PLASA Focus Leeds celebrates 10th birthday
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“We’ve had a great experience at PLASA Focus Leeds,” says Rob Moore from Chauvet Professional. “We’ve seen a varied selection of visitors from across the board; everyone from end-users, lighting designers and engineers to specifiers and influencers. We’ve seen lots of new faces, too.”
Inesh Patel from Sennheiser concurs: “PLASA Focus Leeds is brilliant - it has been non-stop, so much so that my voice is going from talking too much! The event is valuable as we get in front of the right people, meeting key end users and important dealers.”
First-time exhibitor Glyn Harries from Audio Visual Materials adds: “We just had to be here. We knew it would be good for us as we offer something unique. The quality and footfall was great. We networked with other suppliers and met lots of new and current customers.”
The show served as a UK launchpad for the latest technologies from all sectors of the industry following international shows.
Among the latest lighting products was the grandMA3 console, Ayrton’s Mistral-TC, Robert Juliat’s Oz LED followspot and 862S footlight, ETC’s Element 2 console, GLP’s KMV Pixel Brick, Highlite International’s Infinity Signature series, Chauvet’s Strike P38 LED fixture, and Philips Vari-Lite’s new VL2600 range.
An array of live audio solutions were on show including Sennheiser’s Wireless G4 System, the factory-fresh EMS-41 ultra-compact loudspeaker from EM Acoustics, the Wavefront Precision line array series from Martin Audio, the V Line MPLS from Logic Systems Pro, the award-winning MAUI P900 column speaker from Adam Hall Group, the IQ EVO loudspeaker range from Inspired Audio, and the Evox JMIX8 two-way array speaker from RCF.
Production technologies were certainly not left behind with Triple E’s ModTruss system, Le Maitre’s Wireless Salamander Quad Pro, Doughty Engineering’s lightweight stand and tank traps, the ACS-1 Auto switch over unit from Orbital Sound, and the MicroCue3 cueing system from Interspace Industries.
The established show provided a reliable platform to develop new brands and products. Shaun Robertshaw of Philips Entertainment Lighting, says: “PLASA Focus Leeds is very important for us for introducing new products after Prolight + Sound. It’s a massive social event for the calendar which attracts a wide range of visitors, from end user to business-to-business. We noticed a high level of new attendees, too.”
John Kaukis from Adam Hall Group agrees: “PLASA Focus Leeds has really helped us develop our brand and raise our profile. We’ve had loads of leads from install companies, followed closely by retail and MI. Overall, it has been a great show.”
The seminar programme delivered on all fronts, aspirational anecdotes from seasoned experts to bang-up-to-date technical legislation. A panel of festival FOH veterans shared stories about muddy fields, mid-show power cuts and other nightmare scenarios, as well as advice for those brave enough to follow in their footsteps.
In another highly topical session, LSi magazine columnist Phil Ward explored the emerging world of spatial and immersive audio and its potential benefits to system design for engineers and production professionals. A panel of experts joined him, including award-winning designer Scott Willsallen, and representatives from d&b audiotechnik, L-Acoustics and OutBoard.
It was standing room only for an important Save Stage Lighting consultation, which delivered the facts straight from those most involved in the campaign to stop imminent EU proposals affecting all stage lighting.
PLASA’s commercial director Christopher Toulmin says, “After a decade of bringing the industry together, PLASA Focus Leeds once again confirmed its status as a key gathering place for all of those who have a stake in the industry. We are elated to hear only positive things from exhibitors and visitors which has propelled us to jump right into preparing for PLASA London’s 41st show in September.”
(Jim Evans)
