At the Summit

We sat down with Eric Edens, a Daktronics Control Systems Specialist who is heavily involved in the Summits to find out why this event is such a success. 

Q: Tell me about the Summit.

EE: We hold this every year in Texas, and we’ve added Minneapolis and St. Louis. It’s a great time to come together and share what high schools are doing with video.

Q: What are some of the goals of the Summits?

EE: Not only learn techniques, but a chance to offer feedback and create relationships with their Daktronics representative and the other attendees. People come back year after year and have developed friendships from the event.

Q: What does Daktronics present at the event?

EE: We share educational sessions on how to grow their show, how to troubleshoot issues, how Daktronics Sports Marketing plays a role, new features on their existing equipment—you name it. We can help them make new content or jazz up what they already have. We love hearing successes from schools and are happy to help if they are ready to upgrade.

Q: What other trends are hot right now for video?

EE: Transitions from webpage playbacks are big. They add value to the sport. DakStats are big, too, showing how many touchdowns per player, for example. The software is capable of a lot. We might be working with an athlete’s parent or team manager running the board, so we want them to be comfortable and confident they are maximizing their display’s use.

Q: How has the Summit evolved over the years?

EE: Our biggest change is expanding to new locations. We also keep the format fresh based on feedback from previous summits. We’ve moved to two half day sessions instead of one full day. That’s a lot of information to take in, especially considering how quickly technology is advancing.

Q: What feedback have you gotten from attendees?

EE: They enjoy getting ready for the next season and seeing what new fan cams they can run. They tell us what they can do and in turn ask if they can do what the other guy is doing. People enjoy seeing new features in the live demo; it provides a good opportunity to ask questions on the spot and builds excitement in the learning process.

“It’s fun to see how much a high school can do. We provide the initial training, but the key is follow up at these events to learn more and spread ideas. It’s exciting seeing them grow their show and building a relationship these additional relationships.”

Want us to host a video summit closer to you? Let us know where the demand is.
Email VideoSummit@daktronics.com.