Located in Port-Bouet on the Atlantic coast of West Africa’s Côte d’Ivoire, the Abidjan Exhibition Centre is the largest exhibition centre in West Africa and sub-Saharan Africa, with a capacity of 6000-seated and 10,000 standing.

Designed by architect, Pierre Fakhoury, it first opened its doors in July 2023 to host trade shows, fairs and major events in the region. Its elegant sweeping exterior is matched by its advanced technology within. Its halls are equipped with a consignment of Ayrton Zonda 9 FX, Eurus and Huracán LED fixtures, specified by G.S.L lighting designer, Guillaume Sarrouy and supplied by PFO Construction and the State of Ivory Coast for installation by G.S.L of Avignon, France.

G.S.L. explains the reasons for its choice of Ayrton fixtures: “G.S.L. has worked with Ayrton products on several occasions and we find they meet our specifications for any event. Ayrton always produces quality products with great features that meet our expectations and reflect technological innovation, including for product tracking and referencing. We also have experience of using Ayrton lighting for permanent architectural installations, such as at Le Nuage in Montpellier in 2015.”

In the Abidjan Exhibition Centre, the new Ayrton fixtures are used for classic stage lighting and also for architectural enhancement during events within the hall. The installation is designed to be modular with all fixtures distributed on moveable truss above the audience and on stage.

“In our search for new lighting fixtures we needed something that would meet every artistic requirement, whether on stage, in the public space or in architectural settings. In such a large area, that meant powerful spotlights capable of illuminating every point.

“We also needed a range of fixtures that would cover the full spectrum of lighting types including wash, spot, follow spot and gobo, and colorimetry adapted to the stage and architectural space, with the best possible colour rendering index.”

Since the Exhibition Centre is equally suited to theatre, dance, concerts, conventions, and meeting projects, G.S.L. had to be sure to equip it with an inventory capable of adapting to all these different events.

“We chose to base the lighting for this space solely on Ayrton kit, purchasing 20 Eurus and 16 Huracán fixtures as our work horses, and 16 Zonda 9 FX as our effects lighting.

“We chose Zonda 9 FX as the fixture with the widest possible range of capabilities, enabling us to produce a multitude of effects to complement the pixelated space of the screen installed upstage, as well as clean, state-of-the-art lighting.”

G.S.L’s lighting designer, Guillaume Sarrouy, was “particularly impressed with Zonda 9 FX’s pixel characteristics, the power of each of the fixtures chosen, the choice of gobo and, overall, the quality of the light emitted for any application be it TV, concert, or theatre.”

G.S.L. expands further: “At several events where other fixtures were added to the inventory, it became clear that our choice of Ayrton was the right choice, and that the Ayrton fixtures really stand out above the others.

“We make it a point of honour to offer our customers quality products, and Ayrton products are very well constructed, and perfectly suited to modern lighting boards and for use in conjunction with other devices.

“Programming is easy, and we will continue to work with Ayrton and its products as they continue to meet our needs.”