PLASA 2018 'busiest' in years

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PLASA 2018 'busiest' in years

Posted on: 28th September 2018

PLASA has said the 2018 edition of the PLASA Show has been ‘the busiest and most vibrant’ show since it moved to London Olympia in 2016.

PLASA 2018, which took place on 16-18 September, saw a 4% increase in visitors with a palpable atmosphere that was reminiscent of its popular Earls Court days. The show welcomed a stream of exhibitors and attendees from around the world, primed to explore the leading edge of live entertainment technology. 

The expo also confirmed its importance for networking and trade, with 63% of visitors being final decision makers or specifiers, and a quarter being business owners, managers and directors.

Leisuretec’s marketing manager Charlie Henden, commented: “The atmosphere’s been lively and exciting with plenty of opportunities to establish new business relationships and socialise with existing clients.”

Yamaha and Nexo recreated a Japanese garden theme on its stand as it showcased its latest audio solutions. Chris Irvine, Yamaha’s product manager, explains: “Rather than bringing loads of gear we built an aesthetically pleasing stand and chose a few key products - the legacy PM5D digital mixing console which is out of production, and the modern, cutting edge PM7. This has allowed us to engage with visitors regarding which products they have used over the years.”

The audio demo rooms were busy throughout the show, where KV2 Audio, OHM, Aura Audio, Shermann and RCF all demonstrated their products. Pro audio enthusiasts could also see the latest from the likes of Bose, Adam Hall, Adamson and Peavey across the show floor. 

Chauvet opted for a full LED backdrop on its stand and showcased the PLASA Award-nominees Maverick Storm 1 and COLORado Solo Batten. The 2018 show also marked an important milestone as Michael Brooksbank, European general manager, explained: “We’re celebrating our 30th year at the PLASA Show and are having a great time - it’s always a great event.”

Over 2,200 people took advantage of the varied programme of panels, workshops and talks, led by industry experts from all sectors, says PLASA. The Show’s new Rigging, Production & Structures Theatre was a popular destination, with design engineer Scotty Stewart’s talk on Simple Rigging Calculations drawing a large crowd of aspiring and professional riggers. 

The queue was out of the door for Creating a Mix, hosted by sound engineer Simon Hodge, and the SoundGirls were also welcomed by a full house keen to learn about the latest immersive sound systems and live mixing apps.

Another well-attended session was Giudizio Universale - Michelangelo and the Secrets of the Sistine Chapel, presented by Ric Lipson of Stufish and lighting designer Rob Halliday, where visitors were taken on a visual journey through the making of the show and were treated to a demonstration of a tungsten SVOBODA light by ADB. On the following day, the Royal Shakespeare Company revealed the secrets of their ambitious production of The Tempest which utilised cutting edge immersive effects, including a motion capture suit worn by the lead character which allowed for an ethereal avatar to appear on stage. 

The PLASA Awards for Innovation, which recognise pioneering product designs, saw a staggering 47 entries judged by a carefully selected group of industry professionals. The judges awarded all eight trophies and one Gold Award. The winners were: the ProPlex IQ Tester by TMB; EdgeMax by Bose; the Relevé Spot by ETC; SpotMe by Robert Juliat; matisse dmx by Artistic License; Synergy by Avolites; Spaceframe by PRG; and Orion by Holoplot. The Gold Award was presented to Astera’s Titan Tube. 

Backup, the technical entertainment charity benefitted from £2,000 donated by LSi from the PLASA Awards for Innovation entry fees and a £10,000 donation from the Lightpower Collection photography exhibition which inspired visitors throughout the show.

A gruelling 100-mile charity-bike ride from Chippenham to the PLASA Show in London, which included PLASA MD Peter Heath along with nine colleagues from across the industry, has so far raised £1,600 worth of donations. Also during the show, Ambersphere Solutions unveiled its new scheme to donate a percentage of its training fees to Backup – back-dating the donations to the start of 2018 - and promote the charity with a short, airline-inspired video. 

Next year’s show will take place at London Olympia from 15-17 September 2019.

Check out the Leisuretec highlights from this year's PLASA Show over on the Leisuretec Galleries

Courtesy of LSi

Further Information

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PLASA 2018 'busiest' in years
PLASA 2018 'busiest' in years
PLASA 2018 'busiest' in years
PLASA 2018 'busiest' in years