With IAAPA 2012 now past and the end of the year in sight, thoughts turn to next year’s business gatherings. Here is a short list of North American industry events taking place in 2013 that IPM is looking forward to.
IMERSA Fulldome Summit and Workshops 2013
13-17 February, Denver Museum of Nature & Science
www.imersa.org
Theme: The Art & Science of Immersive Storytelling.
This event is attended by operators, content creators and distributors, producers and vendors serving planetariums, giant screen cinema and themed attractions – all converging markets because of digital cinema. The Denver Museum of Nature & Science will again be the setting for the annual IMERSA Summit, preceded by two and a half days of fulldome (digital dome video) workshops.
Areas of focus will include sound design and audio, cross-platforming from fulldome to giant screen and vice versa, designing a fulldome curriculum in schools, scripting and story for fulldome shows, and setting up fulldome theaters as multipurpose spaces. There will be a series of curated screenings, a Fulldome Innovation Salon for networking, product demonstrations and content sharing, a Creative Video Lab and the IMERSA Fulldome Standards Committee will address audio as the next phase of its work. Workshops will range from beginner to advanced levels.
Click here for a background article from IPM.
The Summit organizing committee includes Dan Neafus (Gates Planetarium), Ryan Wyatt (Morrison Planetarium, California Academy of Sciences, Ed Lantz (Vortex Immersion), Michael Daut (Evans & Sutherland), Mark Petersen (Loch Ness Productions), Mark Slater, Carolyn Petersen (Loch Ness Productions), Matt Mascheri (Dome 3D), Jay Heinz (Morehead Planetarium), Ken Scott (Visual Chaotics), Claudia Cumbie-Jones (Ringling College of Art & Design), Lance Ford Jones (Ringling College), Jane Crayton, John Jacobsen (White Oak Institute), Paul Fraser (Blaze Digital Cinema Works), Markus Beyr (Attraktion!), Judith Rubin and Karen Roney. Email inquiries to [email protected].
TransWorld’s Halloween & Attractions Show
7-10 March, Saint Louis MO
http://www.haashow.com/
“Whether you are opening a haunted attraction for the first time, or are a seasoned veteran, the Transworld Halloween and Attractions show is a must see event. This is the only trade show that features vendors, from across the nation and overseas, that cover every aspect of our business, from ticketing to makeup and sound FX to giant animatronics. If you are a pro haunter, or want to become one, you cannot afford to miss this event.”
-Randy Bates, owner The Bates Motel haunt.
GSCA Film Expo & Digital Symposium
18-21 March, Moody Gardens, Galveston TX
www.giantscreencinema.com
The core purpose of the Giant Screen Cinema Association (GSCA®) is to advance the business of producing and presenting educational giant screen and immersive cinema experiences globally. GSCA’s membership includes more than 250 organizations in nearly 30 countries. Member organizations include giant screen filmmakers, distributors, theaters, suppliers, manufacturers, and students.
The Association holds two annual events–a 2-day Film Expo in February/March and a 4-day International Conference and Trade Show in September. Click here for more background information from IPM.
USITT Conference & Stage Expo
20-23 March, Milwaukee WI
www.usitt.org
USITT is the US Institute of Theatre Technology, which has abundant crossover with the attractions business. The Conference features more than 12 areas of education and meetings for every speciality skill in the industry. Whether in a classroom setting or at an evening social, over 5,000 industry experts, educators, students and vendors find a forum here to discuss pressing issues, learn solutions and network for the future. Stage Expo boasts the largest theatre focused tradeshow floor in America. More than 200 companies will be presenting the latest innovations in theatre technology and design from all over the world.
In addition to the Annual Conference & Stage Expo, the event will host numerous professional development workshops, USITT committee and business meetings, meetings for other industry leading associations, and site tours to local areas. Milwaukee, a vibrant city only an hour from Chicago, is home to a huge variety of performing arts and entertainment organizations.
TEA Summit & Thea Awards Gala
4-6 April, Disneyland Resort, Anaheim CA
www.theaawards2013.blogspot.com
The TEA Summit is a 2-day business conference. The first day (April 4) is a limited-attendance executive gathering that regularly sells to capacity. It will be keynoted by Matt Ouimet, CEO of Cedar Fair. The second day of the Summit (April 5), open to a wider audience including students, presents case studies of the current slate of Thea Awards recipients. The Thea Awards Gala (April 6) is the formal presentation of the awards and is a lavish, black-tie dinner affair. Gala tickets are available to the public as well as the industry.
AAM Annual Conference & Museum Expo
19-22 May, Baltimore, MD
www.aam-us.org
Theme: “The Power of Story”
Says the American Alliance of Museums: “Museums are great repositories of memorable stories—in our objects and their creators, in our programs and the community members who benefit from them, in our institutional histories and the people who built, developed and continue to sustain our institutions today. But story remains largely an untapped resource for most museums. When it comes to education, advocacy, community engagement, public relations or fundraising, the core story is sometimes poorly told, or even overlooked altogether.”
AAM’s 107th Annual Meeting will explore the elements of a great story, the techniques for good storytelling, ways to measure the impact of story on audiences and how to employ storytelling to achieve museums’ immediate goals and fulfill their long-term missions as core educational and community institutions.
Click here to see the IPM archive of museum articles.
SEGD “Above the Fog”
6-8 June, San Francisco, CA
www.segd.org
With its theme inspired by the famous fog that descends upon the San Francisco Bay, the 2013 SEGD Conference will provoke participants to look above and beyond, be inspired, and connect with designers, artists, planners, makers, and global thinkers from the Pacific Coast and beyond. Participants will explore the design strategies, visions, and challenging new ideas that take us Above the Fog and into the blue sky through diverse conversations and innovative local and global perspectives on culture, art, and design. Early bird registration rates are available through January 1.
