disco das Nightlife Business Magazin November 2007

The global market leader of the laser show and multimedia industry just had reason enough to celebrate. A quarter century ago, Lothar Bopp had founded his company. About 300 selected guests were spellbound in the company headquarters in Aalen.
The beginnings of the history of LOBO electronic, founded by an 18-year-old Lothar Bopp at the onset of the general laser euphoria and thus making the most of an opportunity, were young and dynamic. 25 years later, the company still remains young and dynamic. Standing on the foundations of a creative spirit paired with technical innovations and perfection into every detail, LOBO has always remained true to its principles. This is one of the secrets of success of the studious entrepreneur, whose career had once started with light and sound installations in discotheques and dancing schools.
Hardly a minute passes without a LOBO show running somewhere around the world. On the seven seas, LOBO lasers entertain wealthy guests on “Queen Mary 2” as well as on the five newest ships of Costa, Europe’s largest shipping company, or on the vessels of Celebrity Cruises. LOBO has even installed widely visible laser beams on one of the largest private yachts in the world.
On Land, installations can primarily be found in amusement parks, but also in cinemas, planetariums and discotheques. The attractions in the Europa Park, the Hansa Park, or the new attraction “Amaceon” in Holiday Park are of supra-regional fame. The systems are also in use in planetariums. However, only insiders might be aware that most laser and multimedia installation of the show specialists from Aalen can be found outside of Germany: in amusement parks in Italy, Lebanon, Malaysia, Indonesia and China; but also in discotheques in faraway countries such as Chile, Korea and Argentina. Last year, 3.4 billion TV viewers watched the laser shows at the Asian Games in Qatar. Numerous large corporations, including BMW, EADS, Bayer or Microsoft, are also among the regular clients. Hence, LOBO employees are accustomed to travelling, as about 80 percent of all turnover is generated outside of Germany, about 60 percent even outside of Europe.
Unsurprisingly, the company has received trophies and awards from all around the world. LOBO’s show designers have received countless awards for their creative achievements, first and foremost the ILDA Award of the International Laser Display Association: In total, LOBO has received 97 of these ‘Laser Oscars’ – an undisputed record. On top of that, LOBO was also decorated with the LDI and SIB Awards, the International Show Award, the Golden Eye Award, the Innovation Award Ostwürttemberg and the Innovation Award of the State.
Obviously, this is only possible with a wide product range of the highest technical quality. LOBO has always been the proverbial step ahead of its competition. With groundbreaking concepts, it is still considered to be an often copied driver of innovations in the industry – be it with the first series of RGB color mixing units for laser shows, the first 3D real-time computer, or the first safety system for laser shows. Klaus Niester
    
Small steps, moving moments
Two questions for Lothar Bopp
disco Magazine: Is there such a thing as a secret recipe for success?                                                                                                                                                           Lothar Bopp: In our market, I saw many companies fail that became big after riding an initial wave of success, but then either overreached themselves or strayed from their path. On the other hand, LOBO’s success is the result of many small steps that were taken with conviction, resulting in a healthy and steady growth. Of course, a large part of this success is due to the personal dedication and skill of our employees. And obviously, you can’t forget the many clients that stuck with us for decades as true partners in business. Last but not least, some luck and good intuition to bring the right products onto the market at the right time also played an important role.
disco Magazine: Where there any special moments in your career?                                                                                                                                                            Lothar Bopp: LOBO was lucky enough to realize many exciting and also demanding projects all over the world. Each project has its own appeal and its own special challenges. Of course, adrenaline gets pumping when you are aware that 3.4 billion viewers see the results of your work live on TV, as was the case with the opening of the Asian Games in Doha last December. Product presentations, such as the presentation of the GL class during Mr. Zetsche’s first public appearance as CEO of Daimler-Chrysler and Mercedes-Benz, are also thrilling due to their particular demands. However, one event has moved me like no other: When a large LOBO laser system was installed in the Palace of the Republic on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the GDR, used for the first time at a classical concert for Mikhail Gorbachev, the masses outside chanted “We are the people”. After the show, Gorbachev said the famous words “Those who are late will be punished by life itself.” History up close, a unique experience!