Stephan Saremba on trends, growth and ISE 2026

How did you get your start in the industry?

I’m relatively fresh to the entertainment and live events industry specifically, but I’ve been working in adjacent fields since I was young. After university, I joined an architectural lighting controls company, where I worked for a total of 15 years, gaining experience as a product manager based in the US. 

Later, I took on a role with a control and signal management company, AMX, which was acquired by HARMAN Professional. This was when I had my first interaction with the exciting world of entertainment and live events. I was instantly interested and moved to MA Lighting International in April of 2020 to immerse myself in this sector further. I’m very happy to be in this industry. The sense of community and the passion for sharing knowledge and experiences within this field are unlike anything I’ve ever seen or felt.
 

How would you characterise the current global market landscape for entertainment lighting and control systems?

The way the entertainment and live events industry has expanded and accelerated in the last five years is remarkable. There’s a buzz of excitement within audiences and customers worldwide, and the people running events and spaces are determined to give everyone a memorable experience. 

At MA Lighting, we’ve seen that people want more effects and more dynamic visuals in the shows and venues they’re going to. For example, at theatre productions or sporting events, people expect a ‘rock’ n’ roll’ factor. Luckily, rock’ n’ roll is in MA Lighting’s DNA, allowing us to empower designers to create energetic venues, providing solutions that are flexible and future-proof. 

Can you expand a bit more on the challenges you believe AVL integrators, designers and specifiers are facing in the industry today?

One of the biggest challenges is the increasing need for interoperability. Venues and rental companies want control systems that integrate seamlessly within the wider context of the systems used on the project and their protocols. End devices are getting more complex, so everyone faces the challenge to handle everything in less time. 

At MA Lighting, our approach is to be system agnostic and provide tools that allow users to concentrate on their creativity, while ensuring that installations and venues can rely on a safe and flexible system. 

 We see strong growth opportunities in three key areas: theatre, architainment, and large-scale sporting venues. Regarding the latter, we have been very pleased to collaborate with creative and technical teams behind the FIFA World Cup 2026, figuring out how to provide a high-tech, dynamic experience for pre-show entertainment. 

Audiences continue to seek experiences that go beyond just the game, so pre-game shows that build anticipation and excitement are becoming an essential part of the event. This demand ultimately drives growth across our industry, as it means that venues come to us for the systems to help facilitate such shows. 

Another principal focus market for us is houses of worship. This is an area we are particularly passionate about. Many professionals working in entertainment today found their first jobs in their local churches, in much the same way many in the theatre world began through school productions. Because of this, we believe it’s important for MA Lighting to be present and engaged in the space.

On that note, one of our key goals is supporting those who are newer to the AVL industry. To put this into action, we will be launching a new product at ISE, the grandMA3 onPC DMX-key. This solution is designed to lower the barrier to entry into the MA Lighting ecosystem, with an added dedicated 'starter' version to make it easier for users to begin working with our tools and to grow with us over time. 

How does the MA Lighting ecosystem align with the specific workflows and goals of house of worship installations? 

House of worship productions are unique. The requirements they have are a mixture of those of concerts, professional broadcasts, and time-sensitive productions. So, for a house of worship show to be executed correctly, venues need a hybrid system that ticks all these boxes. 

This is one of the core strengths of the grandMA3 platform. In the house of worship market, some users, particularly those operating larger venues, are highly specialised lighting professionals and programmers. At the same time, many productions rely on volunteer technicians who need an interface that is approachable and easy to learn. grandMA3 is designed to support both ends of that spectrum.

We place a strong emphasis on making it easy to get started with MA Lighting, while still allowing experienced users to access deep levels of control as their skills develop. One example of this is the integrated Startshow file, which includes a range of preconfigured settings and structures, allowing users to begin working with their stage and fixtures immediately. From there, the system can be refined and customised in great detail.

Our goal is to offer a low barrier to entry alongside intuitive, streamlined workflows, ensuring that everyone involved, from volunteers to seasoned professionals, can focus on delivering the best possible experience.

On a similar note, what benefits does the grandMA3 system bring to architainment installations? 

The architainment vertical has the potential to rival the stage lighting market in terms of scale. In the past, architectural projects often focused on relatively simple effects, such as static or slowly changing colours. Today, those expectations have evolved dramatically. If you look at New Year’s Eve celebrations on landmarks like the Burj Khalifa or large-scale activations in Times Square, these are no longer just lighting displays, they are full-scale live shows with a strong entertainment character.

