07 April 2010
Robe lighting enjoyed a very positive Prolight+Sound 2010 in Frankfurt, a further indication to support the cautious optimism that the market is showing signs of recovery after a tough year in 2009.
Robe as always created a real buzz with their eye-catching stand in the new Hall 11.1 – for which lighting was designed and programmed by Nathan Wan from Robe UK, utilizing all the latest products.
The company continues its proactive product development programme and used the show as a launch pad for no less than 11 new fixtures, whilst also showcasing its most popular established moving light and digital products plus its extensive range of LED units and haze and fog machines.
Most visitors to the stand were serious professionals engaged across all sectors of the business – from rental companies to TV studios, from theatres to live events – creative and technical. There were many international visitors – including from the USA, the Middle and Far East, China, South America, Australia and the Pan Pacific regions, plus those from all over Europe.
Robe arranged numerous meetings for upcoming projects and closed several major deals as well as seeing people flock to the stand to look at the array of new products. It was also an ideal opportunity to catch up with most of the industry’s international journalists, press and magazines. The daily Happy Hour from 5 p.m. for the final hour of the show proved as popular as ever, creating its own highly convivial atmosphere and a place of lively social activity and interchange.
It was the ROBIN 600 Series that stole the show for Robe in terms of receiving the most attention of any new product. A mega-bright, feature-packed, compactly sized unit at a highly competitive price, the ROBIN 600E Spot, Wash & Beam fixtures are the latest in Robe’s innovative new generation ROBIN Series of moving lights. It confirmed Robe’s conviction that a 600 series fixture is something the market really wants.
Also new to the ROBIN series is the ‘Classic’ 300, a range of fully-featured value-conscious units.
For ‘footcandle freaks’ the incredible ColorBeam 2500E AT was launched and added to Robe’s workhorse AT Series, taking the concept of concentrated high powered lightsources into a new dimension! This will be a perfect choice for anyone wanting searchlight style and intensely powerful concentrated beam effects.
Robe’s comprehensive array of fog and haze machines also received plenty of attention – whatever the haze specification – Robe can supply an appropriate machine.
A full demonstration seminar of all the new products was run in a specially dedicated demo room away from the stand.
These sessions were in incredibly high demand, attracting a phenomenal 300 people a day from a wide cross-section of the industry, including lighting designers, distrubutors, rental companies and many from the worlds of theatre and television. All wanted a closer look at the new products. Each session lasted an hour and focused on a comprehensive overview of the new products, allowing a closer look and a chance for in-depth Q&A.
Many of Robe’s key international distributors made the trip to Frankfurt, all adding to the international flavour and vibe on the stand, where they used the show as a meeting point to catch up with their clients and colleagues.
Robe’s MD Josef Valchar comments, “We were really pleased with the show and the reaction to our new products, all of which have been developed in close consultation with feedback from leading industry figures. Our aim as always is to utilize the latest technology and provide a dynamic set of creative tools for visual designers working in all fields”.
