UK - Celebrating its “best show for many years”, PLASA Show once again took residence in the Grand Hall of Olympia London from 1-3 September, demonstrating continuous growth - occupying 10% more floor space, welcoming a steady 5% increase in visitors and showcasing over 30 new exhibitors.
Despite an unexpected heatwave in the city and the extended summer festival season, visitor figures for Sunday - the event’s opening day - saw a 9.5% increase compared to 2023, while day two’s footfall also exceeded previous years, according to the show’s organisers.
The show floor welcomed a healthy cross-section of industry visitors, from entry-level professionals to senior leadership, with 15% more students visiting compared to 2023 and 79% of attendees declaring “influential purchasing power”. Key job roles of those in attendance included directors, CEOs, technicians and programmers, followed closely by engineers, lighting designers, technical directors and project managers. Over a third of attendees work across concert touring, theatre, and live events, with sectors such as corporate AV and events, broadcast and film also being generously represented.
Many exhibitors were full of praise for the 2024 event, with Leisuretec’s Charlie Henden saying: “The steady flow of visitors to our stand provided a number of opportunities to demonstrate our solutions and engage in meaningful conversations. The high level of interest in our offerings led to many promising leads, reinforcing our belief in the value of participating in the show.”
Meanwhile Luke Edwards of first-time exhibitor KLSTR adds: “The enthusiasm of the visitors about KLSTR was incredible, and we had valuable conversations with potential partners and clients. Exhibiting helped solidify our presence in the industry.”
New products on show
Headline sponsor Robe wowed visitors with live demos featuring acrobatic performers and utilised the show’s powerful platform to launch four products: the iForte Fresnel, the Painte Fresnel, the SVOPATT and the SVB1 – with recent release iBolt scooping a PLASA Award for Innovation.
Robe comments: “It was an honour to headline sponsor PLASA Show again for 2024! We were proud to debut brand-new Robe products, demonstrate our spectacular main show The Fifth Dimension, and interact with new and old faces from across the world. The team are excited to return in 2025 for another year of live demonstrations and entertainment!”
Elsewhere from the world of professional lighting, show sponsor beamZ introduced its new linkable Neutron-Dot, Avolites debuted the Diamond 7 console, Claypaky unveiled Tambora Rays, Tambora Stormy and Mini-B Sparky Aqua, FBFX introduced the DMXPro lighting controller and Vari-Lite released the VL3600 LT. Meanwhile, Ayrton exhibited the Veloce Profile and Rivale Wash, ChamSys showcased its latest GeNetix GD4IP DMX Splitter and MagicQ Stadium console, and Chauvet Professional displayed both the new Maverick Silens 1X and 2X Profiles.
AV professionals saw the international debut of the Theatrixx xVision Nomad TPEP LED, along with the latest products from ROE Visual, Unilumin and Absen, while audio enthusiasts saw the launch of the DiGiCo Quantum326 and Quantum326T, EM Acoustics’ R6 loudspeaker, L-Acoustics’ X8i system, and Glensound’s GTM Mobile – which won a PLASA Award for Innovation.
Rigging and staging companies also dominated the floor, with a PLASA Show debut for show sponsor TAF, while returning exhibitors Area Four UK, Harlequin, Steeldeck and Total Solutions Group filled sizable stands.
Area Four UK’s Theresa Gibson comments: “PLASA Show is the perfect platform for us to connect with existing customers, catch up with industry friends and forge valuable new relationships, attracting visitors to our stand from all corners of the UK, Ireland and Europe.”
For more on the products shown at this year’s PLASA, be sure to check out the October issue of LSi – coming soon!
Seminar and demo successes
Inspiring presentations on world-famous festivals such as Glastonbury and Tomorrowland were among the popular seminar sessions which were held in dedicated theatres throughout PLASA Show. Other highlights included explorative sessions on Tools for Tech and How Light Affects Human Behaviour.
To generate awareness of our industry’s impact on global sustainability, a selection of eco-conscious-themed sessions from the likes of Unusual Rigging, addressed areas of improvement, while PLASA’s Business Breakfast hosted expert sustainability consultants and encouraged open discussions. Wellbeing sessions on ear protection by HELA and mental health in the workplace by ABTT also raised important action points.
