Clearlight Shows has sold an ETC Ion console to Warrnambool Entertainment Centre where manager Greg Diamantis and his crew have been acquainting themselves with the console.
Warrnambool Entertainment Centre is an imaginative blend of old and new architecture offering a mix of venues suited to a range of purposes from conferences, conventions and exhibitions to performances, functions, meetings and forums. The Centre has plans to redevelop the venue within the next couple of years and this was an important factor in choosing an ETC Ion console.
“I wanted to ensure that whilst the redevelopment was happening we would still be able to operate shows and the mobility of the Ion was important,” said Diamantis. “I didn’t want to have a large console I couldn’t move around. Plus I’ve used an ETC Express in the past so I was used to the ETC operating manner and also there isn’t the factor that every venue has a Strand anymore.
“We needed a console with intelligent light capability and also one that we could build on further down the track. The Ion fitted our requirements perfectly.”
Diamantis was also aware that many lead touring companies were purchasing the Ion for its versatility and reliability. Added to the fact that more and more Victorian regional venues were adding Ions, the Ion held great appeal.
“At the same time we purchased fourteen LED PAR cans so we needed a console that could manage them too,” Diamantis revealed. “We’ve found that the ETC Ion has really sped up the lighting process for acts like dance schools and one-nighters as they can now get what they want very quickly. We recently did a local amateur musical production and Ion enabled us to speed up the lighting plot session by about five hours on the first day. There were no problems whatsoever.”
Diamantis states that prior to receiving the ETC Ion they were living slightly in the dark ages with a Jands Event Plus console and consequently he loves just about every feature on his new Ion! “It’s been a long time between upgrades!” he said. “I love that the Ion comes with dual screens at no extra cost so you can position the console in the configuration that works best for the operator and the room. I like that with the Ion if you don’t know what you’re doing, use a little commonsense and you can usually find out where you should be.”
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