This post I will admit is going to be less informative and more anecdotal, but I think it’s observation worth noting. The lighting industry is incredibly small, especially if you isolate it to the US only. I went on a factory tour today to look at some decorative pieces, and during lunch, I mentioned one lighting manufacturer and as is almost always the case two (of the three) people in the room had worked for them at one point or another.
Manufacturers, distributors, and part suppliers all know each other and all talk. As a specifier I find it amazing how quickly one distributor or manufacturer will know about the supposedly competitive bids being sent of to clients. I think it stems from the career path of many in the architectural lighting industry. Many of us came from the theater and filtered into architectural lighting as the entertainment industry remains too small to sustain all those trained for it.
At our heart theater people are gossip kings and queens. Set more than one of us in a room and we’ll be talking about the rest of the industry in no time. As the distributor I met with today said, “it’s a very incestuous industry.” Then the manufacturer turned to me and said “by the way, how’s your old boss doing? We went to college together.”
What does this mean for specifiers out there? Just know that there are no secrets out there. Your projects are going to get talked about throughout the wider lighting community, but more over, you will likely be talked about by the wider community and some of your reputation will rest in the hands of those you meet and work with. Stay open and honest, and you’ll have nothing to fear.
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