Robe - LEADERBOARD - Feb 2025
PLASA Show 2025 - Banner - June-Aug 2025

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UK - Launched in 2017, the Music Venue Trust (MVT)’s Sound + Vision initiative aims to deliver a 21st century live music experience to artists and audiences in every part of the UK. White Light (WL) has been a collaborative partner of MVT on this journey and to date, has supported over 40 Grassroots venues.
Despite some projects being delayed to the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing funding restrictions, MVT and WL have worked tirelessly to deliver as many system upgrades as possible within Government safety parameters. The latest of these were at Stoke-on-Trent's The Sugarmill, a live music venue and night club, which benefited from a new d&b audiotechnik xS-Series system.
Jason Larcombe, WL’s project manager, comments: “Thanks to MVT’s ongoing work and previous

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Australia - Opera Australia (OA) presents more than 600 performances around the country every year, with more than half a million people seeing their work on stage and even more tuning into OA’s radio broadcasts and cinema releases. OA’s integrated digital technologies were used to transport Davide Livermore’s interpretation of Verdi’s Aida to a whole new level thanks to giant LED screens driven by Brompton processing and deployed by Big Picture at the State Theatre, Arts Centre Melbourne.
A ‘feast for the senses’, 175sq.m of UniView Tekken LED screens were arranged in 10 towering LED columns seven metres tall, creating an immersive theatrical experience, with video designs ranging from symbolic pictures to picturesque landscapes of Verdi’s world of Egypt brought to life by 4K Tessera SX40 LED processors that conveyed the scale, depth and grandeur of thi

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UK - Hairspray the Musical officially opened its doors last week. The show had been delayed by more than a year following the COVID outbreak. Unusual Rigging was part of the team that helped bring the all-singing all-dancing production to the stage.
Production manager Rich Blacksell reports: “I cannot begin to explain how delighted we are to finally be raising the curtain on Hairspray. We were just four days into week one of rehearsals and about to start fitting up when COVID-19 shut down all live events. We’d brought Unusual on board to handle a rather complex job because we’d planned to rehearse and tech at the English National Ballet’s new home on City Island. We intended to replicate the Coliseum at ENB, install some Kinesys systems and then move at the speed of light into the theatre for the show’s opening.”
As is the case for almost all
PLASA Show 2025 - Banner - June-Aug 2025

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Finland - Genelec is establishing the first branch of its new G Innovation Lab in Kuopio, with the goal of nurturing creativity and entrepreneurship in the Savilahti region of the country and attracting imaginative professionals to the area.
Starting with a Discovery Event Pitch Challenge this August, Genelec aims to recruit a team of ‘start-up minded’ individuals to further develop the innovative thinking that has helped inspire the company’s technical breakthroughs over the last four decades.
Opening this August in Kuopio’s KPY Novapolis Microkatu, the G Innovation Lab will be the home to ‘talented individuals with complementary skills, but with a deep shared interest in the audio industry’, who will begin work this autumn. The Lab’s location is also designed to facilitate even closer co-operation with regional universities and educational institutions,

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Japan - Japan Jam 2021 took place at Soga Sports Park in Chiba over the country’s big May public holiday weekend. The annual event, which has already taken place three times at this venue, had to be cancelled last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic - therefore, this was the first event in two years, and it was held under strict infection control conditions.
Last time around, more than 30,000 people participated daily in the festival; however, this year the number was limited to 10,000 per day, and the event was devoid of alcohol. The audience needed to obey the rules such as wearing masks and were able to enjoy the live performance in 1m square frames arranged in front of the stage.
As in previous years, Martin Audio MLA was adopted as the main speaker, with 10 MLA elements (including an MLD Downfill) and three stacks of subwoofers, nine per side in total, on main sta
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Australia - NEP Group, technical production partner for content producers of live sports and entertainment, has announced that Mediatec Asia Pacific has rebranded to become part of Creative Technology (CT), a sister company also under NEP.
The Mediatec and CT teams have worked together for many years across countries and markets, collaborating on projects for large corporate clients, international sporting events, Olympic and Commonwealth Games, and more.
A change in name and branding only, the move is in line with similar strategic rebranding initiatives, including that of Mediatec Europe’s business in early 2020 to support NEP’s goal of using the global brand that best represents what the company provides to its clients. The combined brand also now enables NEP and CT to support its corporate and sport client segments in Australia and New Zealand as a true 360° s

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Italy - Distributor RM Multimedia has restructured and is expanding following the untimely death of Marco Bartolini in February this year.
Marco, Paula Porolisseanu and Ermanno Tontini all founded the company in 2007 since when it has grown steadily. Operational continuity will be maintained by Paula as owner and managing director and Ermanno as chief technology officer.
Paula has extensive industry connections and a wealth of commercial experience, while Ermanno is well-known and respected in the world of moving lights and as a technical specialist as well as for his customer-focussed approach.
Paula and Ermanno will be leading the RM Multimedia sales team headed by Michele Sgolacchia that includes a network of regional sales agents covering the whole of Italy.
RM Multimedia reports a recent increase in business as activities in Italy pick up over the la
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USA - Several respected industry figures have joined forces to form Apex Technologies, a new company that will “distribute exclusive worldwide entertainment technology solutions” to the North American market.
The founders Bill Morris, Anders Karlsson, Tarmo Krimm and Ola Melzig have run some of the biggest companies and productions in the industry. Their mission is to seamlessly deliver lighting, AV, staging and power supply products that are not currently represented in the US market. Most product lines Apex will represent are well-established on stages and venues in other parts of the world, says the company.
CEO Bill Morris explains: “Apex Technologies is the brainchild of a few of us that saw an open niche in the marketplace to bring exciting products to the North American market. All four of us have either lived in or travelled the world extensively and can

