Robe - LEADERBOARD - Feb 2025

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UK - Arts Council England (ACE) has announced a £160m emergency response package to help cultural organisations, freelancers and individual artists survive the coronavirus crisis.
The money is intended to prevent artists and arts organisations from going into liquidation, but is also designed to help them come up with creative responses “to buoy the public” during the lockdown.
The package breaks down as £20m of funds for creative practitioners and freelancers, £50m for organisations not in the national portfolio, and £90m for the 828 organisations in the national portfolio, a category that ranges from small touring theatres to the National Theatre.
The money is coming from a combination of ACE’s emergency reserves and a suspension of national lottery pr

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UK - The Knight of Illumination (KOI) executive committee has come to the decision to postpone the 13th annual awards ceremony and gala dinner due to the ongoing Coronavirus crisis and the enormous implications it is having on the entertainment industry.
A statement from co-founders Durham and Jennie Marenghi on behalf of the KOI committee reads as follows:
"The Knight of Illumination committee has taken the considered decision that this year's KOI Awards ceremony will not be held on 6 September as planned, due to the uncertainty of the times in which we now live. The event will be held as a celebration of our industry and to bring people together, once the current situation has been resolved and it is safe to do so.
"Meanwhile, we will continue to appraise the work already submitted and we ask designers to please continue to nominate via the KOI website.

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World - LSi Online has launched a dedicated page with training and information resources for those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Available at www.lsionline.com/covid-19-support, readers can access the latest business reaction including online training initiatives, industry campaigns and information on the latest financial support packages available to the industry.
The page is regularly updated and is devised as a key resource for those looking for a reliable guide to all important announcements concerning the industry.
Readers who wish to share relevant initiatives or resources should get in touch with the LSi team on info@lsionline.com
Meanwhile,

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Eurovision Alternative - Organisers of the Eurovision Song Contest are investigating an ‘alternative’ show after this year's event was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Although the format has yet to be decided, they stressed the programme would not be a competition. However, the show will “honour the songs and artists” that were due to take part of the contest this May. “With that in mind,” organisers said, “this year's songs will not be eligible to compete when the contest returns. Participating broadcasters may decided which artist(s) to send in 2021, either this year's or a newly chosen one.”
The event's executive supervisor Jon Ola Sand added: “We are very proud of the Eurovision Song Contest, that for 64 years has united people all around Europe. We regret this situation very much. The event will return stronger than ever next year.”

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USA - The Knoxville Museum of Art held the 17th annual L’Amour du Vin, its primary fundraising event that features a wine dinner and auction. The soiree took place on 7 March, and Bandit Lites donated a lighting system for the event, lighting spaces ranging from the façade of the museum to multiple interior spaces and the tents into the gardens.
“For these locations, we chose the Chauvet Freedom Par Quad-4 IP,” said Bandit Lites general manager Giff Swart, noting that most of the spaces had limited power available. “Another advantage of the Freedom Par is that they can be controlled wirelessly, and this keeps cables from cluttering the floor and creating trip-hazards.”
“As an event planner and designer, I can attest that few other event elements have the same impact as lighting,” said event designer Carla May Paré. “It has the power to transform an e
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ETC Halcyon Silent

High End Systems Halcyon Silent builds on ETC’s legacy of fanless automated fixtures by incorporating features from the highly sought-after Halcyon family. Halcyon Silent perfectly balances silent operation with brilliant output of 18,400 lumens and high-impact features. 

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UK - When forming special effects company, Encore SFX, George Baker and Anthony Earles, both of whom have many years’ experience in senior roles in the SFX business, decided to invest in the highest quality special effect products available, and knew exactly which company and products they wanted to partner with.
“We needed great products from a reliable company who could offer not just the quality but the essential support required, and immediately thought of MDG,” says Baker.
The company purchased four MDG Ice Fog Q HP low fog generators with DMX interfaces, and four pneumatic Round Floor Pockets with remote control boxes. The Ice Fog Q HP produces a thick, low-lying fog with zero residue. The award-winning Round Floor Pocket is DMX/RDM operated and can be embedded in the stage floor or set wall to conceal a fog output and deliver low fog or fog to precise lo

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China - Shanghai, a metropolis with a population of more than 24 million people, has a new venue - Club Beehive. Two Eindhoven-based design companies were behind its design: multidisciplinary design studio, 250K, created the Beehive concept and commissioned The Art of Light to come up with an equally stunning lighting design for this new club venue. The partnership follows a successful first collaboration for Club Myst in Suzhou, west of Shanghai.
In keeping with the Beehive theme, Mees Bouman, 250K’s set designer, developed a concept based around a tornado of hexagon shapes arrayed in a honeycomb design. An organic, tree-shaped centrepiece is sited behind the DJ booth which, in turn, is flanked by curved LED screens.
The honeycomb theme is repeated throughout the entire club interior as well as across the set design and décor. The honeycombs spread up and out abov
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Create new traditions – Cameo P6 - High Output Full-Spectrum Ellipsoidal

Cameo's P6 is a future-proof LED profiler with a powerful 600 W RGBACL engine and 16,000 lumens. It’s an energy-efficient replacement for 2.5 kW halogen profile lights in theatres and venues. With excellent light quality and natural colour rendering, it fits perfectly in theatres, musicals, TV studios, congresses, and live events.

