Activities and benefits of the International Laser Display Association

ILDA's Purpose

• By maintaining standards of safety performance;
• By promoting a better understanding between laser display professionals and regulatory agencies;
• By fostering the development of new technology;
• By promoting the advancement of laser artistry;
• By increasing public awareness;
• By providing information to the public; and
• By promoting cooperation within the industry."
  

ILDA's Mission

The International Laser Display Association (ILDA), founded in August 1986, is the world's leading organization dedicated to advancing the use of laser displays in the fields of art, entertainment and education.

• ILDA promotes the use of laser displays in the international marketplace through awards programs, publications, technology standards and a Code of Ethics.
• ILDA also represents the industry on safety issues and provides forums for members to exchange ideas, forge partnerships and explore new technologies.
• ILDA Members can use the association's name and logo in approved ways to advertise their Membership as an ethical, professional company helping to improve the laser display industry.
• ILDA helps Members relate to each other not as competitors but as colleagues who share common goals and problems.
• Working together, Members have the ability to solve problems faster and more productively than working alone.
  

Benefits of Membership

Succeeding in the field of laser displays requires an unusual mix of artistic talent, technical acumen and business savvy. ILDA's publications, awards programs, conferences and committee activities are designed to help Members become more successful.

NETWORKING

One of ILDA's greatest benefits is one that doesn't fall under any particular category: it's the ability to meet your peers and discuss issues as colleagues, rather than competitors. ILDA's annual conference, its committees and its information networks open the door to countless opportunities to forge partnerships, explore new options and network with the many talented people who comprise the laser display industry.


MEMBERSHIP LISTINGS

All Members are publicly listed at ILDA's website and any printed membership roster under their appropriate category of Corporate, Nonprofit, Individual or Student. The listings include company and contact name, mailing address, telephone and fax numbers, email and website addresses, and a description.

FULL ACCESS TO THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE

Members have complete access to all seminars and workshops at the annual ILDA Conference. This includes the Lase-Off (an open exhibition of laser artwork), the Advanced Technology Workshop, Industry Trade Show, the Awards Banquet and other events.

Please note that Conference registration is extra -- it is not included in the membership fee. What your membership does give you is 1) access to all programs -- some of which are not available to the general public, and 2) reduced registration rates compared to the general public's rates.

FREE SKYZAN SOFTWARE

Members have free use of the powerful and easy-to-use Skyzan laser safety software. You input the laser parameters -- wavelength, power, divergence -- and Skyzan produces a report (right) of the laser's eye (NOHD) and skin hazard distances, as well as FAA-required aircraft visual interference distances.

Skyzan works for lasers with multiple wavelengths and power in a single beam, such as an RGB laser, as well as for lasers with simpler single-wavelength beams.

Skyzan is a product of Rockwell Laser Industries that normally costs hundreds of dollars as stand-alone software. ILDA has made online access free, as a key benefit to Members.

ENTER THE ILDA AWARDS

The ILDA Awards for artistic achievement and new technology are open only to Members. Competing in the Awards allows Members to measure their skills against world standards. The "award-winning" companies often use this fact in advertising and marketing. Winning an ILDA Award communicates that the company has indeed been recognized by its peers as having created world-class displays and technology.

USE OF THE MEMBER LOGO

ILDA Members are laser experts who have joined the Association in order to improve their business and the entire laser industry. You can let clients know that you are a professional by using the ILDA Member logo on your website, brochures, letterhead and other marketing materials.

ILDA Members are also bound by the Code of Ethics. The Code and ILDA's enforcement help reassure customers and clients that they will be treated fairly and professionally.

Members: Follow the highlighted links for more information on proper use of the logo and to download copies of the logo.


RECEIVE INQUIRIES FROM POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS

Requests received by ILDA are passed on to Members via our private e-mail list. This ILDA Inquiries & Referral Service happens a few times a month. Perhaps there will be an inquiry for a show in your service area, or for equipment that you manufacture or distribute. If just one sale a year comes out of you answering these inquiries, you have paid for your ILDA Membership right there!

ILDA-MEMBER DISCOUNTS

ILDA Members pay significantly lower rates for ILDA-provided events such as the Annual Conference, ILDA's Laser Safety Officer course, and registration for the ILDA Accredited Lasershow Professional Company program.


INSURANCE FOR LASER, LIGHTING AND ENTERTAINMENT

ILDA Members have access to the insurance expertise of the Entertainment Services and Technology Association (ESTA). Members interested in obtaining insurance quotes from someone familiar with the laser, lighting and entertainment industries should consult the Members Only section of the main ILDA website.


HELP SET INDUSTRY STANDARDS

ILDA Members create technology standards that stimulate display industry growth by reducing the complexity of show production. Copies of all current Standards are here.


WORK ON COMMITTEES

In addition to the Technology Committee, there are other ILDA committees working in various areas. These include Safety, Awards, and Professional Status. By volunteering for these, you get to work with other active leaders, to help shape ILDA and the laser display industry.


DISPUTE RESOLUTION AND CONSUMER PROTECTION

The ILDA Code of Ethics requires members to treat clients, and each other, in a fair and professional manner. This consumer protection helps reassure customers that they will be treated fairly by ILDA Members. This gives clients a reason to choose ILDA Members over other laser companies.

In the event of a dispute, the Ethics Committee can act to reach a fair settlement. ILDA does take ethics seriously; members have been suspended or dropped as a result of Ethics Committee findings. While ILDA hopes that clients and Members don't have to take advantage of this benefit, it is nice to know that ILDA Members are held to a higher standard.


PROVIDE INPUT TO REGULATORY AGENCIES

ILDA Members have been instrumental in helping establish/modify procedures and standards of national and international governmental agencies. For example, ILDA was instrumental in developing new regulations for outdoor laser light shows after incidents in the mid-1990s. These procedures, originally developed for the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, have gone on to be adopted by the E.U., Canada, U.K. and other countries.

Having an entire industry association stand behind a proposal is a definite benefit. Sometimes the voices of single companies are not heard as well by regulators.


"SELF-HELP"

You may have an issue of special concern. One of the great things about ILDA is that it allows you to tackle this issue with your peers, and to get results with an industry-wide impact. In this respect, ILDA can be a "self-help" association. You get out of it, what you put into it.

To give an example, in the early years of computer laser graphics, different companies had different names for the same feature. A single image was called a "frame" at some firms, and a "cel" at others. One ILDA Member working with graphics felt there should be an industry-wide standard for the various terms. His proposal for a "Terminology Standardization Committee" was approved by the Board.

       Over the next year, he and a few like-minded ILDA Members worked to draw up the official "ILDA Laser Glossary". The Glossary defined about 50 key terms and the sometimes subtle distinctions between them.

       The resulting direct benefit for the member was less work when writing manuals, tutorials, ads, etc. A larger, more indirect benefit was that ILDA Members came to speak the same language and thus be more unified as an industry.