GILE 2023 records significant increase in participation from previous year

Taking place across 22 halls of the China Import and Export Complex in Guangzhou, Guangzhou International Lighting Exhibition (GILE) closed on 12 June 2023 attracting 3,318 exhibitors and 207,681 visitors to its 28th edition, concurrently with Guangzhou Electrical Building Technology (GEBT). This represented a 157% and 62% increase from the previous edition. 

Key figures from GILE and GEBT 2023:

• Visitors: 207,681 from 140 countries and regions

• Exhibitors: 3,318 from 18 countries and regions

• Scale: 220,000 gross sqm (22 halls in area A, B, & D)

Ms Lucia Wong, General Manager of Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd expressed appreciation for the industry's support of the event. “As the lighting industry moves beyond traditional applications of light and embraces new cooperation with other sectors, GILE will continue to provide a platform bringing people together to bring about the future of lighting technology. This year’s edition has certainly achieved that, and the feedback we received from participants speaks for itself in terms of the quality of the show. I’d like to thank the industry for once again making GILE a huge success.”

“Light +” connecting lighting brands with diverse industries

GILE 2023 was held under the theme of “Light +”, focusing on how lighting can connect with other industries to create new applications and business opportunities. Key topics at this year’s fair included:

• Wellbeing & smart city

• Low carbon & intelligent architecture

• Smart home

• Elderly care: Wellness & health

• Bio-optics

• Sport events

• Education: Smart and healthy campus

• Ux commercical space design

• Tourism and night economy

3,318 exhibitors presented innovative lighting technologies

This year’s fair represents one of its largest editions yet, with a big increase in attendees from last year’s show. Across the fairground, GILE 2023 received unanimous praise from all manner of participants.

Exhibitors’ comments

“GILE is definitely a great place to be to establish very close business contacts between Europe, Asia and the Americas and so I am glad to be back. This year’s exhibition has been fantastic for us, as our booth has been very busy with visitors, both local but also with a high share of overseas buyers. As the show is concurrently held with GEBT, there is a strong synergy between the two fairs, because smart lighting will be increasingly integrated into smart building infrastructure.”

Mr Thomas Mohring, Vice President, Industry Management Device Connection Technology, WAGO Gmbh & Co KG (Germany)

“We have been coming to GILE for over 10 years in a row, and this year we decided to participate in two halls at the same time. The exhibition is very influential in the lighting industry, and we have witnessed an endless flow of people at this edition. It is an important event for us as around 80% of our business is conducted with overseas clients, and we have pre-arranged over 100 overseas buyers to visit our booth during the show.”

Ms Feng Dan, Head of Brand Management Department, Shenzhen Lifeford Technology Co Ltd

“The biggest feeling we’ve had at this year’s edition is that overseas customers have increased significantly. We are pleased to have received many customers from Europe, especially Italy, as well as some from North America. In addition, we also had many Chinese visitors to our booth from other areas outside Guangdong Province, such as from Shandong and Shanxi provinces as well as the cities of Chengdu and Chongqing. Due to its great influence within the lighting sector, GILE is a must-attend event for industry players.”

Mr Dick Wang, Product Director, Shenzhen SOSEN Electronics Co Ltd

“GILE is one of the largest exhibitions for lighting technology in China and the world, and an efficient platform for us to display our new products and let customers quickly understand the recent progress we’ve made. Many old customers came to our booth to chat about product development and the future direction of the lighting industry. We also met many potential new customers from Europe, Southeast Asia, and the United States who are interested in industrial and outdoor lighting.”

Mr Simon Xu, CEO/President, Shenzhen SNC OPTO Electronic Co Ltd

Visitors’ comments

“My company specialises in outdoor and indoor lighting for airports, and I’m here today to build relationships with suppliers and to find out what is new in the market. As a first time visitor to GILE, my initial impression is that the show is very busy, lively and certainly on par with its equivalent show in Frankfurt. The exhibition has been fantastic for me, so far today I’ve already made a number of new contacts and so I will 100% be back next year.”

Mr Abdullah Omar, Business Development Executive, Dubai Star Crystal LLC (United Arab Emirates)

“I have been coming to GILE for 10 years, as it is a great place to see what’s new within the lighting industry. This year I’m looking for solutions in lighting design, LED drivers and control systems and I have managed to make many contacts so far who I will follow up with afterwards.”

Mr Janusz Dyszak, Sourcing Manager, LENA Lighting (Poland)

GILE seminars explored the future of lighting technology

In addition to the exhibition itself, GILE once again hosted a comprehensive collection of fringe events with guest speakers from leading lighting companies and renowned academic institutions. Taking place across multiple halls and covering a wide range of topics, each event was very well attended, both in-person and online.

Speakers’ comments

“The Virtual Lighting Design Community (VLDC) is proud of its collaboration with Guangzhou Guangya Messe Frankfurt in curating the ‘East meets West’ event bringing together international and local lighting experts to discuss the topic of lighting for health and wellbeing. The dedicated support and efficiency of the team made sure the show was a great success. We look forward to doing even better in 2024!”

Mr Martin Klaasen, Co-founder, Virtual Lighting Design Community (VLDC)

“I am very happy to co-organise this forum on optoelectronics and agriculture with Guangzhou Guangya Messe Frankfurt. We took advantage of GILE’s reputation as a premier lighting industry platform, and invited two heavyweight academics, as well as well-known domestic and foreign speakers. The forum was very well attended, with no seats left empty, many standing participants and over 120,000 online visits. I am confident that smart agriculture is the future, and events like these can help to expedite industry progress.”

Professor Dongxian He, China Agricultural University/Scientist of Intelligent Management and Control Technology in National Medicine Industry Technology System

Audience comments

“GILE is an event that people in this industry look forward to every year, and I am particularly interested in the concurrent activities held at this edition. Participating in the bio-optics technology session has given me a more comprehensive and in-depth understanding of smart agriculture and bio-optics. Ms Chen Xiaoyan in particular shared important insights around LED packaging technology that have practical applications for our organisation.”

Mr Xuejia Liu, Investment Director, State Power Investment Corporation

The next editions of Guangzhou International Lighting Exhibition and Guangzhou Electrical Building Technology will be held from 9 – 12 June 2024. Both shows are part of Messe Frankfurt’s Light + Building Technology fairs headed by the biennial Light + Building event. The next edition will be held from 3 – 8 March 2024 in Frankfurt, Germany.

Messe Frankfurt organises several trade fairs for the light and building technology sectors in Asia, including Shanghai Intelligent Building Technology, Shanghai Smart Home Technology and Parking China. The company’s lighting and building technology trade fairs also cover the markets in Argentina, India, Thailand and the UAE.

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For more information on Light + Building shows worldwide, please visit http://www.brand.light-building.com. For more information regarding the lighting shows in China, please visit http://www.light.messefrankfurt.com.cn or email [email protected].