This year, the IES took a prime position booth in the new Hall – Hall 6 – added this year specifically to host and showcase major pro lighting and audio brands and new technologies. Those working with cutting-edge lighting and audio equipment enjoyed demonstrations and the chance to examine the kit close-up here, as IES dedicated over half of the floorspace to Robe Group businesses – Robe, Avolites, Anolis, LSC and Artistic Licence.

Rasesh Parekh, CEO of IES, commented, “PALM expo is one of the best shows for the pro light, sound and AV community in India, and an excellent platform for creating and boosting brand awareness and presence, so it is a given that IES will be present there!”

IES has actually been a PALM expo exhibitor consistently for 20+ years. In this time, the show has evolved from a small and primarily local event to a large international powerhouse of a trade show, and from occupying a single hall to now taking up six action-packed halls.

Robe product ranges on display included FORTE, MegaPointe, Spiider, Tarrantula and popular remote follow spotting system RoboSpot, complete with integral motion camera.

Rasesh and his 23-strong booth team focussed on the FORTE and iFORTE family range which is the most powerful of Robe’s current LED moving light fixtures, plus the FORTE Follow Spot with motion camera, which was the star of the booth and attracted much attention.

Discharge lamp fixtures like Robe’s MegaPointe are still very popular in India due to their price point, advanced features and the many possibilities they bring to any show … all of which earned Robe’s legendary fixture a prime position on the booth!

iBOLT winning the Award was a nice surprise for everyone.

The fixture was chosen by a panel of industry expert judges, and Rasesh comments, “This was the icing on the cake of a very successful show for us,” adding that iBOLT is a great product for the many spectacular events staged in India, especially outdoors, ranging from concerts and Bollywood extravaganzas to cricket matches and Indian weddings which have a penchant for being as grand and opulent as they are often large, requiring top-level creative and technical production support.

In addition to the Robe products, sister architectural company Anolis showcased their Divine and Ambiane ranges of LED luminaires.

Lighting control manufacturer Avolites was also prominent on the IES booth alongside Robe with its D9-215 console on the booth plus the new and highly portable D7-215 and D7-330 consoles together with pictures and sales serving as testimonials to the success of the brand and the expo.

LSC Control Systems’ APS, Mantra Lite, Mantra Wing & Mini products attracted a lot of interest as did the full range of Artistic Licence DIN rail and rack mount solutions.

Rasesh is very enthusiastic about the dynamics and synergy existing between all these Robe brands and businesses. “These businesses can all work in parallel to further enrich an already quality brand,” he declared.

Competition is tough on the Indian market, especially for premium brands as so many projects are price-driven, but Rasesh has enjoyed some great successes over the last 18 months particularly with Robe, and he knows there is a “groundswell in the appetite for people to ‘buy premium’ and get all the fantastic reliability, service, backup and support that comes with it.”

Despite Mumbai receiving record advanced rainfall at the start of the 2025 monsoon season on the first day of setup for the expo, the mood remained buoyant and upbeat throughout and Rasesh really enjoyed all the positive feedback about the new hall – “It was the place to be and we will return again next year in a similar location and lots more tech from Robe and its businesses!”

Photo Credits: Arvind Yogi, IES’s Mr. Parag, courtesy IES