The Netherlands - Metropool Poppodia van Twente is a music, pop and cultural organisation based in the Twente region of the Overijssel province in east Netherlands. It offers a vibrant programme of live music, dance and club nights and other events, and is adjacent to the train station for public transport access.
The venue has been investing in Robe moving lights over several years, and the latest batch was just recently delivered by Benelux distributor, Controllux, comprising LEDBeam 350s, LEDBeam 150s, T1 Profiles and T11 Profiles.
These are added to the existing Robe LEDBeam 150 and Viva CMY fixtures, now totalling an impressive 44 moving lights in the 800-capacity Main Hall with 16 in the venue’s 200-capacity small hall.
The newest lighting fixtures have delighted the technical team of nine including lighting specialists Dion Moldovan and Timo Klein Nulent, both of whom have worked there for around six years.
The Foundation Metropool Poppodia van Twente which runs Metropool Hengelo also manages another venue – Metropool Enschede – which also has two similar sized halls. Between these four event spaces, an average of 14 shows are staged over a weekend, so it’s a busy, fast-moving, energetic environment which needs slick organisation on the technical front to ensure all the shows go on smoothly for everyone’s maximum enjoyment.
Metropool Hengelo already had 16 x Robe LEDBeam 150s rigged in its big hall, so the larger LEDBeam 350s both add to and complement these, so this enabled the replacement – and serious enhancement – of the old remaining PAR cans that were previously a staple of the lighting rig with these new LEDBeam 350s.
Metropool has to comply with the current energy saving laws in the Netherlands, and in anticipation, has been working on the transition to LED for some years, and this latest Robe purchase is the final step in the transition to LED, explained Dion.
“This time around, we sought a fixture with more output than the LEDBeam 150 that would also match with it well and essentially be interchangeable. The LEDBeam 350 was an obvious choice that met these criteria.”
Dion went on a Robe factory tour in 2022, and the concluding showroom demo illustrated very well the compatibility between the two types of LEDBeams which have the same DMX profile, so the decision was made.
When the 12 x new LEDBeam 350s arrived on site in Hengelo, eight of the LEDBeam 150s were transferred to their small hall. The T1 Profiles are mainly for front lighting, keys, and specials in the big hall.
The T11 Profiles were picked as they match the T1s on colours and output quality and represented “great value” commented Dion. They are now installed in overhead positions in the small hall. for future purchases.
Often, Metropool’s top rig will be supplemented with visiting band’s own floor packages, and occasionally touring artists will bring in their entire production, but most are happy to use the well-equipped and thought-out house rigs.
The house lighting console is a grandMA, and often LDs will also bring in their own control and hook that into the house rig.
Timo underscores the importance of backup and after-sales support from Controllux which he describes as “outstanding”.
