By Leo Humphrey, Sales Key Account Manager.

Following two years of hiatus (for obvious reasons), 2022 marks the much-welcomed  return of a number of global tradeshows. The first show of the year for me was this month’s Pro Light and Sound Exhibition in Frankfurt and it was one I was very much looking forward to; and one, I’m delighted to say, that didn’t disappoint.  

Over the last couple of years, there has been a lot of talk of the “New Normal” in all aspects of our lives; even tradeshows! The ‘New Normal’ at exhibitions now seems to be that the majority of manufacturers’ stands are more focused on generating discussions, networking and getting hands on with equipment, rather than huge spectacles of light shows. This makes for a more intimate and often enlightening visit as you’re speaking to expert staff one-on-one (something which we’ve all clearly missed for the past 24 months!). That said, I am partial to a lighting display and there was a fantastic one from Ayrton showcasing the Cobra: an IP65 Moving Head effect unit, with an innovative Laser Phosphor source, featuring a staggering 92 Gobos! Also making its debut was the Zonda 9 FX. https://vimeo.com/702925797.  

The stand-out follow spot offering, as some would expect, came from Robert Juliat in the form of the new Arthur LT; an LED alternative to Aramis which is one of RJ’s most popular Spots. Silky smooth dimming, superbly sharp optics and Sublime Spectral performance make the Arthur LT a suitable alternative for venues in need of mid-large scale followspots but wanting to look at LED as an alternative, using less power and making cost savings in re-lamping. 

Vari-Lite were also in attendance and showcasing their latest products on the road to returning to the forefront of Moving Light production. These included the VL1600 Profile & a prototype of VL3600 Profile IP. The VL1600 Profile has a tuneable White LED Array, combined with CMY Colour Mixing. Vari-Lite’s new Vari*frost system seamlessly graduates across the whole aperture at once and is controlled via DMX so no need to purchase additional frosts or filters. 

The VL3600 Profile IP will be an IP65 Moving Head Profile, with 45,000 Lumens output, broad zoom range from around 5 degrees to 50 degrees. Two colour wheels, CMY Colour mixing, two prisms and a new VL*FX Wheel will undoubtedly make this fixture a versatile option for venues requiring a high feature set, high output fixture. It’s due to be released later this year and I cannot wait to get my hands on a production model. 

Exploring ETC’s APEX Consoles in the flesh, it’s clear that the years of R&D from the team in Wisconsin has paid off. These really are a fitting homage to Anne Valentino, who recently retired after nearly 30 years spearheading the development of ETC Lighting Controls (and others before that). You can even use a silhouette of her dog as an icon within the Software! 

Staying with ETC, a bank of fully adjustable 4K Resolution screens dominated their workstation. These are Haptic Touch panels which are stunningly machined encoders and have an incredibly comfortable arm rest which makes the APEX Consoles both a pleasant and efficient place to work. Having seen them in the flesh, our Technical Director, Dave Isherwood, is even more excited to see these arrive into our Hire Stock!  

On the audio front, the special show “Vintage Concert Audio Show” presented more than 200 exhibits from the concert audio history of the last 50 years. You can see what the world looked like before line arrays and digital consoles as well as admire milestones of concert audio history. The exhibition gathered exhibits from all over Europe and everything from the first WEM, Vox and Marshall vocal systems to Martin Modular, Meyer MSL3, Clairbrothers S4 and the first L’Acoustics line array were on display; providing a contrast to the latest technologies in the halls. There were several audio manufacturers not exhibiting this year, but of those who were, it was good to see Riedel Communications displaying MediaNet and Bolero Comms system, which we have recently added to our own Sales stock.  

If one thing could and should be changed for next year’s show, then it should definitely be the approach that NEXT Truss, distributed by AED, has in regards to the role that women should play in our industry. I was really disappointed to see so many manufacturers and distributors believing that models dancing on stages waving 0.5m lengths of trussing is still appropriate. Clearly I’m not alone with this view though as, over the two days I attended the show, their stand was almost entirely empty the whole time… Perhaps PL&S will look at this and following PLASA in banning such outdated attitudes and behaviour.   

To conclude, I had a fantastic time at this year’s show and it was great to see and hear about our industry’s continued research and development and how this innovation is now being pioneered within their latest products. Of course, there is still a huge impact of the Pandemic upon supply chains. That said, we are all working closely with suppliers to mitigate this wherever we can and tyring to provide as smooth a purchasing process as possible. 

If you’d like some further details on the products featured above, visit SalesWL.com or contact the sales team who will be happy to help! 

The post Around the Tradeshow Floor – Prolight + Sound 2022 appeared first on White Light.