Clay Paky presented its products at their best, at a large booth in the Ambersphere village, through a demo-show programmed by lighting designer Alex Mildenhall, operator on TV show X-Factor.
The Clay Paky Scenius Profile won the PLASA Award for Innovation. The judges said "This product's innovation reaches from the lamp and reflector all the way through the optical path."
The Scenius Profile was not the only acclaimed product at the Clay Paky booth. Visitors and the award judges themselves showed great interest in the Shar-Bar, a moving LED bar with advanced features, which turns into a totally new multi-beam effect.
One of the main talking points among visitors to PLASA was definitely the return of ADB, recently taken over by Clay Paky. A specific booth was set up to exhibit some of the key products from ADB's wide range, including the top quality Freedom consoles, the powerful Eurodim Twin tech dimmer system, and the new ALS LED lights.
The new ADB staff was present in its entirety: the new CEO Simone Capeleto, ADB brand manager Fabiano Besio, corporate advisor Christian Léonard, product portfolio manager Gilles Govaerts, and project manager Henri Marechal.
ADB's takeover and its relaunch on the international stage were the focus of the press conference called by Clay Paky CEO Pio Nahum, where he explained that: "Through the ADB name, Clay Paky and Osram wish to strengthen their position in the theatre and TV studio areas".
ADB is a brand with a high reputation and long history. It was founded in 1920 and has set a benchmark since then for quality products and the ability to offer a complete service, from design to control. "Of course," said ADB's CEO Simone Capeleto, "Our project also involves updating the ADB product range, especially with the introduction of new LED technology and automation, in which Clay Paky and Osram have great experience. In a few months' time, we plan to present our customers with a new generation of lights for theatrical lighting."
The complete Clay Paky Odeon line, a range of "pure" (IP66) architectural lights, also made a successful début at PLASA. Massimiliano Biava, the line's brand manager, said, "The range has been designed considering the technical and aesthetic requirements of architects. They are not lights for architainment or entertainment fixtures adapted to the world of architecture; they are products designed right from the outset specifically for architectural installations. Plasa is not really the most suitable trade fair for this field, but we did not want to miss the occasion, and we received very positive feedback."
Clay Paky and its parent company Osram were the most important sponsors of the 9th edition of the Knight of Illumination Awards. Pio Nahum opened the evening by thanking everyone for helping the Awards grow to the major industry event it is today. As the evening continued, Nahum gave a donation of £5000 to The Technical Entertainment Charity fund, which supports entertainment professionals in difficulty.
(Jim Evans)
