Trade Shows & Events

Stop by Our Booth at WWB 2022

If you are headed to the Western Winter Blast 2022 convention on Feb. 17^th - 21^st in Lake Havasu, AZ, stop by the COBRA booth and check us out!

Come See us at NFA 2021

Thanks to everyone that came and checked us out at NFA! We had a fantastic time and cannot wait to go back in the Spring!

COBRA Classroom - Volume 12 - Sensational SPFX: 6M

We are incredibly excited to announce the next session for our COBRA Classroom webinar series.

The topic of our twelfth session will be 'Sensational SPFX: 6M'. This session will take place on Wednesday, 1/6/2021, at 12:00 PM EST & again at 8:00 PM EST.

In this session, we will be debuting our new SPFX 6 cue mini module. If you have been waiting to learn more details about the 6M, do not miss this!

All that is needed to take advantage of this free session is a computer and internet connection.

The session's length will be about 30 - 45 minutes, followed by a Question & Answer session that can last as long as needed.

If you are interested in stepping up your pyro game by attending this free training session, be sure to sign up below!

Sky Wars 2020!

We were hoping to have more events to add this year, but sadly, we could attend only one event this season, Sky Wars.

You might be asking what is Sky Wars? You have likely heard of this event, but by its last name, Pyromania, an annual event put on by the Missouri Pyrotechnics Association since 2006.

This year, they had a new name, a new tagline, and a new location. Their sweet spot—creating amazing displays choreographed by award-winning technicians from across the country—remained the same. So did their dedication to entertaining an audience who came to see the exceptionally artful pyrotechnics that only true professionals can design, build, and deliver.

This was an incredibly successful event for COBRA and our clients. There were over 11 remotes and 300 modules on this shoot site!

Below are the many displays that were shot with COBRA, courtesy of Firecat8

Joel was able to find the time to snap the below photos from the event!

Finale 3D Choreography Contest

We are pleased to announce the “COBRA Award”, a sponsored award category for the October-November 2020 Finale 3D Virtual Pyromusical Design Competition!

What is this competition?
The October 2020 Finale 3D Virtual Pyromusical Design Competition is a virtual choreography contest hosted by Finale 3D. 

Can anyone enter?
Yes, the competition is open to everyone. If you don’t have the Finale 3D scripting software, download it here. For a free competition license, e-mail [email protected].  

Are there any rules for the show submissions?
Yes, complete info and rules on the Finale 3D contests page.

Does the competition have a deadline to enter?
Yes, submit your show by November 30, 2020.

Are there any prizes?
Yes! Finale 3D is giving out $1,300 in cash prizes to the top three shows in the Pro & Hobbyist categories. For more details on prizes, see the Finale 3D contests page. 

How do I win the “COBRA Award”?
For an entry to be eligible for the COBRA Award, design a show following the competition rules and the four additional criteria in the COBRA Award section. The prize for winning the COBRA Award is a $1,000 COBRA credit to be used on your choice of COBRA gear.

I am interested, how can I enter?
Design a show following the competition rules, then submit your entry via the Show Submission page on the Finale 3D site. 

I still have questions. Who can I contact?
Please e-mail questions to [email protected].

COBRA Classroom - Volume 8 - Firmware Figured Out

We are incredibly excited to announce next session for our COBRA Classroom webinar series!

All that is needed to take advantage of these free training sessions is a computer and internet connection.

COBRA Classroom sessions will take place every week and will cover a variety of topics relevant to COBRA users. Detailed seminar descriptions & registration links for the weeks session will be sent out at the beginning of the week. The sessions themselves will take place the following Thursday. We will be hosting two separate sessions, one at 12:00 PM EST, and the second at 8:00 PM EST with the goal of trying to enable as many clients as possible to attend these live.

The length of the session will be about 30 - 45 minutes, followed by a Question & Answer session that can last as long as needed.

The topic of our sixth session will be Firmware Figured Out. This session will take place on Thursday 6/11/2020 at 12:00 PM EST & again at 8:00 PM EST.

COBRA Classroom - Volume 7 - Support & Successful Show Strategies

We are incredibly excited to announce next session for our COBRA Classroom webinar series!

All that is needed to take advantage of these free training sessions is a computer and internet connection.

