A review of PLASA 07, held in London.

A much improved and re-vitalised show this year with over 300 stands and more than 50 new exhibitors. The new layout - one floor, two halls - really worked for me making it much easier to locate the stands I wanted to visit.

Everywhere, it seemed, there were new products being launched, a good indication of the future prospects for the industry. It was certainly busy with all the exhibitors that I spoke to mentioning the quality of the contacts they had made.

An interesting announcement by PLASA was that they will take over the AC Lighting North Show after the 2008 show and hope to broaden its appeal.

Here are a few notes on some of things that drew my attention at the show.

Completing their Alpha Range of moving body projectors and undoubtedly the star of the stand was the new Alpha 300. With both spot and wash versions available these compact, light and silent moving heads will find good use whether it be theatre, TV or events.

An improved optical system and low operating costs make these ideal to be used in place of larger sized projectors.

Known for their efficient, robust and reliable products at accessible prices, DTS is rapidly expanding its range of products.

The XR moving heads caught the eye with a sleek design and reputedly high performance. Both spot and wash versions of the new XR5, which uses a 250W discharge long life lamp, were on display together with the Scena compact theatre projectors.

With such a busy stand, it was kind of Pierluigi Gasperoni to give his time to explain the features of the fixtures on display to me.

This is a fast growing manufacturer of high quality steel and glass gobos with an extremely wide range of designs of both types with custom made gobos a speciality.

Tom Seeldraeyers showed me their new black coated range which will be available later this year. These are coated and then etched giving enhanced images and low reflection.

Steve Lerman, Director of Sales told me that PRG would now be Lycian's Distributor in Europe for their well known Followspots. With their depth of experience, this leading supplier of entertainment technology equipment and solutions should help expand Lycian's operations in the area.

On show was the stylish SmartMAC; Martin's latest addition to their portfolio of lighting products that help to keep them a front runner in the industry.

This 150W profile luminaire is extremely bright with a total output of 4,000 lumens, and with fanless operation it has an extended service interval (up to 2 years with the 9000 hours lamp).

A number of other fixtures on the stand - including the MAC 575 Krypton, Mania SCX800 roller scanner, Exterior 200 LED with RGB, Magnum 650 fog machine and new lighting controls - showed the diverse products that Martin have to offer the industry.

With their receipt of the 59th Primetime Emmy® Engineeering Award for HMI Metal Halide Lamp Technology given by The Acadamy of Television Arts & Sciences on the day before the show opened, it was not surprising that everyone here was very happy.

In addition there was the launch of the exciting range of Xstage Xenon short arc lamps suitable for event and architectural lighting and the new aluPAR64 lamps completing the lightweight PAR family of lamps.

With their Lok-it easy fit system now extended across the range, from 575W to 1200W it is clear that Osram pays great attention, and no mean cost, to product development.

An excellent presentation by Stuart Dell of the new small 300W MSR GOLD using their FastFit technology. Several manufacturers are already taking advantage of this lamp by reducing the size and weight of new fixtures, and these include the Clay Paky Alpha Wash 300.

Also on display was the long life MSD 150/2, which is mechanically and electrically exchangeable with the CDM-SA/T 50W/942 and is used in Martin's smartMAC 150W moving head.

It was good to this major Chinese fixture manufacturer at the show and with a large stand showing their range of stage lighting, moving heads and LED screens.

Their new XL range of moving heads is sure to be successful especially with the many lighting distributors who are looking for their own brand to market.

The importance of the show to PR Lighting was borne out by the presence on the stand of Bill Liang, the Board Chairman.

This Cambridge, UK based company now enjoys premier status for its design and manufacture of high power LED devices for entertainment and architectural uses.

Now in their 37th year, the stand showed their wide range of products very effectively, none more so that the area given to the Chromaspheres with their ever changing colours.

With their ever expanding distribution network across the world, their range of effect machines can be found in theatres, discos, theme parks and have even been used at prestigious events like the Olympic Games. From smoke, foam, bubbles and confetti to flame effects, the company's reputation for innovation and quality is growing by the day.

Version 1.48 of the VisualDMX Lighting control software (released during PLASA07) features several enhancements to the software with a revised Matrix Mania dashboard for the control of matrix set-ups; the changes in this user interface improve the usability and compatibility with touch screen control. Perhaps the most significant improvement in this version is the new Action Editor. This brand new editor replaces the old Cue Editor offering even more programming functions than before.

Sales Manager Zoë Castle reported a very busy show meeting customers and making many new contacts.