Backstage Pass: LDI 2019: New Lighting Innovations are Upending the Event Tech Industry with Blake Taylor and Aaron Walters

Daniel Litwin
Dec 19, 2019
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Alford Media audiovisuals AV Blake Taylor podcast Daniel Litwin Podcast LDI 2019 LED lighting live design Promoted Content

The audiovisual industry is bursting with new technologies and innovations. These new developments debuted at LDI 2019 , the leading conference and tradeshow for live design professionals from all over the world. Backstage Pass has the first scoop on what AV professionals are saying about the show with guests Blake Taylor, Lighting Services Manager, and Aaron Walters, Lighting Service Technician, at Alford Media.

Event technology is innately attention-grabbing, but the designs at LDI were both riveting and intriguing. Taylor and Walters noted the resurgence of throwback styles and retro lighting apparatus’, now powered with the energy-efficiency of LED. These stylized lights are finding popularity not just from the light they produce, but from the fixtures themselves, which often play a part on a set for film, tv, or theater.

Walters remarks at the LED curtains, a mappable, series of lights chained together via hardware. Like a video wall, the larger LEDs are an interesting feature for unique set design. “Chunky,” older hardware is finding new life with LEDs, while delivering rich light, longer and more efficiently.

Overall, the two lighting specialists agree that the event technology industry is working together to significant effect. Operators, designers, and programmers are
asking each other questions, sharing data, and welcoming input from manufacturers. This sense of collaboration ultimately leads to creating product users want.

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