Eurovision winner Robe appointed as moving light supplier

Robe Show Lighting has been appointed the exclusive moving light supplier for the 2005 Eurovision Song Contest.
The Czech Republic based manufacturer is providing 330 ColorSpot 1200 AT and ColorWash 1200 AT fixtures for the event, staged in Kiev, Ukraine, with the final broadcast live on May 21.
Robe was approached by Spectra Plus from Stockholm Sweden, Eurovision’s technical production co-ordinators for the last five years. They were looking for a European lighting manufacturer to team up with, and had been monitoring Robe’s profile and position in the marketplace over the last two years. They decided the time was right to approach Robe about being a partner in this extremely high profile show – renowned for its ambitious visual aesthetics - marking the landmark 50th anniversary of the Eurovision.
Robe’s Josef Valchar and Harry von den Stemmen were initially approached by Spectra’s Ola Melzig and Jan Erik Jansson and National Television of Ukraine’s director of International Relations, Pavlo Grytsak, at PLASA 2004.
After this extensive testing of the suggested Robe fixtures were undertaken in Sweden, in conjunction with Robe’s Swedish distributor Bellalite, after which everyone concluded that they had the right fixtures for Per Sundin’s elaborate lighting design. They were impressed with the brightness and easy programming of the ColorSpot and Wash 1200s, and the standard range of gobos in the ColorSpot.
The production period runs from April 20 to May 25, the highlight of which is the final. This takes place in front of a studio audience of 8000 and will be watched worldwide by over 200 million TV viewers.
For the first time ever, the Eurovision Song Contest is being beamed live to the US.
Robe Show Lighting, www.robe.cz
(SP)