March 30, 2026 — Adding to this year’s offerings is the debut of Illuminate at NeoCon, a new “show-within-a-show” spotlighting the critical role of lighting in the built environment. Brands and technologies shaping the future of lighting and its impact on the built environment will be exhibiting, along with immersive installations, and expert-led sessions on trends and innovations.
Illuminate introduces Spotlight Sessions — dynamic 20- to 40-minute conversations dedicated to one powerful idea: great design starts with great lighting. Join industry leaders at the Illuminate “Spotlight” stage as they explore how light shapes space, mood, performance, and experience. No additional registration is required to attend Spotlight Sessions during NeoCon, June 8-10, 2026.
The McMorrow Reports + FMLink recommends these Illuminate sessions that will appeal to office space planners and facility managers:
Lighting Design & Lighting Delivery: A Complementary Approach
Who designs the lighting — and when does a project benefit from a dedicated lighting designer? This session explores the complementary roles of lighting designers and manufacturer representatives in the design and delivery of architectural lighting. Through visual comparisons and project examples, we’ll illustrate how lighting designers shape atmosphere and visual hierarchy, while lighting representatives help translate design intent into buildable solutions by aligning products with project goals, budgets and lead times. Speakers: Caitlin Mulligan is a lighting professional with over a decade of experience, working at SCI Lighting Solutions. Prianka Chorney is a lighting designer with nearly a decade of professional experience, currently practicing at HLB Lighting Design in Chicago.
Quiet Ceilings: Lighting as the Integration Hub
In the modern pursuit of minimalist, open-concept design, the ceiling has become a battlefield of competing trades. Exposed concrete and glass volumes create acoustic chaos, while a “Swiss cheese” of sprinklers, sensors, and vents disrupts the architectural intent. Speaker: Clara D. Powell, LC, MIES, Regional Sales Manager, Cooledge Lighting Inc.
The Hidden Impact of Light: Designing for Circadian Health, Mood and Human Performance
Every lighting specification is a biological decision — whether you know it or not. Light is the most powerful regulator of human physiology, governing circadian rhythms, sleep quality, alertness, mood, and cognitive performance. It affects how safely people move through a space, how productively they work, and how well they recover. Yet in most projects, its biological impact is an afterthought at best. Speaker: Robert Soler, Founder and Chief Scientist, bios
Lighting as Architecture: Designing with Light from Day One
Lighting is often introduced after architectural concepts are established — yet light has the power to shape form, hierarchy, materiality, and experience as profoundly as structure itself. This presentation explores how integrating lighting design from the earliest phases of a project transforms outcomes for architects, clients and users alike. Speakers: Gwen B. Grossman, IALD, CLD, LC, IES, CEO & Founding Principal, GGLD; and Alex Quella, IALD, Sr. Lighting Designer, GGLD
All the Illuminate at NeoCon sessions can be reviewed on the NeoCon site.
