Stagelight Adds Robe's BMFL to InventoryStagelight is a leading Dutch technical production and rental company headed by Jacco van der Heijden, and one of a growing number of Dutch companies investing in Robe's BMFL moving lights. van der Heijden -- who founded the company in 1987 -- believes that a "visual experience" should permeate all areas of working and living environments and so considerable thought went into designing a cool inspirational space where his team spend their office or warehouse time. Stagelight first started buying Robe products in 2011 with a purchase of LEDWash 300s and it now has over 150 Robe units available for its busy schedule which services a multiplicity of live events including many bands and music shows. These were supplied by Controllux, Robe's Benelux distributor, a company with which van der Heijden has been doing business since he started 28 years ago. In addition to the 24 new BMFLs and the original LEDWash 300s, Stagelight has LEDBeam 100s and also Pointes -- added last year -- in the inventory. The company works in all areas of professional entertainment and has been providing lighting and audio solutions increasingly to larger events over the last five years, so van der Heijden says he wanted to invest in a moving light brand that was diverse, flexible, and reliable, enabling Stagelight to offer its clients technical and creative solutions. Having become an Adamson Systems partner a few years ago, he says he was also keen to align himself with a premium moving light brand. When they started as an Adamson agency, it created a huge buzz in the Netherlands, and van der Heijden -- never one for convention -- wanted to do the same again by buying the Robe BMFLs. He says he wanted to be able to offer something that only the "serious" companies could offer ... but with all the flair and "boutique" style that personifies Stagelight, all the friendliness, accessibility, and personal attention to detail. "The BMFL coming to the market presented us with an absolutely ideal opportunity at a perfect time for a new round of investment," comments van der Heijden. Ten of Stagelight's project management and lighting design team attended the BMFL roadshow event organized by Controllux soon after the fixture was launched -- and every one of them came back saying that Stagelight needed to have BMFLs in its rental stock. Added to that, a number of well-respected Dutch lighting designers who work regularly with Stagelight, like Ronnie Santegoeds and Gerard Maijenburg, according to the company, also expressed their confidence in the potential of this new Robe product. "I looked at the caliber of the people telling me this, and they were so convincing that I simply went ahead and placed the order!" he explains. In addition to the feedback from his own personnel, he says he was already hearing good and positive chatter generally from the market about the BMFL Spot. The EDM market in particular, is huge in The Netherlands, and BMFLs and Pointes are constantly on the specifications for these events, which was another reason reinforcing the decision. Talking about the Robe brand generally, he says he likes the fact that it is a young and vibrant company with a fresh new approach to the moving light market. "The company has progressed quickly, listened, learned, and reacted very quickly to market needs and demands. In addition to that Robe has a touch of rebel spirit ... which I really like," he declares with one of his characteristic smiles. He says he reckons Robe is in a similar place to where he feels Stagelight is positioned right now ... a rising star with a bright future and starting to get involved in some very high profile and special projects. van der Heijden's passion for the industry is still very much as evident today as when he started out in this crazy industry while at high school, where he learned to play guitar and joined a rock band. The band started taking off, he went to university to study electronics, and about half way through his degree course, started getting fascinated by the backstage and technical elements of gigging ... as well as the creative ones. "I figured that combining the two was the way forward." His band Thunderin' Hearts then got the chance to buy their own lighting rig from another pop band Toontje Lager, who were famous in Holland in the early-mid 1980s. In 1986, any band with their own lights -- even if they were self-made PAR cans -- advanced automatically to a new league of performance. Having the lighting rig also created an additional income stream with other bands queuing up to hire it. Needing an operator, van der Heijden became part of the package. When the lights started receiving more bookings than the band ... he jumped on the trend and a year later, purchased the rig off the band and founded the fledgling Stagelight. He worked closely for the next 17 years with Jan van Liempd who had a small sound rig and was the front-of-house engineer for Thunderin' Hearts. Together they provided fine-tuned lighting and audio solutions to countless bands and performing artists until 2003, when van der Heijden bought the sound company. Van Liempd joined Stagelight as a senior project manager -- a position he still enjoys today. Stagelight now has 34 full-time staff all of whom are highly motivated and share van der Heijden's infectious enthusiasm for the industry and for life. There is a very low turnover of personnel, and "the people" are a big part of what makes the company unique, successful, and stand out from other rental companies. Their constantly hectic work schedule also involves the regular employment of up to 100 top freelance technicians and engineers at peak times. Well known and respected throughout the Benelux region, Stagelight is currently growing in its international scope. As a technical partner and supplier for artists like New York singer-/songwriter Matt Simons they are starting to work regularly in other areas of Europe. The new BMFLs and the other Robe lights are all part of the medium term master-plan. 
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