White Light Still Standing at ABTT Theatre Show 2015

This year's ABTT Theatre Show took place at Alexandra Palace on June 24 - 25. Now in its 37th year, it was the first time that the show was held at the venue, which is now to become its permanent home. As always, the event allowed various visitors and exhibitors from across the entertainment industry the chance for discussion, discovery, and development. It was also a significant year for White Light with the complete production solution specialist taking the title of "Last Man Standing" -- in the sense that it is the only company left who exhibited at the first ever ABTT Theatre Show.

The ABTT Theatre Show aims to build an environment where suppliers of goods and services can meet up with industry professionals involved in the staging of live performance; whether this is theatre, music, or events. It also has another purpose: to generate enough profit to support the ABTT charity, an organization that campaigns for appropriate legislation and suitable regulations in the theatre industry. David Mayo, general manager at the ABTT Theatre Show, says: "The show always proves to be a special occasion. There is a real sense of community from all of the exhibitors as, not only are they all working in the same industry, but they are all coming together for a great cause." This year's show saw a whole host of exhibitors which included Avolites, ELC Lighting, EM Acoustics, PLASA, Robe and Sennheiser, with White Light being situated at stand D30.

Starting life at the Donmar Warehouse in 1978, the ABTT Theatre Show has grown considerably over the past 37 years. It has been held at a variety of venues such as the Roundhouse, Riverside Studios, the Royal Horticultural Hall, and the Truman Brewery before finding its new home at Alexandra Palace. Over the years, as the show has grown, White Light has also grown with it, with the company now offering more equipment, more expertise, and more services than ever before. Bryan Raven, managing director of White Light, says: "It's fantastic to see how, over time, both the show and White Light have progressed considerably. Every time we return we are able to do so having expanded our organization in some way. It's quite fitting then that every single year the show itself has also grown, whether it being a bigger space, more exhibitors, or offering more to its visitors, such as this year's ABTT phone app." Mayo adds: "The fact that White Light is the only organization which has exhibited at the show from the very start signifies how far the company has developed. It shows they have the ability to adapt and grow with the times; something I believe they will continue to keep on doing."

The ABTT Theatre Show allows exhibitors to not only build on existing relationships but to also develop new ones. Raven says: "We have made some great friends over the years at ABTT and it's always a great experience to catch up and hear their latest news. After attending as long as we have, this means we have had the opportunity to create some very strong working relationships; something which only an event like this can offer." White Light returned to this year's show with their newly formed audio department, with recently appointed head of audio Lee Dennison attending the event for the first time as a member of White Light's team. Dennison says: "The show gave us the opportunity to speak directly to exhibitors and visitors with whom we've worked closely with over the years. Yet it also showed them what we can now offer in terms of our ever-expanding audio-visual solutions."

Along with exhibiting at the show, White Light also sponsors the ABTT Theatre Awards and the SMA National Stage Management Awards. Raven says: "Visiting the show and seeing old friends is obviously a fantastic experience but it's important that we remember the reason why it is held and the fantastic work that ABTT do." Mayo says: "This year's show was another fantastic success and the attendance figures and feedback we received just shows how this event continuously grows. The success though is only made possible by the exhibitors, such as White Light, and the huge commitment they put into making the event a possibility." White Light was delighted that it was able to contribute to the show's success and is already looking forward to next year's exhibition which is taking place on June 22 and 23.