Arena Monterrey’s production manager Abraham Barrios oversees all things technical and production-related in the busy venue, which has a 14-17,000 capacity depending on the configuration, and he is delighted with the RoboSpots which were delivered by Robe’s Mexican distributor, Showco.

All the major local and international touring artists will make a stop in Monterrey, the capital of the northeastern Mexican state of Nuevo León, a thriving commercial and industrial hub surrounded by scenic mountain ranges.

They stage around 10 large shows and concerts a month, which can double to 20 or more during the main seasons, plus indoor sports like arena football and basketball. Most of the music shows will be in and out in a day, around 50% will have production supplied locally, with the others bringing in their own kit, and the vast majority using the house follow spots.

The decision to purchase the RoboSpots was made by senior technical manager and production director Francisco Paz Botello in conjunction with Abraham and his crew, who also solicited opinions from their regular freelance lighting techs.

Several options of modern follow systems were considered before deciding on Robe, which was chosen for its speed, zero latency, and user-friendliness.

The traditional old 2.5K follow spots that Arena Monterrey owned have been replaced, while the 22,300-capacity Arena CDMX in Mexico now has its own in-house system for the first time, so they can also save budget by not having to rent in follow spots.

The RoboSpots have proved hugely more flexible. The follow spots can be easily moved to suit each production’s specific needs, but in Arena Monterrey, their most popular position is rigged between the FOH and the scoreboard at around 10 metres high, with a throw distance to the stage of around 20 metres.

The operators can work much more comfortably and safely either stationed at FOH or deployed backstage, again according to different show needs.

“It’s a massive improvement,” comments Abraham. Apart from being able to move them around very quickly and easily, he also noted that incoming productions “are always happy” to see the RoboSpot / FORTE combination on the technical rider.

Their local follow spotting team were also very excited to get the upgrade. Showco provided training sessions where they learned the operating philosophy very quickly, with some also having a bit of prior RoboSpotting experience, either through incoming productions or touring with artists bringing in their own.

Abraham, who started his industry career as a follow spot operator, first saw RoboSpots in action whilst working at the Auditorio Telmex in Guadalajara. Another early impression from there was from a show where MegaPointes were utilised as manual follow spots.

He progressed up the ranks to stage management, rigging and then production management, so he doesn’t engage in the art of follow spotting anymore, but is still very aware of the key elements that can improve the efficiency and working lives of follow spotters. “This system is extremely good, and Robe is a worldwide market leader, so it is a great asset in all our venues!” concluded Abraham.

He has just been appointed as production manager at the brand-new 20,000-capacity Arena Guadalajara, opening on 25th April 2025. The venue is designed by KMD architects and is inspired by Guadalajara’s local landscapes and colourful materials … and, naturally, they will be using the new RoboSpots!

Photo Credit: Louise Stickland