“I nominated Impressario some time ago,” explained Anton, “and completely forgot about it in the buildup to the conference and show! So I was pleasantly surprised when Impressario was announced as winner. This award means a lot to AVW, Impressario and myself. It is a stamp of approval from the industry and yet another success for Impressario.”

For over 20 years the ABTT has provided industry-wide recognition for exceptional products that serve the entertainment industry. Impressario stood out from the crowd, impressing the judges with its simplicity and effectiveness. “With Impressario,” explains Howard Bird, Executive Director of the ABTT, “AVW really shows that they thoroughly understand the demands of the end-user. Impressario isn’t just another product foisted onto the industry regardless of demand, it is an exceptional product that has been carefully evolved to meet the precise needs of its users. It deserved to win!”

Chosen as Product of the Year in the Engineering category for its timesaving abilities, Impressario also offers sophisticated computerised automation for rigging and scenery, at a significantly lower price than its rivals. Impressario is suitable for any motor and includes a generous 500 programmable cue capacity, advanced cue following facilities, group control and group synchronisation of scenery bars, plus a real-time virtual reality simulator.

The ABTT traditionally presented a generic award for best product, but with an increasingly diverse supply of products, in 2002 it was decided that in order to make the awards more focused and prestigious, three awards should be given: best lighting product, best engineering product and best widget. Alongside these the ABTT also presented awards for best technician, best student technician and the ABTT Lifetime Achievement award.

The philosophy behind the awards is “to bring exceptional products to the attention of a wider audience,” said Bird. “By doing this, we aim to encourage future developments of further outstanding products”. The committee of judges, whose identities are a closely guarded secret, consists of a mixture of end users chosen from across the industry to achieve a well-rounded and balanced decision.