International Laser Display Association
The leading worldwide association for companies and persons doing laser light shows, and providing lasershow-related projectors, hardware, software, and services. Supporting safe and ethical laser shows since our founding in 1986.
Six ways ILDA Members make better shows
Our Members add impact to shows with the purest, most brilliant light in the universe
Proven experience as an ILDA Professional accredited company
ILDA helps keep shows safe and legal; free SKYZAN™ safety software for Members
Customers buy with confidence when backed by the Code of Ethics
The world’s best laser shows, at the yearly meeting of the world’s best laserists
Using new technologies and developing industry-wide standards
Our Members add impact to shows with the purest, most brilliant light in the universe
Proven experience as an ILDA Professional accredited company
ILDA helps keep shows safe and legal; free safety software for Members
Customers buy with confidence when backed by the Code of Ethics
The world’s best laser shows, at the yearly meeting of the world’s best laserists
Using new technologies and developing industry-wide standards
Laser safety courses schedule, Nov. 2024 - June 2025
For descriptions and general information about ILDA's laser safety courses, visit the ILDA laser safety courses webpage. Below is a list of course schedules and rates.
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LSO and Lasershow Operator courses
Our main course is the 9-hour Laser Safety Officer (LSO) course. It is for people who create laser shows and are responsible for them being safe and legal (including filling out U.S. federal forms). Sometimes the LSO course is given all in one day; other times it is split into two half days.
We also have a shorter course for Lasershow Operators. It is always the first half, or the first day, of the LSO course. If you do not need a full LSO course, Lasershow Operator is excellent for persons running laser shows or working around them.
Dates and times can be changed if no one has yet signed up; see below on how to ask for a date/time change.
All LSO and Lasershow Operator courses are online using Zoom, unless otherwise noted.
Click on a link to go to the registration page for that course.
• Saturday December 7 2024 - in-person laser safety courses at the LDI show in Las Vegas. Sign up for this is done separately through LDI's website. Look for the courses, and then the two given by ILDA on Dec. 7. You can sign up for Lasershow Operator only (first half of the day) or the entire Laser Safety Officer class (the entire day). Cost information and schedule is at LDI's website.
• Monday December 16 and Thursday December 19 2024: Laser Safety Officer course, split over two days — NOTE THESE TWO DAYS ARE NOT SEQUENTIAL - they are Monday and Thursday. The time is 3 pm - 8:30 pm Eastern both days. The Lasershow Operator course is on Monday Dec. 16 only, 3-8:30 pm.
• Friday January 10 2025: 1-day Laser Safety Officer course, 12 noon - 9 pm Eastern. Lasershow Operator course is the first half, from 12 noon to 5 pm.
• Monday February 3 and Tuesday February 4 2025: Laser Safety Officer course, split over two days, 3 pm - 8:30 pm Eastern both days. Lasershow Operator course on Monday Feb. 3 only, 3-8:30 pm.
• Friday February 28 2025: 1-day Laser Safety Officer course, 2 pm - 11 pm Eastern. Lasershow Operator course is the first half, from 2 pm to 7 pm.
• Monday March 24 and Tuesday March 25 2025: Laser Safety Officer course, split over two days, 12 noon - 5:30 pm Eastern both days. Lasershow Operator course on Monday March 24 only, 12 noon- 5:30 pm.
• Thursday April 17 2025: 1-day Laser Safety Officer course, 7 pm - 4 am April 18 Eastern. Lasershow Operator course is the first half, from 7 pm to midnight.
• Thursday May 15 and Friday May 16 2025: Laser Safety Officer course, split over two days, 3 pm - 8:30 pm Eastern both days. Lasershow Operator course on Thursday May 15 only, 3-8:30 pm.
• Monday June 9 2025: 1-day Laser Safety Officer course, 12 noon - 9 pm Eastern. Lasershow Operator course is the first half, from noon-9 pm.
• Thursday June 26 and Friday June 27 2025: Laser Safety Officer course, split over two days, 3 pm - 8:30 pm Eastern both days. Lasershow Operator course on Thursday June 26 only, 3-8:30 pm.
Changing dates and times to fit your schedule
The date and time of an online class can be changed if no one has yet signed up for the class. For example, if you are in a time zone far from US Eastern, we can change the hours so it fits your schedule. If you are interested in a class but need a date or time change, contact ILDA. Once at least one person signs up for a class, then the date and time for that class will no longer be changed.
Pricing for LSO and Lasershow Operator courses
The cost for an online/Zoom Laser Safety Officer (LSO) course is $525 per person for ILDA Members, or $649 for non-members. This may be higher for in-person courses or the LDI show in Las Vegas due to having to rent room space, travel, and other expenses.
