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Robe is Great Investment at For Event

For Event is based in beautiful Budapest, one of Europe’s most stunning and dynamic capital cities, and is among Hungary’s leading technical production and equipment rental specialists, working across multiple entertainment and event sectors including music festivals and concert touring, live events, exhibitions and corporates.

The company likes to be innovative and at the forefront of current trends. They were the first in Hungary to invest in Robe MegaPointes in early 2018. Before then, they were also the first rental operation with BMFLs in Hungary… of which they have purchased more in the last year together with 24 x Spiiders and 26 x ParFects.

The For Event brand was founded in 2011 by the charismatic Gábor Glatz, a well-known Hungarian rock musician and celebrity who also runs another very successful company, GDP, dedicated to providing full creative scenic and décor services.

For Event’s focus has always been on providing additional technical value - both in design and equipment - lighting, sound, rigging and staging, in particular to capitalise on the buzzing live events scene in and around Budapest. The city is replete with amazing venues and spaces embracing classical, historic, funky and modern.

The last 18 months has seen a dramatic increase in For Event’s lighting and sound rental departments, which has included all the newest Robe investments, which have been delivered by Hungarian distributor, AVL Trade.

“We like to be innovative” states Gábor, who has been using Robe products in his various commercial entertainment technology enterprises for some years – dating back at least a decade to the days of Robe XT scanners and the ColorMix 575!

“Robe has been right back on our radar increasingly in the last couple of years” he states with great enthusiasm, and this is what prompted this latest shopping expedition.

Gábor specifically wanted some reliable smaller multi-purpose fixtures in rental stock and saw the MegaPointe in action during its launch at Prolight+Sound, Frankfurt in 2017.

“I really liked the concept of the MegaPointe, and I knew it would be a good choice for us” he confirms, with one of his characteristic large smiles!

BMFLs were a “must” because they are “so well established and accepted”; they are on “loads” of band and artist riders and “any self-respecting professional rental operation needs them!”

He also comments that there is a healthy cross rental business in BMFLs, Spiiders and MegaPointes in Hungary, and between For Events and its partners in other European countries… including Turkey.

They also work closer to Robe’s home territory in the neighbouring Czech Republic, where ZL Productions is another leading CZ company and collaborator, a partnership that has this year included the two companies combining forces for the 2018 Enrique Iglesias European tour (LD and show director Travis Stanton).

Gábor and For Event’s international operations manager Adam Horvath both comment on the great reaction they have received to having the Robe products onboard, and they believe it has also opened some new business opportunities.

Robe’s distribution network has been carefully constructed to include selected partner companies renowned for their lively and proactive approach to business and their excellent customer service, something which Gábor appreciates first hand when dealing with AVL Trade’s sales director Csaba Csanádi.

“We enjoy a great co-operation… and the technical support is first class” he comments. The fact that they are also only one kilometre up the road also makes things very convenient!

Csaba in turn adds that the support he receives from the Robe factory is a vital factor in him being able to also deliver.

“The choice of products offered by Robe is really excellent all round, and it’s definitely working for us” concludes Gábor. “The fact that Robe has become a market leader in Hungary is to everyone’s benefit”.

He has also noticed Robe’s own investment in areas like its exhibition stands, particularly over the last couple of years, to make then outstanding. “The brand is always well presented and that gives off a great impression to everyone! The fact that they put effort and budget into how they are selling itself says a lot about the brand”.

 

About Gábor Glatz

Gábor was born into a very high profile and successful sporting family.

To his parents’ complete horror… after graduating from Sopron University as a Wood and Tree Engineer – he followed the lascivious siren call of rock ‘n’ roll, initially as a drum tech and then as an accomplished self-taught drummer.

He worked professionally for a series of bands during his early career including Pompadour, who were considered scandalous at the time for their outrageous gender-bending cross-dressing performances!

While Hungary was just getting used to shaking off communist rule in 1989, no-one had prepared themselves for these levels of freedom of expression!

Gábor proudly recalls one of his fondest memories of 1989, 16th September, when celebrating the Rendszerváltás and fall of the iron curtain.

Pompadour staged an impromptu gig on the back of a flatbed truck in central Budapest… bringing traffic and the whole of the bustling metropolis to a complete standstill!

So much so that the cops could not get there in time to do anything meaningful about the performance, and it took 23 minutes before they finally pulled the plug on the generator and brought the gig to an abrupt end!

The truck driver had by this time done a runner with the keys in the melee… and when the cops arrived, they also found he’d brought the vehicle to a halt with the front of it in one police district and the rear… in another!

Once they had agreed on which force would take on the geographic responsibility, a crane was deployed to remove the stranded truck from the road! However, Pompadour all escaped arrest as at the time, as it was not illegal to perform – even unannounced – live on a flatbed truck in the city!

Pompadour’s popularity was boosted further with this incident, and the new wave of fame ensured their shows were packed with fans for many years to come.

However, it was as a drummer for acclaimed blues rockers Back II Black that Gábor’s music career really took off as they became Hungary’s biggest band from the mid-nineties onwards.

Being a celebrity helped Gábor build the current businesses as he started investing initially in audio kit for the band in the early noughties, which was then followed by lighting... to ensure that they could always deliver great production values for their fans and audiences.

His first priority was to look after his own band, but soon he started receiving requests from others, and then from special events to design and supply audio and lighting systems as they were so impressed with Back II Black’s live shows.

So, he was essentially one of the pioneers of the modern entertainment technology industry developing in Hungary, a fact of which his is very proud.

Gábor still plays the drums and has some band activity on the go in between running the companies, and although things are a little calmer and more organised now than they were in 1989, he still has the same massive zest for life and love for the industry which has been his lifeblood!

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