The 35th Guzhen Lighting Fair: Industry Trends & Global Compliance Checklist for Lighting Manufacturers

The 35th China (Guzhen) International Lighting Fair (Autumn 2026) will kick off at the Denghu Guzhen Convention & Exhibition Center in Guzhen Town, Zhongshan City, Guangdong Province, from October 22 to 25, 2026, under the theme of "Guzhen Lighting, Lights Up the World". As the 35th edition since its debut in 1999, this fair is listed in the 2026 National Key Events List for Famous Consumer Brands Campaign jointly released by MIIT and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and also included in Guangdong’s "Guangdong Products Nationwide" programme.

In terms of scale, the event continues the "1+8+N" exhibition-store linkage model. With the Denghu Guzhen Convention & Exhibition Center as the main venue, it connects 8 major professional malls in the town including Star Alliance, Huayi Plaza, Wanteng Lamp Expo and Denghu Times Square. The total exhibition area exceeds 1.5 million square meters, gathering more than 3,600 exhibitors and over 100,000 original new products. Five industry exchange forums themed around "light" will be held during the four-day show.

For practitioners, the exhibition serves as a venue for product sourcing and order taking. From another perspective, it acts as a mirror: visiting pavilions and attending forums reveals where the industry is heading. And as the industry evolves, the compliance baseline for products keeps rising. This is the core topic we want to discuss at this exhibition.

I. Key Industry Directions Highlighted at This Fair

The main venue has undergone comprehensive upgrades with pavilions categorized by product segments:

• Hall A: Urban Lighting & Intelligent Engineering Pavilion
• Hall B: Spatial Aesthetics & Design Lighting Pavilion
• Hall C: Landscape Lighting & Special Lighting Pavilion
• Hall D/E: Lighting Intelligent Manufacturing & Supply Chain Pavilion
• Hall F: Whole-house Intelligence & Living Soft Furnishings Pavilion
• Hall H: Emerging Brands & Cross-border Sourcing Pavilion

Exhibits cover residential lighting, decorative luminaires, commercial lighting, outdoor cultural tourism lighting, special-purpose lamps, machinery & equipment, and auxiliary components. It showcases new products and applications including AI large-model intelligent control systems, human-centric healthy lighting, ageing-friendly lighting, high-efficiency LED, and photovoltaic energy-saving lighting.

Three core themes run through the whole exhibition: AI intelligence integration, healthy lighting, and green low-carbon development. The organizer has scheduled five themed exchange sessions:

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Note: Pavilion layout and agenda are compiled based on official announcements. Final arrangements are subject to on-site notice.

These trends are not merely marketing selling points; they redefine lighting products. Once product definition changes, applicable standards and required tests will also be updated — a point easily overlooked by many manufacturers.

II. AI Intelligence Integration: Connected Lighting Faces Multi-layer Compliance

Smart lighting is a major highlight of this exhibition. Hall A focuses on smart lighting and intelligent engineering solutions, while Hall F showcases integrated "light + home" systems. Exhibits include large-model control systems, Bluetooth/WiFi/PLC smart dimming, KNX panels and more. Once a luminaire evolves from "turn on when powered" to a networked device with wireless modules and software control, it is no longer a simple lighting appliance.

Product evolution expands compliance boundaries. A single smart lamp usually needs to satisfy multiple sets of requirements simultaneously:

• Electrical Safety: Still governed by standards such as EN 60598 and GB 7000; electrical structural safety requirements remain unchanged despite smart features.
• EMC (Electromagnetic Compatibility): Ensures stable operation without interfering with surrounding electronic devices.
• Radio Frequency: EU falls under the Radio Equipment Directive (RED); US requires FCC certification to authorize radio emission.
• Cybersecurity: Harmonized standards like EN 18031 series under RED Article 3(3)(d)(e)(f) became mandatory from August 1, 2025. Cybersecurity requirements for connected products have shifted from recommended to compulsory.

In short, smart luminaires often require a full extra set of test items compared with conventional lamps. Integrating compliance into product design at an early stage can greatly reduce subsequent risks.

III. Healthy Lighting: From Brightness to Visual Comfort

Healthy lighting has gained growing traction, and this exhibition features a dedicated session "Light Healing for All Homes" covering healthy, ageing-friendly, cultural tourism and homestay lighting. However, "healthy lighting" cannot stay as a concept; it must be measurable.

Industry practitioners translate "visual comfort" into quantifiable metrics:

• Photobiological Safety (IEC 62471): Evaluates blue light hazard levels (RG0–RG3), critical for education and children scenarios.
• Flicker (PstLM, SVM): Measures invisible flicker linked to visual fatigue; EU flicker regulations are tightening year by year.
• Colour Rendering (CRI, TM-30): Indicates the ability of light to reproduce true colours, vital for commercial and residential spaces.
• Lumen Maintenance (LM-80 with TM-21): Supports lifetime claims such as "no obvious lumen depreciation over long service life" through test data and extrapolation.
• For ageing-friendly and educational environments, detailed indicators including illuminance and glare will also be assessed.

Therefore, healthy lighting is not simply lowering colour temperature. It relies on measurable, comparable and verifiable parameters. Only with solid test data can "health" move beyond marketing slogans.

IV. Green & Low Carbon: More Rigorous Energy Efficiency Compliance

Green low-carbon development is another core theme, with high-efficiency LEDs and photovoltaic energy storage lighting solutions on display. Green compliance covers the full product lifecycle:

• EU Energy Efficiency: Products need testing and EPREL registration under Ecodesign and Energy Label regulations (EU)2019/2015. Old energy efficiency grades have been recalibrated; Class A rating is harder to obtain.
• US Energy Efficiency: Energy Star and DLC certifications are required for subsidies, retail and engineering bidding.
• Material Compliance: RoHS and REACH restrict hazardous substances for finished products and key components.
• New Variable: Batteries: Photovoltaic energy storage lighting integrates batteries into luminaires, bringing battery safety and transport requirements such as UN38.3 and IEC 62133 into compliance scope.

