ASL SYSTEMS

All About EVE

Based in Bayswater, in Melbourne’s outer east, ASL Systems have been supplying lighting solutions across Victoria for over 20 years. Originally started by Steve Webb, a gun sales rep for PRG, the business is now helmed by his son, Jon Webb. ASL initially sold consumables to theatres around Australia, then transitioned into supplying and installing full lighting systems in town halls, schools, and theatres. The LED transition supercharged the business, and it now offers a range of services including design, training, and ongoing maintenance.

Despite being born into a lighting family, Jon chose another path after school. “I took up a plumbing apprenticeship,” confides Jon, “but then I decided to step in to ASL and help Dad. Over the last few years, I have developed a love for the industry. Nothing’s better than seeing a completed installation and the customers happy.”

ASL Systems deal with all the major lighting distributors, but have been having particular success in their school and small theatre market with AVECorp and their brand Chauvet DJ. “AVECorp’s James Pavey is our sales rep, and I’ve been working with him over the last three years. He brought ASL on board to fit out a small primary school lighting rig which included a lot Chauvet DJ EVE series, which have since become a major seller for us.”

Chauvet DJ’s EVE series is a range of small, affordable LED fixtures, and currently includes eight models, covering spot, pin, wash, Fresnel, and ellipsoidal models in colour and white. They’re fanless, versatile, and designed with small stages and tight budgets in mind.

“The Chauvet DJ EVE range is perfect for our market,” divulges Jon. “As far as bang for buck goes, they’re hard to beat. The brightness, the functionality, the two-year warranty, and the reliability are major factors. I know I can put the EVE range into a theatre, and I’m not going to have to go back every 12 months and repair anything. Some primary schools have a lighting bar seven metres high, and they don’t have height access equipment. It doesn’t make sense to charge $800 for height access equipment just to repair a $1,000 product. Reliability is paramount, and that’s why I tend to quote EVE models first.”

A typical school set up for Jon includes Fresnels across the first two bars, plus a couple for curtain warmers. Then, five or six EVE E-100Z profiles on the front of house bar. “The EVE E-100Z is a warm white profile,” explains Jon. “It’s our biggest seller. Our school designs are pretty standard. We have a front of stage wash, middle stage wash, backstage wash, a warm white wash, and a colour wash, plus curtain warmers and spots. We’ll also include an easy-to-use desk like an LSC Mantra, and programme some states for them.”

When not installing into modest school set-ups, Jon and ASL often find themselves in theatres and concert venues. “We recently provided the Australian National Academy of Music at Abbotsford Convent with a lighting upgrade package,” says Jon. “In addition to teaching and performances, they often film in the venue. They had an issue with their existing Fresnels, which were being heard when filming. I called James Pavey at AVECorp and he recommended the convection-cooled EVE Fresnel. The customer got them, put them up, and was extremely happy. I haven’t heard from them since, which is good news!”

The EVE range is being constantly refreshed and updated. “Chauvet DJ have just released the EVE F-160ZQ colour Fresnel and EVE E-160ZQ profile,” relates Jon, “and I have literally today sold two E-160ZQs to a one-man production company in Gippsland to go into a theatre he looks after.”

Outside the EVE range, ASL Systems have had similar successes with other models. “I think we’ve sold more Chauvet DJ SlimPAR Pro H USB LED pars than anyone else in Australia,” posits Jon. “They are hot property! We’ve sold them to little schools and all the way up to professional theatres. Shepparton City Council’s major theatre, Riverlinks, has around 80 of them.”

In terms of moving lights, ASL has a go-to in the Chauvet DJ Intimidator range, in particular the Intimidator Spot 475ZX. “They’re just a really good fixture, and we’ve sold a substantial amount of them,” concedes Jon. “I’m quoting a job right now where the customer is looking to buy 16 movers. They currently don’t have any intelligent fixtures in their rig at all. I’m trying my hardest to get them to adopt the Intimidator Spot 475ZX. Yes, it’s about budget, but also reliability, and in comparing the 475ZX to the other fixtures they’re contemplating, it’s chalk and cheese; the 475ZXs just never need to come back.”

Beyond products and brands, there’s more to a company’s relationship with a supplier. “With AVECorp, it’s the after- sales support that we personally get from them,” affirms Jon. “There’s no problem too big that AVECorp can’t help us with it. They’re consistently looking at ways that we can help grow both our businesses.”

Part of that growth strategy is the implementation of a new lead generation and referral tool hosted on AVECorp’s website. “AVECorp often have customers that want someone to see their space and produce a design,” explains Jon. “As a distributor, that’s not their core business, so ASL Systems can provide that service. We’ve been working with them like this for a couple of years now, starting out small with a couple of jobs, but it’s now evolved to become much bigger.”