December, 2014
I started at Toastmasters 30 years ago with the ultimate aim of speaking to a global audience. I now have my chance at next year's LIGHTFAIR Conference in New York.
This event is the world stage for innovative knowledge and ideas of the future. Experts from around the world lead courses on the most cutting-edge topics in lighting and design. I'll join more than 130 speakers from different disciplines selected to cover a broad range of topics. This is a great opportunity to showcase Christchurch.
My topic will be: "Lighting a Broken City: The story of rebuilding Christchurch and broken people." My seminar will involve a number of points around the rebuild from a lighting perspective. I'll emphasise my view that lighting is for people, and now we have a great opportunity to create a city that is lit for the people. It's all about investing in a design that offers beauty after dark. That may not be the less expensive option in the short term, but will definitely be a great investment for the long term.
Christmas is a great time to mention another focus of my seminar. That is the importance of being able to control and change the city's lighting for different seasons and times of the day. For example, we could have Christmas themes projected onto specific walls in the CBD at this time of year. Equally, we could change the colour temperature of lighting as the night progresses. We could have warm lighting up until midnight or the early hours of the morning. This would lift everyone's mood. When we want people to go home, we could cool the light. The possibilities are endless.
Christchurch is already seen as a Magnet City by KPMG. It's described as a place to see, touch, feel and potentially live. Imagine what they would say if we became the Paris of the South after dark.
I will cover many more areas of our new and exciting city in New York. If you have any interest in the LIGHTFAIR Conference' you can find out more at the website www.lightfair.com
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