What happens when you sit down with an interior designer who's spent years shaping the energy of some of the country's most ambitious sports venues—and ask her how light transforms hospitality into emotion?

In this episode of LytePOD, host Sam Koerbel travels to Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego to sit down with Edith Ponciano, an elite interior designer whose work has redefined what it means to experience a sports venue. From Collegiat to NFL and multi-use stadiums nationwide - she talks about how the gameday experience is being redefined. It's a deep dive into the philosophy, process, and creative tension that transforms a stadium from a place to watch a game into a destination where people feel something the moment they walk in. Recorded on location at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, CA, this conversation reveals why lighting isn't just an element of design—it's the emotional foundation that makes hospitality work.

Edith reveals why sports venues should feel like hotels, why lighting creates energy, not just illumination, and why the most successful spaces blur the line between architecture, interiors, and atmosphere.

This conversation goes deeper. It's about the tension between creating beauty and creating energy, the challenge of selling something people feel but don't see, and why the most rewarding moment isn't the rendering or the approval—it's walking into the space on opening day and watching 35,000 people experience something you helped create. Edith shares why she loves working on sports venues despite not being a sports fan, why collaboration matters more than ownership, and why lighting designers need stronger advocacy from the design community if the profession is going to grow.

💡 Key topics explored:

• Why sports venues should feel like hospitality spaces—and how that mindset reshapes design decisions

• How lighting creates energy versus experience—and why that distinction matters in different spaces

• The three-tier budget structure for sports venues—and how lighting gets allocated across public, club, and premium spaces

• Why decorative lighting often takes priority over architectural lighting—and when that needs to change

• How to collaborate with lighting consultants early enough to influence the design—not just execute it

• Why renderings lock expectations—and how to build flexibility into the visualization process

• The challenge of selling lighting as a luxury when it's not a statement piece—and why it's 25 to 50 percent of what makes a space work

• How to navigate value engineering without destroying the design intent

• Why integrated architectural lighting details matter more than product selection—and how to fight for them

• The importance of bringing lighting designers into the process during schematic design—not after documentation starts

• Why lighting designers need stronger advocacy from interior designers, architects, and the broader design community

• What makes opening day the most rewarding moment—and why validation comes from people experiencing the space, not approving the rendering

Whether you're a designer wondering how to collaborate more effectively with lighting consultants, a lighting professional trying to understand how interior designers think, or anyone curious about what it takes to create spaces that make people feel something without knowing why—this conversation offers a rare, honest look at the intersection of hospitality, sports, and the emotional power of light.

Listen now to discover why lighting isn't just part of the design—it's the energy that makes everything else work.

❤️ Big appreciation for the partners who support this work and trust the vision. They believe in thoughtful conversations, strong community, and letting designers' voices lead. Grateful to build this together.

1️⃣ Eureka Lighting - https://watch.lytei.com/EurekaRabbitHole

2️⃣ Kelvix - https://watch.lytei.com/Kelvix

3️⃣ LEDflex - https://watch.lytei.com/LEDFLEX

4️⃣ Diode LED - https://watch.lytei.com/diode

5️⃣ Targetti USA - https://bit.ly/targettiusa

Chapters

• 00:00:00 Opening: Sports Venues as Hospitality
• 00:02:03 Sponsor Spotlight
• 00:03:12 Welcome to Snapdragon Stadium: Culture Meets Design
• 00:04:36 Blurring the Lines: Indoor-Outdoor Stadium Experience
• 00:09:23 The Role of Lighting in Creating Energy vs. Experience
• 00:10:31 Architectural vs. Decorative Lighting: Finding the Balance
• 00:19:51 Budget Breakdowns and the Value of Lighting
• 00:26:45 Working with Lighting Consultants: Collaboration from Day One
• 00:36:53 Before We Continue: Sponsor Spotlight
• 00:48:25 The Chair Swap: Lighting Designer Answers Designer Questions
• 01:00:26 Looking Ahead: Tennessee Titans Stadium and the Future