A review of ARC 2008, held in London.

With well over 100 exhibitors, this show attracted a large number of visitors, certainly on the day that I visited. With the venue completely full it is no surprise that next year it is moving to a larger venue at Earls Court.

On display were LEDs in every shape and size imaginable with their uses seemingly expanding by the minute. The use of the latest LED technology for "architainment" (architecture/entertainment) is also growing with high performance products for interior and exterior applications. These are making a growing impact on entertainment lighting systems, with their long life and giving consistently good light output.

Here you will find information on some of the companies that were kind enough to give me their time during my visit.

Anolis is an architectural lighting division of ROBE lighting.

It has been established to design, manufacture and distribute a top-end range of LED products worldwide.

A nice display of the appropriately named ArcWash LED moving head with full colour mixing facility set against a backdrop of the ArcQube panels containing a matrix of 12 x 12 RGB LEDs.

Thanks to Bill Jones, Sales Manager Robe UK, for his introduction to the Anolis range and their wide variety of applications.

Atmospheric Zone supplies fibre optic and LED lighting products and provides systems from design through to installation.

As the UK distributor for Nexxus Lighting it displayed the attractive Adanced Lighting Systems LiveLed™ 100 which is a high performance RGB-LED colour changing luminaire for both indoor and outdoor venues.

With integrated power supply, DMX control system, full range dimming and availability in narrow, oval and wide optic versions, it has a great number of uses.

Leader Light provides the production of spotlights and washlights, and also the development of electronic devices for professional customers, and their use in architectural lighting.

This Slovakian company, operating since 1991, has an extensive range of LED fixtures for the professional lighting market with a good number on display at the show including the RGB/AWB Spots.

Lighting filter specialist Lee Filters exhibited its full range of lighting filter products specifically designed for architectural applications.

These included coloured Fluorescent Sleeves (in over 200 colours), coloured Glass Dichroic Filters (non-fading and should withstand temperatures up to 371°C), Filters Holders and the neat clip-on accessories - a quick and easy way of adding a filter or barndoors to MR16 or PAR 16 bulbs.

Paul Topliss, Sales Manager - Lighting Products was on hand with his vast product knowledge to help with the questions.

Lighting Effects Distribution supplies and designs lighting for some of the country's highest profile venues.

Working within the Corporate, Architectural and Entertainment sectors their product range is comprehensive, from LED based products (their primary business) including architectural and moving heads to their very popular range of effects and lighting products.

An impressive stand demonstrated their products in a most effective way.

Martin Architectural is a division of Martin Professional A/S, a world leader in the production of automated lighting.

Martin Architectural produces a dedicated range of functional and aesthetically pleasing exterior and interior colour changing luminaires specifically for the architectural lighting market.

For over 100 years the brand Osram has been synonymous with high quality innovative lighting products and has more than 30 years experience in opto-electronics.

At this year's show, with the theme of sustainability, some of the latest LED technology was on display with high power LEDs at the forefront.

A large stand showed a range of their products including the COLOR-e-MOTION® 10w RGB LED luminaires which can create almost any lighting mood or lighting effect. With dynamic multi-colour LED light and versatile control options, they open up new dimensions for creative lighting design.

This new company, formed by Philips' acquisition of Color Kinetics, enables widespread adoption of LED lighting through OEM and licensing partnerships across the world.

Continuing to expand its EssentialWhite™ series they launched two new LED luminaires at the show. The eW Downlight SM Powercore and eW Profile Powercore incorporate Philips' proprietary power management and dimming technologies, which translate to greater operational efficiency and ease of use.

Also on display was the ColorKinetics range of ColorBlast® wall washes which combines rich, saturated wall-washing colour and colour changing effects with high-performance, operational efficiency, and simplified installation.

Pulsar manufactures LED lighting and lighting control systems for professional architecture. Its LED fixtures offer flicker free operation and are engineer colour calibrated to provide accurate colour control.

A wide range of products was on show from decorative pieces to 300 Watt high power fixtures all ideal for architectural and retail applications.

Of particular interest were the fixtures used for stage, TV studios and events - banks (1800 LEDs), domes (80 LEDs), PAR 36 (80 LEDs) and panels (up to 132 LEDs).

With integral power supply giving direct mains operation now available and an ever growing range of formats and finishes, the innovative ChromaRange™ offers endless colour changing possibilities.

Rosco offers a diverse range of products which are ideal for use by the architectural lighting designer.

On display were colour filters, effect projectors, fluorescent sleeves, dichroic glass, projection screens and gobos.

Its economical LitePad™ caught the eye. It is a slim profile light source, generating a soft beam of light with almost no heat. Typically , it is used in film, TV, theatre and event lighting.

Knowledgeable Ron Knell, Sales Manager UK & Eire was manning the stand and giving excellent demonstrations of his products.

With its base in Berlin, Sill Lighting operates in 35 countries and has worked in the Middle East, Asia, Australia and America as well as Europe.

Sill specialises in precision engineered projectors for exterior and interior use creating world beating reflector technology that ensures efficiency with no glare.

New products for the show were the 540 series twin uplight luminaires and LED versions of the small 069 downlights. Sill also illuminates a number of impressive building projects in the UK including the Millennium Dome, Paddington Station, the Royal Albert Hall and the London Eye.

TMB distributes products and services to entertainment and architectural professionals. With five locations worldwide, TMB supplies lighting and control, power distribution and more to rental companies, dealers and manufacturers.

The stand had a large display of LED fixtures for architectural and entertainment applications together with the Alpha Ones's Falcon product range including the xenon lighting fixture which is available from 1,000W to 8,000W.

Computers Unlimited is the UK distributor for the whole range of North America's VectorWorks products.

Spotlight is made for event planning and the entertainment industries. VectorWorks Spotlight merges sophisticated 2D drafting and powerful 3D modelling with advanced lighting-design, visualisation and production tools making it easy to draft light plots, create stunning set designs, automate paperwork and see design concepts in 3D.

Certainly a cost-effective, easy-to-learn, easy-to-use application. I was impressed with the demonstration that I was given and feel sure that it meets the needs of lighting designers across the world.