COBRA Classroom sessions will take place every week and will cover a variety of topics relevant to COBRA users. Detailed seminar descriptions & registration links for the weeks session will be sent out at the beginning of the week. The sessions themselves will take place the following Thursday. We will be hosting two separate sessions, one at 12:00 PM EST, and the second at 8:00 PM EST with the goal of trying to enable as many clients as possible to attend these live.

The length of the session will be about 30 - 45 minutes, followed by a Question & Answer session that can last as long as needed.

The topic of our sixth session will be Support & Successful Show Strategies. This session will take place on Thursday 6/4/2020 at 12:00 PM EST & again at 8:00 PM EST.

COBRA Classroom - Volume 6 - Conquering the Control Panel

We are incredibly excited to announce next session for our COBRA Classroom webinar series!

All that is needed to take advantage of these free training sessions is a computer and internet connection.

COBRA Classroom sessions will take place every week and will cover a variety of topics relevant to COBRA users. Detailed seminar descriptions & registration links for the weeks session will be sent out at the beginning of the week. The sessions themselves will take place the following Thursday. We will be hosting two separate sessions, one at 12:00 PM EST, and the second at 8:00 PM EST with the goal of trying to enable as many clients as possible to attend these live.

The length of the session will be about 30 - 45 minutes, followed by a Question & Answer session that can last as long as needed.

The topic of our sixth session will be Conquering the Control Panel. This session will take place on Thursday 5/28/2020 at 12:00 PM EST & again at 8:00 PM EST.

COBRA Classroom - Volume 5 - Simplifying Slats, Untangling Igniters

We are incredibly excited to announce next session for our COBRA Classroom webinar series!

All that is needed to take advantage of these free training sessions is a computer and internet connection.

COBRA Classroom sessions will take place every week and will cover a variety of topics relevant to COBRA users. Detailed seminar descriptions & registration links for the weeks session will be sent out at the beginning of the week. The sessions themselves will take place the following Thursday. We will be hosting two separate sessions, one at 12:00 PM EST, and the second at 8:00 PM EST with the goal of trying to enable as many clients as possible to attend these live.

The length of the session will be about 30 - 45 minutes, followed by a Question & Answer session that can last as long as needed.

The topic of our fifth session will be Simplifying Slats, Untangling Igniters. This session will take place on Thursday 5/21/2020 at 12:00 PM EST & again at 8:00 PM EST.

COBRA Classroom - Volume 4 - COBRA Equipment Anatomy

We are incredibly excited to announce next session for our COBRA Classroom webinar series!

All that is needed to take advantage of these free training sessions is a computer and internet connection.

COBRA Classroom sessions will take place every week and will cover a variety of topics relevant to COBRA users. Detailed seminar descriptions & registration links for the weeks session will be sent out at the beginning of the week. The sessions themselves will take place the following Thursday. We will be hosting two separate sessions, one at 12:00 PM EST, and the second at 8:00 PM EST with the goal of trying to enable as many clients as possible to attend these live.

The length of the session will be about 30 - 45 minutes, followed by a Question & Answer session that can last as long as needed.

The topic of our fourth session will be COBRA Equipment Anatomy. This session will take place on Thursday 5/14/2020 at 12:00 PM EST & again at 8:00 PM EST.

COBRA Classroom - Volume 3 - Advanced Pyromusical Scripting

We are incredibly excited to announce next session for our COBRA Classroom webinar series!

All that is needed to take advantage of these free training sessions is a computer and internet connection.

COBRA Classroom sessions will take place every week and will cover a variety of topics relevant to COBRA users. Detailed seminar descriptions & registration links for the weeks session will be sent out at the beginning of the week. The sessions themselves will take place the following Thursday. We will be hosting two separate sessions, one at 12:00 PM EST, and the second at 8:00 PM EST with the goal of trying to enable as many clients as possible to attend these live.

The length of the session will be about 30 - 45 minutes, followed by a Question & Answer session that can last as long as needed.

The topic of our third session will be Conquering the Control Panel. This session will take place on Thursday 5/7/2020 at 12:00 PM EST & again at 8:00 PM EST.

COBRA Classroom - Volume 2 - Soundtrack Creation & Audio Formatting

We are incredibly excited to announce the upcoming schedule for our COBRA Classroom webinar series.

All that is needed to take advantage of these free training sessions is a computer and internet connection. COBRA Show Creator features a free trial you can use to follow along with this webinar. If you would like to download and install Audacity ahead of time, the download link can be found on their website.