With an LED life of 50,000 hours and low power use, the P6 cuts energy costs and supports the EU’s ‘Green Deal’ goals for climate neutrality by 2050. It also meets updated eco-design rules for lighting.

www.cameolight.com/p6profile

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USA - Samsystems UK has announced the appointment of Texas-based RBI Music, as USA distributor for its Integral close cab miking system.
Available in 10in or 12in format, Integral can be used as an innovative solution to augment or replace traditional external close cab miking techniques, in a live or studio environment.
With less mike stands on stage, Integral also helps prevent overspill, feedback issues and offers quicker band set up times. Installed in minutes within cabs or combos, Integral features a circular constructed rigid frame, mounted internally between the cabinet grill and existing speaker.
A super cardioid, dynamic microphone with a high/low, full range frequency response and pressure tested at extreme volumes, is housed within the central ‘pepper pot’ strategically aimed off-centre of the speaker coil, delivering the true, balanced, accurate

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Italy - Loudspeaker specialist K-array has written to friends and partners.
“We hope that everyone is doing well and staying safe and healthy during these unprecedented times. With things changing at such a high speed, we personally want to assure that every member of our extended family is informed on an ongoing basis.
“At K-array, with the safety of our staff as the top concern, we have already been taking necessary steps to adapt our operations while remaining committed to driving business by enacting remote smart working for those who can, which has enabled us to interact with our customers and suppliers in a more safe and active way than before.
“Our next action, in respect to the latest restrictions imposed by the Italian government 22 March, is to suspend all activity within the factory. Effective immediately, K-array will remain engaged and availabl

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South Africa - DWR Distribution has shared a message to the industry.
“When Duncan Riley established DWR Distribution from a tiny office in his home in 2006, he and his wife Sherryn decided to do something different. Abandoning the security of a salaried job, Duncan set out to build on an idea - that the people, not the gear, makes our industry special.
“It’s all about the people has been the guiding vision and mantra of DWR Distribution for the past 14 years. The DWR family has grown from a team of three to a team of more than 60 people, all of whom service the industry in South Africa with passion, dedication and, above all else, humanity. It is more important now than ever that we stand together and make every moment we have all about the people.
“You might be feeling scared right now, just as we are. We are scared for our families and loved ones. We

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Germany - James Blunt’s concert at the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg planned as one highlight in the Telekom Street Gig series was heavily affected by the spread of the coronavirus. Respecting the demands of the coronavirus outbreak, but not wanting to disappoint invited fans and viewers, Telekom and James Blunt took the decision to continue with the concert - but to perform to an empty hall and stream the concert to the public.
With Telekom already commissioning Peter Brandt and his team at Remote Recording Network to mix and record the concert, the current changes meant only minor adjustments to the production. The company has been handling the sound for the Telekom Street Gigs since 2007.
To ensure the recording of the concert in excellent studio quality, Peter Brandt relied on remote mixing and his Remote Mix Room in Cologne, 400 km away from Hamburg. For on-site co

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USA/UK - Elation Professional and the ADJ Group of Companies “wish to bring a heartfelt message to everyone in our beloved lighting community”.
“Like you, we are shocked and saddened by the devastation the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to the world, and our thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected,” say the companies. “Throughout our 35-year history, we have always been a company that cares deeply about our personnel, and therefore place the health and safety of all our employees and their families as our top priority.
“In order to provide a safe and secure working environment while continuing to support our customers, we are adjusting staff levels and operating on a reduced schedule going forward. To further minimise the risk of COVID-19 transmission and to adapt to the current business climate, we have decided to temporarily adjust our US opera

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UK - Lighting console manufacturer ChamSys has announced an online programming contest - the ChamSys Online Programmers Competition.
The competition is open for entries until 10 April and participants will be in for a chance to win a MagicQ MQ70 console. The first 25 entries will also receive a MagicDMX Test Kit, and the three runners-up will get a ‘premium swag bag’.
For the competition, ChamSys is utilising Chauvet Professional’s 200-fixture rig that was meant to premiere at the now-cancelled Prolight+Sound 2020 tradeshow.
To participate, entrants must download the Vis/Base show file of the rig, select a one to three-minute song of their choice, and programme the lights using MagicQ with MagicVis visualistion.
Entrants then have to record their entries via screen capture and submit them, along with the show file, to competition@chamsyslighting.co

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UK/USA - By popular demand UK TiMax developers Out Board have announced a Spring season of ‘One-on-One for One’ online training sessions with TiMax specialists in the UK and USA.
Anybody interested in developing their leading-edge skills in the rapidly growing use of TiMax immersive audio, spatial mixing and showcontrol may well want to check this out. Sessions are open to all sound designers, sound engineers and production sound techs worldwide on a first-come, first-served basis. Simply register to download TiMax SoundHub software (Mac or Windows) from outboard.co.uk and enter “1on1” into the About You section. Alternatively contact Out Board direct on software@outboard.co.uk.
Out Board will respond with an invitation to select an available time and date for a personal, one-on-one, one-hour Skype screen-share trai

