Industry Expert Ira Levy, Creative Director of LEVY | NYC and Lytehouse Studio gives insight into the ever-evolving design process and reflects on the future of the event industry, in an interview for BizBash.

—What types of events do you do?

EVERYTHING!! LARGE SCALE CORPORATE EVENTS, PRODUCT LAUNCHES, EXPERIENTIAL JOURNEYS, PRIVATE WEDDINGS & INTIMATE DINNERS, TO NAME A FEW.

—What’s unique about your approach to lighting design for events?

I CONCENTRATE ON ENSURING THE DRAMA AND MYSTERY OF MY DESIGNS ARE UNBLEMISHED BY THE EQUIPMENT I USE. I WORK TOWARDS INTEGRATING ALL EQUIPMENT AND TECHNOLOGY SEAMLESSLY INTO THE ENVIRONMENTS MY TEAM AND I CREATE.

—Where do you get your inspiration from?

EVERYWHERE I GO, I SEE THINGS FROM A LIGHT STANDPOINT OF VIEW. I GO TO A LOT OF ART FAIRS AND INSTALLATIONS. MANY OF MY IDEAS COME FROM AWARDS SHOWS, MUSIC VIDEOS, AND LARGE SCALE ARCHITECTURAL INSTALLATIONS.

—What are some of the most unique events you’ve worked on, from a design perspective?

I’M WORKING ON MANY PROJECTS WHERE I CREATE IMMERSIVE ENVIRONMENTS WITH SOUND, LIGHT & VIDEO. I AM STILL IN AWE OF THE EMOTIONS THAT CAN BE FELT FROM A FULLY IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE.

—How do you sell a client on an “out-of-the-box” idea?

YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE IN THE IDEA AND SUPPORT IT WITH THE RIGHT VISUALS SO THAT THE CLIENT CAN UNDERSTAND THE POTENTIAL OF THE PROJECT.

—What do you envision as the future of design?

TECHNOLOGY WILL CONTINUE TO DRIVE MOST INSTALLATIONS. PEOPLE HAVE A HUNGER FOR THINGS THEY CANNOT FIGURE OUT OR UNDERSTAND. IT IS OUR JOB AS VISIONARIES TO KEEP PEOPLE GUESSING HOW THE MAGIC IS BEING CREATED.

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