A luminaire’s "green performance" is not only about power saving, but also covers materials, energy efficiency and full lifecycle assessment. Higher integration brings more compliance considerations.

V. Cross-border Export: Complete Market Access Checklist for Overseas Sales

This Autumn Fair targets both export expansion and domestic market demand. Hall H is dedicated to emerging brands and cross-border sourcing, with organised global buyer delegations from ASEAN, South Asia, Middle East, Europe, America, Latin America and Africa. A cross-border export matchmaking session will be held on the afternoon of Oct 24. It is a great opportunity for lighting exporters.

Nevertheless, exporting products involves much more than shipment. Luminaires sold to different countries face distinct regulatory regimes:

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Multiple overseas markets mean fragmented rules. This explains why the CB scheme for "one test, multiple certificates" is widely adopted. It cannot eliminate all formalities, yet it effectively cuts redundant testing work.

VI. Observation: Shift from Selling Single Luminaires to Delivering Lighting Solutions

The fair highlights an industry transition: from selling individual products to delivering integrated systems, services and scene-based lighting solutions. Although this is a marketing shift, it raises tough compliance questions: when customers purchase a full lighting environment solution instead of separate lamps, which items need certification? Each individual product or the whole system? Who bears liability when non-conformity occurs?

We list several open questions from our daily service work for lighting manufacturers, for industry discussion:

1. As products become smarter and test documents multiply, is this a burden or a new competitive moat for manufacturers?
2. Faced with thousands of smart lamp models, besides datasheets, how can purchasers and engineering teams verify connectivity, stability and durability?
3. Confronting divergent rules across dozens of markets: tackle markets one by one, or build a baseline via CB certification first?
4. Healthy lighting gains wider adoption; can measurable indicators become universal evaluation criteria for procurement?
5. As energy storage batteries are built into lamps, should luminaire and battery compliance be managed under one unified plan or separately?

We do not have all the answers. The future of Guzhen lighting industry will be shaped through industrial practice. As a member of the supply chain, our mission is to interpret standards accurately and deliver reliable test reports, ensuring those innovative trends showcased at the exhibition can stand solidly after leaving the exhibition hall.

About Us

Guangdong Guangce Anci Testing Technology Co., Ltd. focuses on luminaire testing and certification. Our laboratory covers safety, energy efficiency, photometric performance and photobiological safety testing. We hold CNAS accreditation (L6214), CMA qualification, NVLAP accreditation (600177-0), IECEE CB Test Laboratory (TL541) and Australian SAA recognition. We provide technical support for lighting manufacturers from testing to multi-market regulatory compliance.

FAQ

Q: What requirements apply to smart lighting exported to the EU besides CE safety certification? A: Smart luminaires with wireless modules require multiple assessments:

1. Electrical safety under EN 60598;
2. EMC to ensure stable operation without interference;
3. Radio frequency compliance under EU RED for legal radio transmission;
4. Cybersecurity: EN 18031 series under RED Article 3(3)(d)(e)(f) is mandatory from 1 August 2025 for connected products;
5. Energy efficiency testing and EPREL registration under (EU)2019/2015. The exact scope depends on product wireless types and functions.

Q: What tests are included for "healthy lighting" and photobiological safety? A: Healthy lighting is validated by measurable parameters: photobiological safety (IEC 62471) for blue light hazard (RG0-RG3); flicker (PstLM, SVM) assessing visual fatigue; colour rendering (CRI, TM-30); lumen maintenance (LM-80 & TM-21) for lifetime claims. Ageing-friendly and educational lighting also require strict illuminance and glare testing. These measurable indicators are the foundation of verifiable healthy lighting.

Q: Do batteries integrated in photovoltaic storage luminaires need separate certification? A: In most cases yes, with multiple requirements. Once batteries are integrated, compliance covers both luminaire and battery. Batteries need transport and safety testing such as UN38.3 and IEC 62133. Meanwhile, the finished luminaire must meet electrical safety and energy efficiency standards of target markets. Battery chemistry, capacity and removability affect applicable standards. We recommend integrating battery compliance in early product design to avoid separated, inconsistent compliance work.

Q: What certifications are required for lighting products exported to different markets? A: Market requirements vary significantly. EU exports require CE (LVD, EMC, RoHS, ErP); wireless products need RED and EPREL energy label registration under (EU)2019/2015. North America market commonly adopts UL/ETL safety, FCC for radio modules, Energy Star / DLC for energy efficiency for retail and engineering projects. Domestic sales in China require mandatory CCC certification. IEC CB reports support certificate conversion for multiple countries. Japan, South Korea, Australia, Middle East and Latin America require PSE, KC, SAA/RCM, SASO and INMETRO respectively. Customised solutions depend on product category and sales channels.

Q: How to verify the validity of a testing laboratory’s accreditation? A: Check via official platforms: CMA qualification can be verified on SAMR or provincial market regulator websites with company name or certificate number, to confirm validity. CNAS accreditation can be checked on CNAS official website (las.cnas.org.cn) by registration number or lab name. Check the accreditation appendix to confirm the standards for your test items are within approved scope; reports outside the approved scope have no legal validity. For export business, verify international accreditations to guarantee report acceptance in destination countries.

Lighting Export & Domestic Compliance Starts with Professional Assessment

Guangdong Guangce Anci Testing Technology Co., Ltd. provides safety, energy efficiency, photometric and photobiological safety testing & certification services, helping lighting manufacturers realise solid implementation of new industry trends. Consult now → https://www.meidetest.com