Greece - The new Athens Marriott on Syggrou Avenue has been created by an impressive renovation of the former Metropolitan Athens Hotel. The hotel is located opposite the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre, a cultural complex that houses the National Library of Greece and the National Opera, and the hotel’s roof top bar overlooks the Acropolis, the Aegean Sea and the Opera. Five-star rated and with 385 guest and executive rooms, the Marriott is now one of the largest and most luxurious hotels in Athens.
In addition to its guest rooms and dining, spa and fitness facilities, the Athens Marriott has eight multi-function event rooms. With a combined space of more than 1,000m2 and a capacity of around 1,000 persons, these rooms provide for both business and social events

Spain - EXE Technology has announced SeeSound as its exclusive distributor in Spain, effective 5 November.
The EXE Technology brand identifies a range of fixed and variable speed electric chain hoists, motorised trolleys and relevant tracking systems, loads cell interfaces and hoist controllers for the entertainment and exhibition industries. Their products have been engineered to safely manoeuvre stage equipment, scenery, video walls and other related structures, before, during and after performances.
Established in 2004, and led by Nacho Alberdi, SeeSound boasts an experienced commercial department, avant-garde project and engineering department, and a solid administration and logistics department.
Specializing in “integral solutions”, SeeSound participates in the development and supply of a diverse range of projects for theatres, hotels, sport pavilions,

UK - The UK entertainment technology industry is valued at £1.28bn in 2017/18 and its value is predicted to grow over the next five years, according to a new research report by PLASA.
The study - said by PLASA to be 'the most comprehensive study of the entire entertainment technology industry in many years' - is available to download from plasa.org. It delves into each market sector’s performance and also looks at the effects of macro-environment trends and employment.
According to the findings, all sectors have experienced growth, particularly AV and audio, which represent 38% and 27% of the market share respectively. AV is currently valued at £490m and has an increasing presence in many sectors including architectural and retail. Audio is valued at £340m due to its

The Netherlands - ROE Visual has appointed Emmanuel Pezant to the role of technical sales support.
An experienced LED technician, Pezant has worked as a video technician for over 15 years. Pezant has worked as LED and video technician for notable partners in the French market.
“Combining his practical skills with a commercial flair, Pezant will support our French speaking clientele in both their commercial needs as well as the occasional technical support. We are very pleased to have him joining our team,” states Auke Meijer, operations & sales director for ROE Visual Europe.
(Jim Evans)

USA - Brian Dowd has joined GLP US as sales director. Dowd has previously served as vice-president of sales at ACT Lighting for over 12 years and has also been a regional sales manager at TMB. Throughout his career, he’s worked as an electrician, rigger, designer and production manager.
GLP US president Mark Ravenhill comments: “It is fantastic to have Brian join us at GLP. Having known him for many years, his knowledge of the industry and his ability to consistently grow markets will be a great asset to the company as we move forward.”
Dowd adds: “I was attracted to GLP because they do not follow the pack. My role at GLP in the America’s is to create growth in the marketplace. There are some very exciting opportunities out there, and I am looking forward to them all.”
(Jim Evans)

USA - Bose Professional has released Bose Array Tool, a new AV system design software with intuitive workflow.
Users can trial loudspeaker models, placements, and coverage formations to best match the needs of the venue. The software also provides drawing tools to manipulate room surfaces and loudspeakers dynamically and allows for visualising the speakers’ coverage effect in near realtime.
Once designed, ordering lists, rigging, and array information can be exported for ease of work on site. Version 1.0 only supports designing with Panaray MSA12X, but Bose is adding more models in future releases.
Trevor Donarski, product line manager at Bose Professional, comments: “It was important to us that the software have almost no learning curve. It’s made to help system designers identify optimal loudspeakers and ideal placement with less effort, in less time. O

USA - Audio-Technica has agreed with RF Venue to distribute its antennas, RF signal distribution systems and spectrum analysis tools in North America, effective 1 November.
As part of the contract, A-T will offer RF Venue’s Diversity Fin Antenna and DISTRO4 antenna distributor as primary accessories for the 3000 and 5000 Series wireless systems. Current RF Venue dealers may continue to source products directly from RF Venue, says the company.
Chris Regan, RF Venue president comments: “We are excited to bring RF Venue products directly to Audio-Technica customers in North America. The Diversity Fin antenna, DISTRO4, and other RF accessories are the perfect match for the new 3000 and 5000 series wireless microphone systems from Audio-Technica. This agreement allows us to service and grow our existing authorised dealers, as well as introduce RF Venue products to Audio

