Guest Post by Ginger Wilson

First, I’d just like to say that I’m not an electrician, nor do I play one on TV. But as a graphic designer, I’m attracted to all things bright and shiny. And when I heard that Philips Color Kinetics was presenting a hands-on pre-convention workshop on LEDs, I had to take a look.

Their room was set up with four boards with working samples of LED installations. After the Philips staff talked about the products, we got to see how things work up close. Eden and Scott, the workshop leaders from Philips, were nice enough to walk me through one of the boards, and I’m happy to say that bright and shiny can also be practical and energy-efficient…and really, really cool.

The first half of the board was set up with white lights. The eW Profile Powercore and Cove Powercore have white LEDs at the temperature you select. The lights come right on with no warmup time when you flip the switch, and there’s no annoying flicker. They can be strung together to light large areas or installed one-by-one to provide task lighting. That’s fun, but a white light is a white light.

So we moved on to the iW Cove Powercore. With this fixture, you can mix the cool and warm white lights to create the color temperature you want. It’s dimmable, too. Even better, when it’s attached to the iW Scene Controller, you can save different settings and then bring them back by just touching a button. You don’t realize how much of a difference choosing the right white temperature makes until the “shades” are right in front of you.

On the other side of the table were the lights that had attracted me in the first place: the ColorBlast Powercore. Big, bright RGB LEDs that can light interiors and exteriors and when hooked up to the ColorDial Pro, are programmable so you can save several light shows and play them again later by touching a button.

Finally, the ColorGraze Powercore uses the same RGB colors but in 12-inch sections so you can put them together to color wash a wall. They had a couple of sections hooked up to an iPlayer 3, which allows you to create light shows. Eden told me that Philips is working on lighting a bridge using the ColorGraze Powercore and the iPlayer 3. Stringing the lights together and programming the iPlayer, she said that Philips is going to “make the bridge dance.”

Now that you know how much I love the bright and shiny, you can understand how the notion that itty bitty light bulbs can make a bridge look like it’s dancing fills me with joy.

The boards used in the workshop are on display at Philips booth at the NECA Show. Come see the bright and shiny for yourself!

One program that’s generating some early buzz in Seattle was yesterday’s pre-convention workshop on how to do a facility energy audit. Participation swelled, forcing the workshop to relocate to a larger classroom.

Energy Audit: A Portal to Green Projects offered contractors their first look at a brand-new resource developed just for them by NECA – a step-by-step guide to evaluate the energy conservation, efficiency and alternative power opportunities for an existing building.

“The first step to winning a green energy project is proving to your customer that you understand their energy needs and that you can do the work to meet their green building goals. When an electrical contractor does a facility energy audit, he shows he can meet both needs,” said Dick Nogleberg, chair of NECA’s Energy Solutions Task Force. The task force was the driving force behind developing the audit tools and training.

Owners tell us that the firm who does their energy audit is usually the same contractor who creates their green energy project and controls the work. Energy audit expertise is a highly valuable addition to a NECA member’s green energy business and profit development toolkit.

Future energy audit training will be available through MEI.

Hi everyone!

I’m Beth Margulies, NECA’s director of public relations, and I’ll be live-blogging NECA’s convention and trade show in Seattle this week on blog.necaconvention.org.

I hope you’ve been reading the blog to keep up with new sessions and special offers, but now with everything in full swing, we’re shifting our coverage on-site, with daily reports on sessions, speakers and scenes from the Show floor. If you see something you like here, use the Social Media tools on each post to share it on your own Facebook, Twitter or MySpace page.

But this blog isn’t the only way you can keep up with everything that’s going on in Seattle.  You can become a fan of the NECA Convention on Facebook to receive important updates before the events and while they happen.

Or follow us on Twitter, twitter.com/necaconvention for quick updates about new blog posts, room changes, and raffle drawings.  Ginger Wilson has already tweeted tons of pictures and reports from pre-convention workshops and as the Show floor takes shape. If already on Twitter, you can tag your own tweets with #NECA09 to let your followers know you’re tweeting about NECA 2009 Seattle.

For NECA 2009 Seattle attendees who aren’t familiar with everything social media can offer electrical contractors, you might want to attend the management seminar I’m leading on Tuesday, Sept. 15 at 8 a.m., What is Social Media and How it Can Help Your Business.  Details about NECA’s own social media can be found on our website, too.

There won’t be a lot of time to spare in Seattle, so take advantage of NECA’s social media for event updates and to stay in touch!

Did you know that Philips Color Kinetics is giving away $1,200 worth of LED products to each registered participant in the How LED Technology Can Change Your Business pre-convention workshop?

Now that you do, can you really think of a reason why you shouldn’t enroll today?

LED technology is dramatically changing how electrical contractors specify and install lighting systems. Customers like the energy savings and control LED offers – and if you can’t meet their needs, they will find someone who can.

