SVG's third-annual League Technology Summit, held December 16 2008 at the New York Hilton Hotel, hit another home run, attracting 547 sports-technology professionals to the day-long series of panel discussions and tabletop exhibits. With a half-day Mobile Engineering Workshop kicking off the event on Monday (See our coverage of that event HERE) and the evening Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame (Read more HERE) ceremony serving as a slam-dunk bookend on Tuesday night, the League Technology Summit once again provided an robust forum for the most pressing issues facing the sports-technology community.

Here's how it went down"¦

9:00 am - 10:00 am
The NASCAR Challenge: Gearing Up For the Race
Every week during the NASCAR season more than 35 production trucks, three TV networks, and hundreds of personnel criss-cross the nation in a production that rivals the Super Bowl. This special behind-the-scenes panel will feature leading executives and production professionals from NASCAR Media Group, Fox Sports, ESPN, Turner Sports, SPEED, and DirecTV, providing insights about how one of the industry's most complex sports productions comes together. Moderator: Scott Rinehart, NASCAR Media Group, Director, Internal Operations

Featuring:

• Joe Baker, ESPN, Motor Sports Event Operations Manager
• Michael Davies, Fox Sports, Director of Field Operations
• Tom Sahara, Turner Sports, Senior Director of Remote Ops and IT
• Bruce Shapiro, Speed, Coordinating Technical Producer
• Joe Signorino, NEP SuperShooters, Engineer-in-Charge
• Steve Stum, NASCAR Media Group, Managing Director of Field Operations

  
  

10:00 am -11:00 am
Mobile Truck Engineers-in-Charge Panel Discussion
Today's HD production trucks are more complex than ever. What are the top trends in the construction and equipment needs for the big-time TV production vehicle? How are they gearing up for next-generation challenges like 1080p or even 3D HD? And how can equipment manufacturers better meet their needs to ensure the mobile TV market continues to be a leader in technical innovation?

Moderator:
Lou Borrelli, ex-NEP Broadcasting, CEO

Featuring:

• Kevin Callahan, Game Creek Video, Engineer, Fox Trucks
• Bill McKechney, F&F Productions, VP of Engineering
• Roger Redensek, Trio Video, Project Manager
• John Tomlinson, NEP, Senior Project Engineer

  
  

11:00 am -11:30 am
Networking Break / Exhibits"¦
The front bench continues to be the hot spot for any sporting event production and director's are always on the hunt for new toys and techniques to add sizzle that keeps viewers coming back. A panel of top producers and directors discuss how they approach their craft and what techniques and technologies are changing the look of today's sports broadcasts.

11:30 am -12:30 pm
View from the Front Bench: Advancing the Art of Sports TV

Moderator:
Russell Gabay, Major League Baseball International, VP and Executive Producer

Featuring:

• Sam Flood, NBC Sports, Producer
• Artie Kempner, Fox Sports, Director
• John Moore, YES Network/Fox Sports, Turner Sports, Director
• Michael Narracci, NESN, Senior Co-ordinating Director
• David Neal, NBC Olympics, EVP and Executive Producer

  
  

Friends of Bexel (FOB's) included:
Bill Chamberlain, The Alliance / Jack Walsh, Trio / Paul Koopman, Versus / Mike Davies, Fox Sports Net / Dave Mazza, NBC Olympics / Jack Kestenbaum, Yes Network, / Tom Sahara, Turner Sports / Greg Barna, Threshold Productions / Ed Gross, formerly of MTV / Ed Brancaccio, EUE / Dennis Kelly, Ambassador / Walter Raps, CBS/CSTV / Mike Burk, DTags / Brian Kahn, Director, Production Management Sports & Event Programming for Showtime and Jules Levitt"¦ All stopped by the Bexel Broadcast Services booth in the Tech Forum arena of the conference to catch up with the Bexel Technical Sales Team and to discuss future projects.