A series of How To's and Technology 101 sessions will be offered as part of the conference program at LDI2008, October 24-26, 2008 in Las Vegas.There’s nothing more exciting than learning “how to” from the experts, from simple solutions to challenging technical problems. For beginners and experts: it’s never to late to learn how to succeed!
Open to full conference badge holders or those who have purchased six-pack or twelve-pack conference tickets, these sessions include:
How To Transform A Venue And Wow Your Audience
Friday, October 24
11:00am-12:30pm
A panel representative of the industry’s leading corporate event professionals shares methods for venue transformation. Actual examples with photos and drawings will be discussed along with production techniques, ideas for successful venue transformation, production costs, and strategies.
Moderator: Ben Slayter, SGA Production Staging.
Panelists include: Steve Oliker, Julio Campos, Jeremy Railton, Andrea Michaels, Fabian Yeager
How To Creatively Use LED Video and Lighting Options
Friday, October 24
2-3:30pm
Learn about the creative LED video and digital lighting products that exist, how to work with them, and how to integrate them into all types of designs. Top designers from different disciplines will explore all the varying possible applications when making their design decisions. The panel will focus on the creative use of LED technology and the creative options of different LED devices, as well as considerations of content choice, design concepts, and media selection. Moderated by Michael Eddy, Eddy Marketing. Panelists include: Marcel DeKeyzer, president, XL Video and a group of leading designers.
How To Use Cable
Friday, October 24
4-5:30pm
With a minimum of techno-speak, and lots of pictures and stories, here’s a basic primer on wire and cable, multiconductor, twisted pairs and coaxial cable, where they came from, why they were invented, and how they work. Included is an overview of analog and digital signals, frequency and wavelength, resistance, capacitance, inductance, and the result of those three parameters, impedance. There’s also a refresher on unbalanced and balanced lines, return loss, and skin effect. A good ‘starter’ presentation for the less technical audience. Taught by Steve Lampen, multimedia technology manager for Belden.
Automations 101
Saturday, October 24
9-10:30am
Automations experts at Cirque du Soleil will share their knowledge and experience on maintaining and running the world’s most complex automations systems. The panel will take a basic approach through automations principles, understanding systems/controls and will provide resources to gain knowledge and training in the automations discipline.
Moderator: JT Tomlinson, project manager for automations,, Cirque du Soleil.
Panelists include: Mark Castle, head of automations, KA; Tom Wegis, head of automations, LOVE.
How To Use Rigging Hardware: What To Use And How To Use It Safely
Saturday, October 25
11am-12:30pm
Learn to determine appropriate design factors for rigging hardware and how to calculate them from available information. The working load limit stamped on the hardware is not enough information to use it safely in our industry—the only industry that regularly hangs objects over people and then moves the objects around. Rigging expert Jay Glerum talks about how to select the right hardware and install it correctly to avoid costly and tragic accidents.
This course is eligible for ETCP rigging certification renewal credit.
How To Design Light Plots and Paperwork For Festivals
Saturday, October 25
2-3:30pm
Festival plots and paperwork often mean solving the problems of multiple
companies or events in the same venue, and stretching Lightwright and
Vectorworks to the limit. How do you prepare the plot(s) and paperwork for a venue that host multiple events with multiple designers and very short turn around periods, all in the space of one week? A panel of designers show and discuss with each other their solutions to the problems of organizing and preparing festival light plots and paperwork.
Moderator: Sam Jones, developer of AutoPlotVW and AutoPlot Tools
for SpotLight.
Panelists include: Stan Pressner, Lincoln Center Festival; Steve Shelley, Spoleto USA,
and Clifton Taylor, NYC and West Coast Fall for Dance Festivals; Christina Giannelli, Houston Ballet and Dance Salad.
Going Green 101
Saturday, October 25
4-5.30pm
The issue the industry needs to face is facing the issue. Very few people in the entertainment industry have a serious interest in “going green,” or taking it on as an initiative. What can you do right now that doesn’t impact your budget but has significant benefit to the environment?
Where money is spent, how can you insure the best bang for your buck? Should the industry consider regulatory standards in terms of sustainability? As energy prices continue to soar the economics make sustainability a real dollars and cents solution. Bob Usdin of Showman Fabricators moderates a lively panel discussion on the fundamentals of going green.
Touring 101
Sunday, October 26
9:30am-12:30pm
What does a lighting director/designer need to know to succeed in the concert touring industry. Join Chris Lisle, Nashville-based LD and adjunct instructor at Belmont University, for an introduction to the trials and tribulations of the lighting pro out on the road. From various levels of touring to venue sizes, tour itineraries, day sheets, production schedules, travel, trucking and shipping to working with stagehands, terminology, load-in and load-out, and how to get and sustain the job, this session is a must—and an incredible chance to learn from an industry insider—for young lighting professionals interesting in getting into the concert touring industry. An extremely valuable three-hour session.
How To Effectively Light Fabric
Sunday, October 26
1-2:30pm
Fabric and Lighting: Design Intervention. Illuminated fabrics create effect or mood. When it comes to creating effects with lighting, not all fabrics are created equal. The quality of that effect or mood is dependent not only upon the placement of the lighting, but the texture of the fabric structures. Some fabrics allow light to illuminate space, while others enable you to project images or text. Understanding the working relationship between the two is the key to creating the right effect. How to incorporate lighting and fabric displays into various venues (theatres, concerts, tradeshows, events, etc.) Panelists include: Debra Roth, Pink Inc; Beth Weinstein, Ocean Optics; Steve Hansel Ocean Optics.
For complete information about LDI2008 and online registation information: www.ldishow.com