Pharos - Leaderboard - May 2024

Business

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UK - Based on the novel by Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray - adapted and directed by multi award-winning Kip Williams, artistic director of the acclaimed Sydney Theatre Company - tells this classic story through an explosive interplay of live performance and video.
It recently opened at the Theatre Royal Haymarket and stars Sarah Snook, who plays 26 roles. It features a lighting design by Nick Schlieper who approached White Light (WL), a d&b solutions company, to provide the lighting equipment.
Whilst there have been several stage adaptations of The Picture of Dorian Gray over the years, it’s the first time that this version, which premiered four years ago at the Roslyn Packer Theatre in Sydney, has played overseas. Nick, who also lit the original Australian production, explains: “Although I’ve always been familiar with the novel, I have

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USA - Meyer Sound has launched an expanded education programme for 2024, coinciding with the celebration of its 45th anniversary.
“As the pace of audio technology accelerates, Meyer Sound is strengthening its commitment to education programs, which we see as investing in the future of the industry,” says Robyn Bykofsky, Meyer Sound’s training & education manager. “Our training programmes are aimed at all experience levels, with science-backed in-person and virtual course content that fits the way people learn today.”
The 2024 programme builds on the success of the company’s revamped 2023 initiatives, which engaged more than 1,800 students through 50 in-person trainings around the world and through coursework in the new Meyer Sound Learning online platform.
This year, Meyer Sound is extending in-person education across the U.S. and beyond, with tr

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Europe - Sennheiser, together with existing investors, is investing 7m euros in the Norwegian scale-up business sensiBel. The company has developed optical MEMS microphones. The miniature microphones ‘enable a completely new and improved experience in application areas such as consumer electronics, automotive, conferencing solutions, and medical devices’.
"We want to grow sustainably as a company. In addition to investments in our existing business, this also includes investments in promising future fields outside of our company, providing these align well to our company and our vision," explains co-CEO Daniel Sennheiser.
Andreas Sennheiser adds: "sensiBel's innovative optical MEMS technology is clearly this type of promising emerging field. As investors, we look forward to actively driving forward this groundbreaking development."
sensiBel has developed a

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Europe/USA - Cadac Consoles’ return to ISE and the unveiling of a new product portfolio, in the form of its flagship CM-Series integrated audio mix and network system, was marked by ‘strong positive industry reaction’. The ‘widespread admiration on the booth’ for the CM-J50 mixer’s premium design and advanced performance capabilities served as a catalyst for the foundation of a dedicated CM-Series distributor network.
An initial milestone on day one was the signing, at the show, of a US distribution agreement with Italian Speakers Imports Inc (ISI). By the end of day three the UK console designer had had ‘conversations’ with over 26 distributor organisations from around the world. Coming out of the show, advanced negotiations were underway with four prospective partners for territories in Europe and Asia, with preliminary discussions to be followed up with se

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Spain - Media group Mediaset España has revamped the news studios of its free-to-air TV channels Telecinco and Cuatro with Alfalite’s LED screens. Integrator Datos Media has been in charge of the sale and commissioning of the 844 LED panels supplied with Alfalite’s ORIM technology.
“We are very proud to have participated in this huge project,” says Luis Garrido, executive director of Alfalite. “We would like to express our gratitude to Mediaset España's engineering team and Datos Media for trusting us. We deeply appreciate the collaboration and the opportunity to contribute to the joint success of this project.”
In the case of Telecinco (the most watched free-to-air TV channel in Spain), the channel has completely transformed its news set with 210sq.m of Alfalite LED screens, artificial intelligence and mobile camera solutions, making it one of the most a

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Australia - Creative Technology Australia and New Zealand opted for Data Strategy’s QC-Check to address three main needs in terms of product inspection: socapex cable testing, the safe inspection of twin-frame distribution boards, and the ability to set up the specific testing processes needed to be carried out by anyone in the warehouse.
Maintenance manager, Myles Barlow, explained that the company’s highest priority was to be able to test multipin connectors such as Socapex three-phase cables, as “there’s just no safe way to test them”.
In addition, he found that “standard PAT testers fail products that have lots of internal relay, control voltages and several limit points. They see it as a dead short when there’s actually not a problem”. So without, QC-Check there was no effective way of PAT testing products like twin-frame distribution boards or oth

