Industry defining conference program seeks proposals

LOS ANGELES (September 6 2017) ‑ The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) has opened the call for proposals for the 2018 HPA Tech Retreat^®. Key portions of the programming – the main program and the breakfast roundtables – are determined via this call for proposals. The HPA Tech Retreat will take place February 19-23 2018 at the JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa in Palm Desert, CA (Palm Springs area), a new venue for the event.

Now in its 23^rd year, the event in Palm Springs attracts a wide array of distinguished attendees and speakers and engages leaders from every facet of the content ecosystem. It is one of the most important annual events for individuals and companies engaged in the creation, management, and dissemination of content in the dynamic landscape of distribution environments.

Call for Proposals: Main Program

The main program presentations, which are strictly reserved for marketing-free content, take place Wednesday February 21 through Friday February 23, after TR-X (Tech Retreat eXtra) and the supersession on Monday and Tuesday, respectively. According to program maestro Mark Schubin, “For the main program, ANYTHING related to moving images and associated sounds [is fair game], including (but not limited to) alternative content for cinema, bit-rate reduction, contrast-sensitivity, digital rights management, energy use for HDR TV sets, forensic analysis, gigapixel imaging, higher frame rates, immersive sound, just-valuable-differences, kleptomania in distribution, long GOPs in an era of rapid changes, multi-language subtitling, near-field communications, open-source processing, psychophysics, quantum entanglement for zero latency, reclining seats in cinemas, soundfields, terabit transmission, ultra-high-whatever, virtual reality, wider color gamut, x-rays in 8K, young interpupilary distances, and zoom lenses for 32K imaging. So are haptic, olfactory, and gustatory applications.” With this far-ranging call, “from scene to seen and gear to ear,” the main program is sure to be as inventive, intriguing, and leading edge as in previous years.

Proposals for main program presentations are short and informal and must be submitted by the proposed presenter. Schubin notes, “A sentence or two is usually sufficient and if those few sentences are of interest, submitters will be contacted.”  Presentations in the main program are typically of half-hour duration, including set-up and Q&A (if any). Longer or shorter presentations can sometimes be accommodated. Panels are typically longer, and submissions for panels should include the panelists and moderator (arranging panelists and moderators is the presenter’s responsibility).

The deadline to submit main program proposals is the end of the day on Friday, October 27 2017. Proposals should be sent directly to Mark Schubin at tvmark@earthlink.net. In the event a submission is not promptly acknowledged, submitters should contact Mr. Schubin to confirm receipt. Decisions are expected by the beginning of December.

Call for Proposals: Breakfast Roundtables

Breakfast roundtables begin at 7:30 AM on four mornings during the retreat, Wednesday to Friday. Schubin notes, “The breakfast roundtables can include marketing information, and table moderators are free to teach, preach, inquire, ask, call-to-task, sell, or do anything else that keeps conversation flowing for an hour.” The HPA Tech Retreat roundtables are a popular part of the Tech Retreat, and offer attendees and experts the chance to dig in and converse on important topics.

There is no vetting process for breakfast roundtables. No retreat registration discount is conveyed by moderating a breakfast roundtable, and all breakfast roundtable moderators must be registered for the retreat. Proposals for breakfast roundtables may only be submitted by their proposed moderators to Mark Schubin at tvmark@earthlink.net. Opportunities to present a breakfast roundtable are competitive, and spots fill quickly.  Even though there is no deadline, once the maximum number of tables is reached (32 per day), no more can be accepted. Wednesday and Thursday typically fill to the limit; Friday often doesn’t. Proposals should include the desired day(s) and the desired topic(s).

Further details for the 2018 HPA Tech Retreat will be announced in the coming weeks, including supersession topics, TR-X focus, and Innovation Zone details, as well as seminars and meetings held in advance of the Tech Retreat.

For more information about the 2018 HPA Tech Retreat, visit http://www.hpaonline.com or call +1 213 614 0860. For sponsorship information, please contact Joyce Cataldo at events@hpaonline.com.