Czech Republic - Showlight has always been highly regarded as one of the best networking events in the international lighting calendar, with plenty of time allowed for the social aspects of the event. This year's visit programme, featuring eight different tours each with a different itinerary, is definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity, with an afternoon of visits arranged in and around the host town of Cesky Krumlov which offer a mix of strictly business and the not-so-serious.
The visits programme is included in the delegate fee and takes place on the afternoon of Monday 20 May, with a choice of eight tours, each with a different selection of visits. One of the most popular visits will undoubtedly be the Baroque Theatre inside Cesky Krumlov's castle, where Showlight is being held. Dating back to 1760, the theatre is one of the oldest fully operational Baroque Theatres still in existence and delegates will be given the opportunity to go below stage to see the stage machinery our ancestors used.
In addition to the Baroque Theatre, Cesky also has a small town theatre, where Robe, the main sponsor of Showlight, is offering the chance for people to see a short performance, lay their hands on Robe equipment and talk directly to Robe staff. The third theatre tour is to the South Bohemian State Theatre in nearby Budejovice. This regional theatre combines old and new technologies and is highly regarded in the southern Czech Republic. Once again the visit will include a backstage tour.
You might, by now, be thirsty so a sample of the local brew would not go amiss, particularly as it's the original Budweiser, not to be confused with any other! The visit includes a tour round one of the most amazing industrial bottling plants in Europe. As an alternative choose one of the three tours that feature the Eggenberg Brewery, which is smaller and more traditional than the automated Budweiser brewery, and right below the castle walls!
Other visits include a fascinating trip down a graphite mine, although this is not one for the claustrophobic! With graphite readily available Cesky is famous for its pencils, and three of the tours offer a visit to the Koh-i-Noor pencil factory. Alternatively, choose the tours that feature a visit to Schwan, the leading private label manufacturer of cosmetic pencils and products, to see the whole manufacturing process from the mix that forms the colour, through the making of the pencil wood to the addition of the glossy paint and designer label. Schwan manufactures for many top brand names, turning out well over 100,000,000 pencils a year.
With such a choice of these and other visits, Showlight's Monday afternoon programme offers a choice of itineraries - see www.showlight.org for full details. You must be a registered delegate of Showlight to book for the visits, which are included in the full delegate price of just £265.00 and also covers the three day colloquium, dinner on two nights, and coffee, lunch and dinner on each day.
Showlight 2013 is grateful to its main sponsor Robe and Gold sponsors Martin Professional, Clay Paky and White Light; other Showlight 2013 sponsors are Eyetidy Ltd and PLN Facilities Ltd; Henley Theatre Services; ISE; MA Lighting; Oasis Entertainment; and PLASA.
