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Registration Opens for 21st HPA Tech Retreat

Registration for the 21st HPA Tech Retreat, a crucial gathering where technological developments in production, post production and broadcast are unveiled, discussed and debated, opens.

Los Angeles, CA – At the SMPTE Symposium, produced by the Hollywood Post Alliance (HPA), registration for the 2015 HPA Tech Retreat officially opened. For the 21st consecutive year, a veritable who’s who of engineering, technology, creativity and strategic business leaders will gather in the desert to discuss the trends and technologies of the future, while tackling head-on the issues of the present. The HPA Tech Retreat takes place at the Hyatt Regency Indian Wells, near Palm Springs, CA, from February 9th to the 13th, 2015. 

The HPA’s preeminent event enjoys a global reach, bringing together the thought leaders and senior practitioners driving the rapidly advancing entertainment technology landscape. The HPA Tech Retreat has consistently proven to be a crucial gathering where technological developments in production, post production and broadcast are unveiled, discussed and debated. During the Tech Retreat, attendees from the media and entertainment industries are uniquely able to share time and ideas with academics from around the world, scientists, and experts in technology from various disciplines. The environment is one of discovery and exploration.

Mark Schubin, who has led the programming for the HPA Tech Retreat for many years, notes, “Each year, we receive submissions from all over the world - about six times more than we can possibly use - and, based on what I've seen so far, it's going to be hard to choose. So many new technologies have been introduced at the Retreat over the years that it's tough to count them all.” 

Over the course of its history, the HPA Tech Retreat has seen a number of breakthrough products and processes previewed in advance of their actual debuts. Surround headphones, full-color full-motion holograms, Sony's HDCAM SR, SR Memory, targeted-ad production and distribution systems, Panasonic's Varicam and stereoscopic cameras, Dolby's high-dynamic-range video monitors, Pencil-beam microphones, and OLED monitors to name just a few of the many “firsts” to be unveiled at the Tech Retreat.

Leon Silverman, President of HPA, notes, "The Tech Retreat is the place you go to see history before it’s made, and to move and shake with the movers and shakers across the technology community. The subjects are always topical, but the real value of this event is the ability to share ideas and challenges, to understand from those who really know and get inspired.  While I take away so much from this event each year in program content, an equally important take away comes from mingling with this amazing group - the teachers who teach the teachers. If you have not been to the Tech Retreat, you owe it to yourself to make a pilgrimage to the desert. If you have been, you know exactly what I'm talking about.” 

Breakfast roundtables are also a popular part of every HPA Tech Retreat. Schubin comments, "Participants begin hashing out the future of media at the lively breakfast roundtables. Among the topics already confirmed for the 2015 event are net neutrality, content security, workflow complications, and a review of the legislative and regulatory environment."

The HPA Tech Retreat is a not to be missed opportunity for industry professionals. The five day, multifaceted event includes dynamic conference sessions, a curated Demo Room with leading-edge technologies, networking events, and parties. The session schedule and programming information will be announced soon. 

Earlier this year, SMPTE and HPA became official partners, moving forward with plans for full organizational consolidation by May 2015. Today’s Symposium is the first jointly produced HPA/ SMPTE event, an auspicious time to open registration for the HPA Tech Retreat.

Source: Hollywood Post Alliance

Jennifer Wolfe's picture

Formerly Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network, Jennifer Wolfe has worked in the Media & Entertainment industry as a writer and PR professional since 2003.