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UAE - Tom Warneke has joined Creative Technology Middle East (CTME) as a senior project manager for the live events division. He has over 15 years of experience in the live events industry across Australia, Asia and the Middle East.
Warneke has successfully planned and executed technical management across multiple high-profile projects such as Diriyah Season, Dubai Burj Khalifa & Sydney Opera House New Year's Eve Celebrations, World Skills Opening and Closing Ceremonies and the United Nations World Urban Forum.
“I’m really excited to be joining such a world-class team as CT and work on some of the most exciting projects across the region, particularly as we expand into offering that same level of service and quality in a full-service way for not just video but complete technical delivery,” says Warneke.

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USA - Goth metalcore band Motionless in White performed last month against the backdrop of the abandoned Pennhurst Asylum in southeast Pennsylvania for Deadstream #2, an atmosphere-filled livestream show lit by Mike Null using Elation Artiste Picasso, Dartz 360 and SixBar 1000 luminaires supplied by Squeek Lights.
Motionless in White are one of the leading acts in the genre with an explosive sound and captivatingly macabre stage presence. A troubled and abandoned state-run school and hospital, Pennhurst Asylum, a frightening place with a sordid history of suffering and paranormal presences, provided the backdrop for a heavy hitting dose of horror-themed metal.
“I feel that if Alice Cooper or Rob Zombie or Marilyn Manson were to know where we shot this they would be very jealous of where we were and what we got to experience,” stated lighting designer Mike N

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Canada - The Montreal Canadiens wanted to give fans an experience they would never forget, as they returned to the Bell Centre for the first time in over a year. And not just by reaching their first finals since 1993.
Montreal-based PixMob reached out to the team to design a shared experience for the 3,500 fans in attendance and the millions cheering on from home - making a limited capacity arena feel full and helping unite a fanbase that had been starved of live hockey since March 2020.
"We’ve illuminated the world’s biggest sporting events and some of the highest-grossing musical tours of all time, but working with our hometown Canadiens at the Stanley Cup Finals is extremely special to us,” said Jean-Olivier Dalphond, president, PixMob.
Given that this is the Canadiens’ first trip to the Stanley Cup Finals in nearly 30 years, there was no better time t

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Italy - This complex spirit lives on in the Italian rock band, as they rip comfortable, preconceived notions to shreds and challenging fans with their impassioned, unsettling brand of music. The Criminal Chaos, led by founder and singer Nik Bergogni, from Parma brought the full force of their sound to Fumasoli Audio & Lights Rental’s studio in northern Italy’s Aosta Valley to record their latest music video.
Like the furtive, menacing music of The Criminal Chaos, the lightshow that Patick Iavarone designed for this production conveyed an air of simmering suspense and lurking unknown danger, along with the possibility of discovering something new and redeeming in the end.
Making ample use of shadows to add a sense of mystery to the recordings, Iavarone pierced these dark spaces with bright, boldly coloured light, often in monochromatic hues. Providing these inte

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USA - In response to ongoing demand, the Behind the Scenes Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Initiative has posted new online Mental Health First Aid training classes in August for entertainment industry workers in the U.S. at btshelp.org/mhfa.
As the entertainment industry returns to work, the stress of coming out of isolation to high pressure situations, feeling out of shape physically and mentally, and constantly changing Covid protocols are taking their toll. Anxiety and uncertainty are impacting many, as one attendee said, “With the added stress the pandemic had brought us, I foresee even greater need of these skills.”
Mental Health First Aid takes the fear and hesitation out of starting conversations about mental health and substance use problems by teaching you how to recognize the signs and symptoms that suggest a potential mental health challenge, how t

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Australia - Multi ARIA award-winning singer-songwriter Amy Shark’s Cry Forever national tour kicked off in Newcastle this month and is one of the first arena tours nationally since the COVID-19 pandemic.
The tour is the Gold Coast local’s most ambitious live undertaking yet in some of the largest venues Australia has to offer and it was down to the lighting designer Tim Beeston to create a show that looked big on a budget.
“All of the design tricks had to be deployed and our suppliers delivered a high amount of value for a carefully balanced expenditure,” he says. “What we did use, I feel we used pretty well. The show had no content-driven video element which always makes an arena-size show more demanding to design.”
Chameleon Touring Systems supplied the eclectic rig of Robe, Martin, GLP, Chauvet and Portman fixtures with Tim commenting that

