The new owners of the Boca Raton Resort wanted to attract large trade shows and meetings. Although the resort had changed dramatically from the original 1920s cloister building to a premier hotel and resort by the 1990s, the owners decided to build a new facility that doubled the size of the convention and meeting space.
Lighting designer Dee Schweppe, principal of Schweppe Lighting Design, Inc., specified the Lutron GRAFIK 6000 preset light control system because of its flexibility and functionality. The new convention center included two ballrooms, 10 meeting rooms, lobby and reception areas, corridors around the meeting rooms, and behind-the-scenes house lights. The Grand Ballroom divides into 14 segments, the Royal Palm Ballroom divides into two segments, and the 10 meeting rooms each divide into two segments. The light control system had to be flexible enough to handle single large events and smaller breakout meetings at the same time. The project included over 250 zones of lighting. The GRAFIK 6000 system had to tie into the security and the emergency lighting systems as well as the existing house wiring.