Have you ever wondered what the industry's influential figures have on their desks? From London Dungeon memoribilia to LED lamp samples, you can tell a lot about a person by their desk.
On My Desk: Ray Molony, Lux Magazine Editor
Place of Birth: Dublin, Ireland
Education: Electrical Engineering, Dublin City University
Employment History:
- Electrical Engineer – BELIX
- Electrical Engineer and Technical Writer (Equipment Operating Manuals) – Pageantry Electronics
- Journalist – Electrical Wholesaler
- Editor – Electrical Contracting News
- Editor – Lighting Equipment News
- Editor – Lighting
- Editor – Lux Magazine
Future Goals for Lux Magazine:
Lux Magazine is starting to run a range of conferences. “LED’s are revolutionising the lighting market, so it’s important to bring everybody together to take a look at the latest technology, best practice and standards,” says Ray. “The decisions that companies make now will affect their futures.” This May, Lux Magazine is holding a conference on ‘The Future of Lighting Fixture Design’.
Future Goals for the Industry:
“We have a big opportunity to make a change in energy consumption and achieve our energy targets through efficient lighting,” says Ray. “The big challenge is for companies with a legacy in traditional lighting to make the important switch.”
Morning Ritual: Ray starts his day with a very strong cup of coffee and then walks his children to school. “Getting them out of bed is a nightmare,” says Ray. He also tries to get one work task done before he checks his emails in the morning.
Favourite Song: Like a Rolling Stone by Bob Dylan
Favourite Movie: Ray is a big fan of the Cohen brothers and therefore has Fargo and Blood Simple tied for top spot.
1. LuxLive 2012 Floor Plan: With the success of 2011’s LuxLive exhibition, 2012 is expected to be even bigger and better. Leading industry names, such as Philips, OSRAM and Thorn are backing the event again and over 6,000 attendees (up from last year’s 4,800) are predicted. “The aim of this event is to get the whole supply chain together,” says Ray. “The lighting industry has some fantastic solutions and this event provides an opportunity to share this with large end users.” Along with exhibitors showing their latest innovative lighting tech, LuxLive is jam-packed with seminars, forums and discussions. LuxLive 2012 takes place November 6th-7th at London’s Earl’s Court. Stay tuned for more information.
2. Lux Magazine: This monthly UK magazine focuses on the majority of UK lighting projects, described by Ray as the “meat and drink” projects. This includes infrastructure and transportation projects such as London Underground tube stations and big chain supermarkets. “This is where big wins will be in the lighting industry,” says Ray. To view the latest copy of Lux Magazine online, click here.
3. Lux on Youtube: Here you can view thought-provoking videos, including roundtable discussions about key lighting issues, interviews with leading lighting experts and event coverage. Visit Lux Magazine’s Youtube channel here.
4. Lux Award Trophy: “The Lux Awards are about recognising and celebrating low energy lighting,” says Ray. “So we wanted a trophy that reflected that.” Mission accomplished. This trophy is made from pressed recycled lamp and bottle glass. The lamps came from Recolight, a specialist WEEE lamp compliance scheme in the UK that has recycled over 100 million lamps.
5. Jielde Industrial Lamp: This French classic task light was made in a tiny factory in the south of France and was designed for car mechanics. Now a collector’s item, Ray picked this up in Brighton because it was “quirky and French”.
6. Luminaire and LED Lamp Sample: “We always have lighting kit mucking around,” says Ray. Lux Magazine bench tests lamps and luminaires at an independent test house before they are recommended to readers. Lamps are tested for efficacy and colour and luminaries are tested for photometrics and light quality. From here they are then given a star rating.
7. Photo of Children: This sweet school photo is of Ray’s two children, Zach and Lara. And like their father, they are interested in lights. “They know a lot about LEDS,” says Ray.
8. Lux Review: Launching this April at Light+Building in Frankfurt, this magazine will be focusing on low energy lighting on a global basis (EMEAA). “Energy is moving up the agenda in many countries,” says Ray. “Our customers want us to reach these countries, as the lighting industry and the issues being faced are global.” Like Lux Magazine, Lux Review will cover exemplar projects to inspire and share learnings.
9. London Dungeon Mug: Ray has mixed feelings about the London Dungeon as it was “much scarier than expected”. He took his son there for his 8th birthday (along with eight of his friends!)and they were all ”freaked out” afterwards...even Ray.
10. iPad: “Once you have one, you will use it for everything,” says Ray. This includes keeping up-to-date with work and the world on trains, planes and sofas.
11. LuxAwards 2011 Invite: Last year the Lux Awards had over 600 people from the lighting industry celebrate excellence in lighting. The event took place at Chelsea Football Club.