By Debra Kaufman
Shortly after last year's HPA Tech Retreat - the event's 25th anniversary - COVID-19 shut down all such gatherings in the state. Last year's HPA Tech Retreat in the desert was maybe the industry's last in-person event before the shutdown in California, notes Hallen. When it became obvious that an in-person event in 2021 presented too many unknowns, the HPA team began to envision what a virtual or hybrid Tech Retreat would look like. Welcome to HPA Tech Retreat 2021, the first in its 26 year history to be online.
HPA president Seth Hallen, programming curator Mark Schubin, and a committee of experienced others are creating an innovative plan that will appeal to even the most Zoom-fatigued. Much of HPA and the Tech Retreat is about community, Hallen says. People fly in from around the country and from other parts of the world and drive across the desert to connect with old friends, collaborate and learn. It's definitely built around that great educational programming and knowledge sharing, but it's all about the connection. The HPA has an ambitious plan to recreate the event in a way that will seem familiar to past attendees.
The first change is the timing. Rather than four consecutive days in the desert, HPA Tech Retreat 2021 will take place on Monday and Tuesday, February 15 and 16 and the following week, also Monday and Tuesday, February 23 and 24. On opening day, Schubin will kick off the Tech Retreat as always, with his annual Tech Year in Review, followed by a panel discussion on how the industry has been impacted by COVID-19. Another tentpole of the Tech Retreat, the Supersession, will take place on February 23. Hallen notes that last year's Lost Lederhosen, which highlighted remote and cloud-based workflows, ended up being incredibly relevant in the months that followed. No surprise then that this year's event - again hosted by Joachim JZ Zell - will revisit the terrain, but in a much bigger way, looking at how these remote and cloud-enabling technologies can support multiple, global productions.
HPA Tech Retreat 2021 will continue to showcase the kind of educational and informational programming it's known for. (Proposals are still being accepted through 5 pm PDT on November 20.) And the Tech Retreat will stay true to its core, with main program presentations strictly reserved for marketing-free content and, as always, sessions can and will focus on a range of topics. But 2021 differs in that an important focus this year will be on how technology has helped the industry overcome the impact of the COVID 19 virus and the role it will play as we adapt to a new set of industry challenges and opportunities.
Presentations will also have a new format. Be it a panel or a presentation, the maximum duration will be 20 minutes - and there is no minimum duration. Schubin notes that, we might be able to accommodate more presentations, so consider splitting big topics into multiple presentations. Those whose proposals are accepted will have to deliver a pre-recorded presentation before the event. As to the content - it's too early to tell. I never know what's going to be in the program until we finish going through the submissions, says Schubin. I can tell you we've gotten a lot of good ones, many related to the pandemic.
Key to the next HPA Tech Retreat is the HPA Content Platform, still under construction, where the presentations will find a home along with other asynchronous presentations, enabling attendees to watch whenever they want. That's a bonus for attendees who live in other time zones. Hallen reports that HPA will be dropping new content on the platform every day. Asynchronous means more slots, he explains. But they will still be curated and vetted. The presentations will have interactive components and still allow the attendees to ask questions of the presenters.
Community is a big part of the 2021 remote event, which will include the familiar breakfast round tables. Although everyone will have to fix his or her own breakfast, again, any registered attendee can sign up to moderate a table and attendees can sit down at any breakfast roundtable they want. The Innovation Zone will also be open, where attendees will be able to watch demos of showcased products.
Hallen reveals that HPA Tech Retreat 2021 will also enable a range of more impromptu connections among attendees and other opportunities to create community. Networking options, chats, connections are going to be enabled. While it's not sitting on the golf course with someone, there will be plenty of opportunities to connect and convene. With a combination of more and shorter presentations that can be watched on demand, content that explores the wins and struggles of our industry during a pandemic, and the familiar community venues for greeting friends and sharing information, the HPA Tech Retreat 2021 promises to be a noteworthy event. As a remote event, it also promises broader outreach to more people around the globe. In other words, it's yet another Tech Retreat not to be missed.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
06/04/2026
Michigan legends bring a new voice to the broadcast as TNT Sports and CBS Sports...
06/04/2026
From high school sports all the way up to the major leagues, building high-quali...
06/04/2026
Quickplay, an AI company for the media and entertainment industry, has been accepted into the Advanced tier of the TwelveLabs Ecosystem Partner Program. Quickpl...
06/04/2026
Grass Valley has announced the Future Playmakers Program, a global initiative to...
06/04/2026
El l der de operaciones impulsa la producci n en estudio mientras encuentra insp...
