Ayrton
Headline Sponsor
Media Partner
Showlight – A Unique Event in the Lighting Calendar
Julie Harper • August 16, 2019
Showlight is a unique colloquium held every four years in a different location.
Showlight is a unique colloquium that is held every four years in a different location. Showlight 2021 will take place between 22-25 May 2021 in beautiful Fontainebleau, near Paris, France at the town’s picturesque Théâtre Municipal.
Showlight’s main focus is its eclectic Papers Schedule which aims to be both fun and informative. A strong emphasis is also placed on networking amongst those who love lighting in all its forms. It is one of the few international events organised specifically for lighting professionals by lighting professionals across the performance, television, film, architectural and event worlds. All of the organisers give their time freely and voluntarily to ensure an event that delivers a unique opportunity for lighting people of all disciplines and levels of expertise to mix and exchange ideas and stories.
The general format is that everybody arrives in Fontainebleau on the Saturday evening and gathers for drinks at a welcome evening. The next morning starts bright and early on the Sunday as the conference begins, with speakers presenting 20-minute papers in groups of three, followed by a Q&A session at the end of each session. There is often a Panel Session which takes a closer look at the roles lighting practitioners play within our industry, or discusses pertinent topics in more depth.
Coffee, tea and lunch breaks are scheduled throughout the day, during which time, delegates can explore the exhibition and talk to the manufacturers who have stands there. The exhibition is an invaluable part of Showlight with around 40 exhibitors lending their support to the event and benefiting from unrivalled access to designers, established and fledgling, and a whole raft of other industry professionals, in a relaxed and unpressured environment. All stands are the same size shell scheme so everyone is on an even footing, regardless of the size of the company! And, uniquely, the exhibition closes while the papers are being given, so the exhibitors can also listen to and enjoy the presentations.
Each of the exhibitors sponsors a lighting student for the duration of the show, who helps on the stand and, most importantly, has the opportunity to network with industry professionals. Most exhibitors also host company dinners on the Sunday evening so every Showlight delegate that chooses to partake will be taken to one of Fontainebleau’s many excellent restaurants in good company!
The conference continues on Monday morning, while the afternoon is given over to visits to places of local interest. Delegates can choose which trips to go on (they are allocated on a first come, first served basis!) and a full list of these visits will be announced closer to the date.
The day ends with the legendary Conference Dinner – which is held in a secret location which will not be disclosed until the day!
The final day, Tuesday, sees another full day of papers presentations before everybody departs (or spends a few extra days in Fontainebleau if they choose!) in the evening.
Finally, Showlight is a not-for-profit event organised entirely by volunteers, and we wouldn’t be able to do it without the support of our sponsors. This year’s Headline Sponsor is Robert Juliat, with other sponsors as follows: Platinum Sponsor Ayrton, Gold sponsors Eyetidy and SFL Group, Silver sponsors White Light, and Bronze sponsor PRG, alongside media supporters, LSI.
For more information about Showlight visit the newly launched website www.showlight.org
to sign up for our new mailing list and follow us on social media.
Website: www.showlight.org
Facebook: /showlightevent
Twitter: @Showlight2021
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Showlight Bursaries are now available for early career delegates! Thanks to the generous sponsorship of Diamond Sponsor, Ayrton, Showlight has a limited number of reduced priced conference places available to early career freelance professionals. To apply for these places please submit a resume/CV, portfolio or website, along with a maximum 200-word (1200 character) statement describing your career and interests, and why you would like to attend Showlight 2025 in Dijon this May. The deadline for applications is 15 March 2025. Showlight wants to encourage as many people as possible to be able to attend this unique conference and appreciates that, for those early in their freelance professional career, the cost of attending can be daunting. Showlight already has a well-established Student Sponsorship scheme in place for which applications are already open. The Emerging Professional Bursaries form a completely new initiative, made possible by Ayrton’s generous support, that complements this scheme, enabling an even greater range of delegates to participate and enjoy Showlight. “Ayrton is proud to support emerging professionals at Showlight,” says Ayrton CEO, Chris Ferrante. “Access to industry events is crucial for early-career freelancers, yet often financially challenging. By sponsoring these bursaries, we’re helping remove barriers, ensuring emerging talent can connect, learn, and contribute to the future of lighting design. Investing in the next generation benefits the entire industry, and we’re delighted to play a part in shaping its future.” Applications and 200-word statements can be submitted directly via the Showlight website here Showlight would like to acknowledge the amazing support it receives from all its sponsors, a list of whom can be found on the Showlight website ( www.showlight.org/our-sponsors ). Their generosity allows Showlight to maintain the standards education, entertainment and networking expected of this unique lighting quadrennial, and we look forward to delivering another sparkling event in May. More announcements will be made in the lead up to Showlight 2025. Join the Showlight Mailing List ( www.showlight.org ) to be amongst the first to know all the breaking news as it happens.
