ORLANDO — Educational sessions at the LDI conference sponsored by Strand Lighting-Philips and A.C.T/grandMA had to be relocated quickly on Oct. 27 after water started cascading from above — inside the building. It gushed down through light fixtures, broke several pieces of ceiling tile, and left large puddles of water on the carpeted floor.
A fire alarm had sounded before the water appeared, leading to some speculation that special effects may have set the sprinklers off. Fire department officials were also weighing the possibility that the sprinkler system itself was at fault. The mishap occurred some time after noon, while many of the participants in the sessions were on lunch break. No injuries were reported.
Despite the efforts of some of the conference attendees, who rushed to help the session sponsors protect gear from the water, both Philips and A.C.T/grandMA still sustained some gear damage.
The sessions affected by the mishap included Philips’ LED Fusion class, which moved from room S230D to S230B, and A.C.T/MA Lighting’s grandMA2 training class, which had been taking place in S230E. Water damage was also reported in room S230F. Both sessions were two-day events, and in the middle of their second day, when the mishap occurred.
Additional information and photos of the damage have been posted here:
http://isquint.net/2011/ldi-water-water-everywhere/
Also look for continuing coverage on ProLightingSpace.com:
http://www.prolightingspace.com/profiles/blogs/ldi2011-fire-alarms-and-water-damage-not-a-good-start
