Features

If time flies when you are having fun, it really zips along at a three-day event like the LDI show in Orlando. From the education sessions, the back rooms, seeing new products in development, the show floor and, of course, seeing old and new friends — not just on the show floor, but at the Parnelli Awards (see page 28) and after hours, with friends telling old stories and catching up over a pint or four.

Even at eight hours a day and four days long, PLASA offers too much for one person to see. There are simply too many manufacturers with too many significant product introductions to cover everything worth noting.

In late September, electronic music fans were treated to some beats dropped by top artist such as Avicii, Sebastian Ingrosso and Kaskade at Nocturnal Wonderland 2011, held at the National Orange Show Event Center in San Bernardino, CA.

Ed Wannebo stops in mid sentence. He’s halfway through a long interview, and he’s up to working for Hall & Oates. He’s already spoken of his work with Van Halen, Tina Turner, David Bowie, ZZ Top, and Stevie Nicks, among others. He’s not yet gotten to Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, or Kenny Chesney.

Sensation events — immersive DJ-supported dance extravaganzas where participants adhere to an all-white or all-black dress code — made their U.K. debut at the O2 arena Aug. 13 with an event themed “An Ocean of White.”

There’s a new live event production team in Tempe. And you’ll find their prices quite reasonable — likely even free. But you’ll have to be on the campus of Arizona State University to take advantage of it …

Students looking for experience, an opportunity to work with better gear, and a selfless desire to help their fellow students increase the production value of their events have formed Lighting Audio Video Arts (LAVA). It’s a student-led and student-crewed production group.

“Jim Fackert is the MacGyver of the entertainment business,” states Bob Peterson, owner of Real World Lighting, and formerly of Upstaging. “With an idea, a pile of parts and a tube of RTV, anything could happen. Many things did. Cyklops moving lights, color changers, parametric EQ for audio consoles, bump buttons, Rainbo lighting consoles, slide matrix dimmer patching, working variable intensity pin matrices, control multiplexing, high density modular dimming, solid state dimming, Littlites… just a few of his many offerings!”

What do you get when you cross a handful of the biggest names in extreme sports and the entertainment industry with a few hundred thousand scantily-clad beach-going beauties? I know what you are thinking, and, yes, the correct answer is one hell of a good time.

The premise of the new Universal Studios’ film Cowboys & Aliens is that aliens have arrived to take over the world, only they arrive in the Wild West circa 1873. Director Jon Favreau and cinematographer Matthew Libatique, ASC also bring to the Old West the very latest in automated lighting technology.

LAS VEGAS — The Electric Daisy Carnival’s dusk-to-dawn electronic music and arts extravaganza moved from Los Angeles to Las Vegas this summer, adding a third night to the schedule. AG Lighting, Felix Lighting and Visions Lighting served as primary lighting gear providers for the five-stage event at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The total attendee count was near 250,000, far exceeding the 130,000 who attended the two-day event in Los Angeles last year — even topping Coachella’s 2011 turnout.

Chris Giannoulas’ story is America’s: he grew up in a one-bedroom home in the tiny village call Mesochora, Greece; made it to these shores in 1969; and built a dynamic, successful company. This year, he and his family celebrate OmniSistem, and the 25 years they’ve spent providing products to the entertainment industry.

New Technologies and Biggest Orlando Turnout Yet

InfoComm11 was a record-setter — more than 33,000 attendees poured through Orlando’s Orange County Convention Center West Hall to learn about new Pro AV products and services. With a wide assortment of new products to view, three days (June 15-17) seemed hardly enough time — and to cover every product, we’d need a whole issue. Instead, we include some of the more noteworthy product developments here, and you can find expanded coverage of InfoComm11 and additional photos at www.ProLightingSpace.com.