Why the right lighting is key to the success of any event
Lights, camera, action – that’s what they always say. And there’s a reason lights come first! Whether it’s a business event, a presentation, or a concert or performance, the element of lighting is always integral to any event. It’s about more than just shining the occasional spotlight – when creatively used, the right lighting can have a huge effect on the mood or the tone of the event, and help fulfil a number of practical purposes. Meanwhile, a poorly lit event can have the opposite effect by actually undercutting the event’s entire dynamic. Since our power distros are so versatile, they have been used for many functions, and lighting is often a major one. Here are just a couple of examples of what you can achieve with lighting, and why it’s so important to your event.
Setting the colour, mood and theme
Lights provide one of the easiest ways to set the mood and atmosphere for your event; the right type of lighting can determine whether it’s sombre and serious, effortlessly sophisticated, or cheerful and celebratory. Bright vibrant colours set the perfect party mood – especially warm tones like red or orange, while darker or more neutral colours like blue or purple can give the area a more luxurious feel. This is part of the reason why so many event organisers have such a strong preference for LED lights; by combining green, red, blue and white LED lights, it’s possible to create almost any colour. (As an extra bonus, they’re also reasonably efficient, which can save you a lot of money too.)
In the same way, you can also use them to create (or enhance) a specific theme for the event. If it’s a business conference about improving profit, for example, it’s worth considering including an element of green in your lighting, as it’s a colour that humans subconsciously associate with growth and success.
Using light to distinguish, or draw the eye
An obvious example of this would be active spotlights, which you can use to highlight speakers, panellists or performers. Tying into what we were just saying about colour and mood, though, you can combine the two techniques to encourage a certain response from your audience. A pale blue light on a singer can seem mournful and sombre, whereas a dark red one on an actor can add an extra edge of moodiness and threat.
When it comes to business events though, you’ll probably want to steer clear of all that and stick to normal spotlights instead, so as not to distract from what they’re saying. Instead, you’ll want to focus on using light to make sure that everyone in the audience has a clear view of what’s going on. As you’re setting up your event, it’s a good idea to pay particular attention to the composition of the room, picking out any exceptionally dark areas and either making sure they’re properly lit, or rearranging your event around them. Lighting the stage or speaking area properly also helps audiences to stay focused and engaged.
It’s also worth thinking about how you can cleverly use lighting to highlight and define different areas, using different colours to light the bar, the dancefloor, and seating areas. This is where it’s really important to judge the colour, mood and intensity correctly – in seating areas, you want the light to be soft and dim enough so that people feel relaxed, but can still see to pick up their drinks. Similarly, you need to be careful in determining how bright the light is on the dancfloor – if it’s too intense, people feel self-conscious and exposed. Colourful, changeable lighting will help them feel at ease, while giving the place a sense of energy and motion – that’s what disco balls are for!
Finally, if you want to draw attention to any particular objects or displays, pin spot lighting is a brilliant alternative to larger spotlighting. As the name suggests, pin spot lighting involves a narrow beam being concentrated on a relatively small area, allowing you to highlight objects like cakes, signs or gifts. This way, it doesn’t disrupt the delicately balanced lighting you’ve formulated for the rest of the venue. It can even be used for company advertising. In fact, speaking of which…
Enhancing businesses and branding
We’ve already discussed how your event can take on a classier, more professional feel with the right lighting, but if you’ve got the right equipment you can go one step further, by projecting the names of individuals or company logos on the walls, backdrop or floor. This could even be the logos of the organisers or sponsors (which could help you sweeten the deal if you’re trying to get your event financed).
If you’re able to project external lighting onto the building, it can be a handy way to point your guests to the right venue. What’s more, illuminating the exterior can help maintain a seamless flow from the outdoors to the indoors, setting the mood early so that your guests are in the right mindset – whether that’s excited, calm or ready to learn – by the time they get inside.
These are just a few ideas to get you started – you may well have your own! Whatever the size or scale of your event, you can rely on us here at Rubber Box to provide a wide range of distro boxes to help you power it. Versatile and scalable, our devices have helped power everything from small local festivals to massive global events. You can read more about the global events we’ve powered just this summer, or immediately start browsing our range of electrical distribution equipment.