The cost for an online/Zoom Lasershow Operator course is $295 per person for ILDA Members, or $495 for non-members. This may be higher for in-person courses or the LDI show. -
Audience Scanning Safety courses
We set up an Audience Scanning Safety course for Friday, December 20, 2024 online by Zoom and in-person in Orlando, 2 pm to 6 pm Eastern. Click here to register.
The cost is $395 per person for ILDA Members, or $520 for non-members (same price for online/Zoom and in-person/Orlando).
We will add more Audience Scanning Safety courses in 2025, hopefully 3 or 4 online during the year plus one in-person at the 2025 ILDA Conference. -
Other laser safety courses
• The Laser Safety Officer (LSO) for Category A Laser Shows course is usually given only for groups of persons who already have LSO certificates from ILDA or other laser show organizations. This "brings them up to speed" on how to make a show that meets Cat A requirements. We have taught it in the past at the ILDA Conference and at the SELEM laser enthusiasts' meeting. If you have a special need for the Cat A course, contact ILDA.
• Online Lasershow Safety Inspector courses are scheduled usually by a union or group that wants its members to be able to know when laser shows they are working at are safe. Other interested persons are welcomed to take this course. Rates are $525 per person for the first five students, $475 per person for students 6-10, $425 for students 11-15, $375 for students 16-20, and $350 for students number 21 and beyond.
We often present in-person courses at the August SELEM meeting, at the fall ILDA Conference (location varies), and at the fall LDI trade show in Las Vegas. When we do any in-person course, the cost is usually higher than our online rates due to added expenses such as meeting rooms, travel, etc. -
If you need a custom location, date or time
• Custom in-person courses are available in Orlando, Florida or at your location. Course rates depend on the number of persons taking the course at the same time and whether we have to rent a meeting room. If outside of Orlando, there would be additional charges to cover the instructor's travel and accommodations costs.
• The date and time of an online class can be changed if no one has yet signed up for the class. For example, if you are in a time zone far from US Eastern, we can change the hours so it fits your schedule. If you are interested in a class but need a date or time change, contact ILDA. Once at least one person signs up for a class, then the date and time for that class will no longer be changed.
• Custom online courses are available; contact ILDA if you would like to set up a course that we would normally not be teaching. Custom online courses incur a $250 additional surcharge. (This is just for on-demand custom online courses, specifically for one person or group. If ILDA has a regularly-scheduled online course and only one person signs up, there is no additional surcharge. Also, note that ILDA may open a custom course up to other persons — the "custom" part is because normally we would not hold a class at that date or time.)
ILDA: The First 35 Years of Photographic Awards, 1988-2023
The book was awarded a 2024 ILDA Special Achievement Award.
Richard kindly made free copies of the book available to the ILDA Board of Directors and to those attending the 2024 ILDA Awards Presentation on 27 September in Wrocław.
It is a unique book in our field, and is highly commended to anyone interested in the artistry of laser displays.
A description of the book, a few 2-page spread samples, and an ordering link are here.
2024 ILDA Award winners
The 2024 ILDA Award winners were announced 27 September 2024, during the ILDA Conference in Wrocław, Poland, hosted by Visual Sensation Laser shows & technologies. Here are the categories in which the 2024 entries competed:
Congratulations to all winners. A detailed list of all the award winners is at the 2024 Awards page.
A PDF booklet containing all the 2024 ILDA Award winners is now online. It contains a list of all the winners along with a description of each winning entry.
2024 ILDA Conference photo
Group photo taken just after the Awards presentation 27 September, on the last official night of the 2024 ILDA Conference. Click here or on the photo for a large, 6MB version.
ILDA Professional Projector Standard draft now available
ILDA is working on a standard to describe professional-quality projectors. You are invited to download the standard and to make comments. This is an early draft of the standard, so be aware that elements are definitely subject to discussion and change. To make any comments, please email to horacio@lasernet305.com.
ILDA remembers Ivan Dryer on March 7
ABOUT IVAN DRYER
Many older ILDA Members had their first exposure to laser displays at a planetarium running Laserium shows. Dryer’s example helped inspire these Members to get into the business, and often to found their own laser display companies.
Within ILDA, Dryer was known for his quiet, thoughtful and kind demeanor. He was a founding Member of the association, served on the Board from 1990 to 1994, and was ILDA President from 1990 to 1992.
Laser Images was host of the 1991 ILDA Conference, held in Los Angeles. The company won 43 ILDA Awards for artistic and technical excellence, in the years between 1988 and 2000.
A 2002 newspaper article summed up how laserists felt about him: “Dryer appears to be universally regarded with awe and respect.”
IVAN DRYER'S LIFE
Dryer received the first ILDA Career Achievement Award, in 1989. His CAA citation includes this: “Dryer is universally recognized as the father of the laser show industry. His selection by ILDA as recipient of the first Career Achievement Award underscores his unique place in the history of laser displays.”