The programme wasn’t short of technical sessions either, with electrical consultant and LSi columnist James Eade updating on the latest power regulations, fellow LSi journalist James Simpson presenting a glimpse into the future with Future Tech Live, and Wayne Howell raising awareness of the need for increased cybersecurity in the industry.
The show was also bursting with free-to-attend training sessions and product demos, including ones on Dante for live audio environments. Elsewhere, Nicolaudie ran focused workshops on its DMX lighting software from sub-brands, Daslight and Wolfmix. Meanwhile, new exhibitor and show sponsor AbsenLive presented an immersive festival experience, kitting out a dedicated room with large format LED displays and a stage full of musical instruments.
AbsenLive’s Darren Jackson comments: “This was the first ever PLASA Show for AbsenLive. Monday was fantastic - a throwback to the ‘good ole days’ as the calibre of visitors was very good and the numbers incredible. It was undoubtedly one of the best PLASA Shows for many years, the whole show had a great atmosphere too.”
On the audio front, visitors were treated to focused sound blasts during drop-in demos. KV2 Audio showcased its award-winning SL 4.12 system, featured across world-famous nightclubs and theatre shows, alongside the newly released active 2.5-way double 8” EX 28.
RCF demo’d the new NXL14-A and NX 932-A active full-range speakers, among others, which were brought to life through sonic choreography by TT+ Audio’s Andy Magee who channelled an array of FOH engineer experience and expertise. RCF’s Dean Davoile says: “This was our best PLASA Show ever - we saw a complete cross-section of customers; often visitors were struggling to get into the demo room! We have already written new business from PLASA Show.”
Vintage tech draws crowds
Back by popular demand, the treasure chest of iconic vintage tech, Classic Gear Live, once again attracted swarms of visitors and evoked a wave of nostalgia. Lighting designer and LSi journalist Rob Halliday, one of the hosts of Classic Gear Live (along with CH Vintage Audio) comments: “The Classic Gear Live stand was back bigger and better, with a wider selection of classics and another great field of experts there to talk about them… It became a remarkable social hub, with people telling stories and sharing memories of these, and other, products that have shaped and defined our industry over the years.”
Recognising innovation
In association with LSi, this year’s PLASA Awards for Innovation attracted 44 entries, all of which could be seen up close on the Innovation Gallery. Following inspection by an independent team of judges from across the industry, nine products picked up coveted award, with Vari-Lite earning the rarely given Sustainability Award for its VL2600 SE profile fixture. For the full list of winners, click here.
In addition to celebrating innovative products, the Awards for Innovation donate a significant portion of the proceeds to charity. This year, £3,000 was raised through entry fees and donated to Backup Tech.
The 2024 Gottelier Award was presented to rigging pioneer Robin Elias during a Gottelier Award winner alumni panel session, accompanied by the late Tony Gottelier’s original business partner Peter Wynne Willson, plus previous winners Howard Eaton and JB Toby. Hosted by James Eade, the entertaining session explored whether engineering leads art, or vice-versa.
Networking and more
Along with a new Beach Bar hosted by industry marketing agency The Inside Story, the #WeMakeEvents after-party provided a relaxed environment for socialising in the show’s main bar area. The after-party was kicked off by a charity fundraiser, which saw lighting designer Sherry Coenen raise £5,606.26 for Backup Tech by having her 28” long hair shaved off.
Representing the charity in the #WeMakeEvents zone on the PLASA Members’ stand throughout the show, Backup Tech’s Jess Allan comments: “The new bigger show footprint gave an electric atmosphere, giving us some great interactions with existing and new connections looking to support the charity… Backup is incredibly grateful to PLASA for its continued support of the industry charity and for helping us raise awareness!”
Exceeding expectations
With plans for 2025 already underway, PLASA Show is set to continue this trajectory of success. Ben McCarthy, MD of exhibiting company Premier Events comments: “We have had a great three days at the PLASA Show, it was our first time exhibiting and we were blown away with how many people came to our stand. We will be back in 2025!”
Sophie Atkinson, PLASA head of events, concludes: “This year’s PLASA Show has once again exceeded expectations, reflecting not only the growth and innovation within our industry but also the incredible energy and passion of our community. We were thrilled to see such a remarkable turnout and engagement, and we look forward to continuing this momentum into the next event. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who made this year’s show a resounding success!”
PLASA Show will return to Olympia London from 7-9 September 2025.
Be the first to hear when registration opens at https://www.plasashow.com/mailing-list
