Romania - Sibiu-based Artmania Foundation is busy preparing the upcoming ARTmania Festival. The Festival will be taking place between 17 and 19 July 2009, and will have bands such as Nightwish, Pain, Opeth, My Dying Bride and Tristania performing. Artmania production Manager Silviu Scrob's relationship with Adamson began when Scrob heard the Adamson Y-Axis system at the Red Rock Festival in Luxemburg in 2007. The Y-Axis system he heard was installed at the indoor venue Rockhall which seats 6000 persons.

Since then Scrob has been requesting the Adamson systems on a regular basis. Adamson partner Omnitech in Romania purchased a 16 box Y10 & T21 sub combo in the fall of 2007, and followed it up with an additional Y10 and Spektrix order in 2008, thus facilitating Scrob's requests. The

Europe - GE Consumer & Industrial has announced key appointments to the leadership team under Phil Marshall, president & CEO EMEA. The new line-up includes the appointment of two commercial directors, one to lead the Lighting business, and the second to lead the power protection businesses.

Simon Phillips has been appointed as the commercial director for Europe, Middle East and Africa for the lighting business. He has 10 years experience in GE Lighting in Europe and prior to this 12 years with Thorn Lighting, holding a variety of European sales, product and marketing management roles. Phillips is based in the UK.

Christophe Pomeon is the new commercial leader for power protection business. He has worked with GE since 2003 and is based in Germany.

Supporting Phil Marshall's strategy for growth, GE Consumer & Industrial has also appointed new human resources and communications

Asia - The musical Cats, one of the longest-running musicals on Broadway and in London's West End, is now travelling across Asia and putting on more than 400 performances in 20 venues spanning Taiwan, China, Thailand and Korea. Sound reinforcement for Andrew Lloyd Webber's score is provided by a Meyer Sound M1D line array loudspeaker system.

"We're a long way from our support base in Australia, so we needed a system that was flexible, reliable, easy to tour, and great sounding," says Kelvin Gedye, sound designer for the Cats production by Really Useful Company Asia Pacific (RUCAP) and the production supervisor for Melbourne, Australia-based System Sound, the tour's sound provider.

"We know Meyer speakers always deliver, night after night. Cats is a very dynamic show, going from whisper-quiet moments to pumping dance segments, with everythin

Australia - The iconic Bondi Pavilion building set on the edge of Sydney's Bondi Beach, has recently had a refurbishment to its theatre that included lighting control, acoustic upgrades and new seating. LSC Lighting Systems, supplied the lighting control system including a maXim XL lighting desk plus four 12 channel iPRO dimmers. Equipment was supplied through Herkes Professional Lighting.

The Bondi Pavilion was originally constructed in 1928 and included "dressing accommodation," Turkish baths, shops and a ballroom. Revitalised by the Waverley Council in the 1950s and reopened in 1978 as the Bondi Pavilion Community Centre, it is now a vibrant arts and entertainment venue and includes an art gallery as well as the Bondi Pavilion Theatre. The theatre seats 230 in raked format onto an end stage that can also work as a proscenium.

The Bondi Pavilion precinct presents a

UK - Sunbaba literally put one at the back of the net, a screen that is, for Nike's five-a-side football tournament Show Your 5. Sunbaba provided a 126sq.m DigiSound scrim for client Limelight Sports. A video projector and screen were placed behind the scrim and due to the weave of the fabric there was no need for a cut out.

The football tournament searched the UK to find the best 5-a-side football team in the country through a series of knockout matches leading to the final which was held at Alexandra Palace in May. The experiential campaign was part of the biggest push the sports brand has launched in the UK in the last 10 years accompanied by television advertising featuring Wayne Rooney, Joe Cole, Rio Ferdinand and Fernando Torres.

A pitch area was created within the venue which was surrounded on three sides by temporary seating. Sunbaba provided a 21m X 6m Digimesh

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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. 

For more information visit us at www.etcconnect.com

UK - When the doors of Barnsley's former Civic theatre reopened on 5 March 2009, it marked the completion of one of the most dramatic regeneration projects to be undertaken in the town. The newly refurbished building offers a unique combination of managed workspace, a new performance and exhibition spaces.

The main internal space is The Assembly Room - a highly flexible, 350-seat space that can be used to support almost any type of entertainment or event, from contemporary dance and drama to classical music. The space features a sprung wooden floor and is fully equipped with its own audio and lighting system. Systems installer Northern Stage Services Ltd elected to specify Tannoy's VNET range of networkable loudspeakers and subs throughout the main performance hall.

A total of eight Tannoy VNET 15 full-range speakers are flown across the main hall floor area, three down each s

Hong Kong - Over a 12 day period in December 2009, Copenhagen will host the United Nations Climate Change Conference, at which ministers and officials from the 192 UN member states, plus representatives from a large number of interested organisations, will discuss all aspects of climate change.

To raise awareness of the importance of the conference - and of the issue of climate change in general - international pressure group Greenpeace has invited LED media design company LED Artist to be its artistic partner in establishing an iconic Countdown Clock, to be displayed in various public areas in Hong Kong.

