Chile - Symetrix has chosen Audio Americas as their new sales agency throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. Led by president Matthew Garfein and director of commercial division, Felipe Vargas, Audio Americas will provide technical sales support to distributors, integrators, and consultants for Symetrix.
“We are thrilled to partner with a sales agency of the calibre and sophistication that Matthew and Felipe of Audio Americas bring to the table,” says international sales and operations manager, Ty Robinson. “Matthew and Felipe are highly responsive, highly engaged, and are eager to grow Symetrix in Latin America and the Caribbean. Audio Americas are a great addition to our international salesforce.”
Audio Americas, based in Santiago de Chile, specialises in c

UK - The Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak has addressed the financial difficulties faced by the leisure industry in a comprehensive financial support package revealed during Tuesday's Downing Street briefing on the coronavirus outbreak.
Sunak is making available £330 billion of loan guarantees to all businesses. To support liquidity amongst larger firms, the Chancellor has agreed a facility with the the Bank of England. For smaller firms, he is extending the business interruption loan scheme, which will offer loans of up to £5m.

Further measures include:
- Removing business rates for businesses with rateable value of £12,000
- Additional cash grants of up to £25,000
- Business rates holiday to apply for 12 months to all businesses irrespectable of their rateable value
- Grants worth £10,000 will be available to the sm

UK - A petition has been launched urging the UK government to offer economic assistance to the events industry during the on-going COVID-19 pandemic. Instigated by Matt Rakowski of DBpixelhouse, the petition’s aim is: “For the UK government to provide economic assistance to businesses and staff employed in the events industry, who are suffering unforeseen financial challenges that could have a profound effect on hundreds of thousands of people employed in the sector.”
To-date, the petition has been signed over 131,000 times – surpassing the 100,000-signature threshold required for the issue to be considered for debate in parliament.
Rakowski comments: “The response has been phenomenal so far, we’re at just over 131,000 – whic
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Strictly FX, Pushing Boundaries

Strictly FX was founded in 1996 by industry veterans Mark Grega and Ted Maccabee. Our expertise and knowledge of the world’s leading pyrotechnic, laser, and flame manufacturers allows us to curate astonishing live events. With over 500+ shows performed a year, there’s good chance you’ve seen some of our work!

World - Huntly Christie, CEO of Christie Lites, has released the following statement in light of the current COVID-19 pandemic: “Like every other company in our business, Christie Lites is not immune and at the end of last week I enacted some difficult measures to counter the effects of the ‘shock-stop’ the industry has endured as a result of the COVID-19 virus. Sadly, this included laying off approximately 200 staff globally. This has definitely been the most difficult situation I have experienced in the company’s 35yr history. We’ve worked extremely hard to build and assemble a great global team and it was a really painful process to see some of our people lose their jobs.”
He continues: “As such, I feel it is important to speak about this publicly and this past week have taken several interviews with mainstream media outlets in North America. I have given an

Conventions Cancelled - The convention/exhibition sector is being hit hard. Following the cancellation of Pro Light + Sound in Frankfurt, The 2020 NAB Show, which was slated to begin April 18 at the Las Vegas Convention Centre, has been cancelled.
"In the interest of addressing the health and safety concerns of our stakeholders and in consultation with partners throughout the media and entertainment industry, we have decided not to move forward with NAB Show in April. We are currently considering a number of potential alternatives to create the best possible experience for our community," Gordon H. Smith, president and CEO of the event, said in a statement on the National Association of Broadcasters website.
He added that they are "committed to exploring all possible alternatives so that we can provide a productive setting" for the event. The annual confab, which in 20

USA - The team at Point Source Audio has grown again with three new additions across the education and customer service teams. Joe Cota has joined the manufacturer as customer education specialist while Justin Hall becomes key account manager and Mitchell Ho is named as account manager, Western US.
Cota brings with him a background as a worship pastor and vocalist. “I’m a professional singer and musician by trade so I can relate to many of the challenges our customers face out in the field,” he explains. “I really enjoy the education component of what I do and the ability I have to help customers solve their audio challenges.”
Hall is a seasoned account manager. “I have serviced customers, managed projects, and dealt with international distributors for a great deal of my career,” he reflects. “I enjoy helping people, so the best thing about dealing with
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The Many Looks of Zeo

Delivering ultimate brightness and unique looks, Zeo’s distinct face design is defined by a central LED monolith and four reflectors, backed by four RGBW engines. As a blinder or strobe, Zeo promises powerful impact with 30,000+ lumens. With its sheer brilliance and playful effects, Zeo is ready to amplify the energy on any stage.

