About CLE
Your vision. Our expertise. Unforgettable results.
Great events start with the right partner. It begins with listening and truly understanding your needs, your goals, and your people. From there, we take the weight off your shoulders and become a trusted extension of your team, allowing you to walk into your event with confidence.
Our story
Why red?
CLE started in 2002, in a single car garage with 8 lights, a pick-up truck, and a desire to bring world-class event production to central Iowa.
Our founder, Arren Wetzel, grew up in the live event industry; he spent his childhood touring the country doing concerts, learning the technology, the business, and the art of event production from a great mentor—his dad. For Arren, CLE is a family business. The CLE family now includes a full staff of engineers, salespeople, and event producers. We’ve grown beyond the 8 lights and a pick-up truck to having a warehouse full of industry-leading equipment and a fleet of trucks.
- 2002Started in a single car garage
- 8 lightsand a pick-up truck
- TodayA warehouse of industry-leading gear and a fleet of trucks
What hasn’t changed
From that very first event, CLE’s hallmark has been, and always will be, a reputation for excellence.
Even though we have grown, we still work by the same principles that inspired Arren all those years ago.
- We work hard.
- We’re creative.
- We listen more than we talk.
- We always do what’s best for the show.
Whether we’re working on a local show in our hometown of Des Moines, Iowa or a large event in the United States, we always have one primary principle guiding us… be the best at what we do.
So when you see a CLE Red truck or a CLE Red roadcase backstage at an event, you know you’re getting a professional, polished, creative and memorable event that will leave a lasting impression for you and your attendees.
Expertise + collaboration
Planning and attention to detail are the keys to a successful corporate meeting or special event.
Before the lights go down and the program starts, CLE has planned for every possibility. Our goal is to be invisible and to make you the hero to your audience.
It all begins with trust and confidence. We work hard to learn about your organization and your people. We work hard to become a trusted member of the team. We respect budgets and timelines. And we’re very good at what we do—delivering creative solutions with our total project approach.
From our professional technicians and creative services staff to our detailed room layout CAD drawings, our warehouse stocked with high-tech equipment and our fleet of trucks, CLE has all the tools necessary to enable us to exceed your expectations. Wherever your meeting or event may be located, we will work with partners to make sure we have back-up crew and equipment on stand-by if need be. We leave nothing to chance at CLE.
No matter the venue, large or small, indoors or outdoors… CLE will make your event memorable with a lasting impression.
Meet the crew
The people behind every show
CLE is still a family business. Meet the engineers, salespeople, and event producers who keep the CLE Red trucks rolling and make every show run smoothly.
Kind words
What our clients say
We partnered with CLE for our annual national conference this past year, and it was the best decision we made. CLE’s professionalism, attention to detail, and industry-savvy staff made our conference a huge success! CLE was able to handle not only our mainstage with keynote speakers, but also all of our breakout sessions, and other A/V needs. CLE became a working extension of our team, they were responsive and efficient, yet flexible when necessary. We look forward to partnering with them again.
Thank you so much to you both and your crew! You’ve elevated our annual celebration to another level. Everything went so well and ran so smoothly! I’m so excited to partner for future events.
We really appreciated having your crew work with us this year, they are true pros!
Let’s talk
Tell us what you’re working on and we’ll get back to you within one business day.