Michigan

The International Career Development Conference (ICDC) is the highlight of the Delta Epsilon Chi year. Nearly 2,000 students, advisors, alumni and business professionals gather for several days of Delta Epsilon Chi excitement. Most participants at ICDC compete in Delta Epsilon Chi's Competive Events Program, and all attendees take part in one of our Professional Development Academies. The top competitors in each event are recognized for their outstanding achievements. In addition to the competitive events many students participate in activities such as the National and Culinary Management Institutes, the Entrepreneurship Academy, National Officer Elections, Career Fair, and business and industry seminars.

Make plans to join us!!!!

2010 International Career Development Conference
April 17-20 in Louisville, Kentucky

Thunder over Louisville

Rated as one of the top 100 events in North America, the Derby Festival's Opening Ceremonies is truly a sight to behold. And each year, more than 500,000 eager thrill-seekers do just that.

The day-long event kicks off the two exciting weeks of events that are part of the annual Kentucky Derby Festival. The Thunder Air Show dazzles the crowd with more than 100 planes, aerobatics teams, daring sky diving teams and breathtaking stunts.

When it gets dark, the Thunder rolls. The fireworks will feature the latest in pyrotechnic power from Zambelli Internationale, America's "first family of fireworks". Eight 400-foot barges assemble on both sides of the 2nd Street Bridge to form the stage from which the fireworks spectacular ignites.

The breathtaking and mind-numbing 28-minute show includes Thunder's signature one-mile "waterfall" effect off the bridge, making the fireworks seem to rain down forever. And in the crowd's memory of the show, it does!

After more than a decade, the show remains the largest annual pyrotechnic display in North America. Seen by approximately 1-million U.S. Armed Forces, Department of Defense civilian employees and their families stationed in 176 countries and aboard 140 U.S. Navy ships at sea via a July 4th rebroadcast on the American Forces Network, it is the state's pride. A Discovery Channel documentary on fireworks shows says it best, "Thunder is the Grand-daddy of them all!".

The show continues to be the largest annual pyrotechnics display in North America thanks to the artistry of Zambelli Internationale and the production of Visual Presentations.

"It's the kind of show you have to see to believe", says Matt Gibson, Derby Festival Vice President of Events. "We have great television coverage of the event, but unless you are there in person, you can't FEEL the fireworks pounding in your chest and the concrete vibrate underneath your feet. Thunder is the kind of show that needs to be felt and not just seen and heard."

Staging the pyrotechnic spectacular of Thunder each year for the Derby Festival is the First Family of Fireworks. Zambelli Fireworks Internationale first became involved with Thunder Over Louisville in 1991. The annual show is larger than the opening and closing ceremonies of the Atlanta and Barcelona Olympics combined. According to the Zambelli's it is unchallenged as the largest annual pyrotechnic production in North America.

To assemble a show the size of Thunder, Zambelli Internationale utilizes eight tractor trailers filled with nearly 60 tons of fireworks shells. The physical set-up includes 250 tons of launching tubes, some as high as 10 feet with a diameter of 1 and 1/2 feet. Two million pounds of sand will pack the firing tubes on 1,800 feet of barges. Almost 700 miles of wire cable connecting 20 firing boards are tied to the command post for synchronization to the music. This is the largest show the Zambellis perform each year and the Zambellis are the largest fireworks family in the world.

The magic of Thunder is in the formula of the show says Wayne Hettinger, Show Director and owner of Visual Presentations. "Each year, people think we make the show longer to be the largest show and that's just not the case. The secret with Thunder has been to pack as much firepower into 28 minutes as possible and produce a series of 'finales'." Hettinger has it down to a science working with the team from Zambelli to create a heart-stopping, eye-popping show.

"It all starts with the music", continues Hettinger. "We work to lay out a soundtrack that most everyone will be able to relate to a couple of songs. This enables people to bring their own experience with these songs and project them into the show they're watching. It's very gratifying to see people start to move and react to their favorite cuts of the soundtrack and it gives Zambelli the foundation on which to build the show."