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At the Parnelli Awards, presented during the NAMM exhibition in Anaheim, California on Friday 26 January, the unique VL6000 BEAM LUMINAIRE collected the Indispensable Technology Award for Lighting.
The annual Parnelli Awards is one of the live event production industry’s most prestigious occasions. Founded in 2001 and named in memory of production industry luminary Rick ‘Parnelli’ O’Brien, the awards recognise the best-in-class across 22 different categories, including individuals, companies and technology.
Since its launch onto the market at the start of 2017, the VL6000 Beam has been specified by many leading show lighting designers, featuring in the specifications of countless touring concert productions and television shows worldwide. With its wide, retro-styled searchlight face, its high-output beam and its sophisticated color and effects capabilities, the VL6000 Beam provides a powerful tool for aerial effects on the largest arena and stadium shows. In addition to its power, it also has impeccable styling, providing camera-friendly looks for close-up shots.
Key to the prestige of the Parnelli Awards is its integrity. The shortlist of nominees is produced by a panel of industry experts and the voting process is carefully controlled to ensure that only subscribers to Projection, Lights & Staging News (PLSN) and Front of House magazines can vote for their choice of winner. With one voting code per magazine issue, the winners can be sure they are the true choice of their industry peers.
Richard ‘Nook’ Schoenfeld, long-time LD, editor of PLSN magazine and a former winner of the coveted LD of the Year Award, says, “I don’t get to see the final tallies of votes till well after the show is over. Now that the awards are out, I can admit that the VL6000 Beam won the award by a substantial margin, garnishing 50% of the thousands of votes that were submitted by our readers. I expect this was due to the fact that they were the only manufacturer who had the actual foresight to build such a large format Beam fixture . . . Obviously, it wasn’t easy to accomplish this task as nobody has come up with a similar model to even compete with it.”
Ray Whitton, who collected the award on behalf of Philips Vari-Lite, says, “I knew we were on to something when we developed the VL6000 Beam. But to be honored by the Parnelli voters for winning the Indispensable Technology Award for Best Lighting Innovation is just the ultimate testament to what we set out to accomplish as a manufacturer. We’re proud to be included with all the legendary people in attendance.”