USA - Finger Lakes Community College has expanded their API console selection with the commissioning of an automated 32 channel 1608 console. The school is also equipped with a 48-channel Vision console and another 32-channel 1608 console.
"We had a digital console in one of our rooms that we needed to replace. For our other rooms we had bought a Vision, a 1608, and then an expander for that console," says FLCC's recording studio manager, Bob Potter. "The 1608 is a killer console for our first room, so when it was time to do this room we decided to go back to the analogue world from the digital console. I think this was a step up and a smart move for us."
With the initial purchase of the Vision console working out so well for FLCC, Potter wanted to fill his other rooms with a similar sound. He says that the students who have made the transition from digital to analogue
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USA - The University of Kentucky’s Big Blue Madness – the annual televised open practice event for the university’s basketball teams – is a highlight for basketball fans and students, who camp out for days to get tickets to the event.
Bandit Lites once again provided the lighting package for the televised celebration, where the 2018/19 season kicked off with dance routines from both the women’s coach, Matthew Mitchell, and the Kentucky cheerleaders along with epically staged introductions as the players were introduced to the sold-out crowd before a scrimmage.
Bandit Lites supplied more than 100 fixtures including GLP X4S, Robe BMFLs, GLP X4 Bar 20, Chauvet Rogue RH1 Hybrids, Claypaky B-EYE K20, Suntrips, Robe PATT 2017 and Mega-lite CircaScoops.
LD Aaron Swetland tackled the design for the projected #1 ranked basketball team’s event, lighting the t

Singapore - Loud Technologies Asia (LTA) took the lead in organising a rigging safety awareness seminar in their new showroom and training facility in Singapore.
The seminar was organised in conjunction with Prolyte Asia Pacific (PAP) and was conducted by technical manager Jasper van der Sluis.
Colin Quek, owner and managing director of LTA, comments: “Although we are the Prolyft Service Point for Singapore and dedicated dealer for Prolyte, Doughty and Protos load measuring systems, we believe it’s important to show as many aspects of safe rigging in general regardless of the brand or country of origin.
“Among other demonstrations, it was demonstrated by using load cells how loads can react on a truss which is suspended from three chain hoists and by moving the load over the truss.”
(Jim Evans)

Germany - The power of collaboration is not to be underestimated. Take German electro duo 2raumwohnung, for example. After meeting in post-reunification Berlin in 1990, electronic musicians Inga Humpe and Tommi Eckart embarked upon two long-term successful collaborations - one of them romantic, and the other as one of Germany’s most successful electropop bands of the last two decades.
Tasked with providing visuals for a recent 2raumwohnung performance at the Freilichtbühne in Zinnowitz designer Mario Volk along with the lighting operator Sven Köpke from Hellcon Veranstaltungstechnik, used Cuauvet Professional Maverick and Rogue fixtures to create a combination of looks for the band's 90-minute concert.
Hellcon Veranstaltungstechnik Stralsund provided Volk with six Maverick MK2 Spot, six Rogue R2 Wash and six Rogue R1 Beam fixtures. These luminaires were hung above

France - The Arlette Gruss Circus is well known for its love of technology and reinvention, constantly keeping their shows fresh. This year, when they changed up their old Big Top for a new model, they embraced a new Robe RoboSpot system.
Lighting designer Arthur Oudin had created a new lighting scheme for the circus in January after receiving a brief from director Gilbert Gruss and technical director Julien Lhomme. With the new Big Top, he adapted the lighting design to the new truss points and integrated the RoboSpots.
Arlette Gruss Circus opted for a radically different tent, Le Privilége, designed by Gilbert and Julien and manufactured by Italian canvas specialist F. Greco SRL with no inner pole.
This allows a completely enhanced visual experience for the audience with an unhindered 360-degree view.
The Big Top is effectively anchored in place by its o

USA - Justin Timberlake is currently on his sixth world tour, Man Of The Woods. His two live sound engineers, Andy Meyer and Paul Klimson, both rely on DiGiCo consoles supplied by Clair Global.
“The SD7 offers an input count, flexibility, and sonic clarity that is unsurpassed by other platforms,” opens Meyer, whose DiGiCo SD7 console is receiving 200 input paths at FOH, with 138 outputs. “I’ve got snapshots for changes that I want to make, and I fire it all off of time code. I used to do it manually, and I have foot switches to do it, just in case.”
The snapshots are starting points, Meyer explains, as throughout the performance he's making slight adjustments: “I don’t EQ the system, I let the system be the system, and I fix it in snapshots. If there’s a frequency bugging you, you find out what it is, and then you put a snapshot in to clean it

World - Lighting designer Ben Inskip is using the new Vista 3 by Chroma-Q lighting & media control system to deliver his dynamic design for fast-rising British rock band, Don Broco's current international tour.
Following the release of the album, Technology, the group has been touring prolifically for the past year. This has included a sold-out date at London's Alexandra Palace and other headline shows across Europe; festival gigs at Reading & Leeds and the Vans Warped Tour; and high-profile support slots on massive arena shows in Europe and the US for Thirty Seconds to Mars and Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park.
A Vista user for the past six or so years, Inskip has been impressed by the platform's simple approach to lighting control whilst still enabling programming of complex shows.
As well as upgrading his Don Broco core lighting design of bright and

