Lutron and Meridian Host Austin, TX Specifier Event to Demonstrate the Transformative Power of Light and Sound
Coopersburg, PA (June 17, 2024) – Lutron Electronics, the trusted leader in architectural lighting, motorized window shades, and lighting control systems, and Meridian Audio, the British Audio Technology Pioneer, recently brought together luxury design professionals to share in a bespoke dining adventure with curated lighting, memorable music, and culinary pairings. The event was produced in collaboration with leading manufacturers’ representative Bell & McCoy and home technology experts Captivate, Inc. The exclusive, invitation-only event emphasized how light and sound can shape experiences and heighten senses in ways that transform fine dining into fine art.
A combination of esteemed local architects and designers attended the event, observing the transformative nature of light and sound through an unparalleled sensory experience featuring Lutron’s Ketra lighting, Palladiom shades, and Meridian audio solutions. The goal? Awaken the senses and immerse guests in magical moments to generate ideas and encourage specifiers to share the promise of luxury experiences.
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Six meticulously crafted creations were served from Uchi Austin, an award-winning Japanese restaurant, over the course of the evening. Lighting scenes and sound design were tailored to complement the mood and cuisine, adding a layer of sophistication that enhanced the overall experience without overpowering it.
Demonstration: Light and sound without limits Two pairs of multi-award-winning Meridian Audio DSP9 Loudspeakers, finished in Piano Lacquer Black and Volcano Orange, immersed diners in authentic, natural, and lifelike sound throughout the venue.
Ketra’s Natural Light solution was integral to the event, offering flexibility in color temperature and light intensity that delivered the bright, white light needed to prepare meals and then transitioned to something softer when it was time to serve and entertain. The minimal profile, beautifully simple Lutron Palladiom Shades integrated seamlessly to help enhance and showcase the space.
“Lutron and Meridian are both focused on addressing the needs and desires of luxury homeowners. With Lutron + Ketra, it’s the power of light. With Meridian, that something is how customers experience sound. Together, our teams delivered a unique multisensory experience of the highest quality for our specifier guests.” said David Weinstein, Lutron’s Vice-President of Residential Sales.
“The evening showcased the great match between Lutron and Meridian, and our shared value propositions. Meridian is in the business of ‘goosebumps’ and our ambition for the event was to elevate the dining experience by seamlessly integrating natural, authentic and lifelike sound with the other sensory elements provided by Lutron and Uchi, enriching every moment with depth and emotion. Feedback from guests was exactly what we all would have wished for. It was very gratifying to hear that our award-winning Reference DSP9 loudspeakers were appreciated as much for their intentional design – ‘functional art’ – as for their powerful, high-end performance,” said John Buchanan, Meridian CEO.
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One attendee commented on his personal experience, “This is about creating a 5-star experience for your home,” said Colin Slaughter of Ryan Street Architects. Andrea Alvarez of Matt Fajkus Architecture said of her experience, “Incredible evening. Very engaging and truly amazed by the product and all the possibilities it can have. I am leaving here with some great ideas.”
About Lutron Electronics (www.lutron.com) Founded in 1961, Lutron Electronics Co., Inc., is headquartered in Coopersburg, Pennsylvania. From dimmers for the home to lighting management systems for entire buildings, the company offers more than 15,000 energy-saving products, sold in more than 100 countries. In the U.S. alone, Lutron products save an estimated 10 billion kWh of electricity, or approximately $1 billion in utility costs per year. The company’s early inventions— including the first solid-state electronic dimmer invented by Lutron’s founder, Joel Spira—are at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington, DC.
About Meridian Audio (www.meridian-audio.com) Meridian is a multi-award-winning British audio technology innovator with a rapidly growing automotive business. In home audio, Meridian is best known for the hi-fi and surround sound cinema products chosen for many of the world’s most astonishing residences and super yachts. For the demanding in-car environment, the company focusses on pioneering DSP and other software technologies, supported by deep expertise in electronics, hardware integration and system tuning. Many of the world’s most ambitious vehicle manufacturers trust Meridian to support their audio system design, adding value to their most premium systems through the addition of the Meridian brand. Meridian is a technology- driven business that invests around 15% of revenue in R&D, ensuring a full pipeline of innovations that deliver exciting upgrade paths for its customers.
After more than a decade at 2015 E. Riverside Drive (following the original Red River-era venue closing in 2011), Emo’s current Riverside space will be taken over by AEG Presents when the lease ends later this year. The Los Angeles, CA-based company will assume operations in January 2027 and plans to reopen the building under a new name in early 2027 following upgrades, renovations and a full rebrand.
