Guest Editorial

This has been a very interesting couple of years for the outdoor event industry.  There have been numerous cases of events being devastated by weather.  The support structure damages have ranged from toppled and collapsed tents, to entire stage canopies twisting and collapsing under wind and rain loads.  The equipment losses have extended to video, sound, lighting gear and music instruments.  Nothing to say the least about the loss of lives being lost at such tragedies.

Education is important to every society and in every industry. From the outside, show business might seem like a magical land of make believe, but to us it's how we live our lives and make our living.

For the first time at the 2010 Winter NAMM show in Anaheim, a special roundtable session was held on the "greening" of music tours and production. The result was anything but predictable. Eight diverse and accomplished pros dove headlong into a two-hour conversation that began with the technicalities and practicalities of environmentally responsible touring practices. They ended on a deeper note delving into the value and worth of our industry "going green."

Okay, class – it is pop quiz time! Now, there will be one question, right or wrong, for all of the marbles. Ready? Okay, here it is: When does a person stop learning? I know that this sounds like a rhetorical question, but before you completely dismiss it, let me explain a little about why I ask.

Knowing Your Place in the Production Environment

I was on a plane home from a trade show when I was struck with a thought: I am constantly reminded of knowing my place on the very different shows on which I work. My job as a lighting designer has crossed over into so many other areas that I need to change my job description for each particular client. After 23 years in the lighting biz, you have to see and roll with the changes in everything, from technology to politics.

We have talked for years about lighting people becoming entrenched in the video field, while video has become more of a lighting element. It is like talking politics or religion — there is no defining answer, we just have to adapt and accept some things on faith. Those who do not adapt seem to fade away. I went from touring with rock shows to now doing trade shows and corporate gigs. I see many old faces from those days following the same path. They adapted from the fast-paced, “work hard, play hard” attitude of the concert touring industry, to the kinder, gentler world of corporate production.