Spain - Following the initial introduction of its all-new LMS series loudspeaker management processor in Q4 2019, with the LMS206 dual input / six output device, Amate Audio has launched the more extensive and powerful LMS608.
A completely new and robust loudspeaker management processor platform employing a 64-bit DSP architecture, LMS provides continuous ‘round the clock’ operation and uncompromising performance in the most adverse application environments. Fully configurable, each input is assignable to any output; with two crossovers - with selectable Butterworth, Linkwitz-Riley and Bessel filtering – and independent compressor/ limiter settings available on each output.
With four analogue inputs, a two channel AES/EBU digital input, and eight analogue outputs, all on balanced XLRs, the 1U 19” rackmount LMS608 offers advanced system configuration capabiliti

The Netherlands - Audio consultants and system designers, Noizboyz, chose TiMax SoundHub to add an immersive extra dimension to the live sound profile of Dutch Indie band, Kensington, for three recent sell-out gigs at Amsterdam’s 17,000-capacity Ziggo Dome. Noizboyz have been Kensington’s designers for four years, working with them in the Ziggo Dome and Johan Cruijf ArenA.
Following a demonstration with Phlippo Productions for client, Friendly Fire as well as Kensington, Noizboyz Pieter Doms and Thomas Van Hoepen, together with Nathan Leenders from Phlippo (Friendly Fire’s preferred supplier) were given ‘carte blanche’ to create an audio system for the gigs.
Showcasing the dramatic difference in aural effect between stereo output and an immersive spatial mix set up, created as an A/B (stereo mix/immersive mix) macro built on a Digico desk, Noizboyz convinced

USA - First created in 1943, New York Fashion Week (NYFW) is a semi-annual gathering of renowned and emerging fashion designers seeking to unveil their latest collections to buyers and media members from around the world.
As a featured participant in the event, the Australian clothing brand Zimmermann, led by designer Nicky Zimmermann, enlisted the assistance of fashion event agency Shades of Grey to create a guest experience that would leave a lasting impression.
Held at SIR Stage37, the event production team worked with the multi-discipline design firm Enlumen who created a lighting design using Robe Lighting PATT 2013 and picklePATT luminaires supplied by 4Wall.
“The original design brief was to create a hanging sculpture of light in a gold room that enhanced and warmed the tones of the treated walls and custom carpet,” began Shawn Kaufman, Enlumen. “Ove

UK - Bristol’s oldest gallery, the Royal West of England Academy (RWA), sought the help of GDS to bring their Africa State of Mind exhibition to life for their ‘After Hours’ event. The exhibition featured photography from all over the African continent so the RWA wanted to use vibrant lighting to evoke the beauty of a Saharan sunset.
Having already worked with the Bristol-based lighting manufacturer to transform their gallery and workshop studio spaces in 2019, the RWA were keen to see the bespoke lighting design GDS could create to enhance both their external and internal spaces during the event.
In order to achieve the rich colour palette that the RWA desired over such a large-scale area, GDS chose FOS, Brick and X-Brick fixtures from Italian lighting manufacturer DTS to create a carefully-crafted, even wash of light over the entire façade of the impres

USA - The award-winning Blue Man Group has taken to the road, and is taking immersive sound along with it for the first time. The group’s current North American Tour officially opened this past September at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles, after developing the production at Fayetteville, Arkansas’ Walton Arts Centre. The Pantages show marked the first of more than 50 cities across the continent that will ultimately welcome the tour in its first season.
Showgoers will also experience L-ISA, L-Acoustics’ immersive-sound technology which Blue Man Group North American Tour sound designer Tony Pittsley says literally puts the audience onstage with the show’s three ironically comic and palpably percussive performers. “With L-ISA, the sounds of the show can move around the stage and the room and appear to come from where they’re supposed to originate from,

UK - Supporting the Keifer Sutherland Band’s performance on their recently completed tour was an evocative Dan Williams designed lightshow that featured Chauvet Professional Rogue R2 Wash fixtures. Like the rest of the fixtures and towers in the touring rig, the RGBW moving wash units were supplied by Colour Sound Experiment.
Positioned on six towers that spanned the upstage deck, the Rogue R2 Wash fixtures provided stunning back washes that accentuated Sutherland and his bandmates on stage, in addition to creating mood-evoking aerial effects.
“Before I sat down and did some renders, I met with Kiefer’s music manager to learn about his vision for the show,” says Williams, owner of DanDoesLights. “Understandably, given his vast experience as an actor, Kiefer wanted a theatrical look, which I thought fit the driving concept behind this tour very well. There is

UK - Merseyside-based Adlib has made a sizeable investment in Ayrton fixtures by adding Khamsin-S, Bora-S and Diablo LED profiles and wash lights to its inventory, purchased from Ambersphere, Ayrton’s exclusive distributor for the UK.
“Adlib’s policy is to look to the future of technology and be at the forefront of what’s coming next,” says head of lighting and video, Tom Edwards. “Over the past two years we have seen significant growth in both our lighting and video departments as the markets we operate in change and expand. We focus on lasting relationships with clients over many years, so it’s exciting for us that some of the fantastic companies and artists are developing along with us and we can support them across such a wide spectrum of live events and special projects.
“To facilitate this, we were looking to add some big, powerful LED fixtures t

