German Lighting Products (GLP) president Mark Ravenhill joins Headliner for a chat about some of the key trends shaping the professional lighting market, pushing the boundaries in event production, and why 2022 has been one of the company’s busiest years on record…
From studio sets to the live stage, the past 12 months have seen GLP systems deployed in a typically vast and varied array of settings. Artist such as George Ezra, IDLES, Scorpions, and Ed Sheeran have all benefitted from the company’s innovations this year, while its products have also helped to revamp TV productions such as the German version of I Can See Your Voice.
Yet while there has been plenty to be excited about, the industry-wide challenge of supply chain delay has continued to frustrate the marketplace.
Headliner caught up with Ravenhill to reflect on an “adrenaline-packed” 2022, the future of the industry, and the ever-evolving nature of the business…
Thanks very much for joining us, Mark. Where are you reaching us from?
I’m joining you from Nashville Tennessee, my new home, after moving here from California. I’m getting used to the new weather, enjoying the leaves on the trees changing colour, which is something that you didn’t get in California!
Tell us about your entry to this industry and how you arrived at where you are at today?
It’s been a long and winding road. Like so many people, it never quite worked out as you always plan, but you take it all in your stride. My journey started way back in high school in the UK where I grew up. A leaflet went round looking for help on a production of Grease, which a local amateur dramatic society was putting on, and it started from there. They needed some people to help out backstage, and one thing lead to another and a college course came along, then I joined my first theatre in the town of Winchester. I then hooked up with a company called Martin Professional, who are an automated lighting manufacturer based out of Denmark and I worked with them for a number of years developing various product ranges, and then I went on to GLP, where I came out to America starting the GLP office over here in 2009. And have been growing it since then. There are lots of mini stories along the way, but that’s the concise version. I’ve never done anything else.
With live shows back to their fullest since the pandemic this year, have you noticed any significant long-term changes to the way the industry operates?
It’s been a really interesting period. We’ve all had to adapt in our own way. There have been lots of short-term adjustments that needed to be made but there have also been long-term adjustments from a manufacturing point of view. The whole supply chain is a much spoken about issue and continues to be an issue. We are still finding components with a 52-week lead time, so we are having to adapt the design of our products. That brings its own challenges.
For a while there was longer notice periods. We were talking to people about their shows and events with greater knowledge of when things were going to happen, and that was a healthy thing that needed to happen anyway. It felt like before Covid, too many decisions were being made too late in the day and it was putting unnecessary pressure on the whole system. It really didn’t need to be like that because tickets had already been on sale for nine months. Post-covid a lot of people have realised you can’t just do that, because gear and people may not be available.
There does, however, seem to be a trend that things are reverting to shorter notice again, which is a little bit frustrating. As far as I’m concerned, the more knowledge everybody has, the better equipped we can all be to deliver the best events and shows possible.
How has it been seeing shows return in such a big way, and how busy has that made 2022 for you?
It’s been incredibly busy, for which we are extremely grateful to everybody who works with us. It’s a bit like the typical swan scenario, where everything looks nice and serene on top, but you’re paddling like mad underneath to try and make a product on time and deliver it on time, with things like air and sea freight being a challenge. It’s been exciting, non-stop, a bit stressful, but with the stress comes the excitement. It’s certainly been adrenaline-packed, and we are so grateful we are getting back to those pre-Covid levels. It’s a big team effort, from our design teams to our sales team. It really takes all of the cogs to work together.