LIPS will specifically focus on live, interactive planetarium lessons: connecting with your audience; enhancing performance skills; classroom management techniques; sample activities; etc.

LIPS’ goals include:
– To provide a participatory and practical professional development opportunity focusing on live presentations.
– To offer an opportunity to network with others doing live, interactive shows.
– To share information about available resources and products.
– To share ideas for improving programs: content, teaching tips, classroom management, etc.
– To explore what is required to start or improve an outreach program or business.

LIPS is different from other planetarium conferences in several key ways:
– This is not a full-dome movie festival; instead it focuses on skills and techniques for live lessons. While there are sponsor demonstrations, these are live, interactive teaching demonstrations.
– There are no true “lectures” at LIPS; all sessions should be interactive. Prospective presenters: Remember that attendees are coming to LIPS because they do (or want to start to do) live, interactive lessons. This audience wants to actively take part in sessions, not observe passively.
– The audience size is limited to 40 to 60 attendees, based on host capacity. This limit is so that all attendees participate in all events together; there are no session tracks. This leads to a unique sense of cohesion by the end of each LIPS. For 2023, the cap is set at 60 attendees.