AVL Creative, a company of the Display Group in Detroit, has acquired Fantasee Lighting and its FLI Rigging division, which is expected to be valued at more than $20 million.
Display Group is a collective of companies serving the event industry by providing an all-inclusive solution for their client’s event initiatives. AVL Creative’s acquisition of Fantasee Lighting and FLI Rigging expands the group’s offering for event planners.
“We want to offer our clients a seamless production experience and with the addition of Fantasee Lighting, we now have a full suite of event services under one roof,” says Rick Portwood, founder and chairman of Display Group. “We now have over 100 employees dedicated to delivering professional meeting and event services for our clients.”
Fantasee Lighting was founded in 1976. Stefan Graf, owner and founder, will become a consultant under the Display Group umbrella.
“We will be making the move to Detroit over the next few months; we’ve wanted to be in the city for years so this is a bonus,” says Graf.
Display Group’s suite of capabilities include design, staging, audio-visual, event rentals, 3D fabrication, and with this acquisition, an even more dedicated lighting and rigging firm in house. Their clients include the Rocket Family of Companies, Detroit Homecoming, United Wholesale Mortgage, Magna International, Kelly Services, Detroit Pistons, Detroit Edison, and Autism Alliance of Michigan.
“Fantasee Lighting will keep its name and team under AVL Creative. Fantasee lighting is a leader in the lighting and rigging industry and we are honored to carry on the legacy that they have built,” says Mike McConnell, president of AVL Creative.
“Having their whole team and collection of services added to our group expands our national reputation and provides a bright future for the company and even more turnkey service offerings for our clients.”
