Spain - At the recent Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2024 (JESC) in Madrid, the lighting design by Raphaël Demonthy (Sunrise Studios) was based around finely tuned technology from GLP, which created enormous impact under demanding conditions.

In the Caja Mágica, a well-known tennis arena in Madrid with a capacity of 12,000 seats, more than 250 GLP fixtures ensured that the performances of each of the 17 participating countries could be staged in a special way. With the right balance of creative versatility and technical precision, the various fixtures in the X5 Series supported the visual implementation of the show, which thrilled millions of viewers worldwide.

Raphaël Demonthy had to integrate into his design a 20m-high LED wall and a giga

USA - Martin Professional collaborated with Verity Studios, provider of indoor drone show systems for live events, for a dynamic three-day customer showcase at the Harman Experience Centre in Northridge, California. Held in April, the event revealed how autonomous drones and advanced lighting can operate as a single, unified show experience.

The centrepiece was a choreographed performance of Verity’s Lucie micro drones, equipped with powerful LEDs, flying in sync with Martin’s newest lighting fixture releases, including the MAC Aura Raven XIP. With its high-resolution aura effects and bold beam presence, the MAC Aura Raven XIP provided a rich visual counterpart to the drones’ motion and light patterns.

“We built the show with the MAC Aura Raven XIP as the lead performer,” said Brandon Robbins, regional sales manager for North America, Marti

Singapore - For the third successive year, Martin Audio and Generation AV entertained all APAC distributors at their Singapore Experience Centre to celebrate growth and discuss future opportunities.

Attending the recent event, Dom Harter, Martin Audio managing director, shared updates from across the Audio Reproduction division of the Focusrite group, which also includes Linea Research, Optimal Audio and TiMax. Harter confirmed: “More partners are representing multiple brands, and while we want to ensure that each brand continues to flourish in its own right, there are increasing opportunities for convergence and valued-added solutions to customers.”

Addressing the notable interest in spatial audio which naturally leads to the potential sale of additional loudspeakers and electronics, the agenda included dedicated demonstrations of TiMax panLab a

France - Smode Tech has announced its partnership with Cercle Odyssey, billed as the world’s first large-scale 360° immersive concert. As an official partner, Smode Tech is providing its real-time media server technology, Smode, for Cercle Odyssey’s global tour, which is pioneering an ambitious new form of entertainment fusing spatialised sound, video, olfactory experiences and classically influenced storytelling on a monumental scale.

The Cercle Odyssey tour began in Mexico City before heading to Los Angeles and will be culminating in Paris for a spectacular finale from 28 May to 1 June. Highlights from the Paris leg of the tour include Max Richter (28 May), ARTBAT and WhoMadeWho (29 May), NTO × Sofiane Pamart and Monolink (30 May) and Bonobo and Ben Böhmer (31 May).

Described as a “nomadic” installation, Cercle Odyssey places audiences a

USA - For rapidly rising (No. 1 on Billboard Airplay Charts) country star Russell Dickerson’s 2025 tour, the production and lighting design came from Scott Cunningham, production/lighting designer at Cut2Black Designs, with support from IPS (Integrated Production Solutions).

Cunningham reflected on the collaboration behind the Russell Mania tour; “The teamwork behind the entire tour has been an inspiring collective, with many thanks to LD Nate Augustyn, tour PM Chris Lee, associate programmer Luke Elrod, video programmer Alex Talbot, and especially Nick Brown and his team at IPS. They made sure we had a rig that could travel well, handle all the different demands placed on it, and deliver powerful looks.”

“From day one, our goal was to provide a flexible, tour-ready rig that could support Scott’s creative vision without co

China - Lars Huang is a Chinese pop singer who has found fame with his lyrical, passionate musical style. His most recent tour, Fun! Only, is a celebration of video game and digital culture, requiring fans to ‘level up’ to get the most out of the experience. The design concept was a Platinum Muse Award 2024 winner. The audio team insisted upon DiGiCo consoles, choosing a Quantum 852 for the front-of-house position and a Quantum 338 for monitors, supplied by DiGiCo distributors in China, RAC Pro.

“The tour is all about letting every audience member really enjoy the music,” Li Wenhao, senior product manager of RAC, technical support for the tour explains. “We insist upon using only the very best equipment and the Quantum 852 delivers excellence for us. At the monitor position, the Quantum 338’s compact design and highly efficient signal pr

USA - RZI Lighting, a provider of professional lighting rentals in the greater New Orleans area, supplied Elation’s powerful Proteus Maximus IP65-rated LED profile light for Our Moon Shines, For All the World to See, a light-based installation by multidisciplinary artist Jeffrey Meris that featured in the recent Prospect contemporary art exhibition.

Founded after Hurricane Katrina to revitalise New Orleans’ culture and economy, Prospect is a triennial exhibition that invites artists from around the world to create citywide projects that are often rooted in social justice and inspired by the city itself. The latest iteration, Prospect.6, prompted reflection on themes of climate vulnerability, colonialism, belonging, and home.

