ALA CONFERENCE PREVIEW


ENCORE AT WYNN LAS VEGAS


The 2,034-room Encore at Wynn Las Vegas hotel and casino is home to five signature restaurants, 11 designer boutiques and a European-inspired salon and spa. The $68 million and 60,000-square- foot, adults-only Encore Beach Club opened earlier this year, featuring three-tiered swimming pools, oversized lily pads and some two dozen private cabanas. Make reservations online at www.alaconference.com. ALA has negotiated a special group rate of


$179 per night (plus tax) for Encore Suites, with other options available. There is no resort fee, and all rates include one $25 slot credit per guest room. All reservations must be received no later than Friday, Aug. 27, or until the ALA block has been


filled. After this date, rooms will be confirmed at the group rate only if available. A first night’s room and tax deposit is required to confirm your reservation. The deposit will be refunded if the reservation is cancelled 48 hours prior to arrival. Check in time is 3 p.m. Check out time is noon.


ALA CONFERENCE FAQs


Q: How may I register online? A: Visit www.alaconference.com


Q: Are there airfare discounts? A: American Airlines is offering members a 5 percent discount on travel to and from the ALA Conference. Travel dates are Sept. 15–24. Contact the American Airlines Meeting Services Desk at (800) 433-1790. Event name and code is American Airlines ALA Conference Code 3690AA. Online at www.aa.com, enter the code in the promotion code box.


Q: Are there discounts on rental cars? A: ALA members can receive up to 15 percent off daily and weekly car rental rates. The companies offering discounts, along with promotion code and phone numbers are: Alamo, BY #529118. (800) 354-2322. Avis, AWD #B608500. (800) 331-1212. Budget, BCD #2663400. (800) 527-0700. Hertz, CDP #089817. (800) 654- 2200 (USA) or (800) 263-0600 (Canada). National, Disc #5021601. (800) CAR-RENT.


Q: What’s the dress code? A: Business casual is appropriate for all day events. Evening/cocktail attire is the right choice for the annual ALA banquet on Wednesday night.


www.ResidentialLighting.com


LIGHTING HALL OF FAME Michael Ber, CLC®,


will be inducted into the Lighting Hall of Fame at Wednesday’s


Annual Banquet.


BER Ber is President of Lighting Inc. in


New Orleans and a second-generation ALA member. He has been active in the group since the 1970s, when it was known as the American Home Lighting Institute.


Over the years, Ber has provided


vision and leadership to the ALA in many ways. He served as Chairman of the ALA Board of Directors, Showroom Division, in 1987. On the ALA Board of Governors from 2000 to 2008, Ber served as Chairman in 2005. Since attending his first ALA Conference in 1975, Ber has helped plan many Conferences, chairing the Annual Conference Committee in 1982 and 2003. He also chaired the ALA Long-Range Conference Planning Committee from 1995 to 2002. He continues to serve on the Long-Range Conference Planning Committee and the Finance Committee. He was recognized as ALA Lighting Person


of the Year in 1987. The humble Ber says he was


surprised to learn of his Hall of Fame honors. “I thought Stan Johnston was kidding me when he called to inform me,” Ber says. “I still cannot believe it.”


Residential Lighting: What has been the most important change in the lighting industry since you joined ALA? Michael Ber: It’s tough to come up with just one change since the early ’70s. For me, there are two things that have fundamentally changed the residential lighting industry over the last 35 to 40 years. One is our dependence on the


Chinese for merchandise. This has been very evident during the world’s economic problems over the last two years as many U.S. manufacturers have been forced to discontinue popular items because Chinese factories closed or could not produce goods in a timely fashion. The other change is how much we are affected by regulation of our own government, whether state or federal. In the ’70s and early ’80s, the problems that ALA concentrated on for its showrooms


ALA CONFERENCE PREVIEW | RESIDENTIAL LIGHTING 3


PHOTO BY ROBERT MILLER


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