It's About Time! 

Welcome to your May/June 2006 edition of the PlanetChristmas newsletter!  It is published almost every month and covers relative topics for the Christmas decorating enthusiast.  You can always find a version of this PlanetChristmas newsletter at http://www.planetchristmas.com/NLMayJune06.htm

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The latest on PLUS2007

What is a PLUS2007?  It's our bi-annual gathering where we come together, learn from the best, exchange ideas with others and see the latest from the vendors.  The PlanetChristmas Lights Up Symposium started in 2003 on just a hope and a prayer we could bring some of us together.  125 people showed up in Nashville, Tennessee and had a great time.  We continued our good luck in 2005 when a little over 200 of us got together in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

Planning for PLUS2007 began a couple of weeks after PLUS2005 ended.  We took the written comments submitted by all attendees, checked our egos at the door and analyzed the good as well as the bad.  We committed to continue learning from PLUS2005 and make PLUS2007 better.  You are going to be impressed.

PLUS2007 starts Thursday, August 2, 2007 and continues through Saturday, so go ahead and pencil in the dates now.  There will be no classes on Sunday so you can use it as a travel day or help our vendors tear down their booths in the morning.

Lodging will be cheaper than PLUS2005.  Our full service host hotel has both indoor and outdoor pools plus activities to keep kids and grown-ups busy if they don't share the same Christmas passion you do.

In 2007 we will have more classrooms available and clustered together.  More focused topics will be available for the newbie, intermediate and advanced enthusiasts.  We will also be having some "hands-on" classes to give you real experience to take home and apply.  Registering for specific classes didn't work out as planned for 2005 so we are returning to open classes.  Once a classroom runs out of chairs, the doors will be closed and you'll need to find another to attend.  Don't worry though, classes with anticipated high attendance will be in the large classrooms and/or offered more than one time.  Classes will be over mid-afternoon Saturday to give you and your family plenty of time with our vendors, explore the area and get ready for our marquee event: the banquet.

The PLUS2007 banquet will be held at the same location as the rest of the event but inside air conditioned comfort and in one large hall where everyone will have a good seat.  We already have a keynote speaker lined up and initial planning has begun for the entertainment.

Where is PLUS2007 going to be held?  How much will it cost?  Can you register now?  We have learned from the past to have all of our ducks in a row before announcing the location and opening registration to our community.  As you read this, we still have some stray ducks.  Keep an eye on PlanetChristmas or check www.plus2007.com for the latest information.

Mini-PLUS's

What's a mini-PLUS?  This a a local or regional gathering of PlanetChristmas enthusiasts, usually at someone's home.  There are no set rules but it's a great place to meet others with the same passion.  Check the PlanetChristmas chatroom calendar to find more information.  If you don't see a mini-PLUS in your area, give some consideration to sponsoring your own. 

Computerizing your display for 2006?

Now's the time to be working on your new computerized display.  Start small and learn the basics.  Jumping from the static display world to a dynamic display controlled by a computer can be overwhelming in the beginning, but worth the initial trauma.  Some of the vendors have or soon will be having sales.  Check the PlanetChristmas chatroom or scan the PlanetChristmas vendors page at http://www.planetchristmas.com/vendors.htm.

View from one of our Vendors!

On occasion I'll ask one of our vendors to write an article for our newsletter.  It's a way for us to see what's really happening behind the scenes.  Animated Lighting was the first to step to the plate and tell us about a couple of their installations at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas and Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida.  Please note I give the vendors no guidelines.

Animated Lighting – Caesar’s Palace and Universal Studios

Animated Lighting is very fortunate to include Caesar’s Palace and Universal Studios – Florida as projects where our technology, products and services have been used with great success. Here is a brief overview of these two projects:

CAESAR’S PALACE: In 2003 we were approached by a major holiday décor company to work with them on a project with a large holiday tree that potentially would be installed in one of the fountains in front of the entrance to the hotel/casino. This was an exciting but also very detailed and in-depth project as it included working with the following companies:

1) Major Holiday Décor company: This company has tremendous creative talent in dealing with wreaths, garland, ornaments, etc. but needed help in understanding computer controlled lighting, music synchronization, electrical requirements, etc. We did a lot of “hand holding” to make sure they understood how to convey our vision and options to their client.

2) Manufacturer of Holiday Tree: Our technology and products was also new to the manufacturer of the tree. Prior to working with Animated Lighting this company typically installed one to three colors of lights on their tree. Because there was no animation on the tree, they did not break out their lighting by rows and by color (which we need to do the various lighting effects up and down the tree). We had to work with the manufacturer to break out the lighting channels by rows, color and amperage.

3) Caesar’s Palace personnel: There are several topics to review with the personnel at any commercial project. These include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Number of circuits, circuit amperage, circuits location, type of power (single phase, etc)
• Location of controllers and access to controllers in the event of equipment maintenance
• Trouble-shooting and repair/replacement of equipment in case there are problems during the time (typically 35-45 days) that the hardware will be in use

Caesar’s Palace decided they wanted to illuminate their tree with LED light strings (3 colors), have 90 lighting channels on their tree, and wanted custom lighting shows. They also wanted on-site support (several days including providing technical support at the official “Lighting of the Tree”.