Commissioned as part of Prospect.6, which ran from November 2024 through Febru

USA - Pharos Architectural Controls has confirmed its attendance at InfoComm and announced its plans for the conference next month.

The Pharos team will be on stand 7575, meeting with visitors and highlighting key updates to their lighting control product ranges – Pharos Designer and Pharos Expert. Product demonstrations will be running with a focus on their integration capabilities and how these can help meet the specific needs of the AV industry.

Pharos Designer is the company’s flagship range, centred around scalable, highly configurable lighting controllers for any DMX, eDMX, and DALI lighting project. Programming with Pharos Designer 2 software offers a versatile, comprehensive feature set, powerful show control solutions and ultimate flexibility.

The team will also be demonstrating what's new in Expert, the company’s easy-to-progr

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USA - Stage Precision is set to showcase SP Grid at InfoComm 2025, marking the next evolution of its technology built upon the success of SP V1. Designed to redefine how professionals create, manage and deploy digital experiences, SP Grid transitions Stage Precision’s core offering from a standalone software product to a comprehensive development, data management, control and integration platform. Stage Precision will be highlighting these capabilities, alongside two new hardware products, Grid Engine and Grid Touch.

InfoComm comes after an exciting few months for the Germany-based company, which recently welcomed Sarah Cox, a well-known spokesperson and advocate on converging technologies in the AV industry, as chief commercial officer.

Now in an open Beta phase, SP Grid is a no-code or low-code platform aimed at simplifying the deployment of comp

USA - Clear-Com is set to showcase its latest products at InfoComm 2025, taking place from 7-13 June in Orlando Florida. Clear-Com will present attendees with a hands-on look at products and updates designed to enhance communication.

New at the InfoComm booth will be the award-winning FreeSpeak Icon beltpack, a wireless unit with eight channel buttons, a configurable reply key, and Bluetooth 5.3 support. The beltpack delivers the convenience of a wireless panel in a compact, portable form factor, ideal for dynamic productions that require high mobility and control.

Making its InfoComm debut, the highly anticipated release of Arcadia version 4 is the latest addition to Clear-Com’s flagship intercom platform, delivering expanded capacity, enhanced flexibility, and streamlined connectivity for a wide range of professional AV applications.  Arcadia’

UK - Architectural LED lighting brand Anolis – a Robe business – has appointed Eloise Reed as its international specification manager.

Eloise is based in the UK and will be travelling extensively both nationally and internationally in her role for the Czech Republic-based manufacturer, which will include streamlining the design support and tender processes for clients and boosting the Anolis profile within the architectural lighting community, and as an essential element of the wider ‘Robe Group’ of premium brands.

Australian-born Eloise’s journey into the lighting industry started at WAAPA (Western Australia Academy of Performing Arts) in Perth, a well-known melting pot for creativity and independent thinking, where she graduated with a Performing Arts degree equivalent, majoring in lighting.

Simultaneously, Eloise was also working

Europe - ARRI has announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its subsidiary Claypaky to new strategic owner, EK Inc, headquartered in Zhongshan City, Guangdong Province, China. Operating one of the most advanced lighting production and development facilities in the industry, EK Inc. offers a strong foundation for Claypaky, which is a world-renowned brand recognised globally as a leading provider in the high-end professional entertainment lighting market.

“This decision is part of our strategic realignment as we focus more strongly on our core business,” says Chris Richter, managing director of ARRI. “Clearly recognising Claypaky’s potential, it was important to us to find a new owner who pursues next level growth based on a deep understanding of the market and a long-term strategic vision - for both Claypaky and its customers.

UAE - Saadiyat Nights, an open-air music series held on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi, returned with a star-studded line up of local, regional, and global talent. Amongst the performers were Clair Global touring clients Jennifer Lopez, Robbie Williams, Christina Aguilera, Gwen Stefani and Lionel Richie, plus a performance by captivating Egyptian composer and pianist, Omar Khairat.

Clair UAE supplied audio, comms and radios, working closely with most of the artists to replicate identical touring packages, ensuring performers and crew were at their most comfortable when visiting the region.

At the specially constructed open-air venue, audience experience is a priority, as is the need to combat potential noise pollution to the surrounding residential areas. To adequately overcome any such issues, Clair UAE was appointed to work on a sound design

UK - Void Acoustics has appointed Sam Brandon as its new managing director. He succeeds co-founder Alex Skan, who has held the position since 2016 and will continue to play an active role within the business.

Founded over two decades ago by Rog Mogale and Alex Skan, Void Acoustics under Alex’s leadership has expanded globally and cemented its reputation worldwide. Alex has also played a key role in expanding Void Acoustics’ partner network and internal team, including recently appointing Andy Rigler as head of sales.

Reflecting on his tenure, Alex said: “I’m excited to welcome our new managing director, Sam, to the Void team. While I will be transitioning out of the managing director role, I will remain actively involved with Void Acoustics, supporting our team and contributing to the vision and culture that define our success.

