The show saw a number of new products, including Martin Professional's MAC Quantum Wash; ETC's Source Four Mini spotlight and Selador Desire D22 LED luminaire; Chauvet Professional's Nexus 2x2 and Nexus 4x1; High End System's Hog 4 and HedgeHog 4; Lyntec's award-winning Remote Power Control Mobile; Ayrton's MagicPanel 602 LED beam projector fixtures; Altman Lighting's Phoenix LED Profile; LSC Lighting System's Clarity LX consoles; and the latest additions to Robe Lighting's ROBIN Series.
The Professional Development Programme was a big hit, packing out rooms to see names such as renowned lighting designer Seth Jackson and Ben Jumper, owner of Soundcheck. Exhibitor sessions included a presentation on ETC's approach to LEDs given by Tom Littrell; an introduction to CAST Software's revolutionary BlackTrax; and a look at Hippotizer Media Servers by TMB, for Green Hippo. There was also a focus on safety, with sessions being presented by the Event Safety Alliance and Impact Access.
Christopher Toulmin, director of PLASA Events, commented, "This event saw the second highest attendance figure since the PLASA Focus series started out in the US two years ago. In addition to quantity, exhibitors have been speaking enthusiastically about the high quality of visitors they saw and consequently many have already signed up for booth space at the forthcoming PLASA Focus shows in Baltimore and Austin later this year."
Exhibitors were also very pleased with the outcome of the show. "The show has provided us with an opportunity to get in front of the end users, the rental production companies, and the design community. It's been a great crowd and we've seen a lot of people from the local area" commented Leonard Miller, national sales manager at Philips Entertainment.
"We like exhibiting at PLASA Focus as it allows us to see people we may not normally see at the larger trade shows, meaning we get to find new customers and show them what we can do as a company. We've also been able to show our customers a lot of gear that we are not able to take to them" added Tobin Neis, director of marketing at Barbizon Lighting.
Mark Boyadjian, of Neutrik USA, stated, "What we have enjoyed the most is the quality of the attendees. We've had the opportunity to speak to a lot of people, answer their questions, and also meet with customers who use our products on a regular basis."
Organizers PLASA Events have confirmed that a substantial number of exhibitors have already signed up for the next two instalments of the PLASA Focus series. The first is taking place in Baltimore, Maryland, on 8 and 9 May, 2014, at Loyola University, and the second in Austin, Texas, on 10 and 11 September, 2014, at the Palmer Events Centre.
PLASA Members, Focus Series exhibitors, and regional dealers all benefit from substantial discounts on exhibition space. All events and seminars are free for visitors to attend.
Free visitor registration for PLASA Focus: Baltimore 2014 is open now at plasafocus.com/baltimore
(Jim Evans)
