Page 16 - Lighting Magazine September 2019

| IntheNEwsnStay Connected to Breaking News Online at www.enLIGHTenmentmag.comnNEW ASSOCIATION FOR LIGHTING RETAILERS TO UNCH AT DAL S MARKETnWhat started as a grassroots forum online in October 2017 for lighting showroom owners,nmanagers, and sales associates to share common challenges, exchange ideas, and brainstorm solutions through a Facebook Group Page under the name Lighting Showroom Coalition (LSC) has now become a legally recognized 501-C(6) non-pro t association called the Lighting Showroom Association (LSA).nAccording to founder and organizernof both entities Lisa Dixon, owner of Pace Lighting in Savannah, Ga., the formation of this group is not to detract from any other existing lighting-centric associations, but to put a more de ned emphasis on the needs and challenges of brick-and-mortar independent lighting retailers.n“LSC is an open and respectful forumnnot intended to take the place of other industry organizations, but simply to supplement and provide an ongoingnway to communicate and, hopefully, strengthen and improve our businesses,” Dixon explains.nWithin the rst six months of 2018, participation in the Lighting Showroom Coalition Facebook Group increased from the low 200s from the initial word-of-mouth casual cocktail party gathering at January Dallas Market 2018 to more than 600 by the June Dallas Market, where a town hall-like meeting was held in the Dallas Market Center’s new SMART Center. That gathering generated so much interest, membership numbers immediately leaped to 800+ by July 1. A third gathering was held dur- ing the American Lighting Association’s (ALA) annual Conference in Asheville,nN.C. in September, which further boosted membership.nIn fact, it was the value of those net- working opportunities during industry events such as the annual ALA Confer- ence and the twice-yearly Dallas Market that inspired Dixon to create an online group that could continue those types of helpful peer conversations all year long.nThe collaborative sharing nature of the Coalition’s Facebook Page led Dixon to develop a separate LSC Fixture & Fan Help Facebook page out of necessity as the opportunity to ask fellow retailers to identify particular models or nd parts for discontinued xtures grew at an incredible rate. Dixon notes that having two pages kept the initial discussion fo- rum easier to follow without disruption.nContinued on page 16n14 enLIGHTenment MagazIne | January 2019nwww.enlightenmentmag.comn