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Blinding Light for Seat Ibiza - 23/07/2008

Creative lighting specialists Blinding Light were asked to produce and deliver a lively, innovative lighting concept for a recent Seat Ibiza launch event staged at Prodrive near Kenilworth.

The day long event ran for 5 days and was produced by Brand Experience. It was attended by all Seat’s leading UK dealers.

As delegates arrived, they were shown into a 22 metre diameter inflatable dome, where they received an introduction to the latest powerful, sporty new 3 and 5-door hatchback models from Seat. This was the area Blinding Light was tasked with lighting – the brief being to create a high impact, visually exciting entrance for everyone with lasers and other spectacular style lighting effects.

The compact interior of the dome was divided into two sections. The front half was set up as a conference style auditorium, with chairs, a lectern and a mustard yellow Ibiza parked centre-stage at the front. The rear half featured a line up all the Ibiza’s rival brand equivalents, which also had to be illuminated in a completely contrasting style.

Once the introduction was finished, visitors were split into 4 different groups and taken off to other areas of the presentation including test drives. Each group returned to the dome during their ‘circuit’ of the event for a DVD presentation followed by an inspection of the cars at the back.

Dominic Main initiated the lighting design which was then taken over by Tim Ball, and the project was managed for Blinding Light by Paddy Stacey. They all had input into the design and installation of a bespoke ground-supported steel structural arch that was fitted into the middle of the dome to provide lighting positions for both sides of the space.

Below the steel arch in the centre of the room, Blinding Light flew a 5 metre diameter mini-beam trussing circle which increased their options for more lighting rigging points. Around the inside of front entrance, they built a 5 metre wide by 3 metre high goal-post from mini-beam trussing, which was used for further lighting positions.

The main moving lights were 7 Martin Professional MAC 700 Profiles, which were rigged onto the steel structure, and used for gobo and beamwork effects, in conjunction with 8 MAC 500s, positioned on 6ft high plinths around the auditorium, deployed for washing the space in different colours. ETC Source Four profiles provided lectern lighting and 2K fresnels were used for ‘house’ lighting and colour coding the seating blocks, which divided the daily visitor intake into the 4 different groups denoted by colours – red, blue, yellow and green.

The goal post was internally lit with Pulsar ChromaCrab LED fixtures, and it’s outlines were highlighted with ChromaStrips. Additional Source Four profiles for the lectern were positioned along its top rail, along with the mirror target for the laser wall.

The cars at the back of the dome were all illuminated with a selection of PARs, recreating a car showroom feel and ensuring that all vehicles were well and evenly it.

All lighting was controlled with an Avolites Pearl console operated by Ball.

Blinding Light’s fit up crew also included Mark Mumford, Angus Burns and Paddy Stacey. The time was tight with a 48 hour build time from when the dome structure was installed and inflated on site. They rigged lighting through the first night, the set was built during the following day, then the lighting was programmed through the second night, ready for an 8 a.m. opening on the Monday.

The results were spectacular, with visual effects creating exactly the dramatic theatrical WOW factor that the client wanted when guests stepped into the dome.