2017 New York City Roadshow Agenda

(*subject to change)

• 9:00 - 10:00am: Registration | Coffee | Exhibitor Showcase 

• 10:00am: Introduction | David Keene, Executive Editor, NewBay

• 10:15 - 11:15am: Managing Change in a Technology-Driven Industry– What I Learned on Broadway
Josh Weisberg, President, WorldStage
Josh Weisberg admits to being part of the audio, video and lighting technology business for nearly 40 years, much of that time as the President of Scharff Weisberg and now WorldStage. And Worldstage, and Josh, have learned many tricks, if not technology magic, from providing the highest level projection and staging services for big Broadway shows– knowledge that they bring to the corporate staging business.

• 11:15 - 12:00pm: Disrupting the AV Staging World– New Technologies, and New Business Models, Push the Envelope for Stagers
A special panel of top staging company executives and top gear manufacturers discuss the ongoing industry evolution, as we see new display, staging, and audio technologies enter. And as we see new pressures– and new opportunities– resulting from price compression for gear and labor and some interesting new event landscapes that combine traditional AV staging with other interactive and/or streaming technologies. Particular attention will be focused on how the huge boom in video production services– and more, better, and more affordable video capture/production/streaming gear– is affecting the staging/live event world.

• 12:00 - 1:15pm: Networking Lunch & Exhibit Showcase Open 

• 1:15 - 1:30pm: Manufacturer Training TBA

• 1:30 – 2:00pm: Rethinking Staff and People Issues in Today’s Staging World
A Special Panel discussion with some top staging company executives– on how changing demographics (including more women in the industry), generational staffing dynamics, and staging business models are pointing to new ways to run a staging business– to both better service customers and better provide for staging employees’ needs.

• 2:00 – 2:30pm: Laser Phosphor Projectors, Version 2.0
A Conversation with the “Laser Guy,” Bill Beck
Last year, the TCO discussion dominated, when it came to “laser phosphor vs. lamped projectors” for the staging world. This year, it’s a different discussion: the LP revolution has strengthened, and there are now high lumen LP projectors– so it’s not just about the lamp-free dynamic. It’s now being asked: are we all going to all LP? Maybe not– it’s all in the application details, and it’s a moving target. In this panel, both stagers and projector manufacturers will share their insight, dispel some myths, and teach you some things about new generation projectors you did not know: about color gamut, about the exact nature of the LP light engine, and other features– as a new generation of LP comes to market.

Since Bill Beck joined Barco’s projection development and marketing efforts, the industry’s collective technical knowledge of laser light source projection, as well as regulatory and marketing issues, has increased exponentially. Beck was one of the first to recognize the potential of laser illumination for premium digital cinema. And that foresight has paid off. At Barco they call him ‘The Laser Guy’. At this session, Bill will  answer key questions about the ongoing laser phosphor (LP) projector evolution, and give attendees a primer in the very latest technical developments.

• 2:30 - 3:45pm: The Staging Business and the Explosive Growth of Music Festivals– What Corporate Stagers Need to Know
Invited pro panel will address: It’s been one of the most dramatic changes in the concert landscape in the past 10 years: the spawning of hundreds of new music festivals worldwide. There are of course many reasons for this: the need for musicians to augment shrinking revenues from CD and streaming sales/royalties with live performance fees, the popularity of festivals as a way the fan can see 10–20 bands or more over 2–3 days, and the benefit to promoters from both the scale and quantity of performances. With more than 32 million people attending at least one music festival a year in the U.S., they have become “a mainstream pastime of our culture.”

What does this all mean for Stagers? As much as we all love big production values and the latest line array and high lumen IMAG technology at the big festivals, what is the future of music festivals? Big production value festivals will continue, but the business is changing. If you are in the entertainment side of the business, how can you stay ahead of the curve? If you’re a corporate stager, should you jump in, with live video streaming or other big technology services?

• 3:45 - 5:30pm: Networking Reception & Exhibitor Showcase Open
This includes mixer with all attendees and presenters and with invited Meeting Planner industry and other special guests.