TECH-X
technical excellence Conference
2 July 2026, Birmingham B15 2RS, Edgbaston Park Hotel and Conference Centre
The Lighting Industry Association (The LIA) is thrilled to unveil The LIA’s TECH-X, a brand-new, first of its kind lighting conference that sets a bold new standard in the sector. Born from extensive member feedback from past LIA events, with the an overwhelming majority favouring a larger, multi-disciplinary forum with mutiple diciplines being covered.
This highly anticipated event will feature multiple stages and diverse tracks, designed to address the broad lighting industry. From connected lighting solutions and lighting design to the latest updates on standards and regulations, TECH-X will bring the entire sector together - under one roof.
TECH-X will feature multiple stages, each hosting a variety of tracks tailored to the diverse needs of the lighting sector. Attendees can look forward to sessions on connected lighting solutions, innovations in lighting design, and updates on essential standards and regulations. With opportunities to network and engage with professionals from across the industry, the conference promises to be an unmissable event for manufacturers, designers, and engineers alike.
Draft Programme
STANDARDS STAGE
| TIME | TITLE |
|---|---|
| 10:45AM | The Building Safety Act: Responsibilities, Risk and Evidence for Lighting |
| An overview of how the Building Safety Act affects the lighting industry, clarifying duties, accountability, evidence requirements and the role of lighting products and systems in managing building safety risk. | |
| 11:15AM | Stage Change |
| 11:30AM | Fire Safety, Accountability and Part B Compliance |
| Explains how Building Regulations Part B applies to lighting, clarifying TPa and TPb testing, evidence requirements and responsibilities for managing fire risk. | |
| 12:00PM | Networking Lunch |
| 13:00PM | IEC 60598-2-22: Understanding the Next Changes in Emergency Lighting |
| Provides an update on the first draft of IEC 60598-2-22, outlining key proposed changes, implications for emergency lighting design and testing, and what happens next. | |
Lighting Design Stage
| TIME | LIGHTING DESIGN STAGE |
|---|---|
| 10:45AM | Lighting for Human Health: Supporting Sleep, Cognition, Comfort and Mental Wellbeing |
| Explores how lighting design can support health and wellbeing through visual comfort, contrast, neurodiversity and evidence-led circadian considerations. | |
| 11:15AM | Stage Change |
| 11:30AM | Lighting for Healthy Homes: Designing Light That Supports Everyday Living |
| Looks at how lighting design in homes supports wellbeing, balancing daylight and artificial light and arguing for the same level of rigour applied to non-domestic buildings. | |
| 12:00PM | Networking Lunch |
| 13:00PM | Designing Light for Later Life: Safety, Confidence and Extending Independent Living |
| Shows how lighting design can support ageing in place by addressing age-related visual changes, reducing risk and improving confidence, orientation and independence at home. | |
| 13:30PM | Stage Change |
| 13:45PM | Healthier Nights, Better Light: Lighting for People, Safety and the Environment |
| Explores how responsible exterior lighting can balance safety, amenity and environmental protection, addressing ALAN impacts on people, biodiversity and night-time environments. | |
| 14:15PM | Networking Break |
| 14:45PM | Designing Healthy Interior Spaces: Integrating Light, Daylight, Acoustics and Air Quality |
| How light, daylight, acoustics and air quality work together to create healthy interior spaces that support comfort, wellbeing and human performance. | |
| 15:15PM | Stage Change |
| 15:30PM | Healthier Interiors Through Retrofit: Better Lighting Without Compromise |
| Demonstrates how design-led lighting retrofit can create healthier, more comfortable interior environments without major rewiring or compromising on quality. | |
| 16:00PM | Stage Closing Address |
Connected Lighting Stage
| TIME | CONNECTED LIGHTING STAGE |
|---|---|
| 10:45AM | Understanding the Client First: Matching Control Systems to Use, Tenure and Occupancy |
| Explores how building use, tenure and fit-out strategy influence the choice of connected lighting systems, moving beyond wired versus wireless to focus on user benefit. | |
| 11:15AM | Stage Change |
| 11:30AM | Before You Specify: How Do You Design a Building That Preserves the Design Intent |
| Explores how lighting and control strategies can preserve design intent through specification, installation and handover, reducing unnecessary compromise over a building’s life. | |
| 12:00PM | Networking Lunch |
| 13:00PM | Connected Lighting Meets Part M: Designing Controls People Can Use |
| Looks at how Part M requirements, interface design and accessibility influence the usability of connected lighting, and why poor design often leads to overrides and system failure. | |
| 13:30PM | Stage Change |
| 13:45PM | What Happens When the Building Changes? Managing Integrated and Standalone Lighting Systems |
| Explores how integrated (BMS-linked) and standalone lighting control systems respond to change, and how to manage reconfiguration, dependencies and performance as buildings evolve. | |
| 14:15PM | Networking Break |
| 14:45PM | Managing Software-Driven Lighting Over the Life of a Building |
| Explores how control system architecture, continuous commissioning and industry experience influence long-term performance, adaptability and responsibility of software-driven lighting. | |
| 15:15PM | Stage Change |
| 15:30PM | Connected Lighting Through Change: Reuse, Replacement and Proving Performance |
| Reviews responsible decommissioning, reuse and replacement of connected lighting systems, and how performance continuity can be assured. | |
| 16:00PM | Stage Closing Address |
Sustainability Stage
| TIME | SUSTAINABILITY STAGE |
|---|---|
| 10:45AM | Sustainable Lighting in 2026: What It Really Means |
| Defines what sustainable lighting means in 2026, separating carbon reduction from broader environmental responsibility, including organisational sustainability and supply chain sustainability audits. | |
| 11:15AM | Stage Change |
| 11:30AM | Net Zero Carbon Buildings: What Lighting Is Expected to Deliver |
| Explores what the Net Zero Carbon Building Standard expects from lighting, including its contribution to operational and embodied carbon and the implications for design, specification and verification. | |
| 12:00PM | Networking Lunch |
| 13:00PM | EPBD, Global Warming Potential and Whole-Life Carbon |
| Explains how Global Warming Potential and EPBD requirements apply to lighting, and how to correctly interpret EPDs and LCAs at product, system and building level. | |
| 13:30PM | Stage Change |
| 13:45PM | BREEAM 2026: Are You Maintaining That Excellence? |
| Outlines what is required to maintain BREEAM performance and compliance throughout the building life cycle. | |
| 14:15PM | Networking Break |
| 14:45PM | Digital Product Passports: Data, Transparency and Compliance |
| Sets out the practical implications of Digital Product Passports for lighting manufacturers and specifiers, focusing on data management, traceability and compliance. | |
| 15:15PM | Stage Change |
| 15:30PM | Designing Lighting for Whole-Life Carbon Performance |
| Explores how robust, durable lighting products can deliver better whole-life carbon performance, even where embodied carbon is higher, by reducing operational impact and avoiding premature replacement. | |
| 16:00PM | Stage Closing Address |
Feedback from 2025
About the Venue
Edgbaston Park Hotel and Conference Centre
The venue is a stylish and award-winning hotel in Birmingham located in the beautiful suburbs of Edgbaston. They are B Corp-certified, which means they're a part of a global community using business as a force for good. Expect contemporary comfort, sleek interiors, and a range of gorgeous venues you’ll want to host events and special occasions in, time and time again. It’s all set two miles from Birmingham city centre, in a tranquil and peaceful spot on the University’s campus. 53 Edgbaston Park Rd, Birmingham B15 2RS