ETC's on the Mark

The U.K.’s Electronic Theatre Controls (ETC) is a go-to lighting fixture and control resource for performance space specifiers. Worship spaces, modern and traditional, fall heavily into that category and have for quite some time.

And the good news for designers, integrators and other specifiers is that the company understands the church market and the unique needs of its end-users. These users are people who are oftentimes hard-pressed for time (and equipment answers) due to the rigors of weekly production, and oftentimes people who range all the way from professional lighting designers to wide-eyed volunteers with little training.

Church.Design caught up with the busy manufacturer to learn what specifier readers have in store in the fast-moving world of lighting in the church market. And as with its sought-after products, ETC delivered, as reported by the company Vice President of Marketing David Lincecum and Product Marketing Manager David Hilton, both based in Middleton, Wis.

Church.Design: ETC is known for lighting fixtures, control, rigging and other products that are critically important to churches for their worship spaces and other spaces within a church. How do you interface with specifiers, designers and integrators to help their church clients get the very best products for the production of worship services?

Lincecum & Hilton: We are extremely proud of our project staff at ETC, as it includes knowledgeable people that are dedicated to helping our clients design and install top-notch lighting and rigging systems. ETC has regional sales teams that help showcase our products firsthand. They work closely with specifiers, designers, and integrators [to] develop system designs that meet their needs, within their budgets.

Once an order is placed, our project management team takes over, which begins a process of checks and balances to make sure each part of the system is the best option, that customized items are designed specifically to the needs of the client, and that delivery of the order is scheduled per the needs of the onsite installers.

Once a system is installed, our commissioning technicians ensure that everything is working properly, the local staff is properly trained on how to operate the system, and that everyone knows who to contact should any issues arise after installation is complete. We also have an enormous library of online support articles and training videos which help facility staff learn more about how to get the most out of their ETC system. And our 24/7/365 phone support team is always standing by to help.

Church.Design: LED has changed everything. What ETC lighting fixtures (theatrical, architectural, or both) are making the biggest impact on churches as end users? Tell us about the innovation in these products.

Lincecum & Hilton: ETC has long been dedicated to manufacturing high-quality LED products in the USA. From Source Four LED to ColorSource to Source 4WRD, we have a tiered offering of award-winning LED fixtures accessible by even modest budgets. ETC fixtures include innovative color-mixing technology that makes people look good, and they include flicker-free operation well-suited for churches using digital cameras.

We are so confident in the quality of our manufacturing that we recently changed our warranty to five years on the fixture and 10 years on the LED array. Our fixtures are designed to last, and they are a safe investment for any facility to make.

For more information on how ETC goes to ensure the quality of its fixture design, please visit www.etcconnect.com/LEDwarranty.

Church.Design: What about lighting control? You have some very effective new lighting consoles with a very small footprint for the church environment. Tell us about the newest models that are finding the most play in churches.

Lincecum & Hilton: Last year we introduced Ion Xe and this year we introduced Element 2. These are both great options for churches. They offer powerful control from an approachable interface. We have seen many churches customize the console’s channel view for their local staff with Magic Sheets. And these controllers can handle anything a modern lighting system can throw at it, from color-changing fixtures to moving lights to media servers.

Let’s not forget about church spaces that need a lighting controller that does not feel like a traditional lighting console. Our new EchoTouch product is a stand-alone, wall-mount touchscreen that offers full control of a color-changing lighting system from an interface that feels like a traditional architectural controller. With a built-in FX engine and customizable page layouts, it is easy to set up and even easier to control.

Church.Design: What about rigging? It's a natural extension for a company like ETC, but how did you make rigging a priority among your offerings and what response to this are you seeing from the church market?

Lincecum & Hilton: The way rigging systems are designed and installed is very different [from] a lighting system, and we have developed a network of world-class rigging installers that are among the best in the industry. ETC values high-functionality and safety, and our rigging systems allow us to offer a solution that feels familiar to anyone who works with our lighting systems.

The response from the church market has been fantastic. Our rigging systems have been embraced as the modern solution for making lighting, audio, and scenic systems safely accessible in many facilities.

Church.Design: Tell us about High End Systems, when you purchased them, how their products complement ETC's, and what your plans are there for the future.

Lincecum & Hilton: When High End Systems was presented to us as a possible acquisition, we immediately saw a strong synergy between the two companies. ETC had already launched an internal effort to enter the automated lighting market, but it was focused more clearly on the theatre market. High End brought to us a complete line of LED powered automated fixtures that serviced the live event and concert touring market. The products, powered by highly efficient and bright white light engines, were unique to what we had been working on at ETC. They produced extraordinary effects and aerial presentations along with just being extremely solid performers in key lighting. The High End organization is organized around serving an existing customer base in the live events markets--and this gives ETC a path to reach new customers.

Church.Design: Tell us what designers, specifiers and integrators can expect in terms of level of support when they spec your products for the church setting. And tell us what specifiers can expect from you in the near future.

Lincecum & Hilton: ETC has earned a reputation for providing high-quality products with exceptional service. Each year, we reaffirm this reputation with the thousands of church projects we help design, install, and service. What makes us stand out are the individuals that make up the company. Our staff of employee-owners have a genuine interest in building great products, offering exceptional support, and enhancing the art form of lighting design.

[You’ll be seeing more] moving lights of course. Both ETC and High End systems will offer innovations in the moving light markets shortly. Look for it this fall.

Learn more here:

Electronic Theatre Controls (ETC); www.etcconnect.com

High End Systems; www.highend.com