It’s official: CE pros can’t seem to get enough of lighting. So what’s another education opportunity to give to the clamoring masses? Seeing this ever-growing demand within the industry, ProSource, has officially announced what it is terming the “next evolution of lighting training”: the Lighting Launchpad education series.

“Three years ago, ProSource established a leadership position in lighting education when we opened the ‘Lighting Training Center’ in Dallas, Texas,” says Jim Pearse, CEO of ProSource.

“Since the inception of the Lighting Training Center, we have been successful in training hundreds of our members on how to enter the lighting category.  It became clear that we must evolve the curriculum to support our members as the lighting becomes a core part of their growing business.”

While technically the Lighting Launchpad had already been announced to ProSource members during both Lightapalooza 2023 and this year’s ProSource Summit, the pilot class just wrapped up in early August, and now, ProSource is ready to officially open the class to members.

“Based on the pilot feedback in early August, the team has really hit the mark in meeting our mission to expand our focus into how to grow the lighting business,” says Jim Pearse, CEO of ProSource.

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While ProSource has stated that the Lighting Launchpad will share roughly 45 minutes of overlap with LTC2, that’s 45 minutes out of what is to be a 3-day experience.

Less focused on general lighting education and sharply focused on setting up dealers with a comprehensive business strategy to grow in the fixtures category, the Lighting Launchpad will be co-led by ProSource Dealer Mentors alongside the designers at Light Can Help You.

Additionally, ProSource notes vendor participation is limited to support of the design and sales process; no sessions will be led by vendors.

“We are honored to partner closely with ProSource to bring the next level of lighting fixture advancement to its members at Launchpad” says David Warfel, Light Can Help You Chief Evangelist of Light.

“A highlight of the event was the open and honest mentorship from ProSource dealer Mike Ruetz of Fusion Audio & Video, South Carolina. Mike’s generosity and patient insights helped dealers gain the confidence to take the next steps in their lighting growth trajectory. And those steps are clearer than ever as a result.”

What to Expect at the Lighting Launchpad

Both the first and second days are set up for sales teams and business leaders, while the third focuses on project managers and those engaged with purchasing and implementation, according to ProSource. Some of the highlights of these days include Lighting Business 101 and 102 sessions, trade partner sessions with support from CEU webinars, and design process sessions led by Light Can Help You Lead Designers.

Prosource has also state there will be multiple opportunities to hear about and practice interactions with members of the lighting fixture industry to help build communication skills with the new trade. Additional business-oriented skills, such as lead identification, budgeting, marketing, and fixture sales education will be highlighted in their own sessions alongside client introductions and stories.

There will also be concurrent live filming of participants in the ProSource Lighting Technology and Learning Center for branded video creation.

On the third day, sessions on purchasing, programming, aiming, and contractor relations will round out attendees’ skillsets. ProSource also notes there will be a deliverables session to help familiarize integrators with the comprehensive set of deliverables that will be provided by Light Can Help You.

Prerequisites to take part in the Lighting Launchpad include enrollment following application and acceptance in the Light Can Help You Signature Partner program. Enrollment cost clocks in at $300/month. There is also a $750 one-time setup fee to be waived for ProSource members.

Additionally other requirements to attend the Lighting Launchpad is to agree to support ProSource vendor partners by engaging, signing up, purchasing sample kits, etc, send at least 1 person to Launchpad Live to cover leadership, sales, and project implementation sessions, and agree to make one qualified client introduction to Light Can Help You per month for six months following the event.

ProSource members can take part in the new Lighting Launchpad training by attending the upcoming training session at the Lighting Technology Training Center in Dallas, Texas October 3 – 5, 2023.

Members interested in attending the October session should contact [email protected] for more details.

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