Anybody else getting a lot of Italian String Lighting requests?

[rickryan.com]

I've been toying with the adding ISL to my lighting offerings. To be honest, I've probably held back due to the labor and logistics of installation and tear-down. However, in the past couple of weeks I've fielded 4 inquiries with 3 jobs that will buy my uplighting IF I can also provide ISL. Apparently, the big boy lighting company has developed packages that they've teamed up with several area venues. No per-foot pricing, just flat rate and here's the pictures to show you exactly what you're getting. Guess it's time to pony up and make it happen as it seems that staying out will only cost me jobs in the future. Anyone else seeing an uptick in these?

 

[TwinSpinDJ]

Where's the pic?

 

[Ausumm]

I haven't gotten any requests for a DJ gig,
but we use those lights in TENT events all the time.
In a tent, they are VERY labor intensive. UP and down a ladder, over and over.
I can only imagine it's not any easy in a venue that has nothing to attach them to.

 

[B-Sharp]

Have you talked to the "big boy lighting company"? If they're teaming up with venues, they probably wouldn't mind teaming up with you, too.

 

[Steve Lynch]

Rick, 25 ft strings of LED Italian string lights were $10 after christmas at Target. I bought 700' of them.

I have had 2 or 3 calls for them, and I basically run monofilament High test Fishing line, and string it between them. It looks hot, and goes up and down in no time.

Keep an eye out online.. Phillips makes them, and ..... well, Damn! I just found them online....
http://www.target.com/p/philips-25c...tring-lights/-/A-12285336#prodSlot=medium_1_1

guess they're still available..

They are much easier to work with than glass bulbs, look great, and travel really well on a big roll.

 

[rickryan.com]

Rick, 25 ft strings of LED Italian string lights were $10 after christmas at Target. I bought 700' of them.

I have had 2 or 3 calls for them, and I basically run monofilament High test Fishing line, and string it between them. It looks hot, and goes up and down in no time.

Keep an eye out online.. Phillips makes them, and ..... well, Damn! I just found them online....
http://www.target.com/p/philips-25c...tring-lights/-/A-12285336#prodSlot=medium_1_1

guess they're still available..

They are much easier to work with than glass bulbs, look great, and travel really well on a big roll.

Steve, no offense, but I don't want to sell Christmas lights as ISL. I'm looking at commercial-grade stringers with 15-watt globe bulbs, probably going to use 2 ft spacing and 100 foot segments with a dimmer on every segment. I'm thinking most jobs will end up 2 or 3 segments and looking to price them at $1.50 to $2 per foot ($400-$600) per event. The biggest problem now is having to basically custom quote every job, given that not every venue is setup to install easily. Some have rafters we can zip-tie to but others are going to require free-standing stands with counter-weights to hold everything in place. I've really been moving slow on this one as it's a larger add-on monster than anything else I've tackled.

 

[Bill Kexel]

This seems to moving into an entire different direction from just providing audio & a few uplights.
Now we are talking about ladders & lights that hang above guests.
I wonder what type of liability insurance you need if you offer this service?
Wll your DJ insurance cover you? I'd hate to find out the hard way.

 

[Proformance]

This seems to moving into an entire different direction from just providing audio & a few uplights.
Now we are talking about ladders & lights that hang above guests.
I wonder what type of liability insurance you need if you offer this service?
Wll your DJ insurance cover you? I'd hate to find out the hard way.

The exact insurance question is: will your policy cover: line-voltage strings with unprotected glass bulbs? Because, ANYTHING that breaks a bulb leaves open the live exposed filament posts. Guess what happens when it comes in contact with a metal tent pole? Wet carpet? A tall person doing the YMCA?

Not to mention the math.

15watts, 2Ft is 750w /string, more than a typical 600w dimmer can handle, and 2 strings is more than a 15a breaker can sustain long term. It's also right near the sustained limit of a 20a breaker and over the limit of 1K dimmer.

The key to midway lighting is being a good electrician, having multiple types of bulbs available, and the ability to wire systems in series for the right voltage/power match. Maybe if you get LED bulbs you can avoid having to think about it too much for the average wedding venue.

Then there is the code - which in the case of lighting can vary right down to the specific city or venue. If you notice - midway bulbs in high pedestrian traffic areas, or decorative and signage lamps within arms reach, are required to be inside a high-impact plastic or glass cover.

Which reminds me - using 2 wire Zip cord and lifting the ground on up lights (LED or otherwise) is a big No No. The tragedy plays out like this: someone kicks over your fixture and internal damage brings one of the supply conductors in contact with the chassis. Next person comes along to pick it up and gets shocked because the "short" that normally would have tripped the breaker when the fixture broke had no ground path to occur. If your fixture has a grounded cord you need to maintain that ground. Use a 3-conductor Zip wire and grounded connectors if you want a flat cable.