The Conference Center, the premier meeting hall for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City, has invested in 85 Robert Juliat Dalis 864 footlights with a 4-color mixing system to enhance performances in the 21,000-seat auditorium.  ACT Entertainment is the exclusive distributor of Robert Juliat lighting in North America.

“We purchased eight of the white version Dalis 862 LED asymmetrical footlights about ten years ago and have had zero problems with them, so we decided to buy additional units of the color version,” explains Braden Howard, Lighting Specialist III, who serves as the resident Lighting Designer at The Conference Center.  The new fixtures were obtained from Barbizon Light of the Rockies—Utah. 

“The Dalis 862 footlights are part of the rig for events held in the space, but for the upgrade we decided to go full color,” he says.  “Now, we can use them wherever we need them, for scenic lighting or, in a semi-permanent position, lining the edge of the stage.”

Howard points out that he had used Dalis 862 footlights on last year’s PBS Christmas special featuring the renowned Tabernacle Choir with special guests Ruthie Ann Miles and Dennis Haysbert. “We loved them. When it came time for the upgrade we looked at other products, too, but Robert Juliat is still the best at what they do.”

The new fixtures are expected to be installed in September.  Their first usage will likely be the annual “Luz de las Naciones,” a multi-night celebration of traditional and contemporary Latin American music staged in November.  “We can use the new lights to up light solo singers for the camera, and to act as shin busters for the dancers throwing color on their costumes,” says Howard. 

Following that event will be the 2025 Christmas special where the Dalis 864s are expected to be deployed in a similar way plus as scenic lighting.  “We have a fully built set for Christmas,” Howard notes.  “We can move the Dalis footlights around, so we can put them on different levels of the set and, since they have a low profile, they will be hidden.  Their finish doesn’t catch a lot of light either, so they seem to disappear in the dark.”

Howard likes the footlights’ safety lighting feature, which performers can see marking the boundary of the stage edge.  The cue light for performers doesn’t break their eye line with the camera, another helpful feature.

“Since it had been 10 years since we purchased our Dalis 862 footlights, ACT Entertainment was helpful in bringing us up to date with what’s new in the Dalis line and providing the information we needed to make a purchase,” Howard adds.

Ryan Hindinger, ACT Entertainment Market Manager for Lighting, concludes.  “The Robert Juliat Dalis’ grace of design and impeccable engineering make it the champion in its category--and stories like this prove it."