Thailand - Mahajak Development recently updated Phrarajasatta Pavilion’s aging sound system with a full-on sound reinforcement solution by Harman Professional Solutions.
Built in 1993, Phrarajasatta Pavilion is an addition to Wat Pathum Wanaram, a mid-19th century Buddhist temple in Bangkok. Religious devotees and general public alike use Phrarajasatta Pavilion as a sacred place to conduct daily Buddhist activities, including worship, meditation and dharma practice. After 25 years of service, temple leaders hired audio integrator Mahajak Development to replace their rapidly aging sound system with a complete networked sound system, comprised of solutions by JBL, Crown, dbx and Soundcraft.
“Houses of worship like Wat Pathum Wanaram require premium audio solutions to provide guests and members of the community with immersive worship experiences,” says Pongsakorn

Sweden - Allen & Heath’s dLive system has recently provided support for the long-running Swedish TV game show, Så Ska det Låta, based on the Irish precursor The Lyrics Board.
A DM64 MixRack and S7000 Surface forms the backbone of the system, with the demanding monitoring requirements of the presenters, contestants and musicians all handled by dLive’s configurable 64 bus architecture and flexible routing options.
Peter Fredriksson, monitor engineer for the show, comments: “It’s quite a special experience as you have to be on your toes all the time, particularly when you have four competitors trying to win points by guessing songs from intros, words, pictures or something performed by the local studio orchestra.”
The set-up also includes four DX168 expanders, which provide remote inputs and outputs to IEM systems for the musicians in t

UK - Celebrating the world of entertainment, the BBC Radio 1 Teen Awards recognises some of the UK’s unsung heroes alongside stars of music, sport and screen. The live event, held at the SSE Wembley Arena, fronted by Greg James, Mollie King and Maya Jama, featured a host of acts including Little Mix, 5 Seconds of Summer and Sigrid.
Working alongside gaffer Richard Gorrod and PRG, LED Creative assisted in building the vast ‘neon’ archways and circular truss system that spanned the areas above both the stage and the audience. The installation allowed the team to create a truly immersive viewer experience that extended beyond the main performance stage to fill the entire venue with a spectacular array of shape and movement.
LED Creative also provided a range of proprietary products, including the company’s Pulse Wands and Sigma Fairground fixtures paired with BYT

South Africa - Cape Town’s first Green Hippo Amba+ was put through its paces at the Shoprite Super Service Awards held in at the ExecuJet Hangar at Cape Town International Airport, with one third of the 2400sq.m space used for a jet plane parked inside.
Solid Group were appointed by Venturescapes Events to supply the full technical at the awards, attended by 600 guests. They took ownership of the Hippotizer Amba+ a few days before the event.
“We initially came up to visit DWR Distribution purely to attend the L-Acoustics Kiva demo with Richard Smith,” Alex van Dyk, owner of the Solid Group, explains. “Luckily we set aside enough time so that we could go through all the toys. Dylan Jones spent time with us on the Green Hippo, and we completely fell in love with it. Even having the baby Amba+, it’s incredible how powerful such a small unit can be, and this is t

South Africa - In Die Kollig (Afrikaans for In the Spotlight) is a new TV music show in South Africa produced by one of the country’s most famous TV personalities, singer and entertainer Johan Stemmet, recently broadcast on SABC 2.
The first series’ episodes were produced by Stemburg TV and recorded at the Urban Brew Studios at Randburg Waterfront, and the show was creatively lit by Ryan Lombard, head of lighting at Blond Productions, using around 100 Robe moving lights and other fixtures. All the lighting and video equipment was supplied by Blond Productions.
Each show featured a local music artist whose story was revealed thorough a series of 12 songs, which included a tribute, a ‘legend’ song, a duo, and other variants.
The intense seven-day shoot schedule entailed recording two episodes per day, so Ryan had to light 24 songs - each one l

USA - Sensaphonics recently held a Gold Circle Seminar to train audiologists in meeting the specialised needs of artists, sound engineers, and other music professionals. The two-day seminar features personal instruction from Sensaphonics president, Dr. Michael Santucci, and audio engineering consultant Joe ‘Sound Guy’ Tessone. Four audiologists gained Gold Circle certification through a series of classroom modules and a hands-on demo session with a live band using in-ear monitors for the first time.
Topics included advanced hearing loss prevention techniques, concert sound system basics, monitoring technology overview, product information, and backstage etiquette, all with a focus on how the music industry differs from other work environments. Classroom instruction is held at Sensaphonics headquarters in downtown Chicago and includes a tour of the company’s IEM manufac

Canada - Adamson Systems Engineering hosted the largest-ever gathering of its global network at its Canadian head office and manufacturing facility in Port Perry, at the end of September.
Over 120 partners from around the world took part in two full days of programming, including previews of upcoming products, innovations, and collaborations, all with the goal of better supporting end-users with world-class training and service.
“We’ve welcomed a significant number of new partners to the Adamson global network over the past few years amidst a period of strong year-over-year growth,” says James Oliver, Adamson’s director of sales and marketing. “We’re very proud of the way our international team has supported these partners to date, but recognised an opportunity to bring everyone together, offer a preview of upcoming product releases, and leverage ideas and

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