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Germany - A 4K CarbonLight VX LED screen from Leyard Europe forms the heart of a new inspirational and educational exhibition at the headquarters of the European Molecular Biology Lab (EMBL), a laboratory for research into life sciences, which explains and celebrates its work to better understand the building blocks of all life on Earth.
The World of Molecular Biology exhibition occupies 800 sqm of the double-height atrium of the EMBL headquarters in Heidelberg and tells the story of life through 45 AV exhibits comprising a mix of audiovisual, virtual reality, interactive and tactile elements, grouped into three zones, themed The Spirit of EMBL, Life is Amazing and Seeing is Understanding.
The star of the exhibition, called the Wall of Wonder, is the 1.9 mm pixel pitch, 8m by 4m Leyard CarbonLight VX 1.9mm 4K LED screen, with content via a 7thSense media server and PIX

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Finland - Located in Espoo, Bodom Bar and Sauna is the headquarters of melodic death metal band Children of Bodom. Complete with poster strewn walls, red leather couches and band memorabilia, the venue recently collaborated with Genelec to create a sound system capable of handling the band’s back catalogue.
Espoo is the hometown of the pioneering five-piece who rose to fame in the late ‘90s and early 2000s. Taking their name from one of the most intriguing cases in Finnish criminal history - the Lake Bodom murders - Children of Bodom released 10 studio albums across their career, gaining them a loyal long-haired following who travelled globally to see the band perform.
They continued to tour up until their split in 2019, which was shortly followed by the passing of lead guitarist Alexi Laiho in 2020. Bodom Bar and Sauna was opened to celebrate the legacy of the ba

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Algeria - The desire to improve the quality and efficiency of the technologies for post-match press conferences has seen an increasing number of sporting arenas investing in their press facilities. The recently completed new stadium in the city of Tizi Ouzou is a venue that has made this a priority right from the start, with the installation of a CCS 1000 D Digital Discussion System and an Integrus Wireless Language Distribution System from Bosch Building Technologies.
The 50,000-seat stadium is the new home of Algeria’s most successful football club, JS Kabylie, and has been built to exacting UEFA standards. This includes all the press and broadcast infrastructure and meant that a high-quality press conference solution was demanded from the outset.
The stadium called on Turkish Bosch partner Atempo to design the solution for the press conference room, along with t

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UK - Founded in 1943, the Cathedral Church of All Saints - better known as Derby Cathedral - is one of Derby’s most beautiful and historic sites and holds many monuments of Derby’s and Derbyshire’s past. An important spiritual and cultural hub for the city and surrounding areas, the cathedral hosts no fewer than 18 services per week plus special and seasonal services to celebrate important events in the religious calendar.
The cathedral recently turned to specialist consultant and integrator, Charles Brown of Acoustic Solutions to upgrade their audio solution to bring it into line with modern requirements. Brown specified and delivered a comprehensive point source system from KV2 Audio.
Brown is something of a reference when it comes to installing audio solutions in churches and cathedrals throughout the UK and is often the first port of call for houses of wors

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Denmark - Aarhus Musikhuset has recently invested in Robe Painte moving lights and TX1 PosiProfiles for three of its halls. The Rhythmic Hall (Rytmisk Sal) also known as the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall has eight Paintes, the Small Hall (Lille Sal) has seven TX1, with another eight TX1s - four with gobos - for the 1,172-capacity Symphonic Hall (Symfonisk Sal).
The lights were specified by the Musikhuset’s head of lighting Henrik Hambro and his crew, and delivered by Robe’s Danish distributor, Light Partner.
The venue is a cultural and entertainment beacon at the heart of Denmark’s lively second city and stages over 1400 shows and productions annually. Originally opened in 1982, it was substantially expanded in 2007 to over 40,000sq.m of facilities offering seven differently sized and styled performance spaces including the three mentioned above.
A diverse and a

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USA - Visual design group Lightswitch has overseen lighting design and creative direction for Enchanted Forest of Light at Descanso Gardens in Southern California since 2016. This year, the popular one-mile nighttime walk through colourful and dazzling lighting displays shined brighter than ever with an expanded IP-rated lighting package from Elation that included the company’s new Proteus Hybrid MAX.
Enchanted is an immersive visual experience tailor-made to highlight the historic botanical garden’s beauty and flora. Each year, Lightswitch reimagines portions of the experience, enhancing areas and repositioning luminaires. This season’s show ran from 19 November through 7 January and included a new area as a result of refurbishment elsewhere in the gardens.
Lightswitch creates and produces the entire “Enchanted Forest of Light” experience, designing lighti

