Marketing your “green” lighting to the right audience

-written by Tom Hudock of Memphis, Tenn.

We all know that over the past several years the “green” lifestyle has grown exponentially. No bigger place is this evident than right here in the U.S. We have a president that drops green phrases like “alternative fuels” and “wind and solar energy” almost daily. Our government has even written a law that would make the traditional incandescent light bulb obsolete by 2014. What are we as lighting designers and mobile DJ business owners to do? Join the revolution!

A recent study conducted by a leading paper manufacturer found that 62 percent of adults are more likely to visit a business that focuses on being green, regardless of distance or effort required. This should be music to your ears! That is if you currently own or are looking to own a lighting rig made up of high-powered energy saving LED fixtures and effects.

Here are my top five tips to get those “green-minded” shoppers seeking you out for their next mobile DJ or lighting event.
1. Purchase or update your current equipment arsenal with some of the latest and greatest low-energy lighting products. CHAUVET® offers a completed line of LED lighting fixtures including the COLORstrip™, Cubix™ and SlimPAR™ 56.
2. Update your marketing materials to reflect your green business sense. Have your letterhead, business cards and brochures printed on paper stock that is either 100 percent recycled or made up of over 50 percent post consumer waste.
3. Update your website copy to include phrases like “LED technology” and “energy efficient”.
4. Educate yourself on the “green” movement by researching other companies and services that provide green or sustainable products to see how they market to this segment of the population.
5. Show off your new green lighting setup wherever and whenever possible to get your new target audience noticing what you offer.

Some great ideas for this would include:
• Offering to provide background music or lighting at a local farmers market with brochures in hand explaining your environment friendly difference from the competition’s.
• Volunteer to light or provide music for a local group planning a flash mob. What not a better place to show off your “green” gear and your talents than in front of hundreds of potential clients? And remember YouTube is almost always involved.
• Work with a local chapter of the American Cancer Society on a fundraising event like a Relay for Life walk and impact the lives of others while showing off your cutting edge LED lighting gear.

Team CHAUVET®

We thought it would be fun to give you an inside look of the building and show you photos of our CHAUVET® team hard at work. We took a stroll through service, quality control, shipping, marketing sales, product development and our enormous warehouse. We encountered graphic artists designing product boxes, quality control technicians carefully inspecting new gear, product engineers evaluating fixtures and territory managers sending out roadcases full of moving heads. Enjoy your exclusive inside look! For the complete album, please click here.

Parlez-vous CHAUVET®?

Our distributor from France, Algam, visited CHAUVET® HQ after The NAMM Show 2012. While they were here, we had a little fun while shooting a video short starring Algam President, Gerard Garnier. Our top question: “Parlez-vous CHAUVET®?” (translated to ‘Do you speak CHAUVET®?’) While we await its completion, here are a few behind the scenes photos to enjoy.

Team Algam visits CHAUVET® HQ (shown here with Stephane Gressier of CHAUVET®)

Algam President Gerard Garnier acts for the camera

Garnier is a DJ for the day

Team Algam watches the show

For our stage setup, we showcased a bevy of CHAUVET® fixtures:
18 x MVP™ 18 video wall panel
18 x MVP™ 12 video wall panel
2 x Legend™ 1200E Spot
4 x Legend™ 1200E Wash
2 x Legend™ 300E Spot
4 x Legend™ 300E Beam
4 x Legend™ 412 VW
4 x Intimidator™ Scan LED 100
6 x Intimidator™ Scan LED 200
6 x Intimidator™ Scan LED 300
8 x COLORdash™ Batten Tri
4 x COLORado™ Batten 72 Tour
8 x COLORado™ 1 Tri Tour
6 x COLORado™ Zoom Tour
4 x COLORado™ 2 Tour
6 x COLORband™ Tri
MotionFaçade™ LED
2 x Hurricane™ Haze 2
Nimbus™ dry ice machine
ArKaos Media Master (for video walls)
ShowXpress™ (4 universes of control using Xpress™ 512 Plus)

DJ Profile: DJ Dysquo

Meet DJ Dysquo, a club DJ active in the Miami scene.

