2nd digital Prolight + Sound BIZLounge now available

Round tables, video showcases and initial news about the fair

Picture: Messe Frankfurt

How is the entertainment-technology sector preparing for the gradual restart of event operations? Which trends and challenges are of particular relevance to event venues, especially theatres? How is the growing awareness for sustainability changing the event business? Experts answer these and many other questions in the 2nd Prolight + Sound BIZLounge. In panel discussions, renowned representatives of associations, companies and venues scrutinise the most urgent issues currently facing the sector. Renowned brands present their latest solutions in video presentations. Additionally, Messe Frankfurt reveals its plans for the ‘Green Event Space Contest’ at the coming Prolight + Sound. The three-hour information event in English can now be viewed free of charge online at www.prolight-sound.com/bizlounge.

The 2nd BIZLounge partners are the Adam Hall, Artthea, Computerworks, ETC, HOF, KS Audio, Misto Art, Robe and SGM companies, together with the VPLT and EVVC trade associations, the Oper Frankfurt event venueand the L&S GmbH event company. “We have been highly impressed by the high level of support shown by the sector, which has worked together with us to compile the programme of the 2nd BIZLounge. This shows how important an exchange of information is, especially in this phase between the state of emergency and a gradual return to normality”, says Prolight + Sound Director Mira Wölfel. “At the same time, the BIZLounge is for us the optimum opportunity to present the new Green Event Space Contest, with which we aim to make our contribution to greater sustainability in the field of fairs and events.”

New ideas are needed to bring together ecological, economic and social aspects. And they are exactly what the ‘Green Event Space Contest’ aims to find. Planners, architects, exhibition-stand builders and students are called upon to submit a detailed concept for a multifunctional trade-fair presentation with an integrated stage. The only condition: the concept must reflect the social and political goal of more sustainable activities. A special focus is on flexibility in use, innovative approaches and effective / interactive presentation options. Messe Frankfurt will implement and promote the best concept at Prolight + Sound 2022 and bear all costs. The implementation partner is L&S GmbH, an established name in exhibition and stage construction for 25 years. Creative personalities are invited to send their ideas by no later than 1 October to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The BIZLounge includes a detailed overview of the new competition and, in the subsequent round-table discussion, Mira Wölfel (Director, Prolight + Sound), Timo Feuerbach (CEO, EVVC) and Tobias Berghaus (CEO, L&S) consider the influence of the ‘green-event’ idea on the sector. Thus, viewers can look forward to answers to the questions of whether a commitment to greater sustainability leads to competitive advantages and whether a resource-friendly event can actually ease the strain on budgets.

Picture: Antonia Felka

The transition from halogen to LED lighting is in full swing and – with all the artistic challenges relating to the light spectrum – will continue to occupy the sector for some time in the future. However, there are also many other disruptive developments. A decisive factor for greater efficiency in theatre operations is the standardisation of data formats – more ‘plug & play’ is the motto here. Herbert Bernstädt, lighting technology specialist with Adam Hall GmbH, presents the GDTF format as a highly promising approach. In his lecture at the BIZLounge, he also offers an insight into remote monitoring and decentralised productions, which can bring about a significant reduction in travel and personnel costs in theatres and thus conserve both natural and financial resources.

Bernstädt is also a participant in the subsequent round-table discussion on theatre technology together with Randell Greenlee (Politics and International Affairs, VPLT) and Olaf Winter (Technical Director, Oper Frankfurt). One of the main themes is the impact of technological progress on employment structures in the theatre sector: to be seen is a trend towards fewer but better trained personnel. In the future, muscle power will be less important than technical knowledge and a willingness to continue training. Could this development lead to greater diversity in technical stage disciplines in the long run? The expert discussion in the BIZLounge offers some interesting insights.

The round-table discussion on the current situation of companies in the entertainment-technology industry is also distinguished by prominent participants. The CEOs of Artthea (Michael Schwabe), HOF (Björn Heinzmann), KS Beschallungstechnik (Dieter Klein) and SGM (Michael Herweg) talk about their crisis strategies and the imminent explosion of demand in the event market. How can companies organise their personnel planning – at a time without a clear-cut roadmap for the complete restart? What impact has the pandemic had (and is still having) on delivery chains and prices. Will streaming events and on-site events continue to exist in parallel in the future? Despite all the challenges, the panellists in the BIZLounge share an optimistic view of the future.

The Prolight + Sound BIZLounge presents future-oriented solutions of the entertainment-technology industry. In detailed video showcases, companies offer insights into their innovations and explain the specific benefits for professionals in the event-technology sector.

Showcases:

• Computerworks: Data tag tips and tricks
• ETC: Fan-free moving lights – SolaFram Studio
• ETC: The Advanced Research Group of ETC
• HOF: The Flying Stage Project
• Misto Art: The birth story of theatre production planning software
• Robe: Noise levels of LED moving lights – how to measure it and the pros & cons of different cooling concepts
• Robe: Additive vs subtractive colour mixing in stage lighting – advantages and disadvantages of each and Robe lighting’s approaches to optimize them

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