Pixel Mapped ÉPIX Bars from Chauvet Professional Create Unique Look for Interstate Hotels and ResortsJosh Smith knew he had to come up with something extra when he got the call to create the lighting rig for Interstate Hotels and Resorts 2014 Food & Beverage Conference at the Hilton Arlington Hotel outside Dallas, Texas. With over 425 hotels and 79,000 rooms under its corporate umbrella, IHR is one of the final arbiters on all things pertaining to the hospitality and conference industry. "When you're doing a conference for a company that is a leader in hotel conference centers, you want to create something that goes above and beyond your typical corporate meeting," said Smith, the national operations manager at Dobil Laboratories. "Having a very unique and engaging lighting design was critical to our plans." A key part of that design were the 31 ÉPIX Bar 2.0 Bar units from Chauvet Professional that Smith arranged around the main room's stage and the massive rear projection video screen in its center. "The ÉPIX Bars gave us a totally unique look for the stage and surrounding area," he said. "They enabled us to create a low-res extension of the main video screen so we could create a more all-encompassing and engaging atmosphere in the room between the corporate presentations." By extending the stage video wall to the lighting rig with pixel mapped video images on the ÉPIX bars, Smith was able to create a unified the look for the entire room. He also used the LED bars in tandem with four Rogue R2 Spots, automated LED fixtures from Chauvet Professional, to add an extra element of fun to the corporate event. "The ÉPIX bars were used in tandem with the Rogue R2 Spots during fun trivia games that were held throughout the meeting," said Smith. "We had cues set up to make the Rogues highlight specific tables when guests were involved in a contest. Then, when an answer was given, the ÉPIX bars and Rogues turned red or green, depending on whether it was right or wrong. So really, the lights became a direct part of the entertainment." Adding to the impact of the lighting rig were a collection of other Chauvet Professional fixtures, including six Legend 412 RGBW moving washes positioned between the ÉPIX bars. Smith also used four Q-Spot 560-LED and four COLORado 2-Quad Zoom Tour high output RGBW par-style fixtures to add texture to the walls and ceiling of the main room. For stage lighting, he relied on four Ovation E-190WW LED ellipsoidal fixtures, and for perimeter uplighting and truss warming he called upon the RGB output of 12 COLORado 1 Tri-7 Tour compact fixtures. Smith deployed another dozen COLORado 1 Tri-7 Tour units for uplighting in the walkway leading to the main room. He also positioned 40 PVP S5 LED video panels on the walls of the walkway to reach visitors while they waited to enter the conference. All content and control for the PVP S5 video wall and the ÉPIX Bars was provided by an ArKaos MediaMaster Pro on two separate computers. The PVP S5 panels on the walkway walls were used to show videos of the previous day's activities at the conference, as well as images consistent with the food and beverage theme of the event. Since these panels were in an area leading up to the main room, the viewing range for visitors was relatively short. However, the definition and clarity of the images from the 5.2 millimeter pixel pitch panels provided everyone with a good viewing experience. "We got a lot of favorable comments on the images on the video panels," said Smith. "In fact, we received many compliments on the entire presentation. The Chauvet fixtures really gave us the versatility to do a lot of different things with the lighting, from fun stuff and entertainment, to straightforward stage lighting, to glitz, all within a reasonable budget. This was an important event and the lighting package was more than up to the task." For more information on Dobil Laboratories visit www.dobil.com. See Chauvet Professional at PLASA Focus: Orlando, February 17 - 18. 
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