[ FALL 2007 ]

Not only did Dec. 15 mark WPFW Pacifica Radio's 30th anniversary gala, it also marked the inaugural presentation of the Pacifica Peace and Justice Awards. Cultural and political luminaries ranging from civil rights activist Dr. Dorothy Height and performer Harry Belafonte to investigative journalist Amy Goodman were honored at a festive affair that brought 1,000 VIPs to the Washington Convention Center.

In its 20th anniversary year, the Washington Craft Show in December kicked things off with a premiere evening concert starring the Levine Jazz Quintet. In addition to powering the special events, Hi-Tech Electric made sure that the exhibitors -- some of whom were artists whose actual work is built with lighting elements -- were able to conjure all the gorgeous visuals their displays required.

PBS's chief technology officer, John McCoskey, and Col. Ricky Sims of the Soldiers Media Center keynoted the 10th annual Government Video & Technology Expo in November. The cutting-edge show floor was filled to the brim with the most advanced new video, audio, multimedia, and telecom technologies from the likes of Apple, Avid, and Sony. Hi-Tech Electric was proud to handle an usually complicated electrical plan with the company's usual gold standard of service.

Fourteen thousand public-health researchers, policy makers, and medical practitioners convened at the Washington Convention center for the annual meeting of the American Public Health Association the week of Nov. 3. Hi-Tech Electric's team kept the power flowing through the huge, which encompassed more than 900 sessions over the course of five days.

This year's meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine brought some 5,500 doctors and health-care professionals to the Washington Convention Center, Oct. 15-17, where they partook of a wide variety of interactive sessions and exhibitor displays. Specific events focused on hot-button topics in the field such as osteoporosis, ovarian aging, and environmental impacts on reproductive health.

The American Veterinary Medical Association represents more than 76,000 veterinarians across the nation -- and has been at it for almost a century and a half now. At the AVMA's 144th annual convention at the Washington Convention Center, animal-care professionals met to discuss issues of global import ranging from avian-flu preparation to post-hurricane emergency animal rescue.

[ SUMMER 2007 ]

It's among the most important annual events for professionals in the event business : TS2, the convention for the tradeshow exhibiting community (photo from Exhibit City News). This year's show, which opened July 26 at the Washington Convention Center, featured the debut of the "Premiere Zone," a section of the showfloor dedicated to featuring the newest tradeshow products, services and technology available on the market. Tradeshow Week reported that nearly 40 such debuts were spotlighted at the event, which drew nearly 3,000 attendees.

June saw the Washington Convention Center filled with the largest conference in the history of the American Library Association. Nearly 29,000 librarians and exhibitors filled the center's exhibit floor and meeting rooms for a week-long extravaganza featuring such a broad spectrum of authors as Garrison Keillor, Robert Kennedy Jr. and Julie Andrews. According to the Washington, D.C. Tourism Bureau, the ALA conference generated more than $15.6 million in revenue for the local economy. Hi-Tech Electric provided its usual gold standard of service, supporting hundreds of exhibits that required the full range of electrical needs.


[ SPRING 2007 ]

Former Homeland Security chief Tom Ridge and the president's counterterrorism advisor Frances Fragos Townsend headlined the 2007 GovSec conference in May, which focused on how to prevent the next terrorist attack and improve our nation’s response all sorts of catastrophes. Sessions, based throughout the Washington Convention Center, ranged from “Homeland Security and the Press,” sponsored by Congressional Quarterly, to “Inside Al Qaeda” and “Is the Threat of Cyberterrorism Real?”

Hi-Tech Electric was on hand to support the first-ever ArtDC event, showcasing world-class artwork presented by eighty top galleries from Italy, Switzerland, Korea, Brazil, Mexico, Taiwan and more. A VIP reception kicked off festivities the evening of April 26, with the show officially opening its doors to the public the next day. The inaugural event was declared a resounding success by organizers and participants, and the Washington Convention Center will again host the prestigious cultural affair for its second year in 2008. (ArtDC photography by Mark Finkenstaedt.)

Representatives of the nation's largest health systems, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies and biotech firms met with leading public officials, government agencies and more at the Washington Convention Center during the fourth annual World Health Care Congress. Hi-Tech Electric provided power services to the more than 1,800 attendees, who ranged from the CEO of Wal-Mart — because the world's largest employer has a lot of health care needs — to the president of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's global health program — which works to save millions of children every year from dying of preventable diseases.


