Another year, another PLASA
| 5 min read
After more than 45 years in the entertainment industry—most of them spent as a lighting designer—you might assume I would be a regular at the PLASA Show, the anual entertainment technology show in London. In fact, that has not been the case.
I last worked on the event in the early-to-mid 1990s, when I was working full-time for Vari-Lite, the company credited with inventing the moving light. For a while I was a technician and programmer at the company before doing a short period, as their education officer, so attending PLASA was very much part of the job.
It was, as anyone who has exhibited will understand, hard work. Long days on your feet, endless handshakes, reconnecting with familiar faces and making new industry contacts. I enjoyed the experience, but by the time the doors closed, I was always rather pleased to be heading home.
Since the 90s, I have probably attended the show once, in the early 2000s. The industry has changed enormously, and very quickly, but I have managed to keep pace with developments through the suppliers I work with, conversations with colleagues, and my own research. That is not to suggest PLASA has lost its relevance—far from it. It remains a hugely important event for the industry and performs a valuable role in bringing people, products and ideas together.
This year, however, I thought that I'd give it another go.
The 2026 PLASA Show at Olympia London proved to be a thoroughly enjoyable few hours. From what I remember, it seemed to occupy less space than it once did, although perhaps that is simply a reflection of how much more capable modern equipment has become. Today, a single fixture can often perform tasks that once required several pieces of kit.
What made this visit different was the freedom to take my time. I could browse the stands that genuinely interested me, catch up with people I had not seen for years, and take in the latest developments without the pressure of being there in a professional capacity.
The real highlight, though, was upstairs in the gallery, Classic Gear Live, where a vintage lighting and sound display offered a wonderful dose of nostalgia. Naturally, I gravitated straight towards the lighting section.
I was delighted to find some of the consoles I had programmed and operated in the early days of my career.
During my time at the Royal Shakespeare Company—then based at the Aldwych Theatre—we used a Strand MMS lighting desk.
Seeing one at PLASA, and a fully operational one at that, was a particularly special moment. The RSC later moved to the Barbican Theatre, where we installed what was then Strand’s latest console: The Galaxy.
Our Galaxy was beige; the example at PLASA was one of the later versions, finished in shades of grey. Again, it was fully working. Wonderful.
For me, the standout moment was seeing the Vari-Lite Artisan. It was a remarkable piece of equipment: large, heavy and, by today’s standards, decidedly imposing. But in its day, it was immensely powerful. The console was running, and connected to several older Vari-Lite fixtures, and the team on the stand kindly invited me to have a go.
Thirty-odd years after I last used one, I was amazed to find that the muscle memory was still there. Before long, I was programming cues into the desk again. It was enormous fun. Thanks very much to all those involved in making it possible.
PLASA 2026 was well worth the visit. I only spent a few hours there, but that was enough time to meet friends from the past and present, explore a little of lighting’s future, and enjoy a satisfying play with its past.
Will I return next year?
Who knows.
Other desks that I have used in the past include:
- Rank Strand SP60 My very first go at a lighting desk in 1978!
- Berkey Colortran ColorTrack First used in 1979.
- Alderham Showboard Used on my first ever tour in 1981.
- Zero88 Eclipse Used when touring with the RSC.
- Celco 90 Used in many shows and tours in the 80s and 90s.
- Avo QM500 Later, all the other iterations of AVO desks to the present day!
- HOG 2 Later on the 3 and 4, on many events.
- Grand MA 2 Only a few times, mainly 'in-house' visits.
- Jands Vista From about 2008 to the present day.
- Vista by ChromaQ My current desk.