News From Joe Aldridge, USITT President
Happy Holidays!
USITT's new floating logo cube helped people find the booth at LDI. It will be a beacon for the USITT booth and boutique at the 2012 Stage Expo in Long Beach, too.
Photo/Barbara E.R. Lucas
October has come and gone and so has the mild weather. This means that I will have to pack for colder weather every time I travel to the eastern parts of the United States from now until May, starting with the upcoming Board meeting. Either I am getting on in years, or I have become too comfortable in the desert.
I attended LDI in Orlando and witnessed rain on the outside and a flood on the inside. An unfortunate incident in one of the meeting rooms on the third floor in the convention center caused the sprinkler system to activate flooding not only that floor but the floor below. Under normal circumstances the damage should have been minor. Unfortunately, the LDI Institute was holding sessions with lighting equipment that was drenched. It happened at lunch time and very few people were around. However, a number of people jumped in and helped to salvage the equipment, and the session was relocated. The flood was the topic of discussion for the duration of the show.
When I finally found time to walk the exhibit floor, I was heartened by the number of booths prominently displaying the “Member of USITT” sign for all to see. USITT was well represented. In addition to me, David Grindle, Barbara Lucas, Monica Merritt, and Jim Lucas were in the USITT booth. To my way of thinking, our participation was extremely successful. We were able to speak to a number of potential new members and exhibitors who were unaware of the benefits of joining USITT. Hopefully, that legwork will pay off in future dividends.
I have been in conversations with Jeff Flowers at Rose Brand about a new design competition that they want to sponsor at the Long Beach 2012 Conference & Stage Expo. It sounds exciting and has potential benefits for student members. I will provide further details as they become available.
At the time of this writing, we are preparing to host our first full Board of Directors meeting in Syracuse. Traditionally, the fall board meeting has occurred in conjunction with LDI, but the Board decided to alternate between Syracuse and LDI. I look forward to a very productive meeting as we gather to conduct the business of the Institute. Since this is to be an in-person meeting, it, will not be available via the web. You can visit the office in Syracuse anytime. So, if you happen to be in Syracuse on business or for pleasure, feel free to stop by and visit with the staff. They enjoy visits from our members.
As we enter into the holiday season, it is my hope that all of our members can take the time to reflect on their good fortune and reach out to those who might be in need. The economy isn’t recovering fast enough to help those friends and colleagues who have been hard hit. Keep them in your hearts and prayers as we prepare to enter a new year.
Happy Holidays!
We'd like to hear your comments on this story.
Please e-mail Joe at joe.aldridge@unlv.edu.