As the pace quickens for facilities converting to LED sports lighting systems, NBA officials plan to schedule a demonstration of the technology in November.
Karen Goldstick, the NBA’s lighting consultant for 20 years and owner of Goldstick Lighting Design of White Plains, N.Y., will help lead the demonstration. Teams across all sports are invited to attend, and 10 lighting vendors will participate.
As of last week, the date and venue for the event had not been confirmed, said Steve Hellmuth, NBA Entertainment’s executive vice president of operations and technology.
Staples Center and Wells Fargo Center are the first two NBA arenas to install LED sports lights. Both venues also have NHL teams. NBA officials are still fine-tuning the LED systems at the arenas to get optimal lighting coverage of the arena floor.
The NBA consulted with both facilities as part of the conversion process. In other cases, the NBA is telling teams to wait for the market to settle because vendors are coming up with new and improved LED lights every three to six months.
For the teams and facilities, it makes greater sense for them to hold off until vendors come up with a product they feel will be sustainable without facing another upgrade in the near future, Hellmuth said.
