Held in the modern demo facilities at AC-ET's High Wycombe HQ, the workshop was the initiative of the UK sales team's Paul Biggerstaff and Jez Johnstone of leading UK rental company, Siyan.
Seven in-demand lighting designers attended the workshop: Jamie Thompson (The Script), Johnny Barker (Scouting For Girls), Dave Cohen (Wretch 32, Simian Mobile Disco), Greg Hill (Biffy Clyro, Nero), Andres Atkinson (Eliza Doolittle, Framing Hanley, Little Boots), Louis Oliver (Jessie J, Katy B) and Chris Swain - AKA 'Squib' - (Two Door Cinema Club, Bombay Bicycle Club).
The LDs were split into small groups for sessions demoing the various LED, Jands Vista and Green Hippo products, guaranteeing that everyone received individual attention.
In the LED session, demoed by AC-ET's Paul Turner, the LDs had the opportunity to get hands-on with key Chroma-Q products - for which AC-ET is the exclusive UK dealer - including the new Color Force Compact RGBA fixture and Studio Force white fixtures. Other LED lightsources showcased included PixelRange and LED moving lights from Vari*Lite and GLP.
AC-ET's Andy Mahaffey showed some of the many innovative features of the Jands Vista lighting and media control range, running the next generation Vista v2 software.
Tom Etra and James Heron from Green Hippo attended to demo their latest media servers and software options.
Jez Johnstone says, "It was an overwhelmingly positive experience for all. A well planned event that was informative, interactive and offering a nice relaxed atmosphere, where everyone could learn and absorb new information."
Paul Biggerstaff concludes, "We've had great feedback from everyone who attended the workshop, so we will definitely be continuing the initiative with more events in 2012."
(Jim Evans)
