ESTA Announces Winners of 2003 Dealers' and Manufacturers' Choice Awards

ESTA (the Entertainment Services and Technology Association) announces the winners of the 2003 Dealers’ and Manufacturers' Choice Awards.

The Dealers' Choice Customer Service Awards offer ESTA's dealer members the opportunity to publicly recognize those manufacturers that provide consistently good customer service throughout the year. These awards recognize superior performance in four main areas: customer service, shipping and billing, technical support and quotations/project management. Dealers cast their votes for manufacturers in each of three categories based on the manufacturers’ number of employees: 1-6, 7-25, and over 25. The winners for 2003 are:

Doug Fleenor Design, Inc.
City Theatrical
Apollo Design Technology, Inc.

The Manufacturers' Choice Dealers of the Year Awards offer ESTA's manufacturer members the opportunity to publicly recognize those dealers that "just do it right". These awards recognize superior performance in four main areas: staff, sales and marketing, inventory, and financial responsibility. Manufacturers cast their votes for dealers in each of three categories based on the dealers’ number of employees: 1-6, 7-25, and over 25. The winners for 2003 are:

Murphy Lighting Systems
Parlights
Vincent Lighting Systems

The Dealers’ Choice Product Awards recognize outstanding entertainment technology products in three categories: expendable, widget and equipment. These awards were established in recognition of the fact that dealers have an enormous impact on the success of a new product, as well as a unique perspective on its merits. The winners for 2003 are:

Expendable Category--a tie between:

Frosted Dichroic Glass Filter from Lee Filters
Combines color and diffusion in one filter. The result is a diffusion which reduces halation and softens the light beam as well as the color saturation. The Frosted Glass series is available in 12 colors plus a no-color diffusion.

HPR 575/115 from Osram Sylvania
Patent-pending high-performance tungsten halogen lamp for theatrical, concert, and architectural applications. The HPR 575/115 lamp features an internal reflector that increases the efficiency and maximizes the optics of most fixtures. Increased light output means fewer fixtures and reduced energy consumption.

Widget Category
E-String from Lex Products Corp.
The E-String feed through power cord is a 50' all-black unit with six compact NEMA 5-15 outlets spaced at 8' intervals with extra flexible 12 or 14 AWG portable cord. The ideal way to distribute power to orchestras, meeting rooms, and backstage for scenery.

Equipment Category
Preset 10 from Doug Fleenor Design
The Preset 10 is a DMX512A snapshot device that records up to ten looks and plays them back at the press of a button. Available in a portable enclosure or as a single gang wall plate, the unit can function as a stand-alone playback device or as an in-line backup device.

The Customer Service and Dealer of the Year Awards were presented at ESTA's Annual Dinner held in conjunction with the ETS-LDI 2003 show on Thursday, November 20th and the Product Awards were presented during the ETS-LDI 2003 awards ceremony on Saturday, November 22nd.