COBRA Classroom sessions will take place every week and will cover a variety of topics relevant to COBRA users. The seminar schedule for May is included below. Detailed seminar descriptions & registration links for the weeks session will be sent out at the beginning of the week. The sessions themselves will take place the following Thursday. We will be hosting two separate sessions, one at 12:00 PM EST, and the second at 8:00 PM EST with the goal of trying to enable as many clients as possible to attend these live.

The length of the session will be about 30 - 45 minutes, followed by a Question & Answer session that can last as long as needed.

The topic of our second session will be soundtrack creation and audio formatting using COBRA Show Creator & Audacity. This session will take place on Thursday 4/30/2020 at 12:00 PM EST & again at 8:00 PM EST.

Introducing COBRA Classroom - Volume 1 - COBRA Show Creator

We are incredibly excited today to announce the launch of our new FREE digital training series, the COBRA Classroom.

All that is needed to take advantage of these free training sessions will be a computer and internet connection.

COBRA Classroom sessions will take place every one to two weeks and will be covering a variety of topics relevant to COBRA users. Seminar topics will be announced at the beginning of the week, with the training sessions taking place on the following Thursday. We will be hosting two separate sessions, one at 12:00 PM EST, and the second at 8:00 PM EST with the goal of trying to enable as many clients as possible to attend these live.

The length of the session will be about 30 - 45 minutes, followed by a Question & Answer session that can last as long as needed.

The topic of our first session will be the new web-based COBRA Show Creator BETA. This session will take place on Thursday 4/23/2020 at 12:00 PM EST & again at 8:00 PM EST.

COBRA-CON 2019 Recap!

What an event this was!  We opened the event on Monday with a kick-off party at Harvey's Restaurant & Bar in Downtown Saratoga. We had over 300 clients attend this party. Over the course of the evening COBRA raffled off $10,000 in COBRA credit, an undercover magician was in attendance performing close up magic, and local band The Toga Boys, were rocking the joint with classic tunes from the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s.

After a long evening of networking, our group of around 300 clients woke up bright and early on Tuesday and hit the seminar track. With over 40 seminars presented by 15 star-studded speakers, there was quite a bit of information to soak up.  We also had a group of about 40 clients that took the PGI Display Operator Certification (DOC) Training Course on Tuesday and Wednesday. Later that night, after the seminars had ended and everyone had filled their bellies, Jesse Veverka treated about 100 lucky individuals to an advance screening of an episode from the new, unreleased season of Passfire, ‘Maximum Load’.

Before we knew it Wednesday, and the final day of the event had arrived. Our attendees were in for another full day of seminars as well as the main event, an evening of fireworks located at the Saratoga Casino Hotel. Attendees were treated to four full pyromusicals. We have included equipment details and a link to the shows themselves below.

Sam Christensen from Spirit of '76 was generous enough to take some pictures during the event for us:

Opening keynote speech and Breakfast on the first day.

Dan from Spirit of '76 teaching the 'Selling & Shooting Displays for Profit' seminar.

Jesse Veverka from Passfire teaching the 'Music Licensing, Royalty and Copyright Concerns' seminar.

Dan from Spirit of '76 teaching the 'Basic Show Design & Choreography' seminar.

Spirit of '76 trade show booth with John and Jay.

COBRA Sales & Service Room during one of few moments of downtime.

Dan from Spirit of '76 teaching a hands-on seminar.

The shoot site for this event was actually located inside the racetrack!.

Head to your positions!

Dan from Spirit of '76 keeping his students engaged.

During these hands-on seminars, the horse races continued around the track.

Break Time!

Showtime is approaching!

Cheers to 2020!

2018 Fall Event Update!

We had an exciting second half of the year here at COBRA! We were able to attend three awesome events after PGI this year. First, Joel went to Boomtown, in Vinton, Iowa. This was the first year that we were able to accept the IPA's invitation to come to the event. Joel was on-site for set-up as well as during shoot time, providing assistance to anyone that needed it.

A few weeks later, Joel traveled to Pyromania, which was held at the beautiful Cedar Lake Cellars in Wright, MO. As expected Joel was available all day to offer help or advice to everyone he could. The shows they put on at that event were nothing short of spectacular. You can find the display details below. We also included links to some incredibly high quality videos, courtesy of the industries best fireworks videographer, Firecat8.