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Italy - With his glowing bow that evokes a Jedi lightsabre, electric violinist Andrea Casta is known as the ‘Jedi Violinist’. Casta performs over 200 concerts a year that reach more than 2m live spectators. The artist has taken his music to over 30 countries and boasts a social fanbase of nearly half a million followers.
His recent tour, The Space Violin - Visual Concert, sold out in major Italian cities. He was awarded Best Performer at the Dance Music Awards in 2018 and 2022. Many of Casta’s performances are smaller, boutique events. For those, the artist has chosen a TT+ Audio System that satisfies his desire to bring the highest possible sound quality and musical clarity to his audiences while being highly versatile, portable and aesthetically discreet.
“My smaller performances were a real challenge,” said Casta. "I needed a compact and easily transport

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Canada - Powersoft has announced the appointment of AVL Media Group, a division of Intellimix Corp, as its new distributor and service centre for Canada.
Established more than 25 years ago, AVL Media Group is an award-winning distribution company with a mission of developing long-term, mutually beneficial, business relationships through professional products backed by excellent sales, service and technical support.
“We are excited to be represent Powersoft in Canada and we are looking forward to informing Canadian customers about Powersoft’s offerings with particular emphasis on Mezzo, the new Unica amplifier platform, and the recently announced Verso cloud gateway,” says Andrew Hope, managing director of AVL Media Group.
AVL Media Group will focus on promoting Powersoft’s products and technologies, making its customers and potential partners aware of

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Size Matters - The UK's largest indoor arena will open its doors for the first time with a headline act performed by Peter Kay. The Bolton comedian will perform at the opening night of the new 23,500-seater Co-op Live venue in Manchester on 23 April. Liam Gallagher, Take That, Pearl Jam and Olivia Rodrigo are also set to separately perform at the £350m arena.
Co-op general manager Gary Roden said Kay was the "perfect" opening act who "embodies what this city is about". The new venue, set to open opposite Manchester City's Etihad stadium, features a "unique bowl design" that would bring fans "closer to the artist than at other arenas of equivalent size", a spokesman for the Co-op said. The arena is set to surpass the Manchester Arena and O2 Arena in size to become the UK's largest indoor arena.
Get Back - Sir Paul McCartney has been reunited with the bass

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UK - In its 11th year, the Association of Motion Picture Sound (AMPS) winner’s presentation for Excellence in Sound for a Feature Film 2024 took place at The Rosewood Hotel, with The Zone of Interest receiving the award.
Johnnie Burn AMPS, Tarn Willers AMPS, Mateusz Stasiak and Simon Carroll were present to receive their AMPS trophies from AMPS chair Andrew Wilson, in the company of AMPS members including award group leader and three-time Academy Award nominee Graham Hartstone. James Ogden was unable to attend but will be sent his award.
AMPS’ annual awards recognise multiple facets of the sound industry; alongside supervising crew members, AMPS honours key 1st assistant sound/boom operators and supervising dialogue/ADR editors. AMPS recognises the assistants in the team as well as the HoDs, with Mateusz, Simon and James receiving trophies and being named

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USA - The Federal Communication Commission (FCC) approved a change in its regulation that now permits operation of Wireless Multichannel Audio Systems (WMAS) in the United States.
WMAS is an advanced wireless microphone technology designed to meet the challenges of highly demanding live performance and studio applications. Compared to conventional wireless microphone systems, WMAS offers higher spectral efficiency – the ability to transmit more audio channels within a limited block of radio frequency (RF) spectrum – as well as greater interference protection to other wireless services that share the same spectrum.
In her statement during the Open Commission Meeting, chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel pointed out, “Unless you’re in video and audio production, the odds are you haven’t thought much about wireless microphones. But they’re everywhere. […] So when

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UK - Bluesound Professional has appointed Sound Technology, a Midwich Group company, to grow the brand’s reach in the UK and Ireland. The appointment takes effect immediately.
“We are very proud to represent Bluesound Professional as its unique endpoint streaming solutions are cutting edge for this industry,” says Alison Charters, business manager, Sound Technology. “The versatility of the solutions it offers will help our network of integrators grow their businesses by creating new revenue streams while also cutting costs.”
“Sound Technology have such deep roots in the commercial A/V sector with an excellent network of experienced integrators,” adds Graeme Harrison, vice-president and general manager of Bluesound Professional. “We look forward to seeing the kinds of interesting and novel installations that our products will be used in.”

