The old warehouse was already about to start bursting at the seams last year! When CSE added over 100 moving lights and over 500 tiles of their new proprietary BT12 LED screen to the near capacity stock, things became critical - and something had to give.
By a completely serendipitous stroke of luck, the unit next door came available just at the right time. "It was almost too convenient to be true," declares Colour Sound's Haydn Cruickshank, who jumped at the chance to take it over.
The dividing wall between the two units has been completely removed and CSE is utilising the new area - among other things - to provide a complete prep space where lighting systems can be fully rigged, cabled and set-up at height before leaving the warehouse.
This will make the operation a lot more streamlined and efficient, especially at busy times - which was about 365 days last year - with this year already looking similar.
Another part of the new space is a dedicated storage and workshop area for the new BT-12 screen product as well as for Colour Sound's existing BT-37 LED screens. The screen is another major investment by the company and ensures that clients can be offered very cost efficient lighting and visuals packages.
2011 was one of CSE's best trading years to date, and 2012 is already looking buoyant, with several regular festivals and events confirmed, and a constant stream of high profile corporate work on-going.
The expansion will allow the busy periods to be co-ordinated in an even more organised fashion. In the summer months when all the festivals are in full flow, it's not unusual for CSE to be supplying lighting and visuals to four or five different major events simultaneously.
This requires super-careful coordination, and "We have the space to do this more comfortably and easily than ever before," confirms Cruickshank.
(Jim Evans)