Lastly, Joel, Jonah, and Chris travelled to Wichita, KS for the yearly NFA Expo. This year, in addition to our trade show booth, we had a COBRA hospitality room, where we hosted seminars, meals, as well as a screening of a few episodes of Passfire: Season 2.

Thunder & Fire, PGI 2018, Mason City Iowa!

COBRA was thrilled to again be involved in the 2018 Pyrotechnics Guild International Convention. We spent our days in the trade show, speaking to current clients, educating future clients and performing service and upgrades. With eight trade shows tables and six team members, there was never a slow moment at our booth. Any clients that stopped by were lucky enough to see a glimpse at some of our upcoming product releases including the Command Center, 6M, Quickplugs, 36 Cue Centronics Slats, and our COBRA Reprogramming Software.

The sound of the 5:00 PM salute booming out across the convention center marked the end of the trade show and the beginning of our evening. We have compiled the details of a few shows that were fired with COBRA below:

What a handsome group of men! From left to right, Don, Scott, Brandon, Joel, Mike, Ryan, and Jonah.

Trade show booth set up and ready to roll!

Did you know Des Moines has skywalks connecting the entire downtown area?

Business in the front, labor in the back!

Jonah giving a product demo.

After a long day of setting up our trade show booth, we were thirsty!

Incredible view from our living room in our house in Clear Lake.

Scott during his 'Intro to COBRA' seminar.

Scott demonstrating the Control Panel at his COBRA seminar.

2018 Cracker Burn, Over 1.2 MILLION firecrackers pictured here.

After the sun sets, the fire rises.

Salutes racks for the twenty one gun salute.

Front effect towers for the Spirit of '76 show.

Infield cake position from Spirit of '76 show.

Small effect towers from national anthem

Casabellas towers. These were attached the the track lights.

I hope someone brought the Beano!

Just another one of Sprits many positions.

Team COBRA about to handlight some girandolas!

Rockets from the JPA show.

Some of the JPAS fantastic fusework.

Beautiful photo of Mick Layden's large class C unlimited setup, taken by Joel Robinson.

We found Laketime Brewery in Clear Lake to have the best dessert "beverages".

Joel pretending to be a star.

I wonder if Disney knows about this?

Who wore it better?

Practicing for regionals.

Team COBRA and the bartenders of Pyrotechnic Artists of Texas (PAT) at the Afterglow on Friday night.

Collectable COBRA Cups!

Spring Update!

When we last left our Dynamic Duo in late April, Joel and Jonah had just returned from a successful MAFF. They have been incredibly busy since them, hitting a different event every weekend!

First, they drove down to Harrisville in Western PA for the annual Kellner's Demo. They set up a small booth in the store and offered support and firmware upgrades to existing clients, and demos to new clients. Over 40 modules and 10 remotes were brought in to be upgraded!

The next weekend, the pair flew out to Pahrump, Nevada for Red Apple's Demo Night. They set up a small booth in the front of the store for upgrades and demos. They also scripted a small finale with about 25 consumer effects for the end of the firework product demo. 

Finally, last weekend, the twosome took a slightly shorter flight to Monroe, Michigan for another Red Apple Demo Night, this time at Motor City Fireworks. They set up a small booth by the checkouts and, you guessed it, provided support/upgrades and product demos to clients and potential clients. They also assisted in the setup of a 7-minute pyromusical that was shot using 14 modules, an 18R2, and an Audio Box.

Despite all that was going on, Jonah and Joel both managed to find time to take some great pictures for us to share.

MAFF 2018!

Over the weekend of April 20^th, Joel, Jonah, Ryan, and Mike took the long drive from COBRA headquarters in upstate NY to the annual MAFF event in Charlotte Hall, MD. We arrived in town Friday evening, had some delicious Mexican grub at Pancho Villa and promptly retired to bed to be well rested for Saturday. Once we arrived on site, we handed out pre-orders, talked to clients, performed some repair and service work, and had a great morning in the beautiful weather. Once the afternoon rolled around, Joel and Ryan walked the shoot site offering assistance to any clients that wanted it, but nearly all of our awesome customers were incredibly prepared and knowledgeable, so there was little help to offer!

When shoot time came, Joel supervised from the shooting position and we are happy to report that all shows fired flawlessly. We wanted to share some background on these shows:

Western Winter Blast 2018!

