Market research firm Strategies Unlimited and its parent PennWell Corporation have announced initial plans for the 15th anniversary of the Strategies in Light Conference, to be held in Santa Clara, CA on February 25–27, 2014. Strategies in Light was inaugurated in February 2000 and attracted 235 attendees in its first year, focusing on the markets, applications, and technology of high-brightness LEDs. The conference has now become the longest running and largest conference in North America devoted to the subject of LEDs and lighting. Organizers have the call for papers for the 15th-anniversary program open until July 29, so potential speakers need to submit abstracts promptly.
Reflecting the growth in the LED industry over the past 14 years, Strategies in Light has attracted increasing numbers of attendees, setting new attendance records each year, and reached a total attendance of 4,893 in 2013. Although first offered as a conference only, exhibitors were added beginning in 2003. Paralleling the growth in attendance, the number of exhibitors reached 189 in 2013. In 2009, the exhibit area was opened to exhibit-only visitors at no charge, allowing a much larger number of LED industry professionals to explore the exhibitors' product offerings.
In its early years, Strategies in Light addressed multiple applications of LEDs, including automotive, displays and signage, mobile appliances, lighting, and signals. However, in recent years, following the trends in the LED market and technology, the conference has become focused primarily on lighting applications. Reflecting a stronger emphasis on lighting, Strategies in Light began offering a parallel Lighting Track in 2009, focusing on the markets and applications for LEDs in lighting.
In 2012, a Manufacturing Track was added, which focused on the manufacturing issues associated with LED components. The other two parallel tracks were restructured as the Market Track and the Technology Track, with a primary focus on LED lighting as noted above. For 2014 the Manufacturing Track will be expanded to include LED lamps and luminaires.
To better serve the interests of LED startup companies and the investor community, Strategies in Light first began offering the Investor Forum in 2010. The Forum provides an opportunity for innovative young startups to present their business cases to venture capitalists and other investors, thus increasing their opportunities for receiving additional funding. In the past four years, more than 50 startup companies have participated in the Forum.
A key feature of the conference continues to be the overview and forecast of the worldwide LED component market provided by Strategies Unlimited. That market was just $1.2 billion when the conference was first conducted in 2000, and is forecast to reach $14.2 billion in 2013. In addition, the conference also provides Strategies Unlimited's overview and forecast of the LED lighting market. This was first provided only in the Lighting Track but now is included in the Plenary Session.
For 15 years, Strategies in Light has been dedicated to providing the LED and lighting industry with an unparalleled standard of excellence in quality conference programming. Led by conference co-chairs from Strategies Unlimited and an Advisory Board comprising industry thought leaders and specialized experts, each topic and speaker is personally hand selected, resulting in an unsurpassed level of non-commercial educational programming for professionals across every segment of the LED/solid-state lighting (SSL) industry.
Preparations for Strategies in Light 2014 are now underway. The Call for Papers will remain open through July 29. Those interested in presenting at the conference may view the details of the Call for Papers on the conference web site www.strategiesinlight.com.
