LAS VEGAS – Lighting/set designer Tim Dunn from Gearhouse South Africa specified Robe Robin 600 LEDWash and PureWhite moving lights to illuminate VR Steel’s new booth at the recent Mine Expo International 2012 in Las Vegas. It is the first time that Dunn has used Robe fixtures for an exhibition stand design – although he’s specified them many times for concerts and special events.
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LAS VEGAS – Lighting and set designer Tim Dunn from Gearhouse South Africa specified Robe Robin 600 LEDWash and PureWhite moving lights to illuminate award winning VR Steel’s new booth, premiered at the recent Mine Expo International 2012 exhibition and trade fair at Las Vegas Convention Center.
Expo International is the mining industry’s showcase for companies specializing in every facet of mining. VR Steel is a global manufacturer of products for dragline mining.
Dunn took a brief from VR Steel’s CEO John van Reenen and created a new stand for the South African company, which will tour to international mining expos worldwide over the next two years.
He comments, “It was amazing to work on this project and for John to put his trust in me to design a stand that represented his vision for the future.”
A set of four steel arches spanned a 6 x 6 meter central booth space (the whole booth was 20 x 20 meters in total) to form the stand’s core architecture. The entire stand is self-standing with nothing flown or rigged from the roof, making the build process as straightforward and cost-effective as possible.
The idea was also that it looks clean, contemporary and appropriately industrial to reflect the nature and quality of VR Steel’s business.
Lighting is essential to the aesthetics and finishing details of the design and has been carefully considered to enhance the distinction and character of the booth. “The whole stand has to be multi-functional. It has to make a statement, have a presence, encourage people to look at the products and services on offer and be easily identifiable in a frenetic and busy exhibition hall,” explains Dunn.
Four custom towers are rigged at each corner of the stand outside of the arches to form the main lighting positions, which can be moved and fitted into different booth spaces as required. The 16 Robes are rigged on these.
The lighting towers are counterweighted with links from the drag bucket chains of the excavation machinery that VR Steel manufactures – which bring a product-related context into the booth design.
It is the first time that Dunn has used Robe fixtures for an exhibition stand design – although he’s specified them many times for concerts, live music shows and special events.
The 16 Robe units – four on each lighting tower – were 12 standard RGB LEDWash 600 and four PureWhite DL (Daylight) fixtures. They highlighted and brightened all parts of the stand, its display walls and graphics as well as the structural elements, plus VR Steel’s butterfly logos – a unique design by Van Reenen – which were integrated into the printed floor. The Daylight PureWhites complemented the steely environment.
Dunn chose Robe because he thinks they are the “smoothest and most solid” LED moving lights currently available.
The PureWhite versions of the LEDWash 600 series are specifically designed for exhibition stand and TV studio work.
Additionally, the VR Steel arches were internally lit with blue LEDs and there were also nine integral 5 Watt blue down-lighters built into the stand.
Dunn took a team of five people with him from Gearhouse South Africa, set builders SDS and leading sales company DWR Distribution to build the stand from scratch in Las Vegas, all of it constructed from bespoke pieces. Robe lighting Inc. helped source the fixtures.
The stand caused a stir and was one of the most talked about and photographed of the exhibition.
