Robe’s high impact London themed stand – complete with genuine vintage London bus – was right at the core of the 2016 PLASA exhibition in London where it caught the eyes of visitors and provided a lively and invigorating environment to showcase the latest technology from the Czech lighting manufacturer.
The just launched Spiider LED wash beam luminaire was the visual centerpiece of the stand, with 42 Spiiders arranged on a scenic ‘super-web’ web at the heart of a spectacular lightshow that ran every hour.
Just launched globally on the internet via the trending ‘Spiiders all over the web’ video three days before the show, it was the hot product of the expo!
The super-web was neatly concealed behind drapes that transformed the stand into a theatrical space to show off Robe’s other highlighted products which included the new Halo pixel ring, the all-LED DL series and BMFL WashBeams from Robe’s signature high-powered BMFL range.
The stand was constantly busy.
Robe’s CEO Josef Valchar commented, “I was initially a little skeptical about how PLASA would ‘pan-out’ this year, I even prepared our staff for the fact that this could be the last PLASA … BUT … any doubts were turned on their head by the end of the first day!
“We have seen a diverse mix of visitors from the UK and Europe, and most of our key European distributors also attended and were busy with customers throughout. The move back to west London has been hugely popular, and I think it’s really given the expo the ‘bounce’ it needs to re-energize”.
The interest in Spiider just after the launch was also significant for Robe, bringing hundreds of people to the stand to see “the next BIG thing’ in LED wash lighting technology.
Mick Hannaford, MD of Robe UK commented that the overall quality of the visitors was “extremely good” and “high value” and echoed Josef’s remarks about the advantages of the re-location to Olympia. “For this show and with the sociability of the industry and the way business is done, west London is an ideal place.”
Assisting the Robe UK sales team on the stand were four technical theatre and lighting students from the University of South Wales and Central School of Speech & Drama. This is an ongoing Robe work scheme now in its sixth year, designed to assist in broadening their industry experience, networking and communication skills.
Upstairs on the mezzanine floor in the ‘Exploratorium’ – a curated experimental space dedicated to art, technical and scientific projects utilizing sound and visual technology, techniques, elements and concepts – were three interactive experiments using Robe equipment. These were developed by student and artist Luke Rolls in conjunction with Robe’s NRG (Next Robe Generation) initiative.
Josef concludes with great enthusiasm, “The stand rocked! We all enjoyed a great buzz and many positive dynamics from the exhibition. It was good to have new elements like the Exploratorium happening as well as the main show floor activities … and we all look forward to being back in the same spot next year!”
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