AEG are also opening a new 4,000-cap venue nearby next spring as part of the River Park mixed-use development in southeast Austin.
C3 Presents, who reopened Emo’s at the Riverside location, say this isn’t the end of Emo’s — they’re working on a new home and plan to move the venue back to downtown Austin, with more updates to come.
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AEG Presents Vice President Robin Phillips shared the following:
There’s like no weirdness or any bad blood or anything. It just, you know, new lease and they’ll [Emo’s] go do something great. They have been important to the Austin music scene, so I have a lot of respect for them.
But I don’t think the Austin music scene or legacy is limited to one name. I know people will remember the original Emo’s and this Emo’s as, you know, both great venues… And I don’t think Austin’s music scene is just a name, it’s the artists, in my opinion.
A C3 spokesperson added:
Emo’s has a long history in Austin and we’ve been working behind the scenes for some time on a new home for this venue. After we wrap up at this venue in December, we will focus our efforts on our new location.
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Emo’s gave the following statement to Austin local news KXAN:
We’re grateful for all of the fans and artists who’ve shaped Emo’s to what it is today: a community of like-minded people who love live music. We have a vision for our future and will be moving into a new building downtown that celebrates our punk rock roots with the new amenities that fans are looking for from a venue. We’ll continue to share updates on the next chapter for Emo’s on social media.
AUSTIN, Texas – State and federal agriculture officials said highly pathogenic avian flu has been found in a herd of dairy cows in Texas.
What we know:
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Officials said the H5N1 virus was confirmed with laboratory tests in late May after cows at an unspecified farm became sick and milk production dropped. The dairy has since been quarantined and an investigation is underway.
This is the first case of avian flu in a Texas dairy herd this year, officials said.
What they’re saying:
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“The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is confident that pasteurization is effective at inactivating H5N1, and that the commercial, pasteurized milk supply is safe,” officials at the Texas Animal Health Commission said in a statement.
A dairy cow is seen at a farm on June 1, 2026. (Tim Evans/Bloomberg / Getty Images)
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Dig deeper:
H5N1 has a high rate of severe disease and death in animals that become infected.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the risk to the general public from avian flu is low. Some sporadic human infections have been reported around the world since 1997. There have been no known cases of person-to-person spreading of avian flu.
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The Source: Information in this story came from the Texas Animal Health Commission, the USDA, the FDA and the CDC.
AUSTIN, Texas — Self-driving cars have become a common sight on Austin streets, but a new Texas law is adding tougher requirements for the companies behind the wheelless vehicles.
Senate Bill 2807 imposes stricter rules on autonomous vehicle companies operating in the state, including state authorization, emergency response plans for law enforcement, and a public portal where residents can verify operators and file safety complaints.
The changes come as Austin continues to track incidents involving autonomous vehicles. The city’s autonomous vehicle dashboard shows 75 incidents in 2026, including a collision, eight near misses, and seven incidents of ignoring police direction.
Attorney Drew Gibbs, a partner at Slingshot Law, said one crash involved a Waymo vehicle.
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“There was a T-bone collision. A pretty serious T-bone collision where a Waymo just crashed into the side of my client’s vehicle,” Gibbs said.
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One of the incidents of ignoring police direction happened during the mass shooting on West Sixth Street back in March, when three people died, and 15 others were injured.
Austin Police Association President Michael Bullock said autonomous vehicles can struggle in unusual situations.
“It didn’t impede on anything in the moment, but it’s not necessarily uncommon where these vehicles don’t quite know how to deal with these one-off scenarios,” Bullock said.
The new law requires autonomous vehicle companies to be authorized by the state, to provide an emergency response plan for law enforcement, and to participate in a public-facing portal that allows the public to verify operators and submit safety complaints.
Kara Kockelman, a professor of transportation and engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, welcomed the added oversight.
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“I’m glad that the state is taking this a bit more seriously now,” she said. “It’s important not to just let others slip in without kind of meeting those basic minimums.”
Bullock said the emergency planning requirement may not make a major difference in fast-moving situations. Asked how impactful it is to have a fully laid out emergency response plan, Bullock said, “These plans are great, but it takes time to work through all of those versus the immediacy of having someone behind the wheel.”
The four autonomous vehicle companies operating in Austin — Waymo, Zoox, AV-Ride, and Tesla — are all state-authorized.
The Texas DMV said an autonomous vehicle company can lose its authorization to operate in Texas if the agency deems the vehicles are operating in a way that endangers public safety.
Waymo was contacted for comment, but had not responded.