FRANCE: Airstar, a world leader in lighting balloon technology for the event and staging industry, has been at the centre of the Val d’Isère Airstar Night Light since 2012. Every Thursday evening, between December and March, the manufacturer showcases various lighting technologies, and all its savoir-faire, to illuminate the French ski resort.
This year, over 30 Airstar lighting balloons of various shapes, sizes and colours were deployed: The Tourism Office square boasted a magnificent Star shaped balloon as well as four hanging Crystals of various sizes (130cm to 160cm), covered by a printed planet cover, while the main road hosted six Crystal Diamond 130, three air-inflated Stars 160 on a pole and 12x DMX controllable standalone Towair Evo Flame. A further four red Airstar Towairs (four metres high) lit up a live show.
During the ski holiday season, the Airstar Night Light proves to be a great point of differentiation for Val d’Isère. David Hemelsdael, Events and Entertainment Manager at the Val d’Isère Tourism Office, explained: “We were looking for a unique identity in order to stand out as a resort, and so sought an innovative lighting solution that would have a wow effect while being easy to deploy.”
In less than 10 minutes, the Tourism Office technical team can stop the traffic on the main road, cover it entirely with snow, and set up the entertainment activities as well as the lighting balloons with the help of an Airstar team. The centre of the village then becomes the stage of a lighting show like no other. Various animations brighten up the public as they wander about, using Airstar lighting solutions: ice sculpting, DJ sets, live performances, percussionists; all these animations create a magical and festive ambiance for all ages.
The Airstar Night Light also allows the lighting manufacturer to test and validate new lighting solutions such as the new « mobile » made of three Ball and Rock Delices attached under each Diamond and Star balloons, as well as the purposed built 160cm wide Crystal cover on a pole.
“We are simply delighted with the results. As far as I know, Airstar is the only company capable of offering cost effective solutions that are capable of lighting up a street so quickly. No wonder they are the undisputed leader in their field,” commented David Hemelsdael. “Our main challenge is to reinvent ourselves each year: last year we had a marine theme, with jellyfish and fish shaped balloons; this year we chose a galactic theme, and we are already working closely with Airstar on a new concept for 2016,” he concluded.
