THE LIGHT SHOWS SUCCESS AT MK ILLUMINATION

It was a challenging year for the Innsbruck, Austria-based lighting company. The meaningfulness of festive lighting in view of the current energy crisis was already intensively discussed in the summer months, especially in Austria, Germany, Switzerland, and Denmark.

However, many cities and communities have ultimately decided not to do without lighting, but to merely shorten the nightly switch-on times on a case-by-case basis, something that the founder and director of the company Klaus Mark agrees on. The positive development is reflected in the company’s sales settling solidly at the previous year’s level.

Adequate lighting for the mood around the globe

MK Illumination was tasked with creating new festive lighting concepts for the luxury department stores of Cartier, Macy`s, Van Cleef & Arpels, and Saks Fifth Avenue located in one of the world’s most famous Christmas destinations – New York City, US. The skyscrapers of General Motors, the 767 Fifth Avenue, and the 1221 Avenue of the Americas were also on the company’s project list. The Rockefeller Group with its landmark buildings has been part of the company’s client list for many years anyway.

Particularly large increases can be registered also in regions such as the Emirates, and Turkey. The renowned Dubai Mall was redesigned, as was the Dubai Downtown Area. The luxury shopping centers Istinye Park in Istanbul and Izmir also relied on MK Illumination who built the tallest tree in Izmir, Turkey at 17 meters.

Lumagical experiences at 28 locations worldwide

In recent years, MK Illumination and their LUMAGICA luminescent parks have increasingly specialized in bringing special locations to life with their own luminescent event format. These parks have been realized at 28 locations worldwide – from Japan and Canada to Norway and Spain. In addition to Poland and Germany, three new parks were opened in Austria in addition to the Hofgarten in Innsbruck for the first time – in Frohnleiten near Graz, at the Ehrenberg Castle ruins, and in Vienna. It is expected a total of around 1.5 million visitors this season. 10 more locations are planned for the coming year.

Shaping a sustainable future with confidence

The family-owned company, which has not only increased its sales this year but also the number of employees from 970 to 1050 is also looking forward to 2023 with confidence: “I think cities would be well advised to create a festive atmosphere with light in the coming years, after all, this also stimulates trade and gastronomy. If cities are not attractively designed, they will lose their appeal and the lights will otherwise be turned off” asserts Klaus Mark, who even considers it a social duty of city councils to design public spaces as friendly places to meet.

Despite all its positive radiance, festive lighting must not be at the expense of the climate. The highest CO2 emissions in festive lighting occur in the production phase and, thanks to LED technology, not while being in use – which is why the potential for savings in the latter is only minimal. This is precisely why the company has set itself the goal of becoming 100% energy self-sufficient by 2024 by means of photovoltaics at its five production sites worldwide, as well as at all properties owned by MK Illumination. “If we solve our energy issues today, our environment and the climate will benefit too,” says Klaus Mark.