A Vision-Driven Production House, Built on Collaboration and Creativity
In Light and Design isn’t just another event production company, it’s a creative powerhouse. Based in Denver, Colorado, and led by Alec R. Szuch, better known in the industry as “Red,” the company delivers everything from intimate weddings to sprawling festivals, high-end corporate conferences, activations, and touring events.
Though the company offers audio, staging, and staffing, lighting and visual design are where they truly shine.
To me, visual isn’t just video — it’s staging, lighting, drapery, atmosphere. We think about how every piece fits together to create a memory.
In Light and Design operates with a belief in “coopetition” — a mindset that values collaboration over competition. Whether working under their own brand or white-labeled for others, the team believes the best outcomes come from shared expertise and scalable systems.
The Problem: Disconnected Tools and Unscalable Workflows
Before implementing Rentman, In Light and Design faced growing operational challenges. With a ballooning inventory of over $1.5 million in gear and upwards of 500 shows a year, their old systems — manual spreadsheets, text threads, calendar apps — just couldn’t keep up.
It was a struggle, but now, with Rentman, we’ve eliminated accidentally double-booking gear or losing track of communications. We were growing fast but had no central system. We needed more than just control — we needed clarity.
The Turning Point: Discovering Rentman at LDI
After attending the Live Design International (LDI) conference in 2022, Alec’s team came across Rentman—and everything clicked.
What began as a casual demo quickly evolved into a full platform rollout. Seth and the team took the reins and began customizing Rentman to fit every aspect of In Light and Design’s workflow.
We'd used other systems before, but they felt dated and clunky. We wanted something modern, mobile, and flexible—something that understood how we work today.
What began as a casual demo quickly evolved into a full platform rollout. Seth and the team took the reins and began customizing Rentman to fit every aspect of In Light and Design’s workflow.
Implementation and Adoption: From Planning to Prep to Profit
Since implementing Rentman, In Light and Design has transformed how they plan, execute, and optimize their productions. Here’s how:
1. Inventory Management
With hundreds of fixtures and high-value items on the move every week, tracking was a nightmare, until Rentman.
By introducing barcodes and QR codes, the team now saves 1–2 staff hours per show, totaling 400–800 hours a year on inventory management alone.
Everything is traceable. That lingering feeling of ‘did we lose something?’ is gone.
2. Crew Scheduling
Using Rentman’s Crew Planner and My Schedule features, In Light and Design now coordinates contractor availability, call times, location info, and last-minute changes in a single view.
We’re at 100% booking accuracy, and the time we spend on crew communication is down by two-thirds.
Plus, he loves that their crew can easily accept or deny invites, and have a complete list of where they need to be at what time, and with any crucial info for them to successfully execute any project. It saves them time and reduces errors.
3. Quoting and Client Communication
Rentman’s quoting tools allow In Light and Design to deliver detailed, transparent proposals using reusable templates and clear cost breakdowns.
Jobs that used to take two to four days to quote are now done same-day-sometimes in under 30 minutes. We’re seeing a 70% acceptance rate on quotes, often after just one revision.
4. Maintenance and Repairs
Rentman’s detailed repair and inspection logs have empowered their team to save up to three hours a day.
Techs know exactly what’s been inspected, needs repairs, or has broken down — before even touching a fixture. There’s no guesswork anymore.
5. Subrentals and Financial Planning
As In Light and Design continues to collaborate with other production houses, Rentman enables streamlined subrentals with complete cost tracking.
We can now quote faster, respond to client changes on the fly, and manage vendor gear efficiently. It’s agility without compromise.
Results: Growth, Confidence, and the Freedom to Create
Since implementing Rentman, In Light and Design has experienced exponential operational growth. While exact numbers are still in the works, Alec estimates a 5x increase in operational capacity, with a major improvement in team efficiency and project visibility.
I’m no longer tied up in warehouse preps. That’s huge for me. I finally have the freedom to lead, create, and design.
Mistakes are down. Confidence is up. Projects run smoother, and the team now has the tools to respond to last-minute changes — like splitting projects into financial and planning sub-projects or tracking multiple quote tiers — without cluttering the client experience.
Rentman gives us the agility we need to keep pace with client demands while keeping our internal processes clean and scalable.
Why Rentman? A Platform — and Partner — for the Long Haul
In Light and Design didn’t just choose Rentman for its features. They chose it for its vision.
The Rentman team listens. We’ve submitted dozens of feature requests — and I’d say 90% have been implemented. That level of partnership is incredible.
Rentman’s pricing structure, modular design, and open API also mean Alec’s team can scale their usage as needed, without paying for features they don’t use.
And perhaps most important? The mobile experience.
Everyone already has a smartphone. Rentman lets us use that, instead of forcing us to buy expensive hardware. From scanning to scheduling, it just works.
Looking Ahead
As In Light and Design continues to grow, Alec sees Rentman as the foundation of their next chapter. With plans to expand services, partnerships, and geographic reach, having a solid operational system is more critical than ever.
Rentman is the central nervous system of our business. As long as it keeps evolving — we’re staying with it.