The LDInnovation Conference at LDI 2026 will feature 100+ sessions spanning lighting, audio, projection, staging, automation, immersive technologies, AI, broadcast, film, AR/VR/XR, and wellbeing in the Behind The Scenes Wellness Lounge.
The agenda kicks off on Saturday, December 5 and includes a full day of sessions on the art and technology of lighting consoles, coordinated by Rane Renshaw, including the following:
The Art Of Programming - Lighting Consoles: Mastering The Fundamentals: Learn how experts organize information across consoles: Fixtures, groups, palettes, cues, views, and much more. Explore the theory and relationships behind designers, programmers, and all the data and responsibilities they share. This session is perfect for new programmers or for existing programmers wishing to brush up on their skills. Learn More
The Art of Programming - Lighting Consoles: Advanced Concepts: This session takes fundamentals into show creation process. Industry professionals examine myriad productions and how they each operate differently. Cover cuelists, busking, magic sheets, macros, and advanced tricks and stories from speakers on how they got it done. Learn More
The Art of Programming - Lighting Consoles: Mastering Effects, Pixel Mapping, Networking: Explore the equally simple and complex nature of effect building. Learn how experts create stunning looks using basic math, selections, offsets, spreads, and clever thinking. We also cover the networking knowledge every programmer needs as well a touch on the strange and unique requests we're often asked to fill in the ever-evolving world of live design. Learn More
The Art of Programming - Lighting Consoles: Building a Career: Industry veterans offer their insights on starting, developing, and maintaining a career in this fast-paced industry. Learn how to negotiate rates, set up a business, pay your taxes, arrange travel, and all the other skills required to be successful. Learn More
The conference continues through Tuesday, December 8 on stages on the show floor as well as in the New Technology Hub upstairs, with such sessions as:
When Architectural Lighting Met Entertainment: The aim of this talk is to demonstrate -through examples and visual references- the essential role of light in our daily lives and its profound influence on our mental and emotional state, with a particular focus on the built environment.Entertainment lighting has always inspired architectural lighting technology. Entertainment lighting has always been a pioneer, driving innovation later embraced by architecture. This session led by George Tellos traces that evolution, exploring how tools and techniques born on the stage found new aesthetic expression in facades, public spaces, and urban landscapes, and how the two worlds now converge in Architainment. Learn More
Running On Empty: Movement, Stress, & Mental Health In The Entertainment Industry: What if you don’t love exercise, but need it anyway? In this personal and practical session, Amy D Lux shares how she went from avoiding physical activity to becoming an ultra-runner and founding the Golden Ghostlight Runners, an international fundraising run club supporting Behind The Scenes Foundation. We’ll explore the neuroscience behind movement and mood, the barriers that make physical activity inaccessible or intimidating, and the connection between stress and identity, especially during times of transition or intense production schedules, when “busy” often becomes a badge of honor. Whether you’re already training or just curious, this session is about meeting your body where it is and finding joy, resilience, and relief through movement. Learn More
THE TEAM OF ONE: An AI-Native Concept Studio for Creative Directors: Most of the AI conversation in live events has been about operations and data. This talk is about what happens when a creative director uses AI from the first spark of an idea, before a single asset gets built. Stuart Fingerhut walks through Hellcrest VI / AREA 1181 as a case study – AI in the room from initial concept through what actually got fabricated, and an honest account of what it replaced versus what still had to be a human call. Learn More
Lights, Camera, Render: Inside the Virtual Production Process: Enter the world of AR/VR greenscreen studios for virtual production: the actual lighting design, different size studios, equipment choices, installation, networking, and programming. A panel led by Dennis Size. Learn More
From Screen to Space: How Cinematic XR is Reshaping Live Experience Design: Territory Studio has spent over 15 years designing XR for Hollywood, beginning with Ridley Scott on Prometheus. Now that same craft is being deployed in automotive cabins, museum installations, global summits, and commercial spaces. Marti Romances will show what actually happens when cinematic spatial design meets the real world. Learn More
You can access the LDInnovation Conference lineup with the VIP, LDInnovation Conference, or Young Career Professional Pass. These passes gives you access to the LDInnovation Conference, the LDI 2026 Expo Floor, special events, and different networking opportunities.
Early Bird Pricing is now available, but only through October 16, so register now and put the LDInnovation Conference on your radar!