This shift plays directly to our strengths. MA Lighting enables designers to create sophisticated, dynamic effects with the same creative freedom they expect in concert and live event environments, while still working within the constraints of architectural structures.

Another critical requirement in architectural projects is seamless integration into existing network infrastructures. To support this, we have focused heavily on robust and transparent networking solutions. One example is our partnership with Luminex and the MA Network License, which allows users to clearly identify and monitor every MA device on the network. This level of visibility makes it significantly easier for system integrators to design, deploy, and manage complex architectural lighting networks with confidence.

What would you say are the defining USPs of the grandMA3 platform?

I think it would be fairly boring if I answered this with a simple list of specifications, so I prefer to look at it from a broader perspective. At MA Lighting, we truly dedicate ourselves to our users and creating the best stage lighting control possible. We wake up in the morning thinking about how to improve our systems for MA users, we work on them all day, and we probably dream about them at night too!

From the very early days of MA Lighting, scalability and flexibility have been central design principles. Users might start with operating our systems for a small show, and as their careers and responsibilities develop, they can grow and refine the solution. Equally, production companies sometimes have to handle a small event one day and a stadium tour the next – we want them to be able to utilise our equipment for both of these projects. The key is that users shouldn’t have to reinvent the wheel every time they work on something new. The system needs to be able to change alongside their needs. 

With grandMA3, you can use the same software, personal settings, and workflows whether you are running a laptop with a single output device or operating a large, multi-console system controlling a stadium-scale production. To enable this, we have developed a unique system architecture based on distributed networking components, which provides seamless redundancy and enables multiple users to program and operate the system simultaneously.

However, our greatest USP is our global community of MA users. I would confidently say that almost anywhere in the world, you can find a skilled grandMA programmer and a rental company that can supply MA equipment. Through our worldwide distribution and partner network, users also have access to local support and service wherever they are. In a global industry that is always working against the clock, this reliability and accessibility are a fundamental part of our brand promise.

How will MA Lighting present its systems at ISE 2026, and what can visitors expect to experience on the booth?

Stephan: Our key message at ISE is MA Lighting’s power in integration, specifically how the grandMA3 system supports different application areas, including sports venues, houses of worship, theatre, and dynamic architectural lighting. Venue owners, specifiers, and system installers will be able to experience how the MA system is designed for these environments and understand the specific benefits it offers for each application.

On the booth, visitors can explore real-world system setups using MA products, supported by interactive system maps that demonstrate how easily grandMA3 integrates within different venues and infrastructures. The goal is to make complex systems tangible and easy to understand, regardless of a visitor’s background.

At the same time, we are very conscious of MA Lighting’s strong heritage in concert touring and festivals, which remains a core part of our DNA. For our touring community, we have created a dedicated product demo and test area that includes a typical front-of-house setup.

Each day at ISE, we will host an ‘Operator Club’ event, where we will present the upcoming grandMA3 software version 2.4, showcasing new workflows and innovations. These sessions are also an opportunity for MA users to engage directly with our product management and development teams. And, of course, we’ll make sure there are cold drinks on hand as well! 

For users attending the trade show, what do you believe will be the most exciting or relevant takeaway from your presence there?

For those customers who already know MA and are working with MA, the grandMA3 onPC DMX-key product launch and the launch of the new Software Version will be the most exciting elements of our appearance at ISE. We invite everyone to engage and share their feedback on the new solutions.

For customers that don’t know much about MA Lighting but have always wondered about how to safely and effectively integrate a show control system, they need search no more. At ISE, we are happy to demonstrate solutions around several applications, including theatre, house of worship, architainment, stadiums, and all manner of venues. 

To close, I heard MA Lighting International is building a new headquarters. Can you share a bit more about this?

Yes, this is something we’re working on very hard! As you can imagine, the creation and construction process generates lots of interesting but welcome challenges. This new building will be a hub for the MA team, but also for our customers, users, and fans to come and experience the brand and, more importantly, the people behind it. All I’ll say for now is stay tuned for more details in 2026...

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More information

Find this interview and more news about ISE 2026 in Mondo-DR's January/February issue 2026.