Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, September 26, 2016: The fifth edition of the Middle East Smart Lighting and Energy Summit 2016, held under the patronage of Abu Dhabi City Municipality started today at Jumeirah at Etihad Towers. H. E. Dr. Abdulla Mohammed Belhaif Al Nuaimi, Minister, Ministry of Infrastructure Development along with H. E. Eng. Fatima Al Foora Al Shamsi, Assistant Undersecretary for Electricity, Clean Energy and Desalinated Water Affairs, Ministry of Energy inaugurated the summit in the presence of other VIPs.

Over 250 attendees from across the GCC gathered today to learn about lighting strategies, energy conservation plans, lighting controls, energy-efficient lighting projects and tenders. As the leading lighting and energy summit in the Middle East region, the summit agenda covered over 20 topics in the field of lighting and energy. Leading players in the lighting industry, Bajaj Electricals, Philips, Façade Lighting, LCT-light stone among others showcased their products at the Smart Lighting lounge.

Eng. Sami Abdul Qader Al Hashmi, Director of the Infrastructure Support Division, Abu Dhabi City Municipality delivered the welcome address followed by a session on lighting strategy of the Abu Dhabi City Municipality by Eng. Hussein Mohsen Al Saeedi, Head of Sustainable Standards and Specifications Team, Infrastructure and Municipal Assets Sector, Abu Dhabi City Municipality.

Rami Hajjar, General Manager, Philips Lighting Middle East  delivered a presentation on Connected Lighting systems and how these empower cities to become smart cities while Stephane Le Gentil, CEO, Etihad ESCO presented on the benefits and prerequisites of lighting retrofits and how Etihad ESCO is helping industry and government execute major LED lighting retrofits in the UAE.

During his session, Paul Nulty, Founder, Nulty spoke on how LED revolution has negatively impacted the quality of light within our spaces and the approach lighting community must take to ensure quality remains high. Lee Barker-Field, Head of Lighting, AECOM UK’s presentation on planning for the active public realm of tomorrow focused in detail on the need for smart lighting with prominent case studies as examples.

Breaking away from the regular method, Abu Dhabi City Municipality Lighting Expert, Martin Valentine encouraged an open session discussion. Martin opened the floor for questions to start the discussions on the new DMAT Lighting Manual’s standards/requirements, new project/fixture performance requirements, or regarding any upcoming major projects.

The first day of the summit ended with a city lighting tour organized by Abu Dhabi City Municipality for all the registered delegates. Mushrif Park, Sheikh Zayed Birdge, Salam Street Tunnel, Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque were a few of the landmarks that highlighted the city’s achievements in architectural and street lighting.

The second day of the summit agenda will focus on diverse topics such as Lighting Regulatory Update for the Middle East Region; Implementation of Sustainable Lighting Design; Exterior LED Luminaire Performance in UAE Conditions: Harnessing Industry Data for Specifications Development that will be delivered by experts Gerald Strickland, Director, Middle East Lighting Association (MELA); Michel Francis, Chief Architect, DEC; Dr. Simon Hugh Miller, Product Conformity Senior Analyst, Abu Dhabi Quality & Conformity Council respectively.