Only last year, the Café Atlantique was acclaimed “the best disco bar in Italy”. Since it opened its doors in October ’95, Milan’s famous restaurant and music bar has become a fashionable haunt for major events, attracting the media, VIPs, models and big names from sport and show business, such as Bruce Willis, Naomi Campbell, Sylvester Stallone, Eva Herzigova and many more.
A popular location for the press, TV and photographers and famous for its quality music and impressive program of events, the Café Atlantique has every good reason to regain its former title this year, this time for some new lighting effects which have recently livened up its various corners.
CLAY PAKY’s latest intelligent POINT projectors have been installed to make two of Café Atlantique’s four bars change colour several times during the evening. They envelop the bottle cabinet and large steel bar counter in breathtaking kaleidoscope of colour, projecting beams of light that change from warm yellow to magenta, cobalt blue and emerald green, then back to yellow, red and blue.
“These lighting effects have given these two bars a new life, drawing more clients than ever before”, comments Giancarlo Guastalla, Café Atlantique’s art director. “Our clients love these special effects and I must admit we are selling more drinks due to this new attraction. Even the stage, which plays host to musicians, vocalists and live bands, now attracts much more attention with the subtle lighting of POINT MH moving projectors”.
POINT colour changers have also provided a more modular but equally impressive effect in Mulligan’s pub, one of Milan’s best-known venues noted for its wide range of quality beers (bottled or on tap) and sophisticated cuisine (including beer dishes). A permanent fixture in Italy’s most authoritative pub guides, Mulligan’s also hosts special events and loyalty programs organized by its owners, brothers Beppe and Lucio Bertoni.
A POINT color changer projects the pub’s logo onto the ground at the entrance, highlighting a Vespa emblazoned with the word Guinness – a prize for the luckiest and most loyal clients. Inside, a fixed cone of light illuminates the dishes of the day listed on a board next to the till. What used to be an inconspicuous wall menu now really catches the eye.
“This minor detail has actually given us more work in the kitchen”, reveals Beppe. “We are also selling more whisky and high quality distillates”. Behind the bar near the till is a collection of spirits, including fine single malts and distillates for connoisseurs. This cellar space is also enveloped in a subtle but eye-catching beam of light, which changes from green to red, yellow and blue – clearly drawing your attention as you walk past.
After a delicious dish and a fine beer, many of Mulligan’s clients are now attracted to this beautiful range of bottles which used to be hidden in a dark and dingy corner. This minor touch shows that all you need is new, high quality lighting to capture the attention – and of course boost consumption and revenue.