Based in Nova Scotia, rental company Tour Tech East has extended its long-standing relationship with GLP by placing an initial order for 50 GLP impression X5 IP Maxx fixtures.
This powerful wash light delivers an output of 21,000 lumens from 37 high-performance 40 W RGBL LEDs, enabling the company’s director of business development, Peter Hendrickson, to upgrade the inventory by retiring older stock. The order was handled by GLP’s territorial distributor, DataVisual Marketing.
The new X5 IP Maxx has already seen heavy touring use, including shows with Nickelback, Lenny Kravitz and The Killers (amongamong others), culminating in the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Canada Summer Games in St. John’s, Newfoundland, as a precursor to the Olympic Games.
They were used by three different lighting designers on those concerts and, in addition, we supplied a number of extra units to Steven Douglas, long-time lighting designer for The Killers, for Hozier’s tour, with whom he also works. Since we added them to our inventory, they have barely spent any time in the warehouse, explains Hendrickson.
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With such an active outdoor season, Peter Hendrickson was unequivocal about the key feature that attracted him to the fixture: the IP rating. “Many of our events between May and October take place outdoors, so an IP rating was essential”, he states. “A rain hood is not an adequate solution; it is merely a temporary fix that does not address the root of the problem”.
Although Tour Tech East is a multi-brand company, this feature—together with the ability to meet delivery deadlines—tipped the balance in GLP’s favour. “In addition”, Hendrickson continues, “our best track record with LED technology has been with GLP products, so they were always the preferred option”. His long-standing relationship with GLP director Mark Ravenhill also helped seal the deal.
Peter Hendrickson has been very pleased with the response from his clients, which further validated the purchasing decision. In addition to lighting designers such as Steven Douglas, he highlights the veteran Yves Aucoin, former lighting designer for Céline Dion and lighting designer for the Canada Summer Games, who required no convincing at all.
He is a highly competent and knowledgeable lighting designer who was already very familiar with the fixture. When there is a good relationship with the supplier, it is essential that designers trust that the proposed solutions align with what they are looking for, adds Hendrickson.
Over the decade in which he has used GLP solutions, Peter Hendrickson has been able to assess first-hand the build quality and stability of the fixtures, building on the legacy of the previous X4 generation: “When you consider how many impression X4s we have and the amount of work they have done, the failure rate has been minimal. It was the most profitable fixture in our inventory”.
He expects the new impression X5 IP Maxx to continue that tradition: “I never have to worry about a GLP fixture failing when I take it out of the flight case. Most of the time these fixtures remain mounted in Tyler-type systems or pre-rigged trusses, so it is also important that they take up little space and have a reasonable weight”.
Rob Deslauriers, Vice President of Sales at DataVisual Marketing, adds his own praise: It has truly been a pleasure to watch Peter and the Tour Tech family grow over the decades into the highly respected powerhouse they are today in North America. We could not be more excited to see Tour Tech East join the GLP family, and DataVisual is delighted to support them in ensuring their investment in the GLP X5 IP Maxx is a resounding success.
Peter Hendrickson now looks to the future of the company with optimism, while reflecting on a distinguished history that includes working with artists such as The Rolling Stones, AC/DC, David Bowie and Rod Stewart.
“We have been using GLP equipment since 2014”, notes Hendrickson, adding that Tour Tech East has just closed the most successful year in its history, in a company founded in 1981.
