12 September 2013
Over 2000 Robe LEDWash fixtures are in action on a series of high profile stands – including Audi, BMW, Mini. Opel, Porsche, Seat and Volkswagen, at the Frankfurt 65th International Motor Show (IAA).
One of the world’s leading auto expos, IAA 2013 is being staged at the Frankfurt Messe, 10 – 22nd September 2013.
The different stands have been designed by some of the leading creative practices in the country, and the fixtures supplied by a number of the primary German rental and dry hire companies.
The preparations started months ago with Audi constructing its own temporary exhibition Hall – Agora – especially for IAA; and Mercedes Benz building a 3 level high showroom into the famous Frankfurt “Festhalle”, more usually a host to large scale concerts. The Frankfurt Motor Show – powered by the prestigious German Manufacturers – is also a leader in innovation and technical production excellence.
Robe’s LEDWash – available in 300, 600, 800 and 1200 variants – has established itself as a firm favourite for auto show lighting designers, who like its high quality homogenised light output, excellent range of colour temperature whites and cool running, which helps keep the environments comfortable without needing excessive air-con.
Volkswagen (VW)

The lighting rig includes 930 of Robe’s LEDWash 800 units which are illuminating the booth’s architectural elements. Around 68 x LEDWash PureWhites were also in action, some of which were lighting the scenic wind-turbine set around the e-Up! A further 49 x LEDWash 1200s were used for illuminating the stage during VW’s press conference.
All the lighting equipment is supplied by Salzgitter based rental company Rockservice in co-operation with other leading German dry hire companies.
Audi 
The dramatic booth design features giant light boxes clad with graphics of upside down skyscrapers, coupled with stunning ceiling video projection onto mirrored surfaces – simultaneously disorientating and thrilling – making it one of the most talked-about booths of the show.
A total of 680 Robe LEDWash 600s are used to illuminate the light-boxes from within, all supplied by rental specialist CT Germany from Nürtingen near Stuttgart. Schmidt has used LEDWashes before at the Paris and Geneva international motor shows.
Mini

Heydthausen comments that the LEDWashes are “Great “for creating even washes, and he really appreciates the SmartWhites and their range of colour temperatures which enable the different vehicle colours to be accentuated and toned correctly.
Porsche

BMW

The BMW stand lighting for Frankfurt 2013 is designed by Martin Kuhn for the Niyu agency, and includes 24 x LEDWash 1200 Daylights and RGB and 18 x LEDWash 800s for different parts of the two stages.
Lleyendecker from Wuppertal is taking care of all the technical aspects of this stand.
Seat
Also located in Hall 3, also Seat is using LEDWashes with Lleyendecker again responsible for supplying all the lighting hardware.
Opel

Auto Take Off
Everything took off for Robe as a lighting brand of choice for auto shows at Frankfurt in 2011, when its LEDWashes were first specified by LD Peter Heilig from SFS for the BMW stand, and in parallel, they were also chosen to light the Porsche stand.
Heilig again chose Robe – over 300 fixtures – for BMW at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show for the pavilion presenting their new 6 series Gran Coupe.
Robe then developed the LEDWash 800 unit with their patented rotatable lens that can project a square beam, ideal for precision lighting and especially relevant to automotive and architectural lighting applications.
Other features making Robe’s LEDWash generally popular are the smooth, high quality light-output, the previously mentioned homogeneity and the whites … plus of course the reliability.
The versatility and variability of the LEDWash range means that LD’s can use less fixtures to light the same space in the right way – and that they need only one type of lightsource to cover all aspects of their designs.
Saving budgets and time, using LEDWashes with their considerably lighter weight means less complicated rigging requirements and the dramatic reduction of show electricity bills due to the fixtures’ low power consumption.
Robe and German distributor LMP helped make available over 1400 LEDWash 800s available via dry hire and rental companies in the run up to the 2013 Frankfurt motor show!
Following the great success of the LEDWash 600, Robe has set new standards with the LEDWash 800.
Assessing the needs of the market, Robe decided to invest in getting the new 15W LED chips in the same colour spectrum as the 10W LED chips used in the LEDWash 600 … in a clear commitment to designers, users and investors.