Rimini
Fair Entertains
With Laser Shows
and Products
By
David Lytle
The SIB
International Exhibition in Rimini,
Italy, is famous for dazzling visitors
with lavish displays of laser, lighting
and sound products. This year was no
exception, with top European laser companies
performing spectacular shows and exhibiting
the latest laser equipment. Laser show
companies occupied some of the largest
booths inside the mammoth exhibition
space and drew a constant stream of
visitors, despite the many competing
attractions on the show floor.
The March
23-26 fair featured over 600 exhibitors,
and visiting just a fraction of the
booths was a challenge given the 50,000
sq. meter size of the Rimini trade show
complex. This year, SIB was held in
conjunction with the DISMA Music Show,
which occupied five of the complex’s
12 exhibition halls and contributed
greatly to the 70,000 visitor total
(up from 35,000 in 2002, when the biannual
SIB was held without the music show).
One of
the highlights of the fair was the LOBO
electronic exhibit, which occupied about
850 sq. meters in a connecting
area between the two main exhibit halls
for lights and lasers. The location
of the booth assured a constant stream
of passersby, most of whom stopped to
enjoy LOBO’s new Billabong graphics
and beam show. Laser graphics stretched
wall-to-wall across the vast space,
while multiple scanner sets and
bounce mirrors showered the audience
with beams and atmospheric effects.
Two pairs of live dancers added the
final element to the show.
LOBO’s
new Zaphir moving head laser projectors
scanned beams throughout the exhibit
space, while potential customers enjoyed
refreshments at a large central island.
Products by LOBO and its audio and lighting
partners were positioned along the edges
of the hallway. LOBO’s booth was not
only the largest laser exhibit at SIB,
but also one of the largest, most attention
getting exhibits at the fair.
The second
largest laser booth at Rimini was hosted
by Laser Entertainment SRL and Laser
System Europe (LE/LSE). The exterior
of the booth was encased in white fabric,
creating a darkened theatrical space
perfect for laser performances. Audiences
were treated to a show of approximately
20 minutes in length that included a
room-filling beam sequence, graphics,
water screens and fountains (courtesy
of Magical Water), and a performance
by Laserman Theo Dari, a Paris magician
who manipulates beams, tunnels and sheets
of laser light with his bare hands.
Pangolin Laser Systems was also
inside the booth, demonstrating its
SMS phone system for displaying cellular
text messages in video or laser light.
The LE/LSE booth featured a bar and
seating area, plus huge light fixtures
shaped like gigantic jellyfish. Every
time I visited, crowds were standing-room
only.
More
lasers were on hand at the HB-Laserkomponenten
booth. The German company’s 260 sq.
meter booth gave visitors an eye-popping
laser show thanks to 44 Watts of laser
power distributed through 14 scanner
heads. HB’s booth offered visitors
a close-up look at laser gear, partly
because all of it was in plain sight
and easy to get your hands on. Laserists
also had the chance to create their
own shows at a console that featured
HB’s live touch-screen control software,
plus MIDI keyboards and a second touch-screen
for controlling theatrical lights (all
in real-time, of course).
HB’s
newest product was also on display,
the Lightcube 5 RGB. It’s billed as
the world’s first 5-Watt RGB solid-sate
laser, but consumes less than 1,000
watts of power.
Although
the staple of a laser display
booth is beams and more beams, one
company proved the exception to the
rule. RT-Laser, from Slovakia, showed
that an eye-catching laser booth could
be created using top-quality video playback
of laser shows along with an excellent
collection of still photos.
A pair
of flat-screen monitors displayed great-looking
video of lasers shows, all done by a
company that was started in 1994 and
has gone on to do shows in stadiums,
concerts halls and sports arenas.
A dozen
other laser booths were scattered throughout
SIB, displaying products that ranged
from high-powered OEM lasers to
small, 5mW graphic projectors.
There
was even a booth for ILDA, where I met
ILDA members from throughout Europe
and the Middle East. The ILDA booth
was without any actual laser displays,
although the November issue of The Laserist
, with “Laserman” Theo Dari on the cover,
was extremely popular.
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It
was a large white box on the outside
(top) but inside, the Laser Entertainment/LSE
booth treated guests to multimedia laser
shows (above).
LOBO's
booth, seen at top during setup, was
one of the fair's largest. Lasers and
dancers (seen above with black-light
illumination) drew large crowds.
ILDA's
booth was good place to meet
laserists and for those new to the industry
to learn more. Theo Dari, also known
as "Laserman" when performing
at the nearby Laser Entertainment/LSE
booth, is seen above with David Lytle,
ILDA's executive director.
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