The ALPD

Name

The ALPD

Legal name

The Association of Lighting Designers

Website

https://thealpd.org.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392), Business Associations (813910), Professional Organizations (813920)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Employee Recognition, Awards & Incentive (Internal) Events (THAHAIAM)

Keywords

• Professional lighting association
• Live performance lighting
• Lighting design membership
• Stage lighting training
• Entertainment industry body

Headquarters

HQ city

Eastbourne

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: ALPD generates revenue through annual membership fees across multiple categories. Student membership is £36 per year. Applications require payment for the correct subscription rate to be processed.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The ALPD is a UK professional membership association that represents lighting designers, technicians, and programmers working in live performance and events. It sells annual memberships across individual and organizational categories, delivers training through the ALPD Academy and Lumiere Scheme, runs an industry directory, and administers the Awards for Excellence including the Michael Northen Award.

Product overview

The ALPD (Association for Lighting Production and Design) is a professional membership association for lighting designers, technicians, and programmers in the live performance and events industry. It offers membership services, training programs (including the ALPD Lumiere Scheme and ALPD Academy), professional resources, awards (Awards for Excellence), a directory, and industry publications. The organization does not offer commercial software products but provides membership benefits, training, and professional development services to its members.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ALPD Membership
• ALPD Academy
• ALPD Lumiere Scheme
• ALPD Awards for Excellence Annual awards program recognizing excellence in lighting production and design, including The Michael Northen Award for outstanding contributions to lighting design. Applications and nominations open annually to members and the broader industry.
• ALPD Professional Directory Public online directory of individual lighting designers, technicians, and programmers available for work in live performance, accessible to the industry and public.

Named customers4 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Chichester Festival TheatreminorOthers · 8 October 2025Industry and technical companies supporting CFT's Apprenticeship Fund. Supporting companies include Absolute Motion Control, Autograph Sound, Blue-i Theatre Technology, FRAY Studio, HenX Group, Push The Button, PW Productions, Steam Motion and Sound, and Unusual Rigging.
• PLASAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerALPD shares industry-related news including PLASA initiatives such as Carbon Literacy Training, demonstrating ongoing collaboration in the entertainment technology industry.
• Association of British Theatre Technicians (ABTT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerABTT and ALPD work on shared initiatives including mental health guidance, workplace standards, and industry best practices for backstage professionals.
• ShowlightcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerALPD supports Showlight quadrennial gatherings for lighting professionals, with bursary schemes for emerging professionals and speaker presentation videos.
• White Light LtdminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWhite Light sponsors the New Tech Showcase event in collaboration with ALPD and RCSSD (Royal Academy of Dramatic Art student initiative).
• RCSSD (Royal Academy of Dramatic Art)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates with White Light and ALPD for New Tech Showcase student initiative.
• Chichester CollegeminorOthersChichester Festival Theatre works in partnership with Chichester College for its Apprenticeship and Traineeship programme.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• IATSE (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees): The dominant labour union covering stage technicians, designers, and craft professionals across the US and Canada; represents the broader labour-and-employment model that ALPD members increasingly intersect with on UK productions.

Regional players

• USITT (United States Institute for Theatre Technology): US-based membership association for performing arts design and technology professionals, with comparable training, publications, and conference offerings; serves the same lighting and stagecraft disciplines but in North America.
• Society of Theatre Technicians of Ireland (STTI): Ireland-focused society for theatre technicians and lighting practitioners, serving a similar backstage professional community in a different but adjacent UK/Ireland market.
• ESTA (Entertainment Services and Technology Association): North American association for entertainment technology professionals and companies, providing standards, training, and member services closely analogous to ALPD but with a broader entertainment-services remit.

Others

• Backstage (UK) / The Stage: UK performing arts media and news outlet that serves as an information and community touchpoint for the same freelance lighting and theatre professionals, complementing ALPD's news content rather than competing directly.

Direct peers

• Association of British Theatre Technicians (ABTT): UK trade body representing theatre technicians and backstage professionals; ALPD and ABTT jointly publish mental health guidance and workplace standards, indicating very close functional overlap in serving backstage technical communities.
• PLASA (Professional Lighting and Sound Association): UK-based membership association serving the live events, entertainment, and installation industries, with overlapping coverage of lighting professionals and shared initiatives such as Carbon Literacy Training referenced in ALPD's news feed.
• Association of Sound Designers (UK): UK professional body representing sound designers and theatre audio practitioners, structurally analogous to ALPD for the audio discipline and competing for the same theatre professional member attention and engagement.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCQvFXPLRcORTy9NcOqbkQbQ/playlists
• Facebookfacebook.com/theALPD
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/thealpd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The ALPD