M&S Showtechniek is a full production and rental company based in Amersfoort, The Netherlands, run by Directors, Pim Muller and Jeroen van der Stap. They started the company in 2011 while still at high school and formalised the structure as soon as they graduated – deciding to target the delivery of quality events wanting an imaginative approach and quality production values. From the outset, they kept ploughing profits into new and innovative equipment, a policy that soon led them to Robe moving lights.
The first Robe fixtures to join the M&S inventory were 24 LEDBeam 150s in 2017. M&S Showtechniek was among the first companies in the Netherlands to invest in these moving lights. This purchase doubled their moving light inventory and was delivered by Robe’s Benelux distributor, Controllux. “The LEDBeam 150 was the right fixture at exactly the right time for us,” recalled Muller.
Now, around 90% of M&S’s business is supplying corporate and B2B events, while still service parties and events for their friends – working nationwide. “We’ve been delighted with the LEDBeam 150s,” enthused Jeroen.
This was followed up with the purchase of 12 miniPointes which Muller says have been “extremely reliable and work brilliantly.”
In autumn 2024, the firm’s Robe stock was boosted again with the purchase of 16 PAINTES. “It’s advantageous in our world to have the choice of dynamic lighting through using more smaller fixtures than fewer larger ones for most events,” explained Muller. “It’s faster, brighter and also more subtle than the VIVA CMY, so a big leap forward from Robe in terms of a smaller fixture.”
This time around, framing shutters were a must, so PAINTES ticked all the technical and creative boxes and are “super bright for such a compact light,” confirmed van der Stap.
While TE (TRANSFERABLE ENGINE) technology was not a dealmaker in this case, they both think it’s very handy to have the option of replacing or swapping the light source at some future juncture. van der Stap stated that after the excellent experiences with the LEDBeam 150s and miniPointes, this time they went directly to Robe once they heard about the PAINTE – they didn’t seek out other potential alternatives.
They had also visited the Robe factory in the Czech Republic during 2023 and were suitably impressed with the care and precision that goes into fixture production, and the fact that they are properly manufactured in Europe. “This is actually a big deal – we like it being genuinely European,” noted Muller.
van der Stap added that Robe is a well-known and recognised brand that “everyone is happy to work with, and the quality and excellence is in line with the business model on which M&S Showtechniek is built and developed.”
M&S Showtechniek supplies approximately 600 events a year of all sizes and complexities, from very large multi-level full productions to smaller and more straightforward dry hires, and currently Pim and Jeroen are working alongside two full time technical staff and a regular pool of experienced and enthusiastic freelancers who embrace their passion, work ethic and energy.
