The general rise in demand for wireless LED lighting technology has seen UK manufacturer CORE Lighting’s various battery powered wireless LED lighting fixtures providing solutions for a wide range of companies and projects – large and small, both internationally and in its home UK market.
With a reputation for quality and robustness, CORE products are cost-effective and perfect for lighting all types of events. Featured here are three dynamic SME enterprises that have made steady investments in CORE technology in recent years.
Luminate
Luminate is based just outside Manchester in the busy northwest corridor and is active as a full technical service provider for the premium events market sector, tailoring lighting, sound, AV and staging packages for high-end production companies like RSVP Events, Taylor Lynn and others on a diversity of projects.
They purchased their first batch of CORE ColourPoint 2s after cross-hiring them for an event in London explained MD Mike Nunn, and they were so impressed that they went right out and bought some for themselves.
The CORE product was significantly lighter than the other competitor products on the market at the time, and the first purchase was shortly followed by a second.
Mike and his crew liked the homogenised colour mixing, the richness and saturation of the colours and the overall quality of the light output. The tilt-able head was another bonus, while the IP rating means they can be used outdoors, so the units are constantly in use year round.
“Two cases of uplighters, one person and a small wireless desk for control is an extremely cost-effective option to light any of our small-to-medium events requiring instant visual impact,” says Mike.
Another advantage he’s found with CORE is being able to pick up the phone and speak directly with CORE MD Phil Ion, “That manufacturer access – especially when you want a customisation or to discuss something specific about the product - and the great service generally - is invaluable,” states Mike.
Recent Luminate shows for CORE have included Player of the Year events for Manchester United and Liverpool football clubs and an installation at trendy bar / club Panacea in central Manchester.
Vortex
Graeme Sewell is an owner-operator based in County Durham, who has run his thriving company Vortex very successfully for the last 33 years, providing lighting and AV rental and sales alongside dry hires.
He first encountered CORE a few years ago at a PLASA Focus show and was an early adopter, investing in the original CORE Point 30 fixture – the first product commercially launched by CORE in 2009.
In fact, this deal made him CORE’s first customer, “I like to think I have a good eye for a product,” he quips!
He then bought the v2 issue of the Point 30 architectural LED floodlight when that hit the market in 2011, and the fixtures have worked constantly ever since!
They have made up-lighting buildings, the insides and outsides of marquees and all sorts of other rooms and areas extremely quick and efficient he elucidates. He lit a local St Catherine’s church in Crook with the Point30s in solidarity with Paris after the terrorist attacks in November.
He’s also used them several times on lighting schemes for concerts at Durham Cathedral where the limited power make them an ideal choice.
Graeme was so satisfied with the Point30s that when it came to investing in CORE’s StripPoint wireless LED battens when they were launched, the decision to invest was a ‘No brainer”.
These were used to great effect recently in a lighting scheme by Kevin Thwaites for a dance show presented by the Sandra Welsh School of Dance at Darlington Civic Theatre, when they were clamped to scaffolding bars above the stage and flown in to add extra razzamatazz for the finale. Newcastle based Nite-Lites recently cross-hired eight of Vortex’s StripPoint battens for a training session at LS Live.
He likes the brightness, the speedy and fuss-free set-up, the long battery life and the reliability of CORE fixtures.
DCLX
Duncan Coombe and his south east London based operation DCLX have been at the sharp end of the event industry for 10 years, and the ColourPoint Mk 2 has more recently been an invaluable asset!
DCLX currently has around 80 of these CORE flagship fixtures in rental stock, servicing their busy schedule of corporate events, fashion shows and private parties.
He echoes others in loving the richness and quality of the light output, the smooth colour mixing, the breadth of the CORE colour range which - due to the use of high quality LEDs and drivers - includes beautiful authentic pastels as deep, moody hues ... and the sheer handiness and pleasing aesthetics of the ColourPoint 2s.
DCLX enjoys a healthy cross rental business for the ColourPoint 2s and collaborates closely with another major wireless lighting specialist, Wireless Lighting, based in east London.
"We don’t need to worry about storage space as they are rarely on the shelves!" states Duncan.
DCLX also has a specialist custom engineering division ‘DCLX Customs’ that makes weird and wonderful gizmos of which something that really stands out in their secret wizardry department is a combination of ColourPoint 2s, glass lenses, custom tank traps and articulating mirrors.
He will be using a large quantity of ColourPoint 2s on an upcoming international fashion show for Next Clothing at the NEC.
Photos are courtesy of Luminate & Vortex