of sister printed magazine, TED the electrical distributor magazine.Lighted Mag
Inside Lighting: A comprehensive online resource of industry news and much more. Its target audience is lighting designers, architects, engineers, and interior designers, but it also appeals to distributors, manufacturers, and lighting agents. It contains a very comprehensive list of lighting agents and the manufacturers they represent, as well as job openings; economic reports, and product reviews.Inside Lighting
LEDs Magazine: This digital magazine covers a single lighting technology, as its name implies. This resource details and analyzes the latest news and trends in the business of LEDs. From chips to optics to finished goods, all are explored and reported on. This publication is worldwide and covers all the news of both North American as well as global companies. This is a very comprehensive and respected publication, but it is, at times, hard to navigate and contains a lot of resources that might not be of interest to our sales and customer service teams. LEDSmagazine.
WHAT YOU SHOULD BE CHECKING OCCASIONALLY:
Lighting in Architecture: www.arc-magazine.com
enLIGHTenment Magazine: www.enlightenmentmagazine.com
LED Professional: www.led-professional.com
LightSpec: www.lightspeconline.com
PLD Magazine (Professional Lighting Design): www.pld-m.com
The Light Review: www.thelightreviewonline.com
Designing Lighting: www.designinglighting.com
WHAT YOU SHOULD SUBSCRIBE TO:
bBill Attardi’s EneryWatch Newsletter: See Energy Watch above. Subscribe by sending an email to: [email protected]
NAILD Lighting Industry News Brief: Weekly email newsletter from the National Association of Innovative Lighting Distributors.
LinkRegency Lighting Insights Blog: This blog is packed with useful information to help you learn about industry subjects. Developed by Lighting Distributor, Regency Lighting.
Radiant History: An interesting look back at the illuminating history of the lighting industry by NaturaLED’s own Frank Grobmeier. You can subscribe at: www.radianthistory.com
WHAT YOU SHOULD BE LISTENING TO (PODCASTS):
Get a Grip on Lighting:www.getagriponlighting.com
Get a Grip on Lighting:www.getagriponlighting.com
Lighting Controls Podcast:www.lightingcontrolspodcast.com m
WHAT YOU SHOULD HAVE ON YOUR DEVICE (APPS):
IES Ready Reference App for iPhone and Android: Save to your phone or tablet for quick technical information and references to lighting and design.
Light Meter LM-3000 App for iPhone. Measure Footcandle and Lux with your phone camera.
PLNAR App for iPhone and Android: Measure and layout a room and create a layout.
WHAT YOU SHOULD BOOKMARK ON YOUR WEB BROWSER:
WHERE YOU SHOULD BE PARTICIPATING:
LINKEDIN LIGHTING AND PROFESSIONAL GROUPS TO JOIN:
Frank Grobmeier has over 30 years of product management and marketing experience with lighting manufacturers including decades in general lighting and specialty lighting with traditional and LED sources. He currently serves as on the Fanlight / Naturaled marketing management team and resides in the Chicago area.