What's happening
PLASA Show 2026 ran Sept 6-8 at Olympia London and introduced The PLASA Lab, a branding-free live lighting comparison where comparable fixtures are demoed side by side across High Output Spot, Beam, Wash and other categories. RED Digital Cinema joined to capture the demonstrations cinematically, highlighting output, colour and beam quality. The feature reflects growing demand for unbiased, real-world fixture evaluation in professional lighting.
Why it matters for buyers
For a retailer, venue or signage buyer, the practical effect is simple: the unit that reads on your wall at your ambient light, with your artwork, beats the one with the bigger number on the box. Specification order — distance, image size, ambient, then brightness — decides the result.
It also changes lead-time risk. Custom gobos and certified outdoor builds need briefing before the date is fixed; the projector is rarely the long pole, the artwork and certification are.
The technical angle
Cooling method decides noise and life. Fanless passive units are silent but capped in power; forced-air units go brighter and louder. For a quiet retail or wedding setting, the noise floor is part of the spec.
What to specify
Before you request a quote, lock these down:
- Lead time on a custom gobo versus a stock pattern
- MOQ and dispatch window before the event date
- Throw distance from bracket to surface, measured on site — not estimated
- Certifications required for the market (CE / RoHS / FCC)
