17 Amazing Event Lighting Effects
Skift Take
With the ability to cater to a range of budgets and to create branding or sponsorship opportunities, lighting can transform a venue and easily change the tone or mood of an event depending on what you want to achieve. As you will see from these examples, you don’t always need big, expensive rigging to create unique or amazing effects, just some creativity and imagination to transform your event or venue using effective lighting.
1. GOBO Branding
Using this custom glass GOBO via a source-four light fixture, creates an interesting effect and unique branding opportunity that can transform a space. Particularly effective in smaller venues and quite cost effective, GOBO or stencil lighting can be adapted to suit any brand, theme or idea.
Credit: L.A Event Lights
2. DIY Jars
A perfect budget idea that you can make yourself that can light an altar, outdoor space or even act as simple table decor. Plus you could opt for different colours and add a layer of protection by adding a lid if using outside and using battery operated lights (just make sure they don’t get too hot!)
3. LED Chandelier
These LED tube light chandeliers create a quirky effect which combined with the multiple colour choices provides a talking point and statement piece which definitely suits the opening of an art gala, which is the event for which they were designed.
Credit: Got Light
4. Faux Foliage
Don’t have the budget for a lot of flower displays or plants? Lighting can be a unique way to counteract this and get the effect you want, like this faux wall foliage.
Credit: Greenlight Creative
5. Lighting Box
Use trailing lights to create a unique area within a larger venue, whether it is a VIP enclosure or an intimate seating area. As you can see, this is a beautiful example of using event lighting in innovative ways to get the effect you want and provides an area that gets the attendees talking and would also facilitate networking too.
Credit: Event Vendor
6. Rustic Bulbs
Create stripped back, rustic effects by using string lit light bulbs with obvious elements to mimic vintage lighting. As you can see here, replacing traditional bulbs with soft lighting helped set the tone for this evening event.
Credit: Toby Edward
7. Bar Up Lights
Highlight signature drinks, cocktails or bottles available at a venue using these colour changing disco up lights on the bar. This can make waiting at the bar more interesting and interactive with attendees, improving the overall event experience.
Credit: Jinsmine Jin
8. High Lit Tables
Accentuate furniture and bring them to life by adding up lighting and stretchy fabric to create a cool effect like this one. They can be used to create a mood or simply help make furniture stand out for evening events.
Credit: Brian Wren
9. LED Outline
This exciting LED entrance is a fantastic frugal idea for making tents or temporary structures more interesting. It also provides a unique transition to the gala inside and changes the mood and vibe of the attendee so they are in the right frame of mood when they arrive!
Credit: Got Light
10. Giant Light Letters
Unique photo and sponsorship opportunities can be found in giant lettering but these lighting alternatives create a much more interesting effect that can easily transition from day to night. As you can see here you can go big or small and even use them to frame a stage for corporate events or as part of an outdoor photo area.
11. Outdoor Candlelight
This shows that sometimes it pays to keep things simple like with these soft battery operated candles and tree string lights. They provide enough mood lighting and help to light the pathway without being a hazard which is perfect for events with kids, evening gowns or outdoor winds. Battery lights are also beneficial if certain venues do not want wax or residue ending up on their pathways as the battery options are mess-free while still maintaining the same ambience as candlelight.
Credit: Cocoa And Confetti
12. Ceiling Silhouettes
Make use of ceiling space and create a moving light display like this one at a New Year’s Eve event this year. A simple white silhouette on a blue background is enough to create dancing figures and decorate a plain ceiling space or you could turn it into a sponsorship or branding opportunity as you have a larger space to work with.
Credit: Greenlight Creative
13. Hanging Perspex
This science museum wedding installation, made of hanging Perspex light pieces adds a fun element to this large venue and aims to lower the ceiling and make things more intimate. They are also customizable and can interact with music beats for jumping effects.
Credit: Joey Nicotera
14. Bistro Lighting
Transport your guests with simple and elegant bistro lighting that is a low-cost idea that is easy to construct as a temporary solution for outdoor events. This example shows the ambience that can be created regardless of the outdoor space you are dealing with.
#bistrolighting pic.twitter.com/bgS8eRcoRp
— R & J Entertainment (@RJ_Entertain) 10 avril 2017
Credit: R & J Entertainment
15. Crystal Trees
These illuminated indoor crystal trees are an impressive feature to get guests talking while also providing a great light source. As you can see here the combination of crystal and lighting helps to transform them into otherworldly feeling décor.
Credit: Phenomenon Creative Events
16. Stage Head Spotlights
This effect was created by adding four moving spotlights behind the stage to accentuate the backdrop and create moving GOBO’s on the formset as well as splashy effects on the ceiling. Tying in with lit fabric draping also nicely frames the stage and coupled with the logo projection creates an awesome sponsorship opportunity.
Credit: Meeting Tomorrow
17. Stage Light Show
For restricted venues where you can’t make many changes, such as in this church, you can use lighting to change the tone of the event and create a background colour. Combining LED wash lights with GOBO’s inside moving lights allowed the cobweb effect to be created against the background to add more stage dynamic.
Credit: Avent EQ
In Conclusion
Lighting can play an integral role in determining the tone and setting of an event and there are so many options available. Lighting can also be combined with other décor options such as fabrics, dry ice, stage designs or venue features to create amazing effects to boost user experience and wow your attendees.
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