Messe Frankfurt has acquired LiGHT Expo London from [d]arc media, adding the UK lighting exhibition to its global Light + Building portfolio.
LiGHT launched in 2022 and has grown into one of the UK’s leading events for the lighting specification community, bringing together architects, interior designers, lighting designers, engineers, specifiers and lighting brands. The deal will be run through Messe Frankfurt’s London subsidiary, Messe Frankfurt UK.
[d]arc media will remain involved, continuing to support the event through promotional activity and its speaker and content programme.
Simon Albert, CEO of Messe Frankfurt UK, said: “LiGHT has become one of the most important meeting places for the UK lighting and design community in a remarkably short space of time. We have long admired what the [d]arc media team has built and the passionate community that has grown around the event. This acquisition represents an exciting opportunity to support LiGHT’s continued growth as part of Messe Frankfurt’s international lighting portfolio, while carefully preserving the qualities that have made it such a success. We are committed to investing in the event for the long term and ensuring it continues to deliver exceptional value for exhibitors, visitors and the wider lighting industry.”
Paul James, managing director of [d]arc media, said: “When considering the future of LiGHT, it was important for us to find a partner that not only had the scale and expertise to support the event’s growth, but also genuinely understood the lighting industry and the community we have built around it. Messe Frankfurt UK shares our commitment to the sector and brings significant experience in delivering high-quality international events. We are excited to support the next chapter of LiGHT’s journey and look forward to seeing the event continue to flourish.”
The acquisition adds LiGHT to a portfolio that includes Light + Building events in Frankfurt, Buenos Aires, Dubai, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Istanbul, Kuala Lumpur, Las Vegas, Mumbai, New Delhi, Shanghai and Tashkent. Messe Frankfurt is the world’s third largest exhibition organiser. The next Light + Building Frankfurt takes place 5–10 March 2028.
