The 30th anniversary of Prolight + Sound wrapped in Frankfurt, Germany on April 11. Live Design spent some time on the show floor and attending the conference at Messe Frankfurt, and enjoyed the hospitality at several 30th anniversary events including entertainment from Kraftwerk's Wolfgang Flür at a first night party at Friedas Bar & Kitchen.
On the main stage, lighting designer Patrick Woodroffe, who is usually associated with spectacular successes such as Rolling Stones tours and the London Olympics Opening Ceremonies, spoke about failing. It is tough industry, but somehow Woodroffe made even the most epic mistakes sound amusing. Broadway designer Sven Ortel, originally from Cologne, Germany but now living and teaching in Arizona, gave a presentation on preparing the next generation of creatives and surprisingly, it is not all about learning technology. Ortel's inspiring talk focused on meaning and why the work of this industry is meaningful. Read more below.
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Elsewhere on the show floor, attendees got their hands on some exciting new tech:
and saw some amazing displays, this one from Ayrton, featuring the new Stradale Profile:
This year, the show offered a Mix Lab for sound designers, sound engineers, and musicians were had the opportunity to take part in practical workshops and interactive mixing console demos. There was also a silent stage to experience in-ear monitoring, and the vintage concert audio show, a special exhibition outlining milestones in concert sound over the years.
The LightLab took a different look inside modern spotlights offering insights into special properties and features, how to handle them, and how to choose the right light source.