IT'S LDI WEEK! It's lighting and staging gear Christmas!

In case you don't know what LDI is, it's the largest lighting, power and staging trade show in the U.S. For one weekend, most of the major manufacturers, wholesalers, rental houses, buyers, designers, TD's, stagehands and whoever else wants to tour the gear come together for a weekend dedicated to new gear. This year it happens Oct. 21-25 in Fabulous Las Vegas. This means all day Friday, Saturday and Sunday I will be running around like a mad man, taking pictures, shooting video and having fun. If you'll be there -- great! Reach out and let's grab a drink or just say Hi in person! If you're not, never fear! I will be bringing you all the latest all weekend long. You can follow along onTwitter, Instagram, Facebook -- and maybe, depending on cell signal -- even on Periscope. (No link, just search for @stagedirections in the app!)

But all this looking forward at gear has me looking back. While there's new gear every year, and it will all be tremendously helpful -- it's a much rarer thing to have a piece of gear that really revolutionizes how we work backstage. The ETC Source Four, for example, completely changed stage lighting -- much like LEDs are right now. But people have a lot more affection for the Source Four than an LED. So here's my question to you: What piece of gear changed the way you worked backstage -- and made you love that change?

It didn't have to revolutionize the industry, maybe it just changed how you worked. Did a speed wrench make you a focusing ninja, and now you'll never go back to a classic c-wrench? Have you found the perfect pin splitter? Maybe the mixing app on your iPad completely changed how your venue sounded by allowing you to really tailor your mixes? What's your favorite piece of gear that changed how you worked for the better? Lemme know in the comments and I'll see you on the show floor!