PALME 2005 features spectacular laser shows by LOBO

At its annual meeting, a glamorous ceremony in the ballroom of the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas, the ILDA (the umbrella organisation of the laser show industry), honoured the best laser shows of the year in a variety of different categories with awards that are regarded by experts as the "Oscars" of the laser show industry.

There were many rule changes this year to make the competition even more demanding. For the first time there were no first, second and third prizes as well as honourable mentions in each category - only the best show of the year per category received an award.

LOBO received 11 nominations and three ILDA "Laser Oscars" for outstanding creative achievement, taking their overall ILDA awards total to 72.

Not content with setting benchmark standards on dry land, LOBO has also now conquered the seven seas. With a series of sensational installations on cruise ships (and a private yacht), LOBO has established itself as the premium supplier of laser systems at sea.

The Queen Mary 2, the world's largest and most luxurious passenger liner, relies on LOBO's laser entertainment technology. In recent weeks, the "Magica", the new flagship of Costa, Europe's leading shipping company, set sail for the first time. The "Magica" and its sister ship, the "Fortuna" are regarded as the largest and most modern cruise ships in the Mediterranean.

Perfection in every detail is the maxim of Costa and this is nowhere more evident than in the entertainment sector. The hull of the ship holds a theatre with a capacity of 1,000 - which would also be a sensation on land, given its equipment and size. Every evening, an ensemble stages magnificent revues, supported by highly sophisticated stage machinery. A not-to-be-missed creative element in the onboard stage shows (and the secret star of the whole show in the opinion of many passengers) is a lavishly dimensioned LOBO laser system, which features LOBO's latest laser moving head, Zaphir.

Richard Pollak, Project Manager LOBO, said "Continuous duty between the polar seas and the tropics as well as the constant movements of the hull that are common to ships of this size, places high demands on the equipment. As the ship cruises for weeks far away from any servicing facility, each component of the installation has to work in a totally reliable way, even in these extreme situations."

Costa's Entertainment Manager is full of praise for LOBO; "The laser has become an indispensible element of our 'at-sea' entertainment, and the laser shows are greatly appreciated by our guests. From our side I must say it is an excellent system - extremely user friendly and very easy and efficient to maintain. I'm very pleased with our choice!"

LOBO, the market leader in the laser show industry, offers a whole all-in-one package: completely customised solutions to an unsurpassed technical level, 24 hour support from highly qualified technicians and the individual production of complex show programs created by the world-renowned and multi-awarded LOBO design team.

It's no surprise, therefore, that other shipping companies have also chosen LOBO as their preferred partner. Three ships belonging to Celebrity Cruises and Carnival Cruises have networks of seaworthy laser projectors supplied via glass fibers from one central laser system mounted in the centre of the ship. In addition to the show lounge, there are laser projectors on the pool deck and above the bow. The ships are visible from great distances when they send out laser search beams across the ocean.

LOBO can proudly claim to now be the unbeaten premium supplier of laser systems for use at sea. "But the large cruise ships are not the end of the story", adds LOBO's President, Lothar Bopp, "Just a few weeks ago we received an order for a laser system, equal in every way with our installations on large cruise ships, to be installed on the largest private yacht ever built."