Dutch Live Music Venue Refurbishment Features Elation LED Lighting

	Volt night spot in Sittard was recently refurbished with a professional lighting package from Elation Professional.

Volt is a new night spot in Sittard, The Netherlands that opened in March after a refurbishment that transformed the previous venue into a top quality, professional live music venue. A key element of the refurbishment project was a professional lighting package made up of Elation Professional LED moving heads and LED PAR Cans.

The reason behind the rebuild, a total refurb that saw only the outer walls remain, was to rebrand and expand the venue in order to attract bigger name bands. Installation of the Elation gear was by BOS Event Support, a full-service event production company located in Sittard.

BOS Event owners Jamie Borger, Davy van Onna, and Dennis Siemonsma handle projects collaboratively, choosing equipment and suppliers carefully based on the needs of each individual project. "Eventually for the Volt install we chose Elation because of it's favorable price/quality ratio," says BOS Event Support's Siemonsma. "Because this project was a public tender where price was decisive, it was important to choose a brand that offered a wide range of products at an attractive price. The assessment panel also knew the brand well and those factors led to the choice of Elation."

Volt houses stages in a 600-capacity main performance room, a smaller 200-capacity room and in a café/bar area, all three spaces equipped with new Elation lighting. For Volt's main performance stage, BOS Event installed Elation Satura Spot LED Pro and Platinum Wash ZFX Pro moving heads, powerful yet energy efficient LED fixtures with full color mixing, the Satura Spot also capable of graphic projections. Laying down washes of color and working with the moving heads are Elation EPAR QW LED PAR Cans.

"The output of both the Satura Spot and the Platinum Wash ZFX Pro is remarkably high," Siemonsma comments. "Furthermore, it is a big advantage to have the EPARs in RGBW and RGBA. Overall, we're very satisfied with Elation and the functionality of the fixtures fits perfectly to the wishes of the venue."

As bright as a traditional 575W discharge fixture, the 300W Satura Spot LED Pro consumes half as much energy and its LED engine lasts 80 times longer. The Platinum Wash ZFX Pro houses a 285W LED engine that produces an output similar to a 700W discharge wash fixture. Both fixtures are located above the main stage and spread across a down-, mid-, and upstage truss. The EPAR QW fixtures are located above the main stage and on the second stage with the EPAR QA's coloring the entrance hall and bar area. DMX distribution in both the large and small rooms is via Elation Opto Branch eight-way DMX distributors.

Because Volt has limited ability to service the new lighting rig themselves, BOS Events fills that role perfectly. Siemonsma comments: "We deliver the technical professionals to operate the shows in combination with the volunteers at Volt. We work out the technical riders of the artists, provide the staff and equipment, and provide much of the service and maintenance. We've used Elation's service and support very little so far but when we have contacted them, any problem was solved quickly and adequately." When service is needed, Volt's close proximity to Elation's Holland-based European headquarters in Kerkrade, just a short 30-minute drive away, makes any service issues even easier.

The refurbishment has given the venue a fresh image and offers a technical foundation with which a variety of artists can perform. A successful opening night on March 14th saw the EDM dance party Soulfully Yours as the first event using the new Elation rig followed the next day by well-known Dutch band Blaudzun. A steady stream of acts have enjoyed the benefits of the rig since.

Working with BOS Events on the install was venue head Marike Peters, who expresses her satisfaction with the new lighting system. "The different musical acts at Volt are now supported in a very professional way with the new lighting equipment and it has also improved the visitor experience," she says. "For us, the new lighting system provides both a cost and energy savings and of course the fact that it is LED lighting makes for a longer lifetime. Guests come for the bands and DJ's but it is also the ambiance created by the Elation lighting that is an attraction."

See Elation Professional at PLASA Focus: Orlando, February 17 - 18, 2015.