Designed to serve as a reminder to both the Hong Kong government and general public that there is an ongoing race against time to combat climate change, the Countdown Clock comprises one of LED Artist's Multimedia Information Systems Tower (MIST) systems, depicted emerging fr

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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

UK - Arcstream AV has sent the world of plasma in a spin at the O2's British Music Experience with the new PlasMotion concept, screens that can rotate 360° on their Z-axis to create an eye catching display.

The new concept was chosen by PRS for Music, for the British Music Experience at the 02 London.

In a video display that rotates just like a propeller, three PlasMotion screens are installed on truss stands, side by side, and co-ordinate image content and screen rotation to create stunning imagery. PRS for Music used the screens as part of the welcome area leading into the exhibition. The screens display musical connections between famous songwriters, all of whom feature in the main exhibit.

The speed, direction and duration of the rotation can be set according to requirements, receiving video signal and power supply via slip rings in the drive shaft this means continu

Switzerland - Barix reports that Bosch Security Systems is now shipping an IP Audio Interface based on the Barix Annuncicom 1000 for use with Bosch Praesideo and Plena Voice Alarm digital public address and voice evacuation systems. The Barix OEM device, labeled PRS-1AIP1, is used for distribution of supervised audio and control signals over standard IP networks according to the EN 60849 standard for voice evacuation in Europe and other regions.

Praesideo and Plena Voice Alarm public address and voice evacuation systems are high-end solutions for PA and emergency sound, covering applications such as tunnels, airports, railways, office buildings, shopping centres, universities, hotels and restaurants, large stadiums and exhibition centres.

The PRS-1AIP1, built by Barix exclusively for Bosch, is based on Barix' field-proven IP Audio technology and supports supervised contact clo

USA - Spring in New York and Tribeca Film celebrates emerging and returning filmmakers. The Vanity Fair party was held on 21 April at the historic State Supreme Court building in downtown Manhattan. At the top of the portico steps, guests were treated to a 4 x 41ft. Barco LED wall programmed to resemble a marquee. The LED wall was divided into two sections, forming a portico into the building's rotunda.

Media content for the LED wall utilised a combination of graphics promoting Tribeca Film, Deluxe, and Panavision. Logos for the three brands were animated into a sequence that played all evening. "The Hippotizer allowed us to sequence and dissolve the graphics using a number of layers," says lighting designer Adam Bassett. "We also utilised the Hippotizer's animation and effect features to create interesting and dynamic transitions between the various base content.

Germany - Italian loudspeaker manufacturer dBTechnologies is hosting its second ever distributor convention at its European headquarters in Cologne this month. The two-day event entitled Prosonic, is set to showcase the new models from the Flexsys, DVA and DVX ranges with a particular focus on Opera Digital, launched at Frankfurt this year.

Taking place on 22 and 23 June, the event invites worldwide dBTechnologies distributors to attend, giving them an opportunity to get up close and personal with each of the new products. The itinerary is interspersed with four sound demonstrations, some in-house and one in situ, each pitching dBTechnologies products against their competitors.

"We want our distributors to be fully conversant with each of the new active speaker ranges. They need every useful piece of information at their fingertips, so we're giving them the chance to hear

Spain - Beyma has introduced a new, compact 6.5" coaxial loudspeaker unit designed for demanding professional applications. The LF unit features a power handling of 200W AES, and has been designed using Beyma's latest technologies such as MMSS, which the company says enables "completely linear and symmetric behaviour of the mobile assembly, even in the longer displacements". The unit also features a CONEX spider, made of a fireproof material, which is able to withstand extreme power conditions (in both mechanical and thermal terms), thereby extending the useful life of the loudspeaker.The HF unit is based on a compact compression driver with a lightweight Mylar diaphragm and a 1.75" voice coil.

Both units have been combined and optimised to provide a coherent, linear, extended and accurate overall response, say Beyma. Additionally, thanks to the design of a c

UK - MilTec (UK) will be showing a broad spread of new and established products at the ABTT show in June.

The PR Lighting XLED590 is a 450W LED moving head wash luminaire with an output of nearly 6,000 lumens, it has 90x 5W Osram Diamond Dragon LEDs. It features four pre-programmed CTC whites and also has a dedicated CTC channel for fine adjustments. This unit is suitable for use on large professional stages and rental applications.

Also from PR Lighting, the XL250 is a compact 250W automated luminaire with a motorised iris and 14-22 degree zoom lens. With high quality and efficient optics, 17 gobos (seven rotating), 12 interchangeable colours and a three- facet prism, this unit is aimed at professional stages, rental applications and school installations.

MT Lighting's StageWash range features four LED pars with outputs up to 108W. In the MT Lighting PixStrip LED screen ser

UK - Digital Projection International (DPI) has announced the appointment of Neil Draper to customer support engineer. In his new role at Digital Projection he will work within the technical operations team to provide technical support to DPI customers in Europe and Asia as well as implementing technical training initiatives to customers worldwide.

Trevor Middlemas, technical operations manager said, "Neil will be a welcomed asset to the team and the company. His in depth knowledge and experience can further enhance our dedicated service to the customer."