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UK - PLASA is running an industry-wide survey on sustainability. The association aims to understand how and if companies across the entertainment technology sector are tackling the important issue of sustainability and carbon reduction.
The survey was launched during the Member Business Forum on Sustainability and Carbon Reduction, which took place in London on 18 January 2024. However, the survey is now open to the wider industry until 29 March, in partnership with #WeMakeEvents, LSi, LIVE and PEARLE.
Even though there are no current legal requirements in the UK to implement such plans, PLASA recognises the importance of sustainability across the industry and the need for support. Therefore, the association is now conducting research to understand the current position of the industry. The data will help to inform the activities of the association, as well as future in

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Australia - The ASP4816-HE compact console has been chosen for JMC Academy in Melbourne, the final of the three antipodean JMC education facilities to upgrade to the Audient mixing desk.
Studio/facilities manager, Marcus Hernan explains the setup: “We have five studios on campus as well as numerous smaller production suites and edit labs. Each studio follows the curriculum from small bedroom style production suites with all-in-one interfaces in trimester one, to the ASP4816-HE in tri two, control surface in tri three and a larger format console in tri four onwards.”
Originally a studio lecturer at JMC Academy, Marcus has worked with them for over a decade. He continues: “Our Audient is housed in the trimester two studio as the formal introduction to analogue studio workflow. It is the centrepiece of a studio comprising a ProTools rig with an assortment of outboa

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USA - Just before Christmas, Two Cities Church in Winston-Salem, North Carolina moved into a new worship centre where modern production equipment enhances the in-person and broadcast experience for a congregation of some 2,500 people who attend three Sunday services.
SES Integration in Mocksville, North Carolina consulted on the design of the new building and, with the support of its SES Production division, suggested a complement of Ayrton Levante, Diablo and Zonda 9 wash lights for the rig. ACT Entertainment is the exclusive distributor of Ayrton lighting in North America.
Seven-year-old Two Cities Church has undergone rapid growth, quickly expanding beyond the capacity of its previous locations. The move to a purpose-built worship centre on 13 acres in downtown Winston-Salem afforded the opportunity to create an all-new production environment to engage congregants

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USA - Eastern Lighting Design has completed the lighting design and installation for the new Chicago-based studio of the sports podcast Numbers on the Board, hosted by Kenny Beecham and produced by Omaha Productions.
The project involved 11 Prolights ArcShine M18FC fixtures, transforming a standard office space into a dynamic, visually engaging broadcast studio. Numbers on the Board combines in-depth NBA analysis with lively discussions, creating an accessible and engaging atmosphere for its audience. The design aim was to cultivate a studio environment that supports high-quality broadcast requirements while ensuring the space is optimally lit for video production.
The Eastern Lighting Design team addressed this challenge by integrating Prolights ArcShine M18FC fixtures, renowned for their versatility and high-quality output. "The ArcShine M18FCs enable

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USA - Although a procession of major stars like Fall Out Boy, 30 Seconds To Mars, The Last Dinner Party, Bush, The 1975, and Sum41 graced the Honda Centre stage, the lighting rig for this year’s iHeartRadio ALTer EGO concert, which is traditionally held at the Kia Forum in LA, was smaller than it was in recent years.
The size of the rig, notwithstanding, the design team was given the mission of making the overall production for the nationally televised event, look bigger than previous shows.
“We wanted to make the show seem larger this year,” said Dierson of The Activity. “Yet, there’s no bravado when I tell you that this was literally the smallest lighting rig that I’ve been a part of in the past 20 or so years.”
Describing this challenge as “a blessed reality”, Dierson explained how it sharpened his creative visions. “It’s good to be forc

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France - The newly inaugurated LDLC Arena in Lyon, boasting a 16,000 capacity, is a prominent addition to France's event venues as the largest indoor arena outside Paris. In a city already known for its vibrant fusion of history, culture, and innovation, this new, Populous-designed venue symbolises the ambitious objective of the local government to offer a versatile space that can host large crowds for electrifying sports events and major concerts.
LDLC Arena will serve as home to Lyon-Villeurbanne’s ASVEL basketball team while accommodating large-scale tournaments, exhibitions, and national and international tours. The venue opened in November with a concert from Lyon-born celebrity and comedian Florence Foresti, and it has already hosted concerts from the likes of The Arctic Monkeys.
Given the stated mission of offering diverse events under one spectacular roof, t
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  4. White Light refreshes historic Cadogan Hall
  5. Registration opens for InfoComm 2024
  6. Chevron takes the stage at Reading & Leeds
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