Our successful implementation of this project in 2003 has led to many jobs with the Holiday Décor company, other companies that have purchased trees from the tree manufacturer, as well as many high-profile commercial lighting projects.  Hundreds of thousands of visitors have come to see the tree over the past three seasons and it has also lead to national exposure from national television networks.

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS-FLORIDA: Our success with Caesar’s Palace played a major role in convincing another Holiday Décor company that we could handle a holiday lighting project at Universal Studios-Florida. Many of the same issues that we dealt with at Caesar’s Palace were also prevalent in this project, with additional requirements from Universal. These additional requirements included (but were not limited to) the following:

• Changing the lighting effects of the Tree “On the Fly”: Utilizing our existing technology we provided a way for Universal personnel to change lighting effects at any time without a PC being involved.
• Music Synchronization: Making the tree dance to music that could be heard by a very large crowd of people.
• “Tree Lighting Ceremony”: Enabling Santa to light the tree at a nightly ceremony
• Adding additional Music Synchronization at any time: We provided on-site training classes covering our Animation Director software plus our hardware.
• Utilizing the DMX512 protocol: Universal wanted the future ability to control Animated Lighting’s controllers with DMX512. Universal has in-house Lighting Designers that use DMX512 on a regular basis and the ability to have the option to use DMX512 on one or more Lighting Controllers was desired.

Universal Studios used their “Tree Lighting Ceremony” with their Holiday Tree as a nightly attraction for visitors.  The tree was a stunning success and word spread very quickly.

Want to see videos of these displays in action? You can click here to watch videos of these and other high-profile commercial holiday lighting projects using Animated Lighting products and services:

 http://www.animatedlighting.com/showcase/commercialshows.asp.

If you have additional questions please don’t hesitate to contact Animated Lighting at 816-941-0400 or E Mail us at sales@animatedlighting.com.

PlanetChristmas Tip of the Month

Now is the perfect time to haul those Christmas light strings out of storage and start checking each and every one of them.  I have a workbench set up with a TV in an air conditioned room of my house.  It makes so much more sense to fix those finicky strings in comfort, watching baseball and not having to worry about being done today.  A slow, methodical approach during the summer will give you plenty of time for the serious planning before you start assembling your display in the Fall. 

How do you fix a non-working string of mini-lights?  Start by reading http://www.planetchristmas.com/Minis.htm.  One of my secret weapons is a small screwdriver with the blade the same width as a typical mini-light bulb.  If I suspect a bulb is bad, I remove the bulb and insert the screwdriver blade, which in essence provides a known good link to the electrical series circuit.  If the rest of the lights of the mini-string come on, I've definitely isolated the bad bulb!  Watch out.  This does not work with C-6, C-7, C-9 bulbs or any light string where the bulbs are wired in parallel.

"Shorting" Screwdriver	Only half of string is lit	Screwdriver shorts the socket

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What’s New at PlanetChristmas?

The www.PlanetChristmas.com website is constantly being updated.  Wonder around.  You’ll be amazed at what can be learned.

Got Something to Announce/Buy/Sell/Trade? 

We’ve added a dedicated classified ads website at http://classifieds.planetchristmas.com.  There are no fees for the PlanetChristmas community.

Checked the Chatroom or Blog Lately? 

The PlanetChristmas chatroom is a goldmine of information!  If you haven’t found it yet, go to http://www.planetchristmas.com/talk.htm.  It has recently been restructured to better protect your privacy and prevent search engines from scanning everything in the site.  Don't forget you can also instant message with other enthusiasts in the PlanetChristmas community using our FastChat capabilities as well as create your very own PlanetChristmas blog.

Be sure and check this thread in the chatroom: http://planetchristmas.mywowbb.com/forum13/4500.html.  Mark Sloat is sponsoring a contest during the month of June, 2006 with some pretty good prizes!

We have Wiki!

What's a wiki?  It's a webpage where anyone can make changes.  We have several wiki pages for keeping track of personal websites, vendors, etc.  Check it out at http://wiki.planetchristmas.com

Help us Grow for PLUS2007! 

If you attended either of our major PlanetChristmas Lights Up Symposium (PLUS) events, you know what a great time it is.  Not only is there so much being taught by the experts, but you learn even more networking and sharing information with other enthusiasts. 

The key to success for PLUS2007 is the continued growth of the PlanetChristmas community.  Mark your calendar now for August 2-4, 2007.

Be sure and check our chatroom for local PLUS gatherings.  The forum is called: "Mini-Plus Events for 2006". 

We're currently looking for someone with a very strong Public Relations background willing to help with the planning of PLUS2007.  If you’re up to the task, please send me an email at csmith@planetchristmas.com 

Newsletter Suggestion? 

Have a suggestion for a main topic or want to write an article for a future PlanetChristmas newsletter?  Send me an email: csmith@planetchristmas.com  If you know someone that really should subscribe to your newsletter, send them to http://planetchristmas.com/lists/?p=subscribe

Next time: look forward to more Christmas decorating tips. 

Chuck Smith of PlanetChristmas