The Czech and Slovakian girls – renowned for their natural beauty, feistiness and poise – were further enhanced by Martin’s use of Robe moving lights which made up a large element of the rig installed into the Slovenské Národné Divadlo venue in Bratislava.

The show also featured live entertainment and music from British singer, musician and DJ Sonique, Czech rocker Petr Kolar, Slovak talent TV star Patricia Janeckova and other celebrities gracing the guest list were footballer Filip Jankovic and fashion designer Ema Klein.

Martin’s brief from clients STV1 and the Ibismoda model and event agency were to make the lighting beautiful and the stage and the room look lavish, attractive and exciting for the occasion.

He worked closely with set designer Dano Šichma, who adapted the original set designed by Miťo Ferenčík for the National Theatre’s production of Netopier (The Bat) for this show.

The stage and scenic elements included elaborate mirrored columns running down each side and a prominent staircase at the back. There was also a bridge above the upstage entrance / exit - made up of moving LED panels - with a further set of large LED screen flown at the very back of the space.

The Robe count included 10 x ROBIN MMX Spots and 48 x ROBIN LEDBeam 100s, 24 x ROBIN 600 Beams and 20 x ROBIN 300 Beams, four ColorWash 1200E ATs and 10 x ColorMix  575s.

Behind the opening LED wall were pillars rigged with ROBIN 600 Beams that were used for dramatic back-lighting combining powerful projection and beam capabilities.

An 8 x 3 metre ‘wall’ was created with the Robin 100 LEDBeams – hung flat above the stage ceiling for some of the show and flown in for special scenes to create a full retina-burn-out effect!

Martin comments that the LEDBeam 100s are “Amazing! Unbelievably fast and bright with excellent beams. The light weight (4.5 Kgs) means you can use more units and easily build up moving blocks of light as we did here for the celling / wall which made for a jaw-dropping TV effect”.

On the MMX Spots he really appreciates the Hot-Spot control and the very clear, high-clarity light output.

He programmed and ran the lightshow using a grandMA2 full size console, with another running all the video content.

All lighting, LED and sound equipment for ‘Face of The Year’ was supplied by leading Slovakian rental company Q-99.

The show was a massive success and has received much positive feedback. It has been hailed as one of the best beauty contests ever to be staged in Slovakia, with its innovative scenography and excellent lighting design, which kept everything looking fresh and vibrant for two hours.

This year also there was more than the usual crop of stunning looking girls. Normally only one of the 12 finalists will go through to the next round, but this year three were chosen, with seven out of the 12 immediately offered high profile modelling contracts!