Details Announced for NATEAC Conference

The North American Theatre Engineering and Architecture Conference (NATEAC) will take place on July 22 and 23, 2012 at the Hilton Hotel at 54th Street and 6th Avenue, New York City. Building on the success of the 2008 NATEAC, the conference will again offer two days of panels along with the traditional Saturday night New York harbor cruise. A dinner is planned for the closing night.

NATEAC was conceived and continues to promote better communication between the architects, engineers, consultants, and manufacturers responsible for designing and building new theatres and renovating existing facilities in North America. The conference also seeks to elevate the level of interaction between these professionals and the end users of their facilities.

The 2008 NATEAC was very well received and the results of the post conference survey clearly showed that this conference should be repeated. The panel topics in 2008 ranged from ADA compliance to the roles of the architect and consultant in the design process. There also were discussions on acoustical issues, project commissioning, mega-churches and Industry standards. As in the 2008 conference, NATEAC 2012 will feature a keynote address, a plenary session as well as 18 sessions.

Bill Sapsis, conference director, commented, "NATEAC in 2008 initiated a dialog between industry professionals and venue owners, managers and end users. It is clear that this dialog must continue if we want to meet the evolving needs for performance spaces here in North America. Technology is changing more rapidly than ever before and it's a challenge to stay abreast of it all. NATEAC will help us all meet that challenge.

NATEAC 2008 provided a forum for over 250 industry professions to network and discuss the issues of the day. Those discussions started during the panel sessions and continued during coffee breaks, over lunch, and well into the evening. NATEAC 2012 will also offer these opportunities. By holding the conference in the heart of the theatre district, conference attendees will have ample opportunities to enjoy all that Midtown New York has to offer. Discounted show tickets as well as theatre tours will also be available.