Robe was proud to support the 2024 “Scena Jutra” (Stage of Tomorrow) two-day symposium in Warsaw, Poland, which this year changed up to a new venue inside the city’s famous Palace of Culture & Science in downtown, one of Europe’s tallest buildings. The sixth edition of this growing and highly acclaimed two-day event featured over 120 speakers, both international and from across Poland, who gave a series of outstanding presentations or joined lively panel discussions. These embraced an eclectic variety of topics all related to production design, visual and sonic art also embracing architecture and built spaces… plus several more esoteric but related subjects.
Scena Jutra is a unique melting pot of artists, visual designers, content creators, critical thinkers, technicians, nerds and anyone interested or connected to the power, psychology, and future of storytelling via the performance and visual arts spectrum – from filmmakers to live show and event producers. While the designated exhibition area was a perfect backdrop for Robe to showcase some of its latest tech, the vibe was more about stimulating ideas and exploring the adventure of possibilities that might be achieved now and in the future through the collaboration of arts and technology.
Linking the three main presentation stages – Scena Inspiracje (Inspiration) Scena Akademia (Learning) and Scena Dyskusje (Discussion) – was an inclusive exhibition space, where manufacturers, brands and companies presented products, services, and personalities, which proved an excellent social and interactive hub where people crossed paths or arranged to meet to start, continue and conclude great conversations and ideas!
Robe demonstrated a selection of its newest LED lighting products including the super cool new iBOLT, the iFORTE LTX, the T32 Cyc and the Footsie. It was also the first time that Robe was at a Scene Jutra event with its new “Robe Business” partners, Avolites and LSC Control Systems, both recently acquired by the Czech manufacturer. An Avolites D9-215 console was demonstrated on their own display section, while LSC showed one of their Unitour power distro racks.
A strong team from Robe’s international team rocked up for the occasion including commercial director JJ Valchar, European key account managers Michel Arntz and Jeroen van Aalst and product development specialist Dave Whitehouse. Both days buzzed with energy and activity. The event was a great opportunity for networking, learning, and engaging on numerous levels, from creating AI content for movies to costume design and storyboarding, attracting more attendees than last year with over 1000 pre-registrations!
Scena Jutra president Rafal Rzeczkowski commented, “It was fantastic to see so many people make the effort to attend and enjoy a great schedule of presentations and panel discussions, some sparking animated debates that are at the essence of Scena Jutra.”
Dave Whitehouse also gave two excellent presentations. The first, “Sources for Courses – The Trend for Task Specific Solutions” – highlighted the flexibility of Robe’s TRANSFERABLE ENGINE (TE) system and explained how different types of LED can provide task-specific solutions instead of one having to cover all applications. He also explored the constant quest for better color rendition and why it’s such an important parameter for lighting. The second talk, “Invest Strategically – The TRANSFERABLE ENGINE Concept”, deep dived into the economic advantages of TE – longevity, ROI, sustainability, and new market penetration.
Both lectures were informative and well received, delivered with some characteristic English humor! Dave, returning to Scena Jutra for the second consecutive year, enjoyed the “inspirational spirit” of the event coupled with the diversity of seminars all relevant to different aspects of visual and performance art and production. “It was a privilege to be invited back again, and to give these two presentations about TE technology and the challenge of keeping abreast of constantly changing LED technology and how to leverage it in cost efficient ways.”
Avolites’ Sarah O’Gorman from internal sales also gave a presentation which included an overview of the current products and a roundup of the company’s ground-breaking history which reaches a 50-year landmark in 2026.
Michel Arntz also attending his second Scena Jutras event said, “It was important to have a strong Robe presence at the event and to support the brilliant work of our Polish distributor Prolight who are doing a fantastic job!” He thought it was “notably busier” than last year. “We saw many leading lighting professionals connected to theatre, television and performance design and technology, and the integration with numerous other disciplines shows how new technologies can influence, assist and impact designs of the future.”
Rafal was delighted that Robe was sponsoring again and noted that the manufacturer has been a major supporter from the very first Stage of Tomorrow. “They really contributed to and invested in Stage of Tomorrow’s value to creative and technical communities.”
Thought-provoking Stage of Inspiration talks included UK and Belgium based Michael Al-Far, creative director of Virtual Innovation Partners and a pioneer of LED based XR / VP technology whose presentation, “The Transformative Impact of Sharing in the VP Industry” underlined the importance of sharing and exchanging knowledge to further imaginative ambitions. Another international guest was Volodymyr Andrusyshyn, CEO of Ukraine’s biggest lighting rental company, Alight, who talked about activities helping him and his team survive in a conflict zone and the impact of the war in “The Power of Ukrainian Light in Wartime”.
Performance lighting designer, theatre consultant, teacher, and entrepreneur Fridthjofur “Fiffi” Thorsteinsson from Iceland was insightful with his “Tomorrow in Light of Today” presentation while Scena Jutra co-organiser, producer, and creative director Paweł “Spider” Pająk, founder and originator of multidisciplinary brand Percepto, enjoyed a packed room for his “Expanding Storytelling and Empowering Experiences Through Technology” lecture. The presentation areas were well lit and had quality audio systems rigged – with simultaneous translations into multiple languages available – and large high resolution LED screens that displayed everyone’s content with clarity and precision.
In addition to being energized by ideas, opinions and a universe of technical and creative ambitions, guests also enjoyed the conviviality of a highly social ‘afterparty’ gathering on the first evening where the chats and potential collaborations continued.
Further information from Robe Lighting: www.robe.cz
Photos: by Louise Stickland
