LDI 2008 kicks off with Backstage Las Vegas from October 20 to 22, prior to the exhibit hall dates and featuring an insider's tour of the hottest shows and attractions in town, where the entertainment explosion continues. With new venues opening on a regular basis, Las Vegas is home to the most challenging applications for cutting-edge design and technology. Backstage Las Vegas takes you behind the scenes to see the best that Las Vegas has to offer and meet the creative and technical teams that make it all possible.

Day One: Jersey Boys and Dinner

Oh, what a night, and this one includes dinner and a performance at The Palazzo of the 2007 Tony Award-winning Best Musical, Jersey Boys, the hit jukebox musical about the rise of pop icons Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons. Duplicating the harmonies of Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio, Nick Massi, and Tommy DeVito, the show soars on the quartet's biggest hits, including “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don't Cry,” “Walk Like a Man,” and “December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night).” A post-show Q&A will be held in the theatre, followed by a late supper.

Day Two: Vegas Backstage Tours and Cirque du Soleil's Criss Angel Believe

Lunch on day two features keynote speaker Stephen Ehrenberg of Base Entertainment, who will share his insights into the Las Vegas entertainment scene. After lunch, it's time to tour the Jersey Boys theatre and take a behind-the-scenes look at the venues in the new Planet Hollywood Hotel and Casino, including the classic 7,000-seat Theatre for the Performing Arts. Dinner will be at The Luxor, followed by a performance of Cirque du Soleil's newest — and sixth — resident show in Las Vegas, Criss Angel Believe, in the totally renovated Luxor Theatre. Designed by Ray Winker (sets), Meredith Caron (costumes), Jeanette Farmer (lighting), Francis Laporte (projections), Jonathan Deans (sound), and Michael Curry (props and puppets), this show is a haunting exploration deep inside the inventive mind of mystifier Criss Angel in a surreal world uniquely woven together with Cirque du Soleil. A post-show Q&A in the theatre will be followed by a reception in the lobby.

Day Three: Behind the Scenes in Las Vegas and Phantom Performance

The day includes a visit to Cherry, the club at the Red Rock Resort and Casino, and a performance of Phantom of the Opera. Meet Steve Lieberman, lighting designer for Cherry, and take a tour of this venue and then tour the Phantom of the Opera Theatre with its fabulous special effects, including the famous chandelier, one of the most sophisticated and highly engineered scenic element ever designed. Scott Fisher of Fisher Technical Services will delve into its complexities. After dinner, see why audiences and critics alike have been raving about this lavish, 95-minute Las Vegas version of Phantom of the Opera — one of the longest running shows ever on Broadway — and the magnificent custom-built theatre at The Venetian, followed by a post-show Q&A.

To register for Backstage Las Vegas, the LDI exhibit hall, or professional training sessions, go to www.ldishow.com and select “Register.”