Corey Easterbrook and Chauvet Professional Create Balanced Looks at RELIABILITY Conference

The RELIABILITY Conference that was held this May at the Hyatt Regency Bellevue spotlighted innovative strategies and technologies companies can use to drive production, lower costs, and create a culture of success within their organizations. With over 132 speakers tackling issues covering a wide range of topics, from maintenance management to asset health, it was important the lighting work organically with a variety of different skin tones and make the staging pop, while providing a smooth, focused light that wouldn't overpower the video screens on stage.

Lighting designer Corey Easterbrook of Hothouse Productions chose six Chauvet Professional Ovation E-260 WW ellipsoidals, supplied by Harmon's Audio Visual, to help him meet this goal. The Ovation fixtures' smooth dimming curves and flat, even fields added impact to the general sessions, while the light they produced made all speakers and presenters look natural.

"The Ovation E-260 ellipsoidals hit all the sweet spots I needed," says Easterbrook. "Their bright, clean light presented a natural, warm white that made everyone look great and really helped keep the focus on the stage, without any spillover."

Easterbrook also had to contend with unique challenges presented by the venue itself. Originally a parking garage, the renovated general sessions ballroom had four support columns, slightly offset from the stage, that needed to be factored into the design. Easterbrook placed the Ovations E-260s on top of stage wash towers positioned in front of these columns. Limited access to power also had to be factored into the design plans.

"LED fixtures were necessary for this space, because we needed to run the fixtures through wall power, but they needed to be bright enough to light the speakers and scenic elements on stage, while also standing up to the output of the video panels," says Easterbrook. "We also needed really quiet fixtures that wouldn't detract from the speaker sessions at all and could offer beam angles that worked well with the height of the towers. The Ovations were a great choice on all counts."

In addition to praising the quality of his stage lighting fixtures, Easterbrook also singled out their dependability. "There's a lot on the line for your client in corporate events, and everything has to be just right," he says. "There are no second chances, so you have to trust your gear. At a conference with the word 'RELIABILITY' in its title, you want your fixtures to be reliable. This rig more than lived up to expectations."