Clay Paky Shines at Robin Hood Foundation Gala

	Robin Hood Foundation gala in New York City

The top names in finance and entertainment weren't the only ones shining at the annual Robin Hood Foundation gala in New York City. Clay Paky Sharpy, Sharpy Washes, and Alpha Spot QWO 800 fixtures were also out in force.

The Robin Hood Foundation has been targeting poverty in New York City since 1988. Known for applying sound investment principles to philanthropy, the organization partners with the best poverty-fighting nonprofits in the city and initiates and runs projects where community needs are unmet. The 2013 gala at the Jacob K. Javits Center attracted more than 4,200 guests for dinner and entertainment headlined by Mary J. Blige, Bono, Elton John, and Sting.

The collaborative team at Performance Environment Design Group, LLC, was charged with the overall production design, managing the master drawing and lighting design for the event. Partnering with Atomic Lighting of Lititz, Pennsylvania PEDG specified Clay Paky fixtures and grandMA2s.

"This was a 60,000-sq. ft. dining room, so there was a lot of space to cover in a room with a very limited weight capacity," says Spike Brant of PEDG. "It's hard to imagine the scale until you do it -- everything comes in quantities of hundreds and thousands."

The event breaks down into three distinct areas -- cocktail area, dining room, and stage -- each of which had its lighting controlled by a dedicated grandMA2 console operated by Richard Wold, Brian Jenkins, and Matthew Piercy.

The gala marked PEDG's first opportunity to use Sharpy Wash lights and Alpha Spot QWO 800s. "The Sharpy Washes comprised one-fifth of the wash lights in the huge dining room, we would have more if they had been available," Brant explains. We specified the QWO's because they were small and lightweight and they fit nicely into the very tight space around the auction stage. We are going to use them again soon because of their size, weight, brightness, and speed."

A.C.T Lighting is the exclusive North American distributor for Clay Paky.

Francesco Romagnoli, Clay Paky area manager for North and Latin America, adds, "It's great to have so many of our fixtures for this very important and high profile event. It's always a pleasure to work with the great designers at PEDG."

See Clay Paky and A.C.T Lighting at PLASA Focus: Austin, September 10-11.