The Missing Seat at the Design Table: Why Lighting Design Matters

COURSE INFO

September 10, 2026

2:00 pm – 3:00 pm

Cannery Hall, Nashville

Panel: Andrea Hartranft, Shanna Brown, Aram Ebben, and Jess Baker

COURSE OVERVIEW
Every project has lighting. Not every project has a lighting designer.

What changes when one has a voice from the beginning?

This panel brings together locally recognized lighting designers to discuss where their work fits, where it gets overlooked, and how collaboration leads to stronger projects. From concept through construction, the conversation will tackle design intent, budgets, value engineering, contractor substitutions, and the realities of working across disciplines.

Bring your questions. Leave with a clearer understanding of what lighting designers contribute, when to involve them, and how to get the most from the relationship.

PANEL

Andrea Hartranft FIALD, CLD Principal of Hartranft Lighting and Past President of the International Association of Lighting Designers; 

Shanna Brown IALD, IES, Lighting Designer at Hartranft Lighting;  

Aram Ebben FIALD, CLD, Vice President of Lighting Design at EXP;

Jess Baker IALD, IES, LC, Lighting Designer at EXP

OBJECTIVES

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

1. Identify the role and responsibilities of a lighting designer throughout the design and construction process.
2. Explain how lighting design influences occupant experience, functionality, aesthetics, and project outcomes.
3. Recognize the benefits of early collaboration with lighting designers and how interdisciplinary coordination improves project success.
4. Apply strategies for communicating lighting design intent and minimizing changes during construction that compromise project performance.