The countdown to Showlight 2025 is upon us and it’s time to announce the next round of speakers engaged to share their experiences over three glorious days in Dijon this May. With topics drawing from innovations in mixed and multimedia lighting, the illumination of spaces from the smallest venue to the wide open sky, and the subject of climate change and sustainability initiatives, here’s the next selection to tantalise and titivate your technical tastebuds! Lighting ‘Cine-Theatre’ Nick Schlieper , one of Australia’s most highly awarded designers, will examine the considerable challenges posed by lighting Cine-Theatre, a style of production which utilises live feed video combined with pre-recorded footage with which the performers constantly interact. The term was coined by a critic, writing about a ground-breaking production of The Picture Of Dorian Gray in Sydney, in 2020 and applied to subsequent productions of Jekyll and Hyde and Dracula . Small Venues, Gigantic Ideas Argentinian lighting designers, Sophya Acosta and Luciana Suppicich from Sophya Acosta Lighting Design Studio, specialise in creating unique magical moments within the spacial and technical constraints of small venues. Together they will disclose how these restrictions can inspire the most extraordinary and ingenious ideas. Embracing the Blue Hour – lighting design under an open sky Phil Supple has created outdoor lighting designs for large scale performances, artworks, public and private commissions for over 25 years. Celebrating the rewards of an outdoor lighting design practice, he will explore the delivery of landscape lighting and lighting artworks under transitional, dynamic, and sometimes unruly conditions in both urban and rural contexts. Not the End of the World Inspired by Hannah Ritchie’s book of the same name, Bryan Raven , erstwhile MD of White Light and champion of sustainability, takes a more positive and optimistic view of the battle against climate change and the wider sustainability topic with examples taken from his experiences with White Light and working with various organisations in the live events sector. The musical 40-45 brings 360 Degrees of Emotion With over 30 years of experience in creating immersive visual experiences, founder and creative director of Painting with Light, Luc Peumans , will use the new-style immersive musical experience of the musical, 40-45, to show how he blended emotional storytelling with high-tech motion technology, innovative lighting and multimedia design to maintaining the fluidity and intensity of the narrative. More speakers will be added to the website in the coming weeks and months – keep checking in here www.showlight.org/speakers to find out more, or better still, join the Showlight Mailing List ( www.showlight.org ) to be amongst the first to know!
Calling All Students! The Showlight Student Sponsorship deadline is near! Don’t delay! Get your application in today! Applications close on Friday 31 January 2025. Tutors – please make sure your students are aware of this fantastic opportunity! Showlight’s sponsorship scheme is open to students and recent graduates of lighting for the performing arts, events, broadcast, film and architecture. Successful applicants enjoy free-of-charge entry to Showlight 2025, with access to the full Programme of Papers, admission to the exhibition of major lighting equipment manufacturers, networking opportunities during the daily breaks and lunch, as well as a place at one of the Company Dinners on the Tuesday evening and the Conference Dinner on Wednesday evening. Around 30 places are available but spaces are filling up fast. Here’s what former Showlight student participant and presenter of Sweeney Todd – A Site Specific Experience , Amy Mae Smith, had to say about Showlight 2017: “Showlight is an inspiring few days where you can meet and learn from lighting designers, programmers and video designers that you would never normally be able to meet, from all over the world. People from Theatre, TV, live events and more. It is a great chance to meet a mix of people with different views, approaches and styles to design. A brilliant event with the right mix of talks, exhibitors and tours.” Amy Mae Smith You can see a snippet of her presentation here – just after Durham Marenghi’s paper about lighting the Olympics! Amy Mae Smith at Showlight 2017 Students - don’t miss your chance to be part of this unique lighting quadrennial networking event. Each successful applicant is sponsored by one of the Showlight exhibitors and will receive a £500.00 stipend to put towards their travel and accommodation. In return, each student will be expected to help their sponsor with the exhibition stand fit up on Monday 19 May and the de-rig on Thursday 22 May and will benefit from being part of the team during the exhibition opening times. Stands are small so this is an easy set up and a chance to build a relationship with your sponsor, get to know key people from their team and what it is to take part in a bespoke exhibition. Showlight is an invaluable environment for those just starting their careers in lighting to network with and learn from established professionals and potential future employees within the industry. It also enables you to make new friends from other educational establishments who will be going into the same industry as you. If you are attending – or have recently graduated from – a lighting course and want to be involved, submit your application via the link on the Showlight website at www.showlight.org/students no later than 31 January 2025 . Please answer all questions and provide a link to your portfolio and/or LinkedIN profile, or other professional social media site, as part of the selection process. Showlight only comes round every four years, so don’t delay in getting your application in today!
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