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UK - Martin Audio has unveiled a series of weekly webinars aimed at helping technicians stay up to date with the latest technology during this unprecedented time for the industry. The live webinar series will begin on Wednesday 1 April with all sessions remaining available on the Martin Audio website.
The live webinars will begin with Low Frequency System Design, presented by Simon Purse and will be followed by sessions on Display 2.3, EASE Focus and WPS Optimised Line Arrays. In addition to these initial sessions, the company will be adding a variety of topics over the coming weeks, covering Martin Audio’s products and software, as well as more general pro audio topics.
In addition to this, in the coming months Martin Audio will also be hiring freelance industry professionals a

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Europe - Benelux rental companies recently took part in #LightTheSky, an initiative in support of key workers and those on the frontline of fighting the coronavirus pandemic.
On 22 March, for half an hour, companies and individuals - in fact anyone with access to a light - were invited to point it upwards and #LightTheSky. The idea was conceived by a Dutch rental company and became a clarion call taken up by numerous entertainment rental companies, venues, broadcasters and others, by people working in every segment across the whole Benelux Region with some extremely creative results.
Heart shapes were a popular choice and many of the lighting schemes utilised Robe products - MegaPointes and Pointes were a favourite for their brightness - however other products and brands were also involved in this spontaneous and imaginative expression of solidarity. It highlighted gra

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UK - Glyn Owen, a self-employed rigger at the ACC Liverpool, expressed his bewilderment at why the UK government has not offered comparable financial backing to the self-employed.
Last week, the chancellor Rishi Sunak opened up access to the Universal Credit system to workers including freelancers and zero-hour contractors. However, claiming from the welfare system would only secure £94.25 per week for a self-employed worker, whilst the government promised to cover 80% of the salaries of employees.
On Sunday, the communities secretary Robert Jenrick recognised “this isn’t perfect”, adding: “It isn't easy, it's not as simple as supporting those who are in employment. The purpose of our employment mechanism is to help continue the connection between employees and their business so once this is over - and it will be over - those individuals can return

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Europe - Highlite International has vowed to support its clients affected by the coronavirus outbreak.
“For almost everybody who is active in the entertainment-business our line of work is no profession. Entertainment is a passion which, for most of us, started long ago as a hobby and gradually over the years became a calling, if you will. How else can you explain all these short days and long nights building, rigging, producing, controlling and entertaining and doing the same thing the next night. Every DJ, bass player, singer and entertainer knows this feeling through and through.
“There is nothing greater than being able to put smiles on people’s faces, let them feel good during a couple of hours. Be it at a festival, a family reunion, on tour, during a fashion event or a children’s birthday. Entertainment comes in many forms as does joy.
“The coro

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UK - Neutrik (UK) would like to take the opportunity to provide reassurance to staff, distributors, resellers, suppliers and customers that, in the face of the current evolving Covid-19 emergency, “we are rapidly adapting and innovating, wherever possible, to provide and maintain the greatest possible level of service.
“In the first instance, the company is taking every possible means to ensure the safety of our personnel, implementing all government and WHO recommendations relating to onsite hygiene and employee safety in the workplace. Wherever possible, those who can are already working from home.
“Having put these measures in place, we are able to fully maintain production, fulfil and ship orders at this time. All frontline sales and support team members are contactable on all the usual channels of communication.
Managing Director Neutrik (UK) Mark Per

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Spain - Barcelona-based Amate Audio’s founder and CEO Juan Amate says the company has implemented “adaptive measures” in this time of unprecedented crisis.
“All of us are faced with challenges outside of our common experience, for which we are unlikely to have prior contingency,” he says. “At Amate Audio, we are moving rapidly to confront and meet those challenges. We are taking immediate action to secure the integrity of our supply and distribution chains and our clients' business, as well as our continued financial health and corporate wellbeing, throughout the course of the crisis and beyond.
“To this end we are able to guarantee the continued delivery of orders to our clients during any reasonably foreseeable interruption to production, as may be required by the civil authorities. Likewise, our ability to quickly restart and achieve volume production

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USA - Expectations were high when metal band Code Orange announced plans for their Underneath album release party. The excitement level for Sam Jimenez, their new 20-year old lighting designer and production designer was “through the roof”.
Describing himself as an “extreme fan” of the band, Jimenez had sent unsolicited renderings months earlier to Eric ‘Shade’ Balderose, their keyboardist and content creator, offering his design services. Shade in turn shared them with Reba Meyers, the band’s guitarist and production manager.
The dream came true! Jimenez was brought on by the band. Everything was all set, with the album release party slated for  14 March at the Roxian Theatre outside the band’s hometown of Pittsburgh. Then, just like that, everything was shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic. But, with one door slammed shut, the Code Oran
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