rock solid and reliable, and you have plenty of creative reach
In the vast Grand Pavilion of Melbourne Showgrounds, eighty moving lights became the quiet architects of transformation — holding together a single space that needed to be, in the same breath, a corporate plenary for three thousand, an intimate lounge, and an evening celebration. The deployment of Robe iFORTE fixtures at Telstra's leadership conference was not merely a technical exercise but a meditation on adaptability: how light, like good design, must serve many truths at once. That the fixtures succeeded — punching through midsummer daylight, threading corporate color across a tented roof, and illuminating sculptural monoliths from wildly unequal distances — speaks to a quiet evolution in the tools we use to shape shared human experience.
- A single pavilion had to become three different worlds — daytime conference, intimate lounge, and evening party — all on camera and all in the same hours, creating enormous pressure on every lighting decision.
- Midsummer daylight flooding an indoor venue threatened to wash out any atmosphere before it could take hold, forcing the lighting team to fight for visibility against nature itself.
- Lighting designer Oliver Pool spent two months engineering a solution around the iFORTEs' zoom range and raw intensity, building them into the structural backbone of a design that also had to elegantly light 'Phonehenge' — a ring of large scenic monoliths — from distances ranging from five to forty metres.
- Operator Adam Leelasorn deployed the fixtures in real time across radically different modes, shifting from stage spotlighting during the plenary to fluid ceiling projections in Telstra's corporate colors as the evening transformed the room.
- The seamless pairing of iFORTEs with forty Robe MegaPointes — fast transitions, no lag, consistent output — gave the production team the creative range and reliability needed to land every phase of the event without compromise.
Harry the hirer Productions brought 80 Robe iFORTE moving lights to Melbourne Showgrounds for Telstra's leadership conference — an event that demanded one enormous space serve radically different purposes across a single day. Three thousand people filled the Grand Pavilion for a daytime plenary that would later become an evening cocktail party with live music, while a lounge and networking area occupied the pavilion's other half. Everything was being streamed, and it was close to midsummer — meaning the team had to fight through natural daylight to make the lighting read on camera.
Lighting designer Oliver Pool had been building his design around the iFORTEs for two months before the event, knowing they were arriving in Harry the hirer's inventory. Distributed across 11 main trusses, the fixtures handled general coverage during the day, then shifted to atmosphere at night — projecting gobos and textures across the tented roof, creating mood in the lounge, and illuminating performers. What impressed Pool most was the intensity and zoom range, particularly when lighting 'Phonehenge,' a ring of large scenic monoliths anchoring the lounge area. With trusses positioned anywhere from five to forty metres away, he was able to light all sides of the structures cleanly from a single set of perimeter fixtures. Forty Robe MegaPointes worked alongside the iFORTEs throughout, the two types complementing each other without friction.
Lighting operator Adam Leelasorn, using the iFORTEs for the first time, found them punchy and responsive even when layering colors and dual gobo sets. He moved fluidly from stage spotlighting during the plenary to ceiling projections in Telstra's corporate palette as the evening shifted into party mode. Production and site manager Brad Johnson, who coordinated over 100 crew across all departments, saw the fixtures as exactly the versatile workhorse Harry the hirer needed across its Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane operations. The Telstra event had demonstrated, across multiple lighting tasks in a single complex production, that the investment was well placed.
Harry the hirer Productions brought 80 Robe iFORTE moving lights to the Grand Pavilion at Melbourne Showgrounds for Telstra's leadership conference, a sprawling event that needed to serve radically different purposes in the same space. Three thousand people gathered for a daytime plenary session that would later transform into an evening cocktail party with live music, while a separate lounge and networking area occupied the other half of the pavilion. The lighting design, created by Oliver Pool, had to hold all of this together—and do it on camera, since the event was being streamed.