When Ivan Dryer was 20, he joined the Griffith Observatory and Planetarium in Los Angeles as an astronomer. He also was an aspiring filmmaker. In late 1970 he collaborated with Caltech physicist Elsa Garmire, to film laser light patterns she had created. This became the short film LaserImage.
Filmed lasers, however, were flat. They did not have the vibrant scintillating coherent speckle of live laser light. Dryer and Garmire approached the Griffith with a proposal for a live show to be called “Laserium”. They were turned down — both by the Griffith and by banks.
Three years later, Dryer and Garmire put together a demonstration at Caltech, using a 1-watt krypton laser, This time the new head of the Griffith gave an OK for a one-month test at the planetarium.
Laserium premiered November 19, 1973. Four weeks later, 500 people a night were being turned away. Dryer’s company, Laser Images Inc., went on to do laser shows in 46 planetariums and locations in other cities as well. The shows were seen by over 20 million people. At its peak, Laser Images had 70 employees.
In 2002, the Griffith Observatory planetarium was to be closed for renovations. Laserium’s last show there was January 5, 2002. It had run for 28 years — the longest running theatrical attraction in Los Angeles, and the longest-running laser show in the world.
As new technologies such as bright, large, hi-def video screens and computer graphics improved, classic laser shows with their lo-res wireframe images fell out of favor. Laserium scaled back, while Dryer kept working with lasers and Laserium projects. He officially retired in 2009, when Laser Images Inc.’s assets were acquired by Jon Robertson of DayStar Lasers.
In 2013, Dryer received the first IMERSA Lifetime Achievement Award from the Immersive Media Entertainment, Research, Science and Arts association. IMERSA noted “In addition to his pioneering creative and technical achievement, he also did something unprecedented for planetariums and science centers: Laserium showed that these facilities could be used as entertainment venues, increasing attendance and generating revenue…. Dryer’s influence carries on with presentations where light becomes an actor.”
In his acceptance speech, which received a standing ovation, Dryer recounted the history of his laser work, with many humorous anecdotes. He concluded by saying “I’m delighted that we managed to enlist what was then a somewhat esoteric technological device that has been used to guide missiles and telescopes, to instead guide the neurons in millions of brains to dance synesthetically in a fusion of music and image that enhances both -- to create a machinery of joy. The compliment I most prize was from a woman who came up to me and said, ‘You know, I envy you, you’re spreading joy!’”
Dryer cared for his convalescent wife, Carol, through her death in June 2016. This took a toll on his health as well.
A documentary film on his life and work is in production, and is expected to be released later this year.
Additional background and reminiscences are at Laserium’s website, photos and text at the Leaping Robot Blog and the links at Dryer’s Wikipedia page.
In 2017, ILDA honored Ivan Dryer by declaring his birthday, March 7, to be “International Laserist Day.” He was sent this plaque, to let him know how much he means to ILDA and laserists in general.
Ivan had been very ill at the time. His brother, David Dryer, presented it to him and told ILDA “Ivan had a big smile on his face when I showed him the plaque. That's the first smile in about a year!”
ILDA standard for safe laser shows
ILDA has created a standard for laser shows that the association will generally recognize as safe. The "Category A Laser Show Standard" includes requirements for simplified, lower-power shows with terminated beams. It has helpful information on how to meet the Standard, and why various requirements are necessary.
The Category A Standard, plus a summary of the requirements and discussion of what the Standard hopes to accomplish, are on the Category A Laser Show Standard page.
ILDA Member discount at Lasershow.biz
ILDA Members receive a 10% discount on laser shows sold by Lasershow.biz. This is a platform for award-winning laser show designers around the world, to present and sell their work. Many of the shows themselves have won awards from ILDA and other groups.
When you register for an account at the website, click the ILDA Membership box if you are a Member. Later, when you go to purchase, Lasershow.biz will check your name against ILDA's online list of members and you'll get the 10% discount.
ILDA health plans for U.S. Members
ILDA has now joined with the LIG Insurance Group to bring health care policies to our U.S. Members. This is an Association Health Program where LIG finds policies that meet your particular health care needs and desires (including extras such as dental and vision).
If you like your current health care insurance, that’s fine. But if you’d like to hear about alternatives that may save money and/or give increased coverage, you can now call 888-869-7142 or check out the the LIG ILDA Health Coverage page.
Sorry, the healthcare benefit is U.S. only because of U.S. laws. On the other hand, many of our ILDA-Member countries have health care systems with coverage that may be more comprehensive and/or more affordable than the U.S. employer-based system. And if any non-U.S. Members have information about similar association insurance programs in their countries, we would be glad to get details.
ILDA Members attending the 2018 Conference in Montréal
For more information, visit our other ILDA websites:
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Photo credit: Green beams above column 1 (The universe’s most unique light) — “Scooter” by Lightline Lasertechnik.