Cirque Robe wows the Frankfurt crowds
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Another highlight was Robe’s new MegaPointe multi-purpose moving light winning a 2018 PIPA (Prolight + Sound International Press Award) for Best Light, a decision reached by a jury of international trade journalists who meet annually in Frankfurt.
The MegaPointe was one of the primary fixtures featured in the stand show, where Robe continued to raise the bar in presenting live exhibition entertainment, with an ever-rising element of expectation accompanying each one.
CEO Josef Valchar comments: “Our goal was to showcase the products in an entertaining, fun and highly visual environment, and in Cirque Robe we have realised a very ambitious show that has created a real buzz! This has helped attract people to the stand constantly throughout the four days of the expo, and we are delighted with the results and feedback.”
The show was staged every hour on the hour and pulled record crowds to the Robe stand in Hall 3.0 of Frankfurt’s Music Messe, where they could also engage with Robe’s multi-lingual team and receive individual product demos in two dark studio areas, as well as enjoy the traditional Czech hospitality and some prime networking opportunities.
The Cirque Robe concept was originated by Robe’s own creative team led by Nathan Wan and Andy Webb. Nathan first thought of the Cirque idea after Prolight 2017 which put a live show central to the booth for the first time and was extremely well received. This was followed by the Mirror Man show for PLASA London and LDI 2017, upping the ante as Robe led a trend for producing high-impact exhibition lightshows with real performers.
Two types of Robe luminaires were the primary fixtures of the show - the newly launched MegaPointe and the upcoming Tarrantula wash beam, a decision driven by the desire to produce a strong and well-defined lightshow.
Forty two MegaPointes were distributed between four trusses in a grid on the stage at the back of the spherical cirque arena – revealed by a set of Austrian curtains – and also on two circular trusses above the arena.
The 36 Tarrantulas - an LED wash powered by 36 x 30W and one 60W high powered LED chips, providing a jaw-dropping 20,000lm of output - also rigged on the on-stage / upstage trusses in groups of four, flanking the MegaPointes.
Spikies were positioned along the lip of the stage behind the cirque arena with 16 around the perimeter of the arena itself, used for a variety of specials and to pull everyone’s attention to that part of the stand.
ParFect 150 fixtures fitted with Robe Halo LED rings were deployed around the larger circular truss in the roof in four blocks of six. Also on these circles were 36 x Spiider wash beams used for general booth-wide environmental illumination and for eye-catching effects onstage with their central flower effect.
A mix of DL4S and DL7S Profiles deployed on the circle trusses key lit the cast, and more DL4s picked out the ‘classic’ circus style posters and other feature elements around the booth, illustrating the precision of the DL series shutter systems.
Atmospheric effects for the show were delivered courtesy of an MDG The One and an ICE FOG Compack.
Robe’s new remote RoboSpot follow spotting system was an integral part of the show.
One BMFL Spot with the on-board motion control camera was used to accurately pick up and follow the show’s MC. This worked in conjunction with one RoboSpot MotionCamera driving six BMFL Blade fixtures, all working together to highlight specific moments in the show. These – the one plus the six BMFLs respectively - were operated via two RoboSpot BaseStations positioned towards the back of the stand.
In addition to the wall of onePATTs - the newest member of Robe’s growing PATT family of retro-style lighting fixtures – on the stage grid, Nathan created four bespoke onePATT chandeliers in a three-tier 8-4-1 format which were suspended in the booth roof and caught a lot of eyes!
Across the aisle, Robe’s premium architectural brand Anolis also had a completely new look booth bringing a slick, contemporary feel to their dedicated space which highlighted the latest products connected but separate from the freneticism of the main Cirque Robe venue.
(Jim Evans)
