Page 40 - February 2022

LIGHT & DESIGN PROFILE | MK ILLUMINATION

Delivering Added-Value

Experiences

Bay Square, Dubai, UAE

People today, particularly after the global pandemic, crave
experiences above anything else. This is why MK Illumination
harnesses the power of light, design, storytelling and carefully-
selected products to create lighting experiences that tap into
people’s emotions. Here, RLI spoke with Thomas Mark, President
MK Illumination Global and Oktay Sureka, Managing Director
MK Illumination Türkiye to discuss how the company has
evolved their full-service approach and continue to create True
Light Experiences.

or many years, MK Illumination has been the global market In addition to producing and selling lighting products as well as
leader in festive decorative lighting. Today, headquartered in comprehensive festive decorative lighting solutions for cities & municipalities,
FInnsbruck, Austria, the company operates 44 sales offices and shopping centres or leisure & tourism, the business also operates their own
operates in over 120 countries worldwide. They also employ 970 people temporary lights parks under the brand name LUMAGICA.
worldwide, with 52 of these being based at the Innsbruck location. The company generated such an incredible 2021 turnover through
Beginning with a turnover of just €7,900, the company then grew by the implementation of a selection of very prestigious projects such as
100 per cent year-on-year for a decade due to multifaceted growth in luxury world-famous department stores including Saks 5th Avenue, or
almost every country they are situated and in every area in which they the Cartier flagship, along with the Rockefeller Center and the Radio
operate. While a short-term loss of sales was seen in the first year of City Music Hall, all of which were shining lights for MK.
the pandemic, 2021 saw the company have the most successful year in Outside of New York, a famous concert hall was also completed in
its history, generating a turnover of €140M. Berlin – the amazing Friedrichstadt-Palast. A complete concept was
“We managed this rapid growth because we have very strong teams introduced at the Dubai International Finance Centre and in Turkey
not only in our headquarters in Innsbruck, but also in our sales offices they ensured a bright turn of the year at both Istanbul’s shopping centre
that have a fantastic understanding for local culture and needs,” explains Istinye Park and in Izmir. Meanwhile in China’s metropolises Shanghai
Oktay Sureka, Managing Director MK Illumination Türkiye. and Hangzhou and in the up-and-coming Chengdu, MK light installations
“MK Illumination was founded by Marie and Klaus Mark, along with provided a special winter highlight.
myself in 1996 and it is still owner-managed today – we see this as a “Despite numerous prestigious shopping centre projects worldwide,
big advantage as it is the nature of a family company to think in terms the positive business performance in 2021 was mainly due to light displays
of generations rather than in calendar quarters,” adds Thomas Mark, in public spaces. In Dortmund, staging “Licht im Pott”, we managed to set
President MK Illumination Global. a completely new standard for themed light displays in Germany, while
40 RETAIL & LEISURE INTERNATIONAL FEBRUARY 2022