Latest Plugfest a "Huge Success"

The PLASA Lighting Protocols Plugfest 2018, held recently at London Gatwick, was hailed a "huge success," with attendance numbers up on previous Plugfest events and more protocols added to the program.

Plugfest is a unique opportunity for manufacturers of lighting products to test the interoperability of their products with other equipment. It's the only event of its kind in Europe, where product engineers and software developers can test and debug, improve connectivity, and ensure the reliability of lighting products.

Manufacturers from across Europe were in attendance including ARRI, Artistic Licence, ChamSys, Company NA, Eaton, eldoLED, ETC, Howard Eaton Lighting, JESE, Lamp & Pencil, LSS GmbH, LumenRadio AB, Robert Juliat, Rod Boyce, Swisson, TMB, Wireless Solutions, and Volksoper Wien GmbH.

Protocols discussed at the event included Art-Net, DALI, DMX512, RDM, and sACN, with help and advice on offer from the organizers and protocol experts Hamish Dumbreck (J.E.S.E), Peter Willis (Howard Eaton Lighting), and Wayne Howell (Artistic Licence). Running alongside was a conference program, with technical round-table sessions discussing the forthcoming RDMnet and File/Firmware transfer protocols and the recent DALI 2 and device type extensions.

Howell comments: "We saw a lot of new faces and enthusiasm that the event had been widened to include all lighting protocols, not just RDM. One new participant told me that he regretted not having previously participated and that he would certainly be back next year."

Willis adds: "Plugfest events are an extremely cost-efficient way of bringing technical staff up to speed with the communications protocols that link our devices together in the real world." "The essence of a successful Plugfest is to identify issues and get them fixed rapidly through direct liaison with the other attendees," says Dumbreck.

This year's event was supported by PLASA. Nicky Greet, PLASA's director of membership, skills, and technical, comments: "It was great to see the variety of companies in attendance, with nearly 60% coming from overseas. PLASA is pleased to support this important event, and specialized part of the industry." Organizers encourage anyone interested in taking part in the next Plugfest to contact info@plasa.org.