One of the most popular events during Lightovation, the American Lighting Association (ALA) Women in Lighting (WIL) Committee’s networking reception, will be held on the opening day of market at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 10. The event, sponsored by Maxim Lighting, will take place in the company’s Dallas Market Center Trade Mart showroom (TM 3901).
Offering food, signature cocktails, and the opportunity to chat with peers, the WIL reception will also serve as a platform for the group to launch its 2023 charitable initiative. Previously, the organization raised $2,965 by selling pins commemorating ALA’s annual conferences. Thanks to pin sponsors Visual Comfort & Co. and Varaluz, all proceeds from those sales benefitted the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance in memory of the late lighting rep Karen Krieger.
A new pin design promoting ALA’s 2023 Conference in Lake Tahoe, Calif., Sept. 10-12, will debut at the reception. Available for sale at $20 each and sponsored by Maxim Lighting, the pins will benefit WIL’s 2023 charity Dress for Success, a global not-for-profit organization that empowers women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire, and development tools to help women thrive in work and life.
“The mission statement of Dress for Success truly aligns with the mission of ALA’s Women in Lighting group,” said Dawn Howard, a Florida-based lighting specialist for Ferguson Bath, Kitchen and Lighting Gallery, who serves on the WIL Philanthropy Subcommittee. “Aside from fundraising for them with our popular collectible pins, there are other opportunities for us to work together because they are a worldwide organization with numerous local chapters, including in Dallas.”
Attendance at the WIL reception is open to everyone, regardless of gender or ALA membership status. The group’s in-person events aim to foster connections for professional women from all areas of the lighting industry and at all levels of experience. Reception attendees will receive gifts and have the opportunity to enter to win a complimentary delegate registration for ALA’s 2023 Conference in Lake Tahoe.
In addition, ALA members are encouraged to nominate outstanding women for the Women in Lighting Leadership Award (WILLA) at LightingWomen.com. The deadline for submitting 2023 WILLA nominations is Jan. 31. Any ALA member can nominate another member for this honor, which will be presented at the WIL reception at the June 21-24 Lightovation show in Dallas.
For more information about ALA Women in Lighting, visit LightingWomen.com or request to join the WIL Facebook Group and LinkedIn Group, and be sure to follow @ALAWomenInLighting on Instagram.