USA - Bandit Lites recently made another investment in growing its touring inventory with a sizeable purchase of Elation Professional Proteus Maximus fixtures, Ayrton Khamsins and Robe BMFL WashBeams.
The Elation Professional Proteus Maximus is slated for the Reba McEntire’s upcoming tour featuring a lighting design by Gayle Hase and David Hare. With its ability to cut through great distances, hardy water and dust-proof design, the IP65 rated LED Profile fixture is a great addition to any tour.
“I spent a lot of time looking for long throw fixtures with a bold beam and kept coming back to the Maximus,” shares Bandit Lites director of technical services, Jake Tickle. “Coupled with its advanced feature set and the IP rating, the Elation Proteus Maximus fills a hole in our inventory.”
The newly designed Ayrton Khamsin was recently featured on Robb Jibso

Germany - The Federal Joint Committee health agency has chosen Shure Microflex Complete for its Berlin headquarters.
Tasked with implementing health reform bills and directives across Germany, the Federal Joint Committee required a comprehensive and flexible conferencing solution for a range of large and small meeting and conference spaces at its new headquarters, which is located near Berlin’s Tiergarten.
The contract for the installation was put out to public tender and awarded to Berlin-based AV professionals PIK AG, with German touch technology and digital signage specialist MMT Network providing engineering plus planning services and support.
“In the process of moving to our new headquarters, we had to merge the conference facilities from the two buildings we used previously. We decided to migrate from older analogue technology to a new digital system,

South Africa - DWR Distribution is holding DiGiCo training sessions presented by Kyle Robson in Cape Town (28 April) and Durban (14 May).
Delegates will be given a full demonstration of the DiGiCo S and SD Series digital mixing consoles as well as theoretical and hands-on training. DiGiCo is a user-friendly platform, and Kyle has useful tips and tricks to share.
Those participating are requested to bring along their laptop or PC with an Offline Editor pre-installed. Please also provide a copy of your ID. The cost is R700 and includes a light lunch and refreshments.

Norway - Originally built in 1816 and located in the Norwegian city of Trondheim, Trøndelag Teater is the oldest theatre in Scandinavia in continuous use. In September 1997, it underwent refurbishment and re-opened as part of a modern complex incorporating the old auditorium, supplemented by four new stages of various shapes and sizes.
More recently, the decision was made to update the theatre’s incumbent console and invest in a desk that would provide it with a more flexible, powerful system, choosing a DiGiCo Quantum7T with dual Quantum engines.
Siril Gaare, Trøndelag’s head of sound, has worked at the theatre since 1998, first on a freelance basis, then making it her full-time home in 2008, before taking up her current role in 2011.
“In 2018 we knew it was time to change our main stage console,” she says. “We were looking for a more mobile and fl

France - On 26 February at the Jardin des Plantes in Paris, an immersive symphonic concert was given by French violinist Renaud Capuçon and 40 musicians. Virtual Harmony took place under a 300sq.m dome with projection mapping. The immersive experience was powered by the Modulo Kinetic media server by Modulo Pi, and its new module for automatic blending and warping used as a preview.
The concert put the spotlight on 3Dvarius, the first 3D printed violin by Dassault Systèmes. Attended by 3,000 people surrounding the dome, the musical and visual experience was also streamed live on YouTube.
Event company Mvision oversaw the technical set-up. To project onto the entire dome surface, 12 video-projectors of 30,000 lumens were used. The video-projectors were fed by Modulo Kinetic, the fully integrated media server by Modulo Pi. To seamlessly project media on the dome scre

South Africa - As South Africa declares a national state of disaster in light of the current global pandemic caused by the coronavirus, DWR Distribution has issued the following:
“The measures that government has implemented, including preventing gatherings of more than 100 people, has enormous implications for the eventing industry in South Africa and across the world. It is fair to assume that the events industry will be hard-hit by the current situation - but it is important to remember that this is temporary, and we are not alone as every industry, sector and market will be under pressure due to the knock-on effects of the pandemic and our world governments are mobilising plans to mitigate these effects - South Africa included.
“What sets the eventing industry apart is that we are resilient, we are not afraid of hard work and most importantly, we look after

World - All sides of the events and entertainment sectors are coming to terms with developments of the COVID-19 pandemic and its implications.
In an open letter to employees, partners and end-users, L-Acoustics CEO Laurent Vaissié and L-Acoustics Group CEO Hervé Guillaume, state: “L-Acoustics has taken measures to ensure all our employees are safe and able to care for themselves and their families. We have implemented a work-from-home policy for all employees able to do so. In an abundance of caution, and in order to limit the spread of the virus in keeping with CDC’s level 3 guidelines, we have decided to suspend on-site operations at the following facilities until further notice: Marcoussis, Keskastel, and Amboise (France), Wenden (Germany), London (UK) and Singapore.
“L-Acoustics is in a solid financial position and, for the foreseeable futu

UK - The Society of London Theatre and UK Theatre announced the closure of all its venues with immediate effect, following the government’s press conference yesterday afternoon.
An official statement said: “We regret to announce that as of this evening all SOLT and UK Theatre member venues will close this evening (including tonight’s performances) in light of the most recent official government advice. They will remain closed until further notice and will re-open as soon as possible, following government recommendations.”
In the press conference, the prime minister has said he is giving “very strong advice that public venues such as theatres should no longer be visited”.
He stopped short of issuing an outright ban on mass gatherings and said: “As for enforcement, we have the powers if necessary but I don’t believe that it will be necessary to use

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