Why the Lighting At Your Favorite Trade Show Makes it Your Favorite with Kurt Wunsch of Alford Media

 

How important is lighting design to the feel and success of a corporate event? Kurt Wunsch, Lighting Designer at Alford Media, tells us it’s everything. With over 20 years in the industry, working in many aspects of lighting design from theater to concert touring, to corporate and special event designs, Wunsch has seen first hand how critical both the aesthetic and functional elements of lighting are for an event that is worth traveling for. Technology has brought us together in many ways; whether it’s personally over FaceTime or professionally over Cisco WebEx, the in-person conference or live event on a corporate level isn’t as necessary for communicating crucial information. That means they have to go above and beyond in their design and purpose to feel unique.

Above and beyond doesn’t mean big and bright, though, especially in the corporate world. “It’s not like you’re going to a rock and roll concert where you’re expecting spectacle and intensity,” Wunsch said. “You’re going to retrieve information, you’re going to bond with other people.” Crafting lighting design for a trade show has several subtleties, and there’s a balancing act in perfecting the stage wash to not interfere with the spot lights, and then those to not interfere with the ambient color highlights.

Even more exciting is how lighting design is leaking from the stage to the entire show floor or ballroom. With the experiential aspect of the trade show taking higher precedent, finding ways to immerse audiences has become essential. “They’re bringing in custom furniture in the audience,” Wunsch said. “They’re trying to engage the audience in a full capacity, that’s really brought our job away from the stage and out into the house.”

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