Be their best resource for LED information by educating yourself at NECA 2009 Seattle. At the pre-convention workshop, you’ll learn the right questions to ask when selecting an LED system, steps for making a cost-benefit analysis, and get a hands-on installation demonstration.

Register for How LED Technology Can Change Your Business now!

Already coming to NECA 2009 Seattle, and want to add this workshop to your registration? Go here to learn how.

Readers of NECA’s Contractors Code Letter will know about our special National Electrical Code-focused pre-convention workshops, including Sneak Peak at the 2011 Proposed NEC Code Changes, presented by Mike Johnston, NECA Executive Director, Standards and Safety. The half-day seminar on Friday, Sept. 11, will cover both the 2008 NEC and highlight some of the more than 5,000 proposed changes for the 2011 NEC.

Significant Changes to NFPA 70E 2009, also on Friday, Sept. 11, will cover how changes in the de facto electrical safety standard will impact on-site safety practices and project costs. The pre-convention workshop will be lead by Palmer Hickman, NJATC Director of Code and Safety Training and Curriculum Development.

All pre-convention workshops and many NECA 2009 Seattle management seminars can earn Continuing Education credits for attendees. Most pre-convention workshops only cost $125 for each registrant – a great bargain for professionals to need continuing education credits!

If you’re in the Seattle area, pre-convention workshops are a great way to take advantage of NECA’s training without spending too much time out of the office or away from home. If you’ve already made your plans to be at NECA 2009 Seattle, make the most of your time there by registering for a special pre-convention workshop today!

Register today!

First of all, congratulations to you for taking advantage of NECA 2009 Seattle’s full roster of pre-convention workshops. (We start them on Friday, Sept. 11 so folks attending the Board of Governors meeting Sept. 12 can go, too.)

Second, you can add pre-convention workshops and tours to your existing registration online or call Katie at 301-215-4506 for help.

If you want to make the changes to your registration online, follow these steps:

1. Click on “Attendee Registration” at the top of the NECA 2009 Seattle website.

2. Select “I know my username and password.” When prompted, enter your username and password if you are not already logged into the site.

3. The NECA 2009 Seattle registration will display. Select “Review Your Registration” at the top of the page.

4. Your registration will display. Select “Would you like to update your registration?” from the top of the page.

5. Scroll down and select “Update Event Tickets” from “Registrant Events.” From here, you can enter the number of tickets you need for a pre-convention workshop.

6. Click “Update” at the bottom of the page. You are now registered for a pre-convention workshop.

Beth Ellis, executive director for NECA’s convention and trade show, recently took the time to answer a few of the questions about NECA 2009 Seattle. See her Q&A on the new Access Seattle page of the 2009 NECA Seattle blog.

A recent survey of electrical and lighting contractors showed that contractors are involved in recommending LED lighting more than 70% of the time, demonstrating their importance in the specifying and recommendation of LED lighting products for building projects.

However, a majority of respondents said they are still looking for LED education – a need that NECA 2009 Seattle can meet!

The pre-convention workshop How LED Technology Can Change Your Business on Friday, Sept. 11, offers participants hands-on instruction using product samples, ROI calculations, product application guides for indoor and outdoor usage, comparative pricing, and information regarding tax incentives and rebates.

Led by Tom Hamilton from Philips Color Kinetics, a pioneer of intelligent LED illumination technologies, the half-day workshop will demonstrate how LED technology allows electrical contractors to deliver energy savings, longevity, and maintenance savings to their customers – the top concerns cited in the survey.

Register now for How LED Technology Can Change Your Business!

There’s a great reason to arrive early for NECA 2009 Seattle – and to bring your key employees with you. A dozen different Pre-Convention Workshops will be held on Friday and Saturday, September 11-12, at the Washington State Convention & Trade Center. They’ll feature expert instructors on topics ranging from succeeding in new markets and making the most of new technology to improving productivity and safety performance and coping in these trying times. They are open to all electrical industry participants.

Nowhere else can you find so many in-depth learning opportunities at such affordable prices, all in one location. (Workshop fees are as low as $75, and none exceeds $250.) Registration for any Pre-Convention Workshop includes admission to all three days of the NECA Show, any of the Technical Workshops held in conjunction with the Show, and the New & Featured Product Room- all at no additional cost! Use the online registration form for NECA 2009 Seattle to reserve your place at the Pre-Convention Workshop(s) of your choice.

Check out your Pre-Convention Workshop Options and register NOW!

Special events and fun social activities before, during, and after our Convention and Trade Show are just the icing on the cake. The main ingredient is the educational opportunites making NECA 2009 Seattle your energy solutions classroom and your pathway to learning how to cope and prosper in these tough times. Be smart now: Register before early discounts expire on July 24. Get even smarter in September!

Early registration ends July 24! Save NOW on registration and hotel bookings.