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UK - Audiologic, in partnership with GVAV, has delivered a hybrid teaching space at the University of Birmingham, providing a seamless learning experience for students, whether they are in person or remote learning off campus.
The University of Birmingham has recently developed a new purpose-built Teaching and Learning Building. Developed as an education hub, the facility provides spaces for teaching that adhere to the University’s modern learning experience standards.
The Teaching and Learning Building includes a 500-seat lecture theatre, a 250-seat interactive lecture theatre, ten seminar rooms, as well as individual study sections, collaborative group workspaces, and areas that accommodate creative break-out sessions.
The entire teaching facility has been fitted out with hybrid teaching in mind. Now, more than ever, it is essential that lecture theatres ar

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UK - Broadcast on 26 April as part of BBC4’s Lights Up season, J’Ouvert is the second in Sonia Friedman Productions’ Re:Emerge season. Set amid the colourful backdrop of London’s Notting Hill carnival, it is the story of two best friends battling to preserve tradition in a society where women’s bodies are frequently under threat.
J’Ouvert was first produced at Theatre503, before transferring to the Harold Pinter Theatre, where it was filmed for the BBC prior to its West End run. Lighting designer, Simisola Majekodunmi, chose two Ayrton Karif-LT fixtures as major workhorses in her design. “The play takes place from dawn until dusk and has moments of realism and surrealism throughout, so I needed a fixture that could deliver a representation of the colour and vibe of Carnival as well as the sombreness and isolation of the spiritual moments,” she s

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USA - Victor Zeiser has developed a natural feel for David Summers’ lighting style. For years, Summers has toured with rigs designed by Zeiser’s Squeek Lights.
When Zeiser and his partner Steve Kosiba created a rig for Summers to use on a recent pay-for-view livestream by metal giants August Burns Red, they knew exactly what to do to bring out the best in his work.
“Victor and Steve deserve a lot of credit,” said Summers. “The rigs they put together elevate your lighting. In my case, they know I love symmetry, so it’s there in the rig. Everything is done to facilitate the creation of big patterns, which is something I love to do.”
Bigness and boldness were everywhere to be seen in the Saturday night livestream, which was done to mark the 10th anniversary of the band’s seminal album “Leveler.” Shot at Aurora Film's studio in Rock Lititz, the li

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USA - The entertainment technical and production industry has risen to the pandemic challenge with so many prescient and imaginative responses of how to present art, entertainment and stimulate emotional engagement during a time of separation and isolation. None was more innovative than DesignSpace, the brainchild of John Featherstone of US-based design collective Lightswitch.
DesignSpace was an immersive drive-through visual extravaganza of light and video art, presented and curated in close collaboration with John’s contacts at Arizona State University (ASU), and utilising over 160 Robe lighting fixtures, among others.
Working in conjunction with Jake Pinholster, associate dean of ASU’s Herberger Institute for Design & The Arts, plus several student artists, designers, and technicians plus his own team at Lightswitch, John’s concept transformed four levels

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UK - This year’s BRIT Awards was a landmark event for live music. As part of a government-led research programme to assess how mass-participation events can safely resume, a socially distanced audience of 4,000, consisting mainly of NHS key workers, took their seats at London’s O2 Arena for the first indoor live music event in the UK since the beginning of the pandemic.
DiGiCo consoles were once again deployed at both front of house and monitor positions by the show’s long-time audio supplier, Britannia Row Productions.
Britannia Row’s Josh Lloyd took on the audio design and FOH artist mixes, with Chris Coxhead in charge of presenter audio and Colin Pink assuming his recurring role as Live Sound Supervisor.
“After 15 months of very few live events, The BRIT Awards returned to the 02 Arena as one of the governments COVID Test Events,” says Pink. “It

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UK - L-Acoustics rental network partner, West Midlands-based Tour-Tech / Stage Audio Services has invested in a K3 system, the first to land in the UK.
K3, launched in October 2020, is the latest in the touring reference K Series. Designed to deliver big sound for mid-size events by providing full-range bandwidth without the need for a flown companion subwoofer, its design reduces amplification needs. According to Tour-Tech / SAS’s Kevin Mobberley, these benefits meant that K3 would be a profoundly useable tool and ultimately solidified their commitment to invest in the new loudspeaker.
Although, like most of the industry, the company’s business has been seriously curtailed over the past 16 months, the management team foresaw a limited window of time to financially secure a new system. “We want to be ready when the big restart comes,” Mobberley notes. “K3 fit

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UK - A Cornish event production company has completed its busiest ever period, working simultaneously on seven separate events over the G7 Summit week.
Liskeard-based JHAV was appointed to help deliver multiple events associated with the G7 Summit for clients including Spaceport Cornwall, Virgin Orbit, the University of Exeter, and surfing brand Finisterre.
The team also created a press conference suite to be used by US president Joe Biden in the Spaceport Cornwall hangar at Cornwall Airport Newquay.
JHAV managing director Jamie Hedges explains: “We’ve been involved in all kinds of events since starting JHAV, but working on all of these projects revolving around something as high profile as the G7 Summit has to be one of our biggest accomplishments to date.
“The top-secret nature has meant we have been under embargo since the event, and I am so proud
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