You are on the Desktop website, Click here to go back to our mobile website
We use cookies to offer you the best service possible. By using our site you agree to the use of cookies.
ARTICLE
There were many others, most often car related, but also outliers such as Southampton’s annual boat show. The chance to see, touch and even get inside all those dream cars was impossible to resist. I always loved the buzz of a huge venue filled with people and big expensive things. (No idea what the boat show was all about – living in Oxford I hardly had need for a multimillion-pound Sunseeker, but boy was it fun to look around!)
So, any show even remotely connected to my world of entertainment is a ‘must attend’. Plus there’s the added incentive of meeting those I know in the industry, including fellow DJs, manufacturers and suppliers. And whilst Plasa isn’t a show aimed at the mobile DJ, there is still plenty to see and do. The lighting might be way above our general needs, but I’ve always seen their twice-yearly shows (London and Leeds) as an opportunity to see what the big boys are playing with and perhaps get some clues about what might filter down to us.

Amongst all the stands with cutting-edge lighting and effects, there are plenty of manufacturers and others who are relevant to the mobile DJ industry. The microphones we use are the same across both the DJ and event production world. There are also many speakers that can be used in both sectors. But ultimately what makes these shows unmissable is having the opportunity to step inside a large hall full of cutting-edge technology, catch up with people I know and even make a few new contacts whilst I’m at it.

Of course, until the 4-5th of September this year, we hadn’t actually had a Plasa show for almost two years. For obvious reasons there’s not been much by way of exhibitions and shows lately. The last one I managed to get to was the Photobooth & Entertainment Expo in Las Vegas in February 2020, just before everything closed down. I tried to do virtual shows, but that format really didn’t work for me. So, the long-awaited return of large-scale events in our sector was very exciting!

Despite being desperate to get there as soon possible, I could only attend on Tuesday, the third day of the show. I car-shared with Steve Honeyball (Pro Mobile’s business development manager) and Carl Hirst (my events work wife), and we had a loose arrangement to meet three of the mobile DJ world’s best networkers: Andi Crampton, Nigel Harwood and Jimmy Lee.

Once in the venue, I could immediately see the effect of the pandemic on the show sector. The last Plasa show (2019) was their busiest ever, spread across several floors and rooms with visitors from no less than 63 countries. Obviously the 2021 version was going to be scaled down – plans to move the show to Olympia’s largest area, the Grand Hall, in 2020 had long been abandoned.

If you made the 2019 show, you will remember Robe’s Back to the Future-inspired stand which featured the most comprehensive (and I’m sure most expensive) lighting show I had ever laid eyes on. Complete with rain, fire, dancers and an authentic DeLorean car, the show was put on at regular intervals each day – watching it once just wasn’t an option. I also remember an absolutely huge range of exhibitors representing every conceivable product or service.

Walking into this year’s Plasa, my expectations were already very scaled down. And as anticipated, the show had shrunk in size. So much so that this year’s version was held jointly with the ABTT Theatre Show, something that made sense given that the partnership halved the risk and increased attendance after an unprecedented year. Also noticeable was how much quieter it seemed, though I know that the previous day had many more visitors. Despite not having a huge centre stage and all that went with it, Robe still had a comprehensive stand with Chauvet Professional occupying a similar footprint right next door. Just these two stands were places I could have spent a good couple of hours. Though there were still a lot of others to see.

It was clear that everyone I visited was happy with how the show had gone, and this view was solidified when I caught up with the Plasa Show’s distributor and dealer representative Gareth Coleman. He told me, “It’s been surprisingly busy since day one with a lot of familiar faces, but also lots of new ones, and even some international prospects, which was very surprising.” Was putting on the show this year worth it? “Absolutely, personally I couldn’t wait to get back on the shop floor. You can’t get that physical, face-to-face connection with people on Zoom calls.” Gareth was also manning his own stand for Ohm, and I asked him if, as a brand, he had found the three days worthwhile. “Definitely,” he said. “If you do a stand like I do, a shell scheme version, the rates are incredibly competitive and well worth the cost.”

So, the show was smaller, with fewer visitors and exhibitors than we have previously seen. However, a lot of thought and planning had gone into the three days with a full programme of free-to-attend seminars and round table discussions. There was a significant amount of charity support and I really liked the Awards for Innovations gallery which showcased the latest product developments and technical advancements, such as live motion capture streaming and a carbon nanotube projection screen.

As well as these innovations, the show was also the first time a lot of new products were on display for the very first time and it is precisely that which makes any show such a compelling way to spend a day. And then of course there was just seeing people again. I bumped into a lot of people I knew, spoke to some I haven’t had very much or any contact with for a good two years, and once we’d seen everything we wanted to see, we crossed the road for a late lunch and a beer. With aching feet, and brains full of new products and ideas, we shared a table with war stories and tales from the pandemic – and it felt like old times.

Well done Plasa, you put on a fantastic show and I’m looking forward to Leeds!
The full review can be found in Pro Mobile Issue 110, Pages 72-74.
UPCOMING EVENTS
BPM DJ Show 2024
12 / 10 / 2024 - 13 / 10 / 2024
Photo Booth Expo London
13 / 10 / 2024 - 14 / 10 / 2024
VIEW THE FULL CALENDAR
BOOK STORE FEATURED PRODUCT
HOW TO PRICE YOUR PLATYPUS

BY DAVID ABBOTT

£5.00 (INC P&P)
More
VISIT THE BOOK STORE