Lighting One®, the industry-leading cooperative, lived up to its 2021 convention theme – “OpportUnity to Recharge” – hosting its celebration gala on June 22 at the Marriott City Center in Dallas. The cooperative’s members, aligned suppliers, and industry leaders gathered to honor the accomplishments of the industry and coming together again for the first time in almost two years. More than 200 people across the industry attended the exciting event.
Honorees included long-time industry veteran Sam Guye, who received the Lifetime Achievement Award, and The H Foundation, which received the Humanitarian Award for its fundraising for cancer research.
Lighting industry veteran Sam Guye (left) receives the Lifetime Achievement Award from Gregg Garofalo, President of Lighting One.
Lighting One also acknowledged the following “Esprit de Corps” honorees who, over the last year, encompassed the spirit of the group by working towards a common goal, inspiring enthusiasm, devotion, and a strong regard for the mission and values of the cooperative:
Bill Branham – Brecher’s Lighting
Craig Bronson – House of Lights & Home Accents
David Director – Connecticut Lighting Centers
Dana Hunt – Masterpiece Lighting
Ken Lebersfeld – Capitol Lighting
John Rot – Horton’s Home Lighting
Troy Lee – Savoy House
Content-Packed Convention
The day-and-a-half convention began on Monday, June 21, with such valuable content as sharing best business practices, participating in supplier speed-dating sessions, analyzing home improvement industry data, networking with peers, and learning about the most recent Lighting One program advantages.
During convention, Lighting One launched its newest exclusive product line in partnership with Savoy House. The 17 collections were on display in Savoy House’s newly expanded, private Lighting One showroom in the Dallas Market Center.
Lighting One also increased its assortment of American-made exclusive products created in partnership with American Lighting Brands. The exclusive collections encompass 60+ families and 120 SKUs and are only accessible to Lighting One members. These products are supported by increased profitability, higher-than-industry IMAP control, and an exclusive catalog.
In support of the members who made the commitment to attend June convention and Lightovation, Angie Prost, Lighting One Product & Supplier Manager, presented the membership with exclusive market incentives. Aligned suppliers provided additional incentives to cooperative members in appreciation for the group holding its convention in conjunction with the June Lightovation.
During Monday’s general session, the SVP of Lighting One’s marketing team Mike Behr, presented key findings and ideas around shifting consumer behaviors that have been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. He discussed how more than ever, customers want to shop when and how they want, and that all channels need to work seamlessly together — whether the customer starts shopping online and then goes to the showroom, or starts in the showroom and purchases online later. Today’s lighting showrooms need to be able to deliver on this seamless online, in-showroom experience. The Lighting One marketing team helps cooperative members deliver on this expectation through their digital marketing and ecommerce-enabled catalog programs. Daniel Fertig, VP/Agency Partnerships at BigCommerce, Lighting One’s e-commerce platform partner, shared findings the company is following as a global leader in e-commerce. He later joined a panel with Lighting One e-commerce marketing program participants to discuss findings, best practices, and plans to help the group continue to grow using this 24/7 sales channel to drive more sales and deliver a modern customer experience on par with the largest brands in the market.
Industry Support
During the Celebration Gala, Lighting One President Gregg Garofalo announced that Lighting One was excited to be the first division of CCA Global to come together again in a convention format. “The June convention and market provides members with networking time with not only each other, but with the Lighting One aligned suppliers,” he says. “Furthermore, Dallas is the home of the lighting industry and is a cost-effective destination convenient for our members and our vendors—the vast majority of which have their trading headquarters located at Dallas Market Center. We are proud to drive attendance to the June Market and believe it is important to support the showroom members to remain sustainable and profitable for the years ahead.”
During the Gala, Lighting One showed its support of The H Foundation in their 50/50 raffle which raised $3,600 and was won by Ron Devries [who donated his winnings back to the foundation]. Brooks Mouchette of Lighting Plus also donated the $250 gift card he won for attending the Lighting One Supplier speed-dating session. Garofalo encouraged all members to support Goombay/The H Foundation, being held on July 31 in Chicago, to raise funds for basic cancer research projects to help them compete for additional government or private funding. For more information on future Goombay Bash events, visit goombaybash.com.
Showrooms or suppliers interested in joining Lighting One should contact Angie Prost at membership@lightingone.com.
