Ayrton Domino Profiles ‘Light the Lamp’ at Košice’s Steel Arena

Steel Arena in Košice is one of the most important multifunctional halls in Slovakia. It has twice hosted the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championships and is the home venue of the hockey club HC Košice, nine-time Slovak champion and holder of two Czechoslovak titles, which plays in the highest Slovak hockey league, the TIPOS Extraliga.

As part of a comprehensive reconstruction of the ice rink lighting, 8 Ayrton Domino Profiles, supplied by PRO MUSIC, s.r.o., Ayrton’s exclusive representative for the Czech Republic and Slovakia, were installed as effects lighting by PRO MUSIC’s long-time business partner Marcel Filko and his technical team from ma.cz.

Four Domino Profiles were rigged on a circular overhead video truss, and another four on the structure above the ice surface, two above each goal, from where the incumbent team makes full use of Domino Profile’s comprehensive gobo offering and effects package for ambient and interval lighting, and goal celebrations when the Domino Profiles really ‘light the lamp’!

“We needed powerful profile LED luminaires for the demanding conditions of the ice rink,” says Marcel Filko, owner and executive director of ma.cz. “For durability and minimal maintenance requirements, we required IP65 protection. During the same period I was coincidentally working with Michal Konštacký, product specialist from PRO MUSIC, s.r.o., on small wash lights for my mobile stage. We talked a lot about the technical details of Ayrton products and got many useful technical and application recommendations, after which we invested in Zondas and are extremely satisfied.

“The selection of the lights for the Steel Arena went the same way. Michal responded promptly, offered solutions based on technical knowledge, and good business terms and was able to deliver the lights on time. We decided to go with Ayrton again and once again the decision proved to be the right one.”

“When we first lit up Domino above the ice, we were very surprised by the intensity and quality of the display of graphic motifs on the ice surface, in any colour and with various complex gobo graphics,” comments the Arena’s  technical team and the ma.cz technicians who helped with the configuration of lights and lighting console. “The gobos are very distinctive and perfectly sharp across the entire surface. And even though Domino hangs relatively high, the effect it creates on the ice surface and in the auditorium will certainly not be lost even under the flood of light from the newly installed hall lighting. And that is exactly what a prestigious Extra League arena like this one needs.”

The installation was completed on 23 September 2024.

Text: Julie Harper
Photos: © Marcel Filko, ma.cz