Speed, integration, networking, and multi-purpose operation are some of the factors driving the transformation of the entertainment industry today. For Alejo Arce, Regional Manager for Latin America at MA Lighting, the future of live productions lies in the ability to connect technologies, operators, and disciplines within a single platform. It is a vision that supports the growth and increasing complexity of productions throughout the region.
ONSITE | Latin America
The entertainment industry in Latin America is experiencing a period of constant transformation. Productions continue to grow in scale, new technologies are being incorporated, and the interaction between different disciplines is becoming increasingly complex. For MA Lighting, this scenario represents an opportunity to continue strengthening a platform designed to meet the needs of an industry that demands speed, reliability, and integration.
Alejo Arce, Regional Manager for Latin America at MA Lighting, believes the region is experiencing a particularly dynamic moment, where technological evolution is advancing at the same pace as production demands.
“We see Latin America as a territory in constant expansion and growth, not only in terms of the products emerging in the market today, but also because of the scale and complexity of the productions being developed year after year,” he stated.
This evolution is reflected in highly demanding environments where multiple operators, artists, disciplines, and systems must work together in a coordinated manner. Television productions, international festivals, and large-scale shows now require platforms capable of performing in environments where stability is an essential requirement.
“Today we see productions with multiple users, many artists, and live broadcasts where nothing can fail. That is why it is so important for us as a company to be present, providing on-site support, explaining how to work with these systems, and how to improve the performance of these types of productions,” explained Arce.
Beyond the technological development of the platform, a fundamental part of MA Lighting’s strategy in Latin America is directly linked to supporting users and distributors throughout the region. Alejo Arce and the company’s support team maintain a constant presence at some of the continent’s most important events, collaborating in the planning, preparation, and operation of large-scale productions.
Over the past year, MA Lighting has provided technical support and training at leading festivals and events such as Lollapalooza Brasil, Lollapalooza Chile, Lollapalooza Argentina, and the Festival Internacional de Viña del Mar, among many others. This collaborative work allows the company to support distributors, programmers, operators, and lighting designers in some of the industry’s most demanding environments, reinforcing the brand’s commitment to education, specialized support, and the continuous development of the Latin American market.
However, for MA Lighting, today’s challenge goes beyond lighting. The industry increasingly demands integration between technologies that historically operated independently.
“Users are looking for speed, integration, and a platform that allows them to interact with video systems, lasers, pyrotechnics, and other technologies from a single control environment. One system, one platform, and a single point of control,” he noted.
This trend can be observed even beyond the world of festivals and international touring productions. Arce cites the growth of applications in churches and houses of worship as an example, where a single platform is capable of controlling multiple elements of a production.
This vision helps explain why MA Lighting continues to focus much of its development on its software ecosystem and the evolution of its features rather than simply adding hardware.
“For us, the system is more important than the product. Our differentiator lies in how we work with software and in the number of features we can offer the market with each new version,” he said.
One of the pillars of this philosophy is the platform’s operational consistency. Regardless of the size of the console being used, the programming experience remains unchanged.
“Our system is the only one that is replicated across every console model, from the largest to the smallest. Today, a user can work with grandMA onPC using the new grandMA3 onPC DMX-key and find exactly the same operating environment they would have on a full-size console,” he emphasized.
The arrival of this new solution reflects that strategy precisely. Access to more compact solutions makes it possible to expand the platform’s reach without altering the user experience, facilitating the growth of new users within the grandMA3 ecosystem.
Versatility also remains one of the brand’s historical strengths.
Unlike platforms associated with specific applications, MA Lighting has established a strong presence across multiple segments of the industry. “MA Lighting has always been used in major shows, but it is also increasingly common to find it in television, theaters, special effects, and other environments,” Arce stated.
For Alejo, however, one of the most important challenges in the coming years will not necessarily be related to fixtures or consoles, but rather to the ability to connect systems.
“What is still needed today, at different levels, is to continue working more on networking and interaction between platforms. That is one of the areas where we place the greatest emphasis because network strength and system interaction are fundamental to the future of the industry,” he explained.
This vision responds to an increasingly common reality in contemporary productions, where lighting, video, automation, lasers, media servers, and other disciplines must operate in sync within the same technological infrastructure.
MA Lighting’s growth in the region is also closely linked to the work carried out alongside its distributor network. For the company, local support and continuous training are fundamental elements in supporting the market’s evolution.
“We always seek to provide more education and more support to our distributors because they are the ones who accompany users and bring that experience to each market,” said Arce.
This strategy has helped strengthen the brand’s presence throughout Ibero-America, fostering a technical community that is increasingly prepared to meet the challenges of international-level productions.
As part of that commitment, MA Lighting will continue to develop an intensive training agenda throughout the year together with its distribution network in the region. These training sessions will include new grandMA3 software features, advanced networking applications, system integration, and specialized education on the latest additions to the brand’s ecosystem.
“We will continue working with our distributors on training related to new features, new technologies, networking applications, and new products. Education remains a fundamental part of our growth in the region,” he concluded.
Without a doubt, MA Lighting is committed to strengthening what it considers its main differentiator: a platform capable of connecting people, systems, and disciplines within a single operating environment. Because for Latin America’s most demanding productions, the future is no longer just about controlling lighting, but about integrating the entire experience.
