FRANKFURT PROLIGHT + SOUND 2013
Prolight + Sound is the largest international trade fair in its sector, bringing together event and communications technology, AV production and entertainment, systems integration and media technology in Frankfurt. It is a unique opportunity for dealers, distributors and manufacturers to get up to date on developments in the field. Bruce Schwartz, Lighting Division Manager at Electrosonic SA, attended Prolight + Sound 2013 from 10 to 13 April and came away with these observations
April is that time of year again when many people in the entertainment industry make their annual pilgrimage to Germany to attend the Frankfurt Prolight + Sound Expo. This year I made the trip with Bruce Genricks, Managing Member of Electrosonic SA. Although the Expo lasts only three days we were determined to make the most of our time.
We arrived in Frankfurt early on Tuesday morning, the 9th of April to a cold and wet Germany. After checking in, we spent the day walking the old town and seeing some sights. It was off to bed early as a very busy schedule was planned.
The next morning we were up early and ready for the show! Bruce and I visited the impressive Martin Professional stand. Martin recently became part of the Harman Group, and it was by far the busiest I have ever seen their stand. We also took a quick walk around the show to see our friends and say hello to our suppliers namely Litec, Robert Juliat, ADB and CM Lodestar.
The Martin Distributor Function was hosted that evening at a very nice restaurant called the Gerbermühle Betriebs, where we got to know Villads Thomsen better. He is the newly appointed Martin Vice President, Global Sales. This well-spoken Dane is truly dynamic and a great representative for Martin Professional. During the function we were told about Martin launching the new RUSH™ line of affordable effect lights. With the slogan – Light in the fast lane! – the new line is destined to cause excitement among lighting designers. We also met some of the Harman people whose task it is to manage the acquisition of Martin into the Harman stable. A great dinner was had by all and we made use of the opportunity to connect with some of our global friends.
On Thursday we had a couple of meetings with our suppliers and clients, and attended a function organised by Martin at a Club called the "Gibson". A real industrial underground venue equipped by Martin where we could see the new RUSH™ range in action! Martin did a light show every hour which was very impressive. We invited a few clients and it was nice to see Kevin Glover from Sound Stylists and his crew, and Christopher Bolton from Keystone Productions. Brendon Bunyan from Black Coffee Productions in Durban popped in later. After much talking in the noise and almost losing my voice it was time to go back to the hotel.
To say that the Martin Professional exhibition stand at the Prolight + Sound trade show was busy would be a gross understatement. Apart from launching the new RUSH™ line of affordable effect lights, Martin celebrated the world premiere of no fewer than six new MAC Viper Family moving heads. The response at the fair was nothing short of fantastic. Visitors packed the RUSH™ area of the booth and Martin's daily RUSH™ competition saw a few happy visitors walking off with RUSH™ product prizes every day.
One lucky stand visitor, Casper Panduro of Aarhus, Denmark, won a Martin M2GO lighting console in a special prize draw at the Martin stand.
Although the new MAC Viper Family luminaires and new RUSH™ range of effect lights continued to draw large crowds to Martin's stand, other important product launches shared the spotlight.
Keen interest was shown in Martin's new flagship M6 lighting console, with demos being held from the starting gun until the closing bell. We arranged a meeting with Kurt Du Preez from Pan Tilt, and Paul Pelletier of Martin Professional for a demo on the new M6 console as Kurt is an old MAXXYZ user. Kurt was blown away and I'm sure this will soon be a very well-received product for our South African clients.
Many thanks to Bruce Genricks for traveling with me, it was uplifting to share this year's experiences at the Prolight and Sound show with him. I believe that Electrosonic SA is in a strong position and have some fantastic products in the pipeline to offer our clients.