During the weekend of February 16^th, Joel will be shipping himself out to sunny Lake Havasu City in Arizona to attend the annual Western Winter Blast convention. He will arrive on Friday night and will spend Saturday and Sunday offering support and giving product demos at the trade show, and will again be on site during the evening to offer show support. Be sure to swing by the trade show booth if you are attending and say hello to COBRA's golden boy!

Western Winter Blast is an annual event held by the Western Pyrotechnic Association. Many consider it the PGI of the west, as every year, the convention includes seminars, trade shows, class C and pyrotechnic supply vending, open shooting for both class C & class B, as well as BBQ's afterglow parties and of course, several nights of professional pyromusicals and displays. This year, Spirit of 76 and NPA will be shooting shows using COBRA.

Joel arrived on Friday evening and spent his Saturday and Sunday manning the trade show booth. In the evening, Joel provided on site support for any clients shooting with COBRA.

We are happy to announce between Joel's assistance, and our clients knowledge and preparation, that all shows fired flawlessly. We wanted to share some background on these shows, as well as some amazing videos courtesy of Firecat8:

International Pyromusical Design and Choreography Course in Buenos Aires, Argentina

The event was based in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on November 15^th and 16^th 2017. Ernesto Norman of PyroSmart Mexico, Jorge Márquez of Lux Pirotecnia and Jorge Díaz de Dinamite, hosted workshops on safety and use of COBRA equipment and J-TEK electric match.

The high-quality technology for the development of pyrotechnic events combined perfectly with the support of Finale Fireworks, a professional program for the creation of the best shows.

Pyromania 2017, Wright City, MO

Last week, we packed Joel Robinson into a large wheeled travel case and shipped him back home to the Midwest to attend Pyromania 2017 in Wright City, MO.

Joel provided support for nine 18R2s, six audioboxes and nearly 250 modules spread out across 8 different displays.

We are incredibly proud to say that between Joel's assistance, and our clients knowledge and preparation, that all shows fired flawlessly. We wanted to share some background on these shows, as well as some amazing videos courtesy of Firecat8:

Come see Scott at APA!

What a week for our fearless leader Scott Smith, he spent the week in sunny, beautiful San Diego at the yearly APA convention. He wanted to share some thoughts on this week:

"It was great to have great discussions with some existing and new customers. Great to see J&M Displays, Fireworks America, R.J. Santore, and many others! Nothing better than to talk to customers, gain feedback and discuss all of our new developments. First time at APA and will be coming back!"

Pyrotechnics Guild International 2017, Fargo, ND

COBRA was proud to be a part of the PGI 2017 event in Fargo, ND. The brand new 5.0.2 firmware release was used exclusively, leveraging the new MESH technology to combat a difficult shoot site that contained both buildings and natural barriers. Highlights of the event included our eight trade show table booth, where we showed off some of our newer in development technologies, including higher and lower cue count modules, SMTPE time code input, single point command center control interface, and more...

In addition to showing off new technology, we provided field support for any show that was fired using COBRA, which was many of the larger public displays including:

COBRA was also used to fire a number of choreographed Class C pyromusicals:

For the 5th year in a row, COBRA was also used to fire all evening competitions. This year, the team was able to take advantage of our new MESH technology to support a more difficult shoot site containing varying distances and barriers between competition entries. Thanks to all of the support of Rick Olivieri, Tom Dimock and the rest of the PGI team!

COBRA Roadtrip to NFA!

It was an exciting weekend for Joel and Jonah, as they were whisked away in a magical Buick to beautiful Erie PA to the yearly NFA convention! There, they talked to customers, repaired equipment, updated firmware, and provided show support for two shows, an 80's themed show put on by the stellar crew at OPAG and NEOPG, as well as a unique fully scripted product demo put on by Spirit of '76.

I asked Jonah to share his thoughts on the experience:

"It was a great convention; the Bayfront Convention Center, located in beautiful Erie, PA, proved to be a most-accommodating venue for this year's NFA Expo. This was a wonderful opportunity for us to meet face-to-face with both existing and potential customers, as well as other members of the pyrotechnic industry. With a full table of Cobra gear on display at the Trade Show, we were able to provide full product demonstrations, answer questions, and gather feedback, which is vital to our company and our development of new products and features. We were also able to provide on-site technical support for the Ohio Pyrotechnic Arts Guild's public display at the Lake Erie Speedway, which used a total of 90 channels. On the whole, it was a great experience, and we look forward to attending next year's convention!"