Light and Sound Interactive to Host Influencers in AR, Gaming, and Photonics

The Light and Sound Interactive (LSI) Conference, taking place June 25-27 in Rochester, N.Y., will connect entrepreneurs and showcase emerging technologies in the realms of photonics, imaging, and audio. The event will take place throughout the downtown area over the course of three days, intentionally overlapping with the CGI Rochester International Jazz Festival and serving as what organizers hope will be a blockbuster sequel to the event’s first iteration in 2017.

“LSI builds upon Rochester’s proud legacy in manufacturing, photography, and optics, and the region today is recognized globally as a leading optics, photonics, and imaging cluster,” said Terry Clas, executive director of the LSI.

“The LSI Conference captures where we are today as global leaders in many arenas, and this innovation is taking place in the same footprint as Rochester’s business giants who pioneered optics and made magic happen with imaging and light,” Clas said. “We are ready to showcase our evolving and innovative technologies.”

Light and Sound Interactive will take place in downtown Rochester June 25-27. Courtesy of LSI.

The program features six conference tracks, with multiple sessions designed to promote collaboration and interaction. Tracks include Virtual and Augmented Reality; Gaming and Interactive Media; Music and Sound; Optics, Photonics, and Imaging; Cinema; and Department of Defense.

Each track will feature interactive sessions with experts, entrepreneurs, and leading innovators, along with hands-on demonstrations of emerging products in each field. The program will promote collaboration and connection among innovators through one-on-one meetups, facilitated and organized by LSI management.

The event features speakers from Facebook, Microsoft, the Department of Defense, and the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences, as well as demonstrations from companies such as Bose, Harman, and Amazon.

Facebook has invited key influencers from around the country who will remain in Rochester after the event for a Facebook summit, “Facebook Optics and Display Academic Research Forum.” As part of the conference, AIM Photonics is hosting a meeting of members representing several Fortune 500 companies.

The Optics, Photonics, and Imaging track will feature prominent leaders and innovators in the field. Courtesy of LSI.

“We are capitalizing on our strengths by harnessing the creativity and innovation of a new generation of entrepreneurs who can bring their ideas, products, and services to the marketplace, and through collaboration with the University of Rochester, industry, government, and community organizations,” said Dr. David Munson, president of Rochester Institute of Technology.

The LSI Conference will culminate with Luminate NY’s Demo Day on June 27. Luminate NY is the world’s largest startup accelerator program for optics, photonics, and imaging technologies. Headquartered in downtown Rochester and administered by NextCorps, Luminate features 10 competitors vying for more than $2 million in follow-on funding provided through the Finger Lakes Forward Upstate Revitalization Initiative.

“We are at the forefront of developing some of the most exciting technologies and startups in the world’s fastest-growing industries, and we are educating future world leaders who will continue to shape creativity and innovation for years to come,” Munson said.

The LSI Conference will take over the Joseph A. Floreano Rochester Riverside Convention Center as well as Sibley Square, both on East Main Street. Audio and music events will be held in Eastman School of Music’s Hatch Hall and cinema events at the Dryden Theatre at George Eastman Museum. Morning and lunchtime keynote speeches will be presented in the Jazz Festival tent at Parcel 5.

Participants can travel between tracks via shuttle, and are also invited to visit the TAP Photonics facilities, which will also be available to visit via shuttle.

Registration is open now with a general fee of $275 for the full conference; $100 for a student pass; $200 for a faculty pass; $225 for a day pass; or $350 for a demonstrator pass (which includes the full conference). Register and learn more at LightandSoundInteractive.org.