Lightrays - March 2016

IN THIS ISSUE

2 Technology/Government Affairs

4 Association News

6 2016 ALA Annual Conference

8 Lightovation

10 Member News

14 Education/Training

The American Lighting Association
is a trade association representing
the lighting and ceiling fan
industries, serving members and
their customers, and working to
protect and advance the industries,
while promoting the sale and
application of quality lighting and
ceiling fan products.

March/April 2016 • Volume 46, No. 2 americanlightingassoc.com

Continued on Page 15

2016 ALA Membership Directory
Available Online

The 2016 ALA Membership Directory is now available in digital format online. The directory, which is available to all ALA members, contains a full alphabetical membership listing.

“The ALA Membership
Directory is an excellent
resource for our members,”
said Jacob Cambron, ALA director of
membership, “Members can easily view
the full directory online and utilize help-
ful features, such as live links that take
you directly to a member’s website.”
The membership directory also
features an easy-to-use search feature,
which allows members to enter names,
locations or other identifying
information to find other
members.

The directory contains the most up-to-date information on all ALA members, and serves as a reference source for manufacturers, associates and designers.

The 176-page document
also includes a regional breakdown of
manufacturers representatives, a compo-
nent and manufacturer classified index
and the 2016 ALA Action Agenda.

To view the 2016 ALA Membership Directory, visit lightrays-digital.com/ lightrays/membership_directory_2016.

Lighting Magazine Hits Showrooms, Newsstands in April

The 2016 issue of Lighting magazine will be available in showrooms and on newsstands throughout the U.S. and Canada starting in April. This year marks the 10th issue of the magazine, which is produced by the ALA BiNational Advertising and PR Program with the help of Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest Media.

To celebrate this milestone, the association has worked with the magazine’s editors to develop some enhancements to the 2016 issue.

“We think showrooms will see some
exciting changes in this year’s issue of
Lighting,” said Karman Hotchkiss, execu-
tive editor, special interest media, for
Meredith Corporation. “Every year, the
magazine gets better, but for our 10th
anniversary edition we really wanted to
make a dramatic evolution. Taking cues
from trends in the high-end fashion
and home industries, we’ve redesigned
Lighting to include bolder elements that
speak to the luxury market. Plus, the de-
sign makes members’ lighting products
the star of every page.”
According to Hotchkiss, the magazine
redesign also extends to the cover, where
the logo has been updated to comple-
ment the new cover image, which was
shot in a set specially created for this
issue. The magazine will also feature a
heavier, matte cover stock, which is in
keeping with the trends seen in today’s
top home and design publications.

In addition to the visual updates, the BH&G team has been working closely with ALA members on the showroom and public relations committees to ensure the content of the magazine is accurate and serves members’ needs.

“This year we have involved repre-
sentatives and owners from showrooms
around the country in the development
of the magazine,” said Tim Stumm,
showroom manager, Expressions Home
Gallery. “Their input has been invaluable
as it relates to the content and informa-
tion. We are excited for our readers to
see the 10th anniversary issue.”
Included in the magazine will be a
workbook section, which consumers
can cut out and use as a reference guide
for remodel or new build projects. The
workbook serves as a guide for consum-
ers to use during their projects, and
contains helpful budgeting information,
as well as a list of questions consumers
should be asking designers and lighting
professionals. The content will encour-
age consumers to work with their local
ALA member showroom by focusing
their attention on the importance of
quality lighting.

In addition to the enhanced content, there will also be an increased amount of tips, charts and other teaching tools throughout the magazine. Hotchkiss explained that the magazine’s editors have included more lessons, references to

ALA Debuts
New Conference
Registration
Platform

Registering for the ALA Annual Conference just got easier. During Lightovation, the January Dallas international lighting show, ALA officially announced the launch of its new online registration platform powered by Eventbrite, available at alaconference. com. The new system is designed to allow ALA members to easily register for conference and sign up for all of their conference activities in one convenient location.

The upgraded registration process offers time-saving benefits to both ALA staff and members. Internally, the association will benefit from a more automated record-keeping system, as well as time saved by no longer needing to follow up with registrants via paper invoices. For members, the system will make the entire registration process more seamless.

“The new registration system makes it easy to create an account and log in,” said Matt Hulett, president of S.L. Hulett

& Assoc. “It encouraged me to pay
earlier. With the old system, it always got
pushed to the side and forgotten, and
then I would pay the higher price. This
system actually saved me money.”
After paying, the system automatically
emails each registrant a receipt for their
records, and users can log back in at
any time if they need to view or update
their attendee profile. “The whole pro-
cess could not be easier,” added Hulett.

“There is no excuse not to pay and attend the ALA Conference.”

Multiple Delegates

Companies that send multiple delegates to conference may now use the new online system to register their entire team at once. To register more than one individual at the same time, users can simply choose the number of attendees in the “quantity” box of the registration form. As they check out,