ILC, pioneer company in using Elation Proteus IP luminaires

As early adopters of Proteus IP rated lighting from Elation, the specialist Intelligent Lighting Creations has helped redefine outdoor lighting and continues to expand its use, with the 'Morton Arboretum' project’ as a referent.

Based in the US state of Illinois, Intelligent Lighting Creations (ILC) was the first company to make a significant investment in the first generation of Elation's Proteus series con IP rating, at the end of 2016.

The acquisition of the luminaire Proteus Beam IP65 marked the beginning of a transformative journey that would end up revolutionizing automated lighting for outdoor events from this specialist.

Scott Falbe, who founded ILC more than thirty years ago, remember the beginnings when outdoor lighting meant wrapping indoor luminaires in rain gear. "At first, It was about covering them with domes or plastic to use them outdoors.. Over time, we invested in some of the first with IP ratings, as Elation Level Q7IP Par. Then, when Proteus hit the market, “It radically changed our way of doing outdoor shows.”.

ILC became a store known for its outdoor accessories and was the first to adopt the Proteus line, launching it in the project Lightswitch, called Morton Arboretum a Lisle (Illinois), in 2016.

“We had four beta versions of Proteus Beam and collaborated with John Featherstone, de Lightswitch, to highlight with them a new section of the experience Illumination -remember Scott-. That first year we subjected them to the harsh Chicago winter, and they worked so well that we decided to invest in more units”.

ILC and Elation learned a lot in those initial projects, and Scott and his team provided valuable contributions to the R&D department from the manufacturer that would influence the development of the Proteus line. Challenges such as the combination of cold temperatures and humidity typical of early winter in Chicago, led to minor hardware modifications, mainly to remove internal steam.

After eight lighting seasons in Morton Arboretum, which together add up to almost two years of solid outdoor use, Proteus Beam luminaires have proven their durability with minimal problems, despite difficult weather conditions.

Over time, the project Morton Arboretum switched from using indoor moving heads in protection domes to exclusively using Elation Proteus moving heads for outdoors.

The Proteus line was further developed with the profile of Maximus framing and the Excalibur long beam light. ILC also invested in the wash effects luminaire Rayzor 760 from the range, which is mainly used in festivals and special events.

ILC's extensive use of Proteus luminaires goes beyond garden shows and extends to projects throughout the year, which makes this company the one that has the most Proteus luminaires in the United States.

As Scott assures, “Proteus has been so reliable that it has radically transformed our approach to outdoor shows.”. We no longer have to deal with luminaires that require support equipment to support them with covers when the weather is bad., nor invest in domes”.

According to this manager, The sector is also realizing the advantages of IP indoor luminaires. “The weight has dropped considerably.”, but the fact that they do not absorb moisture, dust, dirt or debris, both indoors and outdoors, really reduces maintenance”.

The reliability and longevity of Proteus luminaires is another advantage that this manager highlights, who notes that ILC still has the vast majority of the original Beam models in active rental inventory, even after years of use.

The partnership between ILC and Elation has been mutually beneficial, as Proteus has gone from being a new IP-rated solution to becoming a proven benchmark in the automated outdoor lighting. The line continues to evolve with the latest models, included Hybrid Max, Odeon, Radius y Atlas, all IP66 to offer an even higher level of resistance.