Zignia Live Invests in a Robe RoboSpot Solution Zignia Live, a Mexican promoter of large-scale national and international events and operator of three key arena venues in Monterrey, Mexico City, and Guadalajara, has invested in 12 Robe RoboSpot systems and 12 FORTES followspot units, with four supplied to each arena. Arena Monterrey seats 14,000 to 17,000, depending on the configuration. Production manager Abraham Barrios is delighted with the RoboSpots, delivered by Robe's Mexican distributor, Showco. Arena Monterrey presents around ten large shows and concerts a month, which can double to 20 or more during the main seasons, plus indoor sports. Most music shows will be in and out in a day; around 50% will have production supplied locally; the others bring in their gear, and the vast majority will use the house followspots. The decision to purchase the RoboSpots was made by senior technical manager and production director Francisco Paz Botello in conjunction with Abraham and his crew, who also solicited opinions from their regular freelance lighting techs. The traditional old 2.5K follow spots that Arena Monterrey owned have been replaced, while the 22,300-capacity Arena CDMX in Mexico now has its in-house system for the first time. The RoboSpots can be easily moved to suit each production's specific needs, but in Arena Monterrey, their most popular position is rigged between the front of house and the scoreboard at around 10m high, with a throw distance to the stage of around 20m. The operators can work much more comfortably and safely, either stationed at the front of house or deployed backstage. "It's a massive improvement," Barrios says, noting that incoming productions "are always happy" to see the RoboSpot / FORTE combination on the technical rider. The local follow-spotting team was excited to hear about the upgrade. Showco provided training sessions. Barrios, who started his industry career as a followspot operator, first saw RoboSpots in action while working at the Auditorio Telmex in Guadalajara. Another early impression was from a show where MegaPointes were utilized as manual followspots. He progressed up the ranks to stage management, rigging, and then production management, so he no longer engages in the art of followspotting, but is still aware of the key elements that can improve the efficiency and working lives of followspotters. "This system is extremely good, and Robe is a worldwide market leader, so it is a great asset in all our venues," he says. Barrios has been appointed as production manager at the brand-new 20,000-capacity Arena Guadalajara, which opened on April 25. The venue is designed by KMD architects and is inspired by Guadalajara's local landscapes and colourful materials; it also uses the new RoboSpots. 
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