ETC is celebrating winning the only Gold PLASA Award for Innovation at last week’s
PLASA London show. The Eos® software version 2.3 provides unprecedented colour
control options for LED fixtures, including abstract colour spaces and fade tools,
allowing users to adapt their workflows in this constantly evolving art form. Giving
the Gold award, the judges described the software, which also provides access to
the OSC protocol for the first time, as “a game-changer.’

The control desk itself was busy on the stand throughout the three day show, with
Product Manager Anne Valentino giving hands-on demonstrations.

Also popular on the ETC stand was the new ColorSource® Spot fixture, and the new
ColorSource Relay and Transmitter. ColorSource Spot follows the launch of the
hugely popular ColorSource PAR, which marries RGB emitters with lime, completing
gaps in the spectrum to provide high quality lighting for venues on a tight budget.
ColorSource Relay and Transmitter, meanwhile, transform small-system design, by
combining power control and wireless data in a budget-friendly, effective package.

Cobalt® and Eos Programming Wings were also seen for the first time, bringing
powerful programming power in a small, portable package. The systems allow
programmers to travel with a physical control surface, in combination with an
ETCnomad system.

A separate stand across the aisle was dedicated to ETC Rigging, which was
displayed at PLASA for the first time.

In the seminar areas, ETC’s Jeremy Roberts discussed how the company has been
working on improving the control of colour changing fixtures, with the aim of
making LED lighting as natural and easy to use as tungsten; and Luke Delwiche led
a seminar showing how OSC can be used to bring lighting to life. A free one day
workshop covering the topic in greater detail is set to be held at ETC’s London
offices on 23 October; for more information, please visit the training and events
section of the ETC website at etcconnect.com.

ETC also brought their popular student sessions from USITT and LDI to the PLASA
show on Monday evening. Students were able to ask about the future of lighting
control and product development, as well as about training and work opportunities.

There were other winners at the show, with student Robert Butler given a £250 ETC
Award at the Michael Northern Bursary presentation; and ETC’s Luke Delwiche and
Sarah Clausen presented a cheque for almost £20,000 to the Behind the Scenes
charity, following sales of the iRFR and aRFR mobile apps.

At the Knights of Illumination Awards presentation, which was held on Sunday
evening, ETC’s CEO Fred Foster was presented with the Lifetime Recognition Award.
When he won the Wally Russell Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007, the judges
said that his “visionary leadership has propelled ETC into the top rank of the world’s
leading manufacturers of stage lighting equipment.’ This time, the judges
commented that they wanted to celebrate “his astounding influence on performance
lighting technology and the innovations achieved with his colleagues at ETC.’

Lighting designer Durham Marenghi said the judges “wanted to recognise Fred’s
support of theatre across the board from training and all the way through to
manufacturing.’

The developer of the acclaimed ETC Source Four® luminaire and lamp, David
Cunningham, also won a Gotellier Award at the PLASA show. Although he has never
been directly employed by ETC, the independent inventor also worked closely with
the company on Sensor® dimming and the x7 Color System. Fred Foster collected
the award on his behalf.

ETC’s next trade show outing will be at LDI in Las Vegas, 23-25 October, with
another chance to see ETC’s newest products. In addition, ETC’s Education and
Training Specialist Tom Littrell will give a Master Class, 50 Shades of R80, which
goes beyond his popular “Layers of Light’ presentation to open up a world of colour
control, allowing you to experience new LED colour sensations.