PLASA 2012 PREDICTIONS

With PLASA now only thirteen days away, it is time to seriously think about what it is going to deliver.

My predictions for the show, apart from all the talk that is going to be devoted to the Olympic Games:

MIXING CONSOLES: Nothing new in the large and medium formats, possibly some new software and more effects. On the smaller scale we will see some development with digital consoles catering specifically to small bands, clubs and houses of worship.

LOUDSPEAKERS: New models, but nothing that is going excite anybody, except fans of the product. Maybe some more steerable speakers.

MICROPHONES: New radio microphones to accommodate the new frequency ranges with more control features. Otherwise some new models, but nothing is going knock anyone’s socks off.

LIGHTING CONTROL: New software with more integration of media software. I don’t expect fireworks here either.

LUMINAIRES: More LEDs, specifically in Profiles, Fresnels, PCs. Overall the focus is going to be on energy efficient sources with LEDs starting to come of age. Going to be some really interesting products to see.

EFFECTS: Bigger and better, but again nothing really new.

MEDIA SERVERS: This is going to be interesting, I reckon more features, easier user interfaces and it is going to continue the trend of integrating with lighting control.

RIGGING: More and better motor control and new shapes in trussing, but the old standards will still be the mainstream.

DIGITAL SIGNAGE: This seems to be a hot topic and I foresee a lot new here with some more crossover between the traditional projection manufacturers to include digital signage – a lot more suppliers on the bandwagon.

LED DISPLAYS: Also going to be worth looking out for – better resolution, smaller pitches and a lot more flexible, both in form and size.

EDUCATION: There is going to be a lot of talk about education in our industry and I foresee some interesting international alliances being formed to standardise training and certification.

We’ll see in two weeks if I got it right, I will report on my accuracy after the show. If you do not want to wait till then, remember I will be Tweeting from the show floor on new and exciting developments, follow me on @Philip_Kruger (you will only get PLASA news, I’m not going give a minute by minute account of my coffee breaks or what beer I’m having).