06/04/2026
The ops leader helps lead the charge in studio for the Spanish-language broadcas...
06/04/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
06/04/2026
The National Hockey League (NHL), in partnership with Verizon and the New Jersey Devils, today announced the opening of the NHL Innovation Lab powered by Verizo...
06/04/2026
Rock League, a new professional curling league, has announced that ESPN+ will stream its inaugural 2026 season for fans in the United States. The first Rock Lea...
06/04/2026
Advanced Systems Group has announced the appointment of Andrea (Andy) Cummis as Vice President of Systems Design and Engineering. In this role, she will lead de...
06/04/2026
Backed by Bolt Ventures, the venture brings Bryson DeChambeau, Grant Horvat, and...
06/04/2026
With this environment we can start that collaboration even earlier because we ca...
06/04/2026
Like the immortal lives of vampires, some stories never really end. That's t...
06/04/2026
As podcasting continues to evolve, growth increasingly means building beyond aud...
06/04/2026
Multiband dynamics plug-in enhanced
California-based developer FSK Audio have released a significant update for their innovative multiband dynamics processo...
06/04/2026
Share official & user-created full-rig presets
IK Multimedia's latest TONEX update makes it possible for users of the popular amp and effects modelling ...
06/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/04/2026
Dalet Showcases Dalia Agentic AI and End-to-End Media Workflows at NAB Show 2026
Brie Clayton April 6, 2026
0 Comments
Dalet, a leading technology and...
06/04/2026
OpenDrives Shows Off Sports Expertise in Sports Business Hub located in NAB Show...
06/04/2026
Proton to Demonstrate 3D Application at NAB 2026
Brie Clayton April 6, 2026
0 Comments
Yet further creative potential unleashed through innovation in ...
06/04/2026
Autoscript Highlights Voice-Driven Prompting and PTZ Solutions at NAB 2026
Brie Clayton April 6, 2026
0 Comments
Experience Autoscript Voice, PTZ prom...
06/04/2026
Mediaproxy Highlights Significant Enhancements to its LogServer suite at NAB Sho...
06/04/2026
Wayne, N.J., April 6th, 2026 Phantom High-Speed announces the release of PCC 4...
06/04/2026
April 6th, 2026
TRIBECA STUDIOS AND LILLY ANNOUNCE WINNERS OF INAUGURAL VITAL...
06/04/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Expands Kids Entertainment Lineup With Playground App ...
05/04/2026
Tackles all reported bugs!
SoundBridge have just announced the launch of a new update that introduces a couple of minor changes to their remote collaboratio...
04/04/2026
The University of Arizona's Men's Basketball team has only loss twice th...
04/04/2026
1080p HDR arrives, a new generation of storytelling tools takes center stage, an...
04/04/2026
Michigan legends bring a new voice to the broadcast as TNT Sports and CBS Sports...
04/04/2026
Faster, cleaner and more intuitive than ever
The control software for Flock Audio's digitally controlled patchbay systems has just been treated to an up...
04/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/04/2026
DHD Introduces AI-Based Audio Noise Reduction to XD3 IP Core
Brie Clayton April 3, 2026
0 Comments
The accompanying image shows the rear panel of the ...
04/04/2026
Macnica Redefines ST 2110 Flexibility with Two Speeds on One Card
Brie Clayton April 3, 2026
0 Comments
New for NAB Show 2026, MEP100 SmartNIC now sup...
04/04/2026
Unified Media Workflows for Story-Centric Production
Brie Clayton April 3, 2026
0 Comments
Framelight X unifies field capture, editing and publishing ...
03/04/2026
Michigan's Fab Five will reunite for an alternate presentation of the Mich...
03/04/2026
Avid will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 (April 18-22, Booth N2226, Las Vegas Convention Center), demonstrating its Content Core platform and new AI-driven workflow c...
03/04/2026
Mark Roberts Motion Control (MRMC) has announced the appointment of Nick Barthee as Chief Operating Officer.
The announcement follows MRMC's transition fro...
03/04/2026
Interra Systems has announced that Elite Media Technologies has selected its BATON file-based QC solution for media workflows. Elite Media Technologies speciali...
03/04/2026
Ateme has announced that Moldtelecom has deployed Ateme technologies across its streaming workflow, covering encoding, delivery, operations, and analytics.
Mol...
03/04/2026
Grass Valley will demonstrate Framelight X, its content management platform, at NAB Show 2026. The platform connects capture, ingest, editing, and publishing in...
03/04/2026
Encompass Digital Media and Techex have announced a cloud-native Master Control ...
By Debra Kaufman
