PLASA Show launches The PLASA Lab – a new, anonymous lighting demonstration experience

The new live feature will invite visitors to explore professional lighting fixtures in close technical detail, without branding, sales pitches or a single winner.

PLASA Show has announced the launch of The PLASA Lab, a new live lighting demonstration making its debut at Olympia, London from 6th – 8th September 2026.

Independently facilitated by lighting professional James Simpson, The PLASA Lab will give lighting professionals, venue and production teams, specifiers and students a rare opportunity to examine how fixtures behave in a controlled, real-world stage environment.

Inside a dedicated, blacked-out space in Olympia’s West Hall, comparable fixtures will be grouped by type and taken through a carefully designed series of pre-programmed lighting states. The demonstrations will explore a range of technical characteristics, helping visitors look beyond headline specifications and understand the nuances of each product.

Rather than producing an overall score or declaring a winner, The PLASA Lab will demonstrate how different fixtures can excel in different areas and suit different creative or technical applications.

James Simpson comments: “The PLASA Lab gives visitors the rare chance to compare how products actually behave side by side – without marketing language, sales pitches or brand bias. You leave the business cards at the door and simply experience the light.

Each one-hour session will take visitors through a series of pre-programmed lighting states, designed to make meaningful comparisons between fixtures. We’ll add the relevant technical context as we go, then reveal the products at the end.”

Participating products and brands will remain hidden throughout each demonstration, keeping visitors’ attention firmly on the light itself. Their identities will only be unveiled at the end of the session, with those in the room encouraged to keep the reveals under wraps until the show has finished, preserving the experience for later audiences.

Following the reveal, visitors will be able to access the consoles and put individual fixtures through their own tests, supported by student volunteers. They can then speak directly with the participating manufacturers, ask technical questions and explore the products in greater depth.

Investing in a more hands-on show experience

The PLASA Lab forms part of PLASA Show’s continued investment in creating more opportunities for visitors to experience technology beyond the exhibition stand.

PLASA’s Managing Director comments: “Trade shows have always been an important place to discover new products, but visitors increasingly want to do more than simply see technology displayed on a stand. They want to experience it working, understand the differences between products and get hands-on in an environment that reflects how that technology might actually be used.

We’re investing in The PLASA Lab because we believe it adds genuine value to the visitor experience. It gives people another reason to come to the show, spend time exploring the technology and have more informed conversations with manufacturers afterwards.

Lighting is a natural place for us to start, but we’re really excited by the potential of the concept. If it resonates with visitors and exhibitors, there is plenty of scope to explore how a similar approach could work across other areas of entertainment technology at future PLASA Shows.”

The programme will cover five fixture categories: High Output Spot, Low Output Spot, Beam, Big Wash and Small Wash, with each explored through criteria relevant to that type of fixture.

The PLASA Lab is also supported by LSi, which will provide editorial and media support around the project, including post-show coverage.

Simpson continues: “I’ve loved the response from manufacturers. They believe in their engineering, but they are also confident and curious enough to see how it performs alongside competitors in a fair, carefully designed environment. That says a lot about the spirit of this industry.

Ultimately, The PLASA Lab is for anyone who cares about entertainment lighting. Our industry creates extraordinary technology, and this is a new way to see the best of it properly – in action, on equal terms, and without the usual noise around it.”

The PLASA Lab will run across all three days of PLASA Show. Exact demonstration timings will be announced nearer the event.

Register for free

PLASA Show 2026 takes place at Olympia, London from 6th – 8th September 2026.

The PLASA Lab experience is included with a PLASA Show ticket. Registration is free until 31st August. From 1st – 5th September, visitor registration will cost £15 + VAT, with on-the-door registration priced at £20 + VAT from 6th – 8th September.

Find out more and register for your free badge: https://www.plasashow.com/plasa-lab