[ WINTER 2007 ]

It's a tidal wave of an event: more than five hundred boats anchored upon some 350,000 square feet of space. Thousands of sea-life devotees flooded the Washington Convention Center to attend the returning Washington Boat Show in February, checking out all kinds of vessels from small fishermen's craft to exotic yachts.


[ SPRING 2006 ]

Crisis preparation has become one of the nation's fastest-growing industries in recent years. The fifth annual Homeland & Global Security Summit, held April 11-12 at the Washington Convention Center, brought together businesses whose products and services address needs ranging from port security and emergency medicine to the Hurricane Katrina reconstruction effort. The event drew more than 3,500 attendees to take part in public-safety and catastrophe-planning panels, cutting-edge product demonstrations, and keynote addresses by national policy leaders including U.S. Representative Curt Weldon (R-Pa.), vice chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee (pictured).

The World Travel & Tourism Council held its annual Global Travel & Tourism Summit this April, hosting senior executives from the transportation, entertainment, hospitality and media industries, as well as international government officials, for top-level debate and dialogue. U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez joined the CEOs of such firms as Hilton Hotels, Continental Airlines and the United States Chamber of Commerce to discuss the future of the travel industry, which accounts for a full 10 percent of the world's gross domestic product.

It's the most important cancer research meeting in the world: the 97th annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research. Approximately 17,000 doctors, scientists and medical-industry professionals gathered at the Washington Convention Center the week of April 1 to discuss the field's latest discoveries and trends. Hi-Tech Electric coordinated and provided power needs to what proved to be the AACR's largest exhibit show ever, comprising more than 800 exhibits from industry, government, publishing, nonprofit and advocacy organizations.


[ WINTER 2006 ]

Nearly 60,000 attendees came to the Washington Convention Center for FOSE, the largest and longest-running government technology showcase in the world. Exhibitors showing the latest in hardware systems, application software, wireless networking and security technology mingled with civilian and military leaders from the entire spectrum of America's federal, state and local governments. Hi-Tech Electric met the show's power needs for a vast array of exhibit-floor, theatre and seminar events. (Pictured at right: Extensive FOSE coverage is available from Government Computer News at www.gcn.com.)

Michael J. Fox took the stage at the Washington Convention Center ballroom on Feb. 23, addressing the World Parkinson Congress about the challenges currently facing those such as himself who are fighting Parkinson's disease. Hi-Tech Electric provided electrical support to the opening ceremonies in the ballroom, as well as to the conference's main floor. (Pictured at right: Michael J. Fox's remarks at the WPC can be found online at the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research.)

Who says electricity and water can't mix? The Washington Boat Show pulled onto dry land for four days in February, bringing more than 500 boats into the Washington Convention Center. Hi-Tech Electric ran power to the vast nautical exhibit floor spanning Halls A and B, including large-scale displays that ranged from yachts to high-performance speedboats.

The world's largest farm show is also Hi-Tech Electric's largest single event: the World Ag Expo, spanning 2.5 million square feet of exhibit space, 110 acres of parking and a Dairy Center equal to one and a half football fields. The 2006 show, which ran Feb. 14-16, was the largest World Ag Expo yet, attracting an incredible crowd of more than 100,000 attendees. Hi-Tech's president and founder, Ron Simon, designed and implemented the vast underground cabling system that powers the Expo's permanent site at the International Agri-Center in Tulare, Calif.

Talk about extreme power -- how about a giant exhibit floor full of high-octane motorcycles? Every bike manufacturer from Harley-Davidson to Yamaha boasted a pavilion at the Cycle World International Motorcycle Show, which helped kick off the Washington Convention Center's 2006 season in early January. Hi-Tech Electric planned and executed the power strategy for a hall full of elaborate vehicle displays, combining carefully designed spotlight arrays and multiple video screens with eye-catching installations built around mounted and spinning motorcycles.

[ FALL 2005 ]

Neuroscience 2005, the 35th annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, brought some 26,000 attendees to the Washington Convention Center the week of November 12. The premier venue for neuroscientists around the world to exchange the latest research and ideas concerning the brain, spinal cord, and nervous system, this year's meeting featured an additional highlight: a talk by His Holiness the Dalai Lama (pictured) on the topic of "Neuroscience and Meditation," addressing some of the way in which ethics and spirituality overlap with the scientific world.