Draper has more than 17 years in the music recording and audio post production industry and previously worked for AMS Neve. In his last role as product specialist he worked within the sales and marketing department and dealt with product development to major customers like Abbey Road Studios, Warner Brothers and Luc

Denmark - Martin Professional has opened an online shop for purchasing Martin lighting and smoke products and more. The new Martin E-Shop, accessible at eshop.martin.com, provides 24/7 access to Martin Professional products from one location.

The Martin E-Shop is initially available to all Martin Professional distributors, as well as the Scandinavian and UK markets, but will soon be made available in the USA, Germany, France and Italy.

The E-Shop is simple to use with a shopper-friendly purchasing process, familiar Martin web design, secure payment system, and direct delivery. Also available via the website are product accessories, spare parts, swag and more, making the Martin E-Shop a one-stop shop for everything Martin, says the company.

(Jim Evans)

World - Lighting designer Steven Douglas is using grandMA lighting control for the first time on the current Killers Day & Age world tour, which has just completed its first US, UK and European legs. He had two grandMA full-size consoles - one in tracking backup - and four MA NSPs running over Ethernet, controlling nine real DMX universes and 111 virtual universes for all the video content, stored on three Vixen media servers run via Arkaos, also triggered from the grandMA.

Design wise, Douglas went for a complete departure from the last Killers tour, which had been classically theatrical in style. This time the stage and lighting have a contemporary look, a juxtaposition of circles and rectangular shapes and a massive 268 panel ColorWeb screen which spectacularly defines the space.

It's the first full tour on which he's specified a grandMA, although he's used it on num

UK - Shropshire-based equipment supplier Alana Ecology reports that it has just passed a significant milestone, selling its 300th Edirol R-09HR hand-held digital recorder, on this occasion to the National Trust.

Since 1981, bats and their roosts in the UK have been protected by law. Several thousand people are involved in the monitoring of different bat species and the assessment of their conservation needs, and, at the heart of the bat workers's kit bag, can be found a high-spec portable digital recorder or the Edirol R-09HR, as recommended by the Bat Conservation Trust.

"The R-09HR has been very well received among bat workers for its ease of use and high-quality results," explains Andrew McLeish of Alana Ecology. "Typically they are using it for recording and analysing calls to identify bats in the field, so its simple operation - with a nice big record butto

UK - Six employees from the Royal Shakespeare Company will be cycling from Stratford-upon-Avon to Amsterdam this June. Members of the company's Lighting, automation, transformation and porters departments, together with two freelance lighting technicians, will embark on their 369 km trek from the RSC's Courtyard Theatre at 10am on Thursday 11 June.

The idea was the brainchild of RSC head of lighting, Vince Herbert who says: "When I first suggested the bike ride, the instant reaction from my colleagues was laughter - for some reason they don't think a 50-something like me will be able to manage it. But Holland is very flat, so it can't be that hard, can it?"

The Stratford group will be joined by an additional four cyclists, including representatives from lighting equipment suppliers, White Light, who will begin their expedition in London.

After a journey that includ

Australia - As a general rule, winter in Melbourne is a rather cold, dull and drab experience and not one renowned for its abundance of colour. That was until last year, when the colourful LED artwork maxims of behaviour lit up the winter skyline on the façade of the Royal Mail House building, located on the corner of Bourke and Swanston Streets in the heart of Melbourne.

June 2009 sees the return of this artwork that transforms this distinctive 1960's era building that had been quietly and unobtrusively minding its own business for over 40 years. As part of an initiative to increase awareness and create more talking points around Melbourne, The Melbourne City Council launched its Illuminating Melbourne initiative, which called for proposals from Australian artists to create a significant new public artwork within the Melbourne CBD.

The proposals needed an empha

UK - A.C. Rigging has been appointed as a distributor for Youngman Group's range of professional access equipment and their growing range of event solution products, including a new Aluminium Crowd Control Barrier System.

Youngman Group is a leading provider of access equipment and systems that are designed and manufactured with safety in mind. Founded in 1926, it has built an international presence in over 25 countries worldwide through partnering with select distributors.

Adam Beaumont, sales manager of the A.C. Rigging division, commented, "We are really pleased to be working with the UK's leading access products manufacturer. With their focus on quality, safety and innovation, the new Aluminium Crowd Control Barrier system is great product and a great addition to our product portfolio."

A.C. Rigging has the new crowd control barrier system available for immedia

UK - Eat To The Beat is celebrating 25 years of service to the music, production and location catering sectors. The company celebrated in style with a party themed and catered for by sister company Upbeat Event Design.

The party was titled The Odd Ball and held in Buckinghamshire as a celebration for employees and friends of the company. The Odd Bal broke the norm of a traditional ball with a topsy turvy theme and a dress code of Black tie - but a bit odd!.

On arrival guests were greeted by serving staff disguised as 'living paintings' who served canapés through ornate frames dressed as Andy Warhol's Marylyn Monroe, The Laughing Cavalier, Botticelli's Venus and The Mona Lisa.

(Jim Evans)

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