Back in March, as COVID-19 sent Britain into an unprecedented national lockdown, Luminous Show Technology Director, Ed Samkin, answered the call-to-arms from the UK government to businesses capable of diversifying into replenishing the UK PPE supplies.
Alongside grave concerns that PPE stocks were not going to be enough Luminous saw that technicians and freelancers were falling through the gaps, with regard to government support schemes, and grew more determined to create a sustainable lifeline to help support them. Just a week or two after lockdown, in early April, the team had designed and produced a CE certified professional face visor and, using the same ingredients as usually fuels their flame-projectors, a WHO-standard hand sanitiser. Within days, Luminous Show Technology began to donate products to hospitals, care homes and other healthcare organisations in desperate need of protection in the fight against Covid-19.
Ed Samkin, Sales and Projects Director for Luminous explained: “It started as a call to arms from the UK government, requesting British manufacturers to step up and fill the void during the PPE shortage which has evolved far beyond our initial expectations. We found a curious parallel between entertainment and healthcare as within our usual business sector ‘the show must go on’, no matter what challenges are thrown in your way. It transpires this is exactly the same in the medical industry, for example we got a request from an NHS trust to produce 6000 bottles of sanitiser as quickly as possible and our team were able to fill, label, pack and deliver within 36 hours, which was 2 days earlier than expected.”
The diversification into PPE for Luminous Show Technology has been explosively successful so far, in this perilous time for our industry. Alongside the NHS trust supply, they have expanded quickly to support fulfilment to Historic Royal Palaces, numerous leisure facilities, pubs and other workplaces – all preparing to reopen safely. Luminous have created ‘Back to Work’ PPE packs, to help ensure a safe workspace, giving staff maximum peace-of-mind. The focus now is how they can 360 their gold-standard PPE back into the events industry; they hope to play a key role in its rebirth and support the huge number of other businesses, that cannot diversify, to get back to work.
Luminous Show Technology have partnered with cult entertainment transport company Transam Trucking, to get PPE supplies out to Kensington Palace this week. Transam’s rock and roll, big, black trucks are usually seen hauling the touring gear for the likes of The Rolling Stones, Elton and The Cure, but the pandemic’s effect on the live entertainment industry has seen them hurriedly rise to the challenge of diversification also. Luminous are actively seeking partnerships and synergies to support and work with other businesses within this incredible industry.
Do you need to get your workforce or audience back in quickly and safely? Does your venue, facility or office need to get with the new normal fast and offer PPE, branded hand sanitiser stations and consumables? This is an issue we will have to deal with for some time, so make the choice to buy British to support our economy, support our industry wherever you possibly can and, for longevity, always, but always choose the best.
