ETC Ion training attracts 100 attendees in Taiwan

Interest in basic Ion® training is continuing to grow in Asia. From January 19th to 22nd, 2016, ETC collaborated with the National Taiwan College of Performing Arts (TCPA) and dealer Ming Li Engineering & Consultant Co., LTD. (MLEC), to conduct two training sessions in Taipei. A total of 100 students and industry professionals from across the island attended the classes. All the attendees received a certificate upon completion of the training, and seven participants won an ETCnomad™ mini-controller.

The training was held in Chungsing Hall, on the Neihu campus of TCPA and was led by Kuo Chien Chung, the senior technical specialist from the National Theater and Concert Hall. ETC Asia's senior engineer, K.K. Yeung, who has 25 years of experience in the lighting industry, also provided hands-on training assistance for the classes. ETC, MLEC and TCPA together provided 16 Ion consoles, with three to four participants per console, making sure every participant had a chance to practice. The training content was based on the Ion Level One workbook and basic lighting concepts, including networking, DMX512, an introduction to Ion, and essential programming functions, like patch, cues, playback, submasters, effects, and more. 

Before the training, there was a one-hour demonstration of ETC's newest LED products, including ColorSource® fixtures and Source Four® LED luminaires . "The demo not only showed ETC's new LED technology, but it also let attendees understand that the more familiar you are with console operation, the better you can control your show," describes Desmond Yim, the regional sales manager for ETC Asia. "With the right skills and experience, you don't need to worry about how sophisticated new LED technology is, what fixtures are on the rig, whether it is a moving light or a conventional light, or if it's an ETC luminaire or from other brands." 

"The program was really successful," says Sabrina Lee, a student from the Taipei National University of the Arts. Lee learned to use the Ion console from the manual by herself, and was happy that she finally got an opportunity to get proper training. Although Lee had already used the Ion console on many shows, she can now be more confident with the steps she was using before.

"ETC consoles were the first thing that I learned in lighting. I really love ETC," gushes Lee. "They help me communicate with the audience through lighting." She was one of the ETCnomad winners during the testing portion of the training. 

Lan Linhan, an associate professor and the chair of the Drama department at the National Taiwan University of Arts, said that the training was rich in content and a good way for trainees to gain a comprehensive understanding of the console. "Each part is interconnected, which helped me better understand lighting control and get a clear view of what we need when choosing equipment for the department," explains Lan. She added that ETC's products are very user-friendly and easy to operate. 

To find a console-training event near you, visit http://www.etcconnect.com/Support/Training-Events/ .