Event Schedule
Lightovation Design + Build Day
June 23, 2026
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Design + Build Day will precede Lightovation on Tuesday, June 23, providing programming and networking opportunities for trade professionals across multiple disciplines. Retailers are also welcome to join these events. Business of Home and Custom Builder magazines have partnered with Dallas Market Center on this edition of Design + Build Day, featuring chief editors Kaitlin Petersen and Pauline Hammerbeck moderating panels and leading curated tours of select Lightovation exhibitors. This is a great introduction to the largest lighting marketplace in North America and attendees are encouraged to return for the June 24-27 Lightovation show to explore even more.
DMC EVENTS
Tuesday, June 23, 2026
DMC Events
9 am
Design + Build Day Breakfast at Hubbardton Forge
June 23, 2026
| 9 am
TM 3725 - Hubbardton Forge
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Start the day with a welcome breakfast as part of Design + Build Day, hosted by Hubbardton Forge. This morning gathering offers an opportunity to connect with fellow designers, builders, and industry professionals over coffee and light fare.
DMC Events
10 am
Collaboration Wins & Costly Mistakes: An Architect, Builder, and Designer in Conversation Presented by Custom Builder
June 23, 2026
| 10 am
TM 3 Loft - Main Stage
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Late decisions (or those made in a silo) can create expensive corrections and compromise the vision of a custom home. This panel—an architect, a builder-developer, and a lighting designer—draws on multiple projects to show where collaboration succeeds and where gaps in coordination and communication create costly mistakes. The conversation explores what each discipline needs from the others early in the process, how standard workflows can fail, and how intentional alignment across architecture, construction, and design improves budget, client experience, and project outcome. Panelists will share honest stories of successes and missteps, offering lessons that apply to architects, builders, and designers of all stripes.
Speakers:
- Mark Keilson, Senior Lighting Designer, Oldner Lighting
- Eric M. Johnson AIA, Principal & Partner, Christopher Strom Architects
- Bob Appert, Founder, White Oaks Savanna and Co-Founder, Redstone Builders
Moderator:
- Pauline Hammerbeck, Head of Content, Custom Builder
DMC Events
11 am
Custom Builder Showrooms Tour: Made in the Americas
June 23, 2026
| 11 am
Meet at TM 3 Loft - Main Stage
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Join this curated walking tour exploring standout lighting showrooms featuring designs crafted across the Americas. Discover the stories, materials, and craftsmanship behind distinctive fixtures while gaining expert insight into today’s lighting trends.
Led by Pauline Hammerbeck, Head of Content, Custom Builder
DMC Events
12 pm
Women Who Build Lunch & Learn Sponsored by Buster + Punch
June 23, 2026
| 12 pm
TM 4926 - The International Pavilion
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First 50 attendees to arrive receive a complimentary lunch
CEU: 1.0
Panelists:
-Mae Reedy - GC + Principal Designer, Mae Reedy Build + Design
-Sue Berk - President, Berk + Walters Homes
Moderator:
-Nikki Watson - Founder, The Design Quad
DMC Events
2 pm
Becoming the Builder's Designer Presented by Business of Home
June 23, 2026
| 2 pm
TM 3 Loft - Main Stage
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Panelists:
-Coming Soon
Moderator:
-Kaitlin Petersen, Editor in Chief, Business of Home
DMC Events
3 pm
Business of Home Showrooms Tour
June 23, 2026
| 3 pm
Meet at TM 3 Loft - Main Stage
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Join Kaitlin Petersen of Business of Home for an insider walking tour through top lighting showrooms, offering a close-up look at standout fixtures and emerging design trends. This guided experience combines product discovery with candid conversations about the business of design, giving attendees both creative inspiration and practical takeaways.
Led by Kaitlin Petersen, Editor in Chief, Business of Home
DMC Events
4 pm
Design + Build Day Closing Reception
June 23, 2026
| 4 pm
TM 3321 - Eichholtz
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Join us for the Design + Build Day Closing Reception, featuring a special Meet & Greet and Book Signing with Corey Damon Jenkins. Enjoy cocktails at the bar, music, and passed hors d’oeuvres while connecting with fellow designers, builders, and industry professionals.
Wednesday, June 24, 2026
DMC Events
11 am
What Great Lighting Looks Like Now
June 24, 2026
| 11 am
Meet at TM 3 Loft - Main Stage
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CEU: 1.0
This one-hour panel offers a preview of four presentations that are scheduled for ArchLIGHT Summit 2026. These speakers will challenge conventional thinking about lighting practice, from recommended light levels to the role of visibility in design. This discussion will introduce emerging ideas, practical lessons, and real-world questions shaping the future of lighting design.
Speakers:
- Craig A. Bernecker
- Jason Livingston LC, IES, IALD, Principal, Studio T+L, LLC
- Julia M. Gordon IALD, CLD, IES, Senior Lighting Designer, Schuler Shook
- Leigh Gice, Senior Lighting Designer
Moderator:
- C. Webster Marsh, Director of Education and Programming, ArchLIGHT Summit