2020 Annual Report is out!
We are very pleased to share with you the LUCI Annual Report 2020.
The year 2020 brought unprecedented challenges for everyone. Like many organisations faced with the COVID-19 pandemic, LUCI had to adapt to the new context.
But while we might have changed the way we work, we have not changed what we strive for: connecting cities with light.
Read below the editorial of the Annual Report 2020, by Meri Lumela, LUCI President, Chair of the City Board of Jyväskylä:
In times of crisis, LUCI has proven to be more relevant than ever.
With a set of severe health, economic, social and cultural crises, lockdowns and curfews… 2020 has had an unprecedented impact on our lives, and the nightlife in our cities has been fundamentally affected.
Cities have been through a number of unparalleled challenges. They have also shown great resilience and a capacity for cooperation, solidarity, and innovation. This context has proven challenging for LUCI — just as
it has for similar organisations focused on international cooperation — a network built year after year on face-to-face meetings and networking, and in situ experiences of urban lighting together. I am proud to say, with enormous efforts from all of us, we have managed to thrive as a network and continue growing. Despite the circumstances, 2020 has been a brilliant year for LUCI!
- Even in this tough year, LUCI managed to continue advocating for urban lighting in all its dimensions across the world. Our online events organised in 2020 have shown a massive engagement, gathering over 1 000 lighting professionals and city representatives from over 75 cities.
- Support and encouragements came from all corners of the network for our online working groups and the launch of an essential new service for our members, a major innovation for LUCI: the LUCI Hub online knowledge-sharing platform.
- LUCI is now a host association to 120 members, the largest number ever. Cities, companies, and partner organisations are rallying from all sides, and this is important because the general message is: let’s cooperate more and better if we want to be stronger for the future.
In the future, LUCI will continue to offer more online events and digital connection capacities: they will not replace in-person events but will complement the existing offer and will give new opportunities for members to exchange and cooperate. We will continue to do what we do best: connecting people, exploring new trends in urban lighting, building capacities and inspiring you all with light.
In these hard times, the value of our community (many refer to LUCI as a family) is clearer than ever. We cannot meet as we usually do, so we continue to invent new ways of exchanging. Sharing is at the core of LUCI, and it is our strong belief that sharing ideas, information and experiences will be key to pulling through this crisis together.
We wish to thank you for the many encouragements that you have sent us in 2020 and throughout this crisis. For the LUCI Team and the Executive Committee of LUCI, I know these messages of support are precious and feed our energy to continue with our mission: connecting cities with light.
Ms. Meri Lumela
President of LUCI
Chair of the City Board, Jyväskylä
2020 was a year of elections for the network: the Executive Committee was renewed, and the City of Jyväskylä (Finland) replaced the City of Seoul (South Korea) as new president of the network.
