Signify Entertainment brands provide a solution for Egypt’s new National Army Conference Centre.

The prestigious new National Army Conference Center in Cairo has chosen a state-of-the-art lighting system, utilizing an extensive variety of technology from the Vari-Lite portfolio, for its 1700-capacity main auditorium. 

The technical brief called for a high standard professional lighting system suitable for a modern, multi-purpose venue hosting a wide and varied range of events. The completed stage lighting system includes more than 240 luminaires, dominated by LED fixtures, including PL1 MKII FRESNELS, PL1 MKII ZOOM PROFILE and PLCYC MKII luminaires. More than 80 LED-based SL PUNCHLITE 220 fixtures were also specified, along with conventional fixtures from Vari-Lite. Sales and technical teams from both the EMEA and USA provided comprehensive on-site support throughout the project, helping to ensure the efficient completion of the installation.

The specification was decided by the venue owner, the Engineering Authority - Armed Forces, in close collaboration with specialist installer Egyptian Engineering Projects (known as Quality Egypt) and consultant and systems integrator, DMG Technologies. Central to their equipment choice was the need for a trusted brand with a catalog broad enough to offer a complete system solution. The specification called for state-of-the-art LED technology, where possible, to offer the benefits of energy efficiency and low maintenance. Finally, it was essential that all equipment and systems were backed up with comprehensive technical support.

“The light quality is excellent,” says Eng. Adel Attia, CEO of Quality Egypt. “Using the three brands together enables the theatre to be suitable for any kind of application, whether concert, theatre or conference. In addition to its low energy consumption, it is a solution with a very effective performance.”

“The VL4000s offer great quality and complete dependability, with all the features we could need. To have so many functions available in one luminaire is also very convenient and cost-effective,” says Attia. “What’s more, the Vari-Lite products have an outstanding legacy and the support from the manufacturer and its technical team is first-class.”

The lighting control infrastructure employs a Ethernet data distribution system, with EC21 dimming for the conventional element of the lighting rig. Attia says, “We have installed their dimming and data network systems in a number of other projects, so we are very familiar with them. They’re stable, modular systems, flexible and dependable.” 

The finished system has exceeded every requirement, from power consumption to output and performance. “We estimate that the power usage is 60% lower than it would have been without the LED lighting,” says Attia. “It has all performed very well and the client is extremely happy with the installation. 

Attia adds, “We would like to thank our Projects Director, Gamal Elmorsy, who led the project for Quality Egypt, and all our team who worked hard to achieve this outstanding project. Our thanks also to the sales and technical teams from Signify Entertainment Lighting, whose experts have provided so much invaluable support on-site and throughout the project, from an early stage.”

Grant Bales-Smith, General Manager EMEA, Signify Entertainment Lighting said, “Our broad catalog of professional stage lighting technologies offers a unique choice of solutions for top-end installations of this kind. We are delighted to be the company of choice for this important and prestigious new venue, in which we have proved that our products are still the right choice for similar projects of any scale.”