DOME FEST WEST

DFW 2025 Festival Edition at Fiske Planetarium, University of Colorado Boulder. Objective: To advance education and appreciation of fulldome and immersive media by producing the annual Dome Fest West film festival. Accomplishments: Produced the 4th annual Dome Fest West May 1 through 4, 2025 at Fiske Planetarium, the second consecutive festival at the venue and the most expansive edition in DFW history. The festival expanded across multiple CU Boulder venues including the Fiske Dome Theater, Kittredge KCEN Hall and Stage, and three Village Center rooms. Launched the inaugural Fulldome Forward Expo as a trade component including an exhibits hall and presentations stage for the immersive media industry. Presented 44 films and immersive works from 14 countries across 11 screening sessions in Fiske, plus 18 or more panel and roundtable sessions on topics ranging from fulldome storytelling to spatial audio standards, LED technology, financial models for immersive creators, and licensing and distribution. Concluded with two awards ceremonies including the inaugural Best of Earth international fulldome awards (DFW served as founding partner) presented alongside the established DFW awards across 15 categories. The City of Boulder issued an official proclamation recognizing Dome Fest West Week. Measurement: Total event participants approximately 556, comprising 172 industry passholders, 283 general screening attendees, 72 speakers, 18 sponsor organizations, and 11 organizers and crew. 44 films and immersive works selected from 14 countries. 11 confirmed Fiske screening sessions. 18 or more panel and roundtable sessions across three simultaneous tracks. Audience composition by role (estimated): approximately 30 percent filmmakers, 20 percent planetarium and science center decision-makers, 18 percent immersive technology developers, 15 percent curators and venue programmers, 10 percent academic researchers, and 7 percent other (students, press, public, investors). Social media engagement: 309 photos shared, 413 photo likes, 16 videos uploaded via the Whova event platform. Long-term goal: To establish Dome Fest West as the leading U.S. platform for showcasing fulldome and immersive media.

Fulldome Forums Online Educational Series. Objective: To advance year-round public education on fulldome and immersive media by hosting free, publicly accessible online webinars featuring industry experts. Accomplishments: Hosted Fulldome Forums webinar installments throughout calendar year 2025 covering topics including advanced acoustic strategies for immersive venues (March 2025), innovative sound strategies for immersive creators (April 2025), key principles for innovative dome venue design (June 2025), interactive fulldome explorations (July 2025), exploring innovative revenue streams for planetariums (August 2025), securing resources for fulldome vision (September 2025), monetizing live theatrical productions in domes (November 2025), and the revival of planetarium lasers (December 2025). Eight Forums were held in calendar year 2025. Forums are free with registration, archived publicly on YouTube indefinitely, and accessible with captions. Across the rolling 13-Forum window from March 2025 through April 2026, the series reached 454 unique registrants across 19 or more countries, with an average of approximately 90 registrants per Forum and at least 68 confirmed California-based registrants. The audience skewed heavily toward dome professionals: planetarium directors, planetarium managers, producers, creative directors, professors, and filmmakers. Measurement: 8 Forums in calendar year 2025; 454 unique registrants and 19 or more countries across the rolling 13-Forum window; estimated 90 average registrants per Forum. Long-term goal: To build a year-round community of educators, creators, and audiences around immersive media.