Above: The Grand Ballrooms I, II, and III partitioned for three events: Lecture, ballroom dancing class, and dinner meeting. Lighting controls are separated at the touch of a button for individual room control. Below: The lighting in ballrooms I and II are controlled as one for a reception. Ballroom III, in foreground, is controlled separately for another event.

The Westin Seattle selected Lutron's GRAFIK 6000® preset lighting control system for their ballroom renovation to handle the multiple set-up requirements for events and functions quickly and easily.

Flexibility and functionality of preset lighting control system maximizes operation of renovated ballroom.

The Challenge

Design and install a lighting control system that can control over 18,000 sq. ft. of large, partitionable ballrooms that handle large and small functions.

Project Requirements

When the Westin Seattle renovated the Grand Ballroom and the Cascade Ballroom, the operations staff wanted to be sure they could handle any size event from large receptions and conferences to smaller banquets and meetings. The lighting control system had to be flexible enough to operate in the entire ballroom or a smaller partitioned space.

Lutron's GRAFIK 6000® answered both requirements. "It allows lighting scenes to be preprogrammed before an event and operates easily in a single large room or in multiple rooms," said Elizabeth James, Operations Manager for the Westin Seattle.

For John McKay, the assistant director of Presentation Services, the Westin's in-house audio/visual supplier, the new lighting control system helps him do his job in several ways. He can preset scenes before a client arrives and minimize set-up times. According to McKay, the lighting control system "is extraordinarily user friendly for the client. They only need to press one button to dim the lights. I do not need to explain or navigate a client through a complex series of knobs or slide controls.

"The flexibility of the system is key to a successful set-up. "Whether it be dimming a series of lights over a projection screen or accent lights over a buffet line, I can quickly adjust sections of the ballroom to suit the requirements of a particular event.

"Partitioning the ballroom lighting is also a simple process, said McKay. "The partitioning control is very easy to use. It is a simple two-button system. One button combines Grand I and II while the second one combines Grand III and IV." For convenient access, the system includes an infrared hand-held control that permits on-demand changes from the floor.

With the GRAFIK 6000 system, McKay has set up four scenes that suit about 98% of the ballroom needs. He uses a General scene with all lights on at about 90% power for typical meetings and events, a Projection Lighting scene with the fluorescents turned off and downlights on at about 35%, a Dinner scene with the lights at 50% and the fluorescents turned off, and a Trade Show scene with all lights on at 100%. In a given week, he will reprogram the lights only once or twice to suit a particular group.

The GRAFIK 6000 lighting system has allowed the Westin to preplan the conference and entertainment requirements of their clients quickly and easily, yet have the flexibility to handle specific requests and changes. This flexibility has become an integrated part of the Westin's services that bring clients to the facility and back again.