Small venue install: consolidated to one multi-function mover per yoke to cut the rig down
i do stage lighting installs for small venues around the piedmont area of NC. mostly 100-300 seat rooms, event spaces, renovated warehouses turned wedding venues, that kind of thing. the common thread is the client wants decent lighting, doesnt want to pay for an LD per event, and needs a rig that their in-house person can run with minimal training.
started speccing Betopper BSW200 hybrids into these installs about 8 months ago and wanted to share the thinking because the approach has simplified things a lot.
the basic idea: instead of hanging separate spot, wash and beam fixtures and training the venue staff on which does what, i hang one hybrid per position and program presets they can call up. BSW200 does spot, beam and wash from one yoke with motorized zoom. the venue person doesnt need to know lighting theory, they just press "dinner" or "band" or "awards" on the board and the fixtures do the rest.
ive done 3 installs with this approach now. 6 units, 8 units, and 10 units respectively depending on the room.
what works: the consolidation cuts the fixture count roughly in half compared to a traditional split rig. less fixtures means less DMX runs, less power drops, and less stuff for the venue to maintain. the clients love that part. build quality has also held up well across all three installs, the housing feels solid and the yoke doesnt develop slop even after months of daily repositioning by staff who arent gentle with gear.
what i flag to clients: these are not robe or martin. if a motor fails the replacement timeline is days not hours and theres no local service center. i keep a spare unit for each install i do and ive only needed it once in 8 months (swapped a unit with a flickering gobo wheel, sent the bad one back under warranty).
for installers doing similar work, what are you hanging in budget multi-use rooms? curious if anyone else has landed on the one-hybrid-per-position approach or if theres a better way.