Hotel Conference Room Lighting Project

Our client was a large hotel on the East Coast lookingcolors when looking through merchandise.
to completely replace the existing lighting system inThe conference room also had a small stage where
one of their conference rooms. The conferencespeakers and musical guests periodically performed.
room had recently been renovated creating a clean,The hotel asked us if we could install stage lighting
open space that could be setup for a variety ofhere. Stage lighting equipment is not our normal forte,
functions. With the addition of tables, chairs, benches,but we told the hotel we would commit ourselves to
or formal dining tables, the conference room could bedeveloping a solution as part of the overall
used for a variety of occasions and special events inconference room lighting system.
addition to seminars and business meetings. TheWe simply could not have done this project so
problem was that as soon as renovations wereeffectively without our photometric software. Using
complete, hotel management quickly realized that theIES files on a number of different fixture options, we
conference room had now outgrown the capabilitieswere able to model dozens of hypothetical lighting
of its primitive fluorescent lighting system, and that itscenarios for the conference room's many possible
would require a more advanced source of light inuses. This allowed us to develop not only a precise
order to attract rentals for all the many events forequipment list for the hotel, but more importantly, a
which it could now be used.plan for lighting control in the conference room that
In order to accommodate the complexity of thiswould allow management to change the levels and
project, we first asked the hotel to send us a list oftype of light in the conference room quicker than
the various room orientations that they envisioned.they could change the setup.
Dinner parties, seminars, group therapy sessions, andWe ended up installing a blend of fluorescent and
business presentation meetings were all included onhalogen lights on multiple switching points and dimmer
the very extensive list we received from the client.controls. For the bright, general lighting that would be
This indicated to us immediately that we would needrequired for trade shows, we installed 2X4 T8
to install more than one source of conference roomfluorescents controlled by on/off switches. For
lighting in order to fulfill all of the client's expectations.indirect lighting, we installed wall sconces along the
We would also need to create multiple switchingsides of the conference room. This would provide
points to create different layers of light in differentjust enough lighting for AV presentations. Finally, to
portions of the conference room. Mood setting wascreate a light source that would allow the conference
not the primary goal here, but practical use instead.room to be used for everything from motivational
There were a number of shows coming to townspeaking to formal dining events, we installed a series
that featured products and activities that tended toof halogen recessed lights over the stage and
attract an older audience. The conference roomthroughout the room.
lighting would need the brightest and most energyThis new system now allows event coordinators to
efficient lights to host events such as coin shows andeither turn all lights on at maximum capacity when
other product showcases where detail and highhigh foot candle levels were required, and to turn off
visibility were of the utmost concern. There was alsofluorescent lighting and precisely adjust incandescent
a need for superior color rendering, so another layersources and sconces to lighting levels specifically
of lighting from a halogen source would be necessaryappropriate to respective functions.
to make certain that people could clearly distinguish