1. How and when did you get started as a DJ? What types of events do you do?
I have always been interested in music and DJing. I used to break dance for about 10 years, I did music production for about six, then I started making beats and DJing for five years. When I moved to Miami (from New York) I wanted to take DJing really seriously. I approached DJ Irie – the DJ for the Miami Heat – and asked him to teach me. I have been DJing ever since. I DJ for any kind of events in clubs and at private functions. I DJ open-format music, like house, pop, R& B, reggae – anything.

2. Is this a full-time job or something you do on the side? If it’s a side job, please let us know what you do full time.
This is what I do full time and making a career out of it. It has been working out with more opportunities coming every day — a lot more traveling, a lot more press. Things for me are looking good.

3. What fixtures are included in your setup? What are you looking to add?
I usually don’t use lights because I do a lot of events in clubs, but if I do need them, I rent them and I ask for CHAUVET®.

4. Best advice you can give someone just getting started in the DJ industry?
Find a mentor, practice a lot and learn. There is more to DJing than just spinning the records. Learn about the crowd and the flow of the music, and remember to have fun.

5. What are your top three most requested songs?
“Party Rock Anthem” by LMFAO, “Motivation” by Kelly Rowland ft. Lil Wayne; and “Give me everything” Pitbull ft. Neyo.

4 Tips to Avoid Fixture Malfunction

by Max Morgan, CHAUVET ®Technical Manager
Technical equipment can malfunction. There, I said it, but unfortunately it’s just the way it goes. What’s even more unfortunate? When the malfunction happens at the most inopportune time, like when you’re in the middle of a gig and you can’t do much about it.  Read on to recognize the different types of malfunctions and what the potential causes could be.

DJ University is an online resource for the DJ/mobile performer sponsored by CHAUVET®.

CHAUVET® DJ at NAMM 2012

Today is the first day of The NAMM Show and CHAUVET® DJ announced the release of nearly 20 new products. Through January 22, contagious products will INfect attendees including the new PiX™ series of pixel mapping fixtures, as well as new additions to the Intimidator™ family of scanners and moving heads and the Scorpion™ family of high-powered lasers.The CHAUVET® DJ booth also features headliners such as battery operated, 100% TRUE wireless Freedom™ Par and Freedom™ Strip Mini , Nimbus™ dry ice machine, LFS-5 LED framing spot, SlimPAR™ Tri 7 IRC and SlimPAR™ Tri 12 IRC wash lights and Impulse™ 648.

CHAUVET® created an elaborate light show using a total of 586 fixtures (242 CHAUVET® DJ and 344 CHAUVET® Pro fixtures). If you’re attending the show, make sure you stop by booth 5581! If you can’t make it, live vicariously through the pictures below.

CHAUVET® is Pretty in Pink


Arc Thames of Santa Rosa Sound and Lighting Production sent us this photo from a wedding at FIrst Pentecostal Church in Pensacola, Fla. The setup included eight COLORdash™ Batten wash lights and two 4BAR™ Tri effect lights. He also used a Gobo Zoom™ LED to project the gobo featuring the newlywed’s names.

Scorpion™ Storm FX Lights 4NZX

Don Audio shared this photo that was taken at Painter’s Restaurant in New York. The Forensics (4NZX), an electronica band, gave a special performance as laser beams from a Scorpion™ Storm FX filled the venue.

CHAUVET® Goes to Off the Hookah

 

Team CHAUVET® ventured to Bayside Marketplace in downtown Miami to shoot video for our “On the Road”  series. Our destination — the swanky and sexy Mediterranean-style restaurant and lounge, Off the Hookah. Upon arrival, we met Lighting Director Walter Aleman who installed and programmed more than 190 CHAUVET® fixtures throughout the venue to create a seductive atmosphere.  Amidst the Egyptian décor which glows red, pink green and blue from 120 COLORstrip™ wash lights and 20 LED Pinspot™ 2 fixtures, hypnotizing belly dancers glide across the room and flair bartenders put on their best show.

The complete story and video will be available soon, but for now, check out a couple photos from our big night out!

 

20 Reasons to Use Wireless DMX

by Allan Reiss, CHAUVET® DJ Product Manager

Wouldn’t you like to save more time and be on top of your game when setting up a gig? You’re organized, informed, you definitely know what you’re doing, so why not make your DJ life easier by using wireless DMX? It’s easy, neat and efficient. Still in doubt? Click here to see 20 reasons for going wireless.

DJ University is an online resource for the DJ/mobile performer sponsored by CHAUVET®.