The iFORTEs were distributed across 11 main trusses inside the pavilion, positioned to reach both the main plenary area and the lounge spaces. During the day, they lit presenters and provided general coverage of the massive room. As evening arrived and the event shifted into party mode, they became tools for atmosphere—projecting gobos and textures onto the tented roof, creating mood lighting in the lounge, and illuminating performers. The fixtures also had to contend with a challenge that most indoor events don't face: it was close to midsummer, which meant the space was flooded with natural daylight. Everything needed to punch through that brightness and still look compelling on a camera feed.
Oliver had begun designing the lighting scheme two months before the event, and he knew the iFORTEs would be arriving in Harry the hirer's inventory. He built them into the backbone of his design from the start. What impressed him most was the intensity and zoom range—the ability to slice through daylight and haze, and to project sharp gobos and texturing across the entire roof. He also deployed 40 Robe MegaPointes on the main room trusses, working them in tandem with the iFORTEs. The two fixture types complemented each other seamlessly.
One particular challenge was lighting "Phonehenge," a series of large scenic monoliths arranged in a circle that anchored the lounge and meeting area. Some of the trusses holding the iFORTEs were only five metres away from these pieces; others were 40 metres distant. Using the zoom and shutter capabilities of the iFORTE, Oliver was able to light all sides of the monoliths neatly and accurately from a single set of fixtures on the room perimeter trusses. "Being able to even out, match and complement the lighting on all different sides from one set of fixtures was fantastic," he said. For someone accustomed to working with Robe products since the ColorSpot and ColorWash 1200 series early in his career, the iFORTE represented a natural evolution—reliable, consistent, and capable of far more than he initially expected.
Adam Leelasorn, the lighting operator and a regular freelancer, was using the iFORTEs for the first time as well. He appreciated the power and punch even when layering in colors and two sets of gobos. During the plenary, he used them for spotlighting on stage and for break-up effects. When the event shifted to party mode, he deployed them for fluid, eye-catching ceiling projections in Telstra's corporate colors. Like Oliver, he was struck by how well the iFORTEs worked alongside the MegaPointes—fast, smooth transitions between gobos and colors, with no lag or hesitation. Adam has worked with Robe fixtures throughout his career, from the 2500 E AT ranges to the MegaPointes, which remain among his favorites. "I'm always happy to work with Robe," he concluded. "The lights are rock solid and reliable, and you have plenty of creative reach."
Brad Johnson, Harry the hirer's production and site manager, coordinated over 100 crew members across lighting, video, audio, and rigging departments. He saw the iFORTEs as exactly what the company needed: light, versatile, and capable of handling the full spectrum of work that comes through their Melbourne headquarters and branches in Sydney and Brisbane. "They are 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," he noted. The Telstra event had proven that the investment was sound—the fixtures had delivered across multiple lighting tasks in a single, complex production, adapting from general illumination to key lighting to atmospheric effects without missing a beat.
Notable Quotes
Being able to even out, match and complement the lighting on all different sides from one set of fixtures was fantastic— Oliver Pool, lighting designer
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— Brad Johnson, Harry the hirer Productions
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why did a conference need 80 moving lights? That seems like overkill for people sitting in chairs.
The space wasn't just a conference room. It was three thousand people in a plenary during the day, then it became a cocktail party with live music at night. Same space, completely different function. The lighting had to do all of that work.
But couldn't they have just used static lights?
Not if you want it to look good on camera, especially in daylight. The iFORTEs have intensity and zoom range that can cut through natural light and still project sharp images. Static fixtures would have washed out.
What made the iFORTE the right choice over other moving lights?
Oliver Pool needed intensity to cover the distances—some throws were 40 metres. He also needed them to work with what Harry the hirer already owned, and to be flexible enough to light everything from presenter faces to scenic monoliths to atmospheric effects. The iFORTE does all of that.
Did the crew have to learn new equipment?
Adam and Oliver had both used Robe products before, so there was familiarity. But they were using the iFORTE for the first time on this event. What struck them was how well it worked alongside the MegaPointes they already had—no friction, just harmony.
What happens to these lights after the conference?
They travel. Harry the hirer has three branches—Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane. These 80 fixtures will move between them depending on where they're needed. This was a major investment that has to earn its keep across multiple cities and event types.