AUSTRALIA: When Australia’s largest telecommunications and technology company, Telstra, staged a major leadership conference inside the Grand Pavilion at the Melbourne Showgrounds, Australian technical and event production specialist Harry the Hirer Productions turned to the full force of its newly acquired ROBE iFORTE moving lights to deliver a lighting design capable of transforming the vast venue from corporate plenary to immersive evening celebration.

All 80 of Harry the Hirer Productions’ new iFORTE fixtures were deployed across the event, which required an exceptionally dynamic production setup. The Grand Pavilion hosted a large plenary space for approximately 3,000 delegates during the day, before evolving into a cocktail party environment with live music for the evening session. Alongside this, the venue also incorporated lounge, networking, and mingling zones, as well as outdoor areas, demanding a lighting design that could shift seamlessly between formal presentation and experiential entertainment.

The iFORTES were rigged across 11 main trusses inside the Grand Pavilion and formed the backbone of a flexible lighting scheme created by Lighting Designer Oliver Pool. The fixtures were used to illuminate both primary event zones, serving multiple purposes including general lighting, key lighting for presenters during the day and performers at night, gobo projection across the roof skins, and atmospheric lighting throughout the lounge spaces.

The fixtures are part of a recent investment by Harry the Hirer Productions and will rotate between the company’s Melbourne headquarters and its busy Sydney and Brisbane branches depending on project requirements—an investment driven by the versatility and performance the iFORTE platform offers.

Brad Johnson, Harry the Hirer’s Production and Site Manager, oversaw more than 100 crew across lighting, video, audio, and rigging/staging departments, ensuring the entire technical operation ran smoothly within a tight timeframe and delivered to the high expectations of the client.

For Oliver Pool — also serving as Senior Lighting Technician on the event — this marked his first opportunity to use iFORTES on one of his own designs. “The fixtures are so adaptable and powerful, they can be used to light almost anything – so perfect for this scenario! Plus, they match and work well with much of our existing stock, both with lights from Robe and from other brands.”

These same qualities were central to Harry the Hirer Productions’ decision to invest in Robe’s flagship workhorse luminaire. For this specific project, Oliver needed the output and reach of the iFORTE to cover long throws inside the venue, particularly given that the event took place close to mid-summer, effectively making it a daylight show. With the conference also being streamed, the lighting needed to remain visually strong and camera-ready at all times.

The iFORTE provided the necessary flexibility, offering everything from full stage coverage and facial key lighting to broader environmental illumination that enhanced the entire delegate experience beyond the main stage.

Having known two months in advance that the iFORTES would be joining inventory, Oliver built them into the foundation of his design from the outset, allowing the fixtures to drive an imaginative, practical, and visually vibrant scheme. He was particularly impressed by the zoom range and the way the iFORTE beams cut cleanly through daylight and haze to project gobos and textures across the tented roof structure surrounding the event.

Oliver has long been familiar with Robe products, dating back to early-career experience with classic ColorSpot and ColorWash 1200 fixtures that helped establish Robe’s reputation globally. Since joining Harry the Hirer Productions four and a half years ago, he has worked even more extensively with the brand. “They are reliable and consistent fixtures, and you always know what you’re getting, which is a great advantage,” he noted.

The event also required a true hybrid lighting approach across its multiple functional spaces, with Oliver maximising the performance of 40 x Robe MegaPointes rigged on the main room trusses alongside the iFORTES. He noted how harmoniously the two fixture families worked together.

One of his favourite elements to light was ‘Phonehenge’—a series of large scenic monoliths arranged in a circle at the centre of the lounge and meeting area. Using the iFORTE’s zoom and shutter capabilities, he was able to light the scenic pieces accurately from perimeter trusses, managing throw distances ranging from just 5 metres to as much as 40 metres. “Being able to even out, match and complement the lighting on all different sides from one set of fixtures was fantastic!”

Lighting operation was handled by Adam Leelasorn, who was also using iFORTES for the first time. He particularly appreciated the fixture’s output and impact, even when working with colour layers and dual gobos. He used them for onstage spot work during the plenary sessions, break-up effects across the stage, and fluid ceiling projections in Telstra’s corporate colours when the venue shifted into party mode. “They are fast as well, with nice smooth transitions between gobos and colours,” he concluded, also echoing Oliver’s comments on how effectively the iFORTES paired with MegaPointes.

Like Oliver, Adam has a long history with Robe products, dating back to the 2500 E AT ranges, and continues to rely heavily on MegaPointes and BMFLs across festival lighting and programming projects. “I’m always happy to work with Robe, the lights are rock solid and reliable, and you have plenty of creative reach.”

From an overall project perspective, Brad Johnson summed up the fixture’s impact clearly: “They are light, versatile, great all-round workhorse fixtures and ideal for so much of our work lighting conventions, expos and events … as well as touring artists and concerts.”