"What

World - Absen has successfully launched 20 more showrooms across key locations worldwide, available for scheduled visits by appointment. The showrooms are strategically situated in China (Shenzhen, Huizhou, Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, and Hong Kong), the United States (New York, Orlando, and Los Angeles), the United Kingdom, Germany, Brazil, Russia, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, the Middle East, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand.

This global expansion underscores Absen’s ongoing commitment to offering cutting-edge solutions and exceptional localised services, says the company. Now with a grand total of 78 showrooms (including channel partners’ showrooms) across five continents, Absen continues to strengthen its global footprint.

Absen opened its newly upgraded showroom in Germany in February 2025. The advanced display area is designed to provide a

Denmark - DirectOut is a supplier of flexible, robust solutions for any audio application. When the scope of the flexibility required by Copenhagen Dansehallerne, Copenhagen’s centre for Dance and Chorography, became clear, DirectOut was the only solution able to deliver what was needed.

Anders Jørgensen, project manager for consultant and integrator Stouenborg, offered DirectOut solutions to Johannes Hornberger, head of sound and video at the centre. The team decided to purchase two Prodigy.MP and six Prodigy.MC, equipped with AN8.IO converter modules, Dante.IO and Milan.IO network modules. This combination ensured the audio infrastructure was flexible and stable enough to support any conceivable performance design.

The Copenhagen Dansehallerne (Dance Halls) are completely adjustable spaces, from the audience seating to the performance programmin

USA - Flock Audio has announced the appointment of Chant Duplantier as the company’s new vice president of sales. Duplantier brings decades of experience in both the technology and music industries to the company. ​

“Chant has been a long-time friend of the company and his experience in all aspects of the tech industry – from hardware and software engineering to product management and sales – makes him an invaluable asset to our rapidly growing team here in the US,” said Flock Audio founder and CEO Darren Nakonechny. “We’re incredibly excited to bring him into Flock and are already seeing the impact of his enthusiasm and experience on our operations.”

Originally from South Louisiana, Duplantier has been a fixture of the Dallas-Fort Worth area for more than 20 years. In addition to his decades of experience in the technology industry

South Africa - When lighting designer Simon King took on DreamScapes, the latest production by Joburg Ballet, he was presented with the opportunity to integrate Robe T1 Profiles and T11 fixtures into his creative vision.

Staged at the Roodepoort Theatre, DreamScapes marks Joburg Ballet’s first production of the 2025 season. A dynamic triple bill, the show highlights the company’s dedication to artistic innovation, cultural celebration, and technical excellence. It also marked a homecoming, as this was Joburg Ballet’s first performance at the Roodepoort Theatre in a decade - a return made even more memorable by a beautiful and precise lighting design.

To help bring the production to life, Simon deployed two Robe T1 Profiles and six T11, supplied by DWR Distribution. “Simon had worked with the T11s before, and I knew they’d

Germany - Digital Signage Summit Europe will take place on 21-23 May at Hilton Munich Airport with ChromeOS by Google as the headline sponsor. The event, organised by invidis in partnership with Integrated Systems Events (ISE), will also be supported by Lenovo as premium event partner, M-Cube as technology partner, along with several other notable brands.

DSS Europe 2025 is poised to include the largest speaker line-up to date, as well as enhanced features and a variety of new experiences aimed at promoting networking, knowledge-sharing, and innovation. 

New for 2025 the DSS Europe app, sponsored by Lenovo, is a major highlight of this year’s summit. The app features an advanced matchmaking engine that suggests meaningful connections between delegates, as well as between delegates and exhibitors, based on shared interests. Users can seaml

Finland - Situated in the heart of southern Finland’s Päijät-Häme region, the Lahti Historical Museum aims to take its visitors on a journey through time. The museum looks after 45,500 historical artifacts and records the lives of the elderly population currently living in the area through photographs and interview projects.

While most museums rely on visual storytelling, Lahti elevates the experience by using sound to immerse visitors in history – and so has turned to Finnish loudspeaker manufacturer Genelec to bring its exhibitions to life.  

The museum is housed within Lahti Manor, a striking rose-coloured 19th-century residence that is well loved by the local community and has been voted the most beautiful building in Lahti. Built by architect Hjalmar in 1898, the building was home to much-loved local resident Captain August Fellman and

UK - It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of Russell Dunsire, founder and chairman of LSI Projects. Creating the company over 30 years ago, Russell was the initial driving force behind LSI.

Having previously served as international sales and marketing director at Rank Strand Lighting for almost two decades, Russell left Strand to create Lighting Systems International in 1991. Appointed as the UK distributor for ADB Lighting and based out of the Siemens office complex in Sunbury-on-Thames, Russell helped build ADB Lighting into one of the strongest theatre and television lighting brands in the country.

With his global experience in overseas markets, ADB entrusted more regions to LSI with the developing Asia-Pacific and Middle East regions creating opportunities that allowed LSI to open offices in Kuala Lumpur and Dubai.

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