As those who work in the entertainment technology industry will know, the months of May and June are always notoriously busy for one particular reason – trade shows! This year has been no exception, with PLASA Focus Leeds and Showlight each taking place within a matter of days of one another! As we attended both, we thought we’d quickly summarise our experience of each one and what we took away from them.

PLASA Focus Leeds

Taking place at the Royal Armouries, PLASA Focus Leeds is always one of our favourite exhibitions – and that’s not just because our MD Matt Lloyd is the Chair of PLASA! The event brings together the latest innovations, along with the brightest minds in live events, installations and entertainment technology and is one of the only trade shows to take place in the North of England. It’s always a pleasure catching up with customers, peers and friends within the industry, as well as making new connections. Due to the show’s layout, there is a sense of intimacy which you wouldn’t necessarily receive at larger trade shows and so it allows for greater networking opportunities and to establish those new relationships.
As expected from any PLASA event, there was a fantastic seminar programme, with all of the talks and panels being very well attended and received. One that stood out for us particularly was ‘What AI Can Really Do For The Entertainment Industry’ which was a genuinely fascinating discussion about the role of AI in our world and how to potentially embrace this as opposed to ignoring it. A big well done to the PLASA team for once again putting on a great event and we look forward to seeing everyone at the PLASA Show at London Olympia in London this September.
 

Showlight

Following this, it was then onto Showlight, which was taking place at Le Parc des Expositions et Congrès de Dijon  in France. The quadrennial event is a truly unique one for those working in the professional lighting community and allows us to learn, network and explore new ideas from creative individuals who fly in from all around the world!
What really inspires us about this exhibition is its emphasis on learning and enhancing the knowledge of its attendees. There were so many fascinating talks and seminars in which truly insightful and innovative individuals shared their wisdoms and research with complete transparency – which, in turn, allowed for some brilliant conversations and new perspectives into lighting and how this can be used (something that’s always driven us as a company). The discussions lasted well beyond the seminars themselves and into the lunches and dinners, for which we sponsored the wine. It was also fantastic to see so many students in attendance who would have hugely benefited from such a plethora of compelling events, as well as having first-hand access to so many esteemed lighting practitioners.
We should mention that we also recently attended the Museums + Heritage Show as well as The Media Production & Technology Show – both of which were brilliantly informative events!
And it doesn’t stop there! We’ll be attending the ABTT Theatre Show which takes place next week (4-5th June) at Alexandra Palace.
We’ll be there both days so if you fancy having a catch-up or even introducing yourself, then drop us a line on [email protected].