PDA Stage

We were all witnesses to the history that was made on Tuesday November 4th, but over the last few months I had a front row seat. In late August I took a leave of absence from PDA to join the McCain Campaign as a production consultant. For nearly 3 months I traveled this country helping put together a wide variety of campaign events. Everything from rallies and press conferences to round table discussions. I was there when Sarah Palin was introduced to the country and I watched America embrace the electoral process in ways not seen in a very long time. And through the endless parade of airport lounges and hotel rooms I found one thing kept me on my toes. It was the fact that in every new city I didn’t know what I’d find. Every 2 days or so I would find myself in a new venue, meeting a new team from the campaign and preparing for an event right around the corner. The one great variable was what kind of production company would I find. Because of my schedule most of the time, I’d show up once the plan had been made and the production company had been hired. So I’d paste a smile on my face, close my mouth, open my ears and hope that whatever vendor we’d hired had done a campaign event before. Although every event was different there were certain elements that were always the same. There was always a main stage for the candidate and platforms for the press. The audience had to hear and the cameras needed enough light so the folks at home could see the 10 or 15 seconds that made it on the nightly news. So in the end every event looked the same but getting to that point was the journey. To be continued…

It’s hard to believe that two weeks ago Kevin and I were getting ready to end our Journey in India and return on a 16 hour flight back to Charleston. Emotions were flying high that day as we were sad to leave our new friends and a place we called home for what felt like a month. The experience was unlike anything we have every felt before and was nothing short of amazing. We traveled to cities and villages, danced in festivals and captured extraordinary textiles made by extraordinary artists. We felt so alive. Stay tuned for video post coming out Monday.

If you are planning to attend the conference, don’t miss an information-rich presentation given by PDA’s Todd St. Onge. The presentation will focus on creative lighting designs in a cost-conscious climate. For details, visit the Event Solutions conference website. Of course you can always ask the expert. Contact Todd at todd@pdastage.com.

The PDA Sales and Design team is heading out this week to Myrtle Beach for the annual EdTech Conference, South Carolina’s premier educational technology conference designed to promote the use of educational technology to enhance student learning. With over 100 concurrent workshops and presentations and over 200 exhibit booths, there is a lot to take in and do. If you are attending the conference, PDA will be located at booth #626.

One of PDA”s mantras is that technology should facilitate the educational process and be easy to manipulate. AMX is a proven solution to the daunting challenge of implementing audio visual aids in the classroom. AMX streamlines and manages the use of video projectors, smart boards, computers, audio controls and other technologies seen in the classroom. As an authorized dealer of AMX, PDA can provide information and consulting on this revolutionary technology. Come see PDA at EdTech to learn more or visit our website.

The RSS V-Mix System by Roland

PDA is proud to announce that we are now a dealer for the new RSS by Roland line of digital audio mixing systems.

Breakthrough in Live Mixing and Recording System
The new M-400 is a complete digital mixing system that provides the purest sound possible. The complete system incorporates a digital snake and mixing console in one integrated system. If you would like a demonstration please get in touch with the PDA sales team for an appointment. Call 843-554-3466.

RSS V-Mixing System Wins Rental & Staging System’s “Best Audio Control or Mixing Product “ at InfoComm 2008.

RSS V-Mixing System Wins ProAudio Review’s “PAR Excellence Award 2007″. Each year at the Audio Engineering Society convention, a select group of audio professionals peruse the aisles to find the latest and greatest pro audio gear. Sequestered in a secret location, the judges then nominate and vote on their choices for the coveted PAR Excellence Award, based on the following criteria – Innovation – Value – Performance

HEY GANG! I am finally getting a chance to actually email.  Victoria’s computer has not been able to connect at any of the hotels we’ve stayed at and most of the recent ones have either not had email access or we arrived at 2am to a dark a deserted gate.

I cannot begin to tell you of the adventure we have been on.  REALLY.  It has been a life quest…a journey of EPIC proportions… so many places and so many different people… and cultural experiences: 

We started by flying into Delhi and arrived at midnight Delhi time… we were greeted by Kathryn (our client and now new best friend… and was told that we would have to be up in 4 hours to catch a 6am flight from Delhi all the way across the country to the West coast city of …
nevermind the city names..put it to you this way..so much exhilaration and adrenalin and nerves and mental walls being broken down gone from being nervous and feeling like we were on display to feeling like a part of the fabric of this society even if just in our own minute way…not many Westerners which made it even more authentic and raw and scary and wonderful and life fulfilling. We have been sitting on the floor of mud huts (LITERALLY) in the desert swarmed by 100s of children in another village danced with 100s of people at the waters edge during their festival peppered with red dye powder…in crowds of 1000’s of people at another Burning man like festival last night been riding with our driver passing on curves near miss collision like Malaysia driving we have covered over 2,000 kilometers and now were are sitting in a heritage hotel just got done with dinner.

In each city we have not had reservations or hotels but somehow have ended up in the most amazing 400 year old hotels in old palaces, been greeted with bands of people showered with flowers, interviews a man with no arms and no legs today who was an artist and I even started crying as I was thanking him… this has been WAY more INTENSE than we expected but in the best way possible.
 
Kevin

Hey, Everyone! We are here and checked in. The ride from the airport was a real eye opener. You can see how thick the air is. Kevin kept turning to me and saying… Are you OK?? Are you OK??

I think he could tell by the expression on my face I was quite overwhelmed by the sights, smells, bugs, people… just everything. Now we are here at the hotel but not for long. We have to get up at 4 am to catch a 6am flight to the west coast of India where an Indian holiday celebration is in full swing. Kevin is sitting behind me while I’m typing this… eating Indian food. He says he is very happy. OK my BLT is waiting for me so I’m going to eat. We will be staying in a remote village, so I’m assuming we will not have email for the next 5 days but who knows!!!We are going to allow these experiences to happen and try to document them the best we can.

We love you all ~ Victoria & Kevin

If you want to be inspired in the midst of all this doom and gloom talk of war and the economy, you have got to check out what is going on at IdeaFestival 2008 ( http://www.ideafestival.com/ ). The PDA crew is working this week in Louisville, KY at this Three-day annual event that features leading and highly diverse thinkers from across the nation and around the globe to explore and celebrate innovation, imagination and cutting-edge ideas. 

Trust me, this is not your run-of-the-mill conference.  Presenters include physicists, a world-champion juggler, filmmakers, a crossword puzzle creator, screenwriters, a Ninjutsu Master Instructor (yes, as in Ninja) and a performance by illusionist, comedian and author Teller (from the famous duo Penn & Teller).

PDA is providing all production for the conference taking place at the Kentucky International Convention Center. That means all of the lighting design and equipment, audio systems, staging, sets and video. Our crew worked dilligently for four days to get ready for the show to begin Thursday, September 25.

Take some time and visit the festival site. To learn what these people are accomplishing is enough to keep me inspired that there are still great things happening in this world.

In keeping with PDA’s commitment to innovation, pushing the boundaries of technological applications and dedication to our client and vendor relationships, we gladly introduce PDA Stage. This blog is an opportunity to keep our clients informed on current projects and share ideas with our partners. Ideas and discussions about lighting, audio and video will be fostered by representatives of the different divisions of PDA. You will see ideas and products from the event production realm, applications from the design and installation team, content from our video production gurus and eco-event solutions from our newest family member, PDA green light. Not only will this serve as a resource for all things PDA, but discussions and comments will also provide a compass for us to know where to advance while staying connected with our customers and industry partners. Enjoy the show.