The Association of the U.S. Army converged upon the Washington Convention Center in October, bringing together thousands of the nation's active soldiers, National Guard, and Reserves -- as well as retirees, family members, and civilians -- to experience diverse discussion forums, numerous military/industry exhibitions, and the AUSA's annual award presentations. Hi-Tech Electric met the electrical needs of the exhibit floor, which was filled with massively powerful Army hardware -- and also supported the ceremonies onstage in the ballroom, where legendary TV journalist Tom Brokaw (pictured) was honored with the organization's highest recognition, the Charles Catlett Marshall Medal.

Two of Congress' highest-profile groups, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute and the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, held major events at the Washington Convention Center in mid-September. The CHCI's benefit gala honored Hispanic heroes including Academy Award-winning performer Rita Moreno and Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, while the CBCF's annual legislative conference hosted keynote speakers Sen. Barack Obama and Dr. Michael Eric Dyson. Stage presentations including lectures, awards ceremonies and live musical performances all featured electrical setups by Hi-Tech Electric. (Pictured at right: Setting up the lighting for the CHCI mainstage.)

[ SUMMER 2005 ]

The East Coast's largest natural and organic products trade show, Natural Products Expo East, returned to Washington D.C. the weekend of Sept. 16, providing industry insiders with a crystal ball into what America's shopping cart will look like in 2006. With new products unveiled on 170,000 square feet of exhibit space at the Washington Convention Center, more than 20,000 attendees were the first to see the hottest trends in natural and organic food, dietary supplements, personal care and healthy lifestyles. Hi-Tech Electric was responsible for ensuring that refrigeration, cooking and presentation displays worked perfectly for hundreds of exhibitors, including industry leaders like Odwalla, Stonyfield Farms and Honest Tea. (Pictured at right: Decorative projections on the ballroom walls at a Natural Products Expo East reception.)

Exactly one week after the Natural Products Expo, the Washington Convention Center was once again full of environmentally friendly displays, as the second annual D.C. Green Festival brought politicians, journalists, scientists, and eco-friendly businesses together to meet the public for a two-day educational extravaganza. In addition to Hi-Tech Electric's usual top-notch booth and stage services, the event also featured a "Rolling Rainforest," where children of all ages could walk through a replica of a tropical jungle.

The American Chemical Society held its 230th annual meeting at the Washington Convention Center in August, honoring research scientists from Colgate-Palmolive Co., ExxonMobil & Albemarle, IBM Research, Johnson & Johnson, and Novartis as this year's "Heroes of Chemistry." While conference participants discussed topics from Alzheimer's disease to chemical-plant security, the Hi-Tech Electric crew was on hand to make sure exhibitors had their specific power needs met -- from large-scale booth lighting to delicate laboratory setups involving bubbling beakers of chemicals.

[ SPRING 2005 ]

Two big political events dominated the Washington Convention Center this spring. The President's Dinner, the largest annual fundraiser for the Republican National Congressional Committee, took place on Fri., June 16. Hi-Tech was behind the scenes, making sure the spotlight on President Bush never flickered as he gave the keynote address at the $14 million event. And when the American Israel Public Affairs Committee's policy conference on May 22-23 saw Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon take the stage as featured speakers, Hi-Tech provided heavy power for the lighting, sound, projection, video -- and for the 23 magnometer stations manned by the secret service.

National media goddess Oprah Winfrey brought her "Live Your Best Life Tour" to the Washington Convention Center in May 2005. As thousands of women listened to Oprah's inspiring message of personal growth, focusing on the themes of "Do Your Best," "Feel Your Best," "Be Your Best" and "Look Your Best," Hi-Tech Electric did its best, rendering world-class service to satisfy the grand diva's electrical needs.

[ WINTER 2005 ]

The NBC-4 Health and Fitness Expo, a favorite yearly gathering for Washington locals, took advantage of Hi-Tech Electric's services in January 2005. More than 78,000 people turned out for free health screenings and information -- the annual event's busiest and most successful year to date!

[ 2004 ]

American Idol, the No. 1 show on television, held auditions at the Washington Convention Center in August 2004. More than 20,000 people came to try out for the popular music contest -- making it the largest audition in the show's history -- and Hi-Tech Electric was on hand to provide superstar-quality electrical and plumbing services for the massive affair.

When the International Dairy-Deli-Bakery Association held its 40th annual seminar and expo in June 2004, Hi-Tech Electric provided electrical and plumbing services to more than 1,200 exhibiting companies, including Kraft, Ukrops, Giant Foods, and Wal-Mart. We delivered power to more than 525,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space, including booths, overhead lighting, sound, video, and 24-hour service for a custom-designed 10,000-sq. ft. "Show & Sell" theater.