Staff from Sennheiser UK joined the staff and patients at Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital in celebrating its 150th anniversary. Also on display was some of the new much needed medical equipment that Sennheiser's fund raising activities have enabled the hospital to purchase.

Following the success of its fund raising last year and, in particular, the annual Sennheiser UK Ltd Golf Day charity event, the company presented a total of £25,000 to the Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity. These funds have enabled the hospital to purchase, among other things, an audiometer, middle ear analyser, four heart defibrillators and a nutrition pump. Additionally, Sennheiser UK donated microphone and headphone equipment to the hospital's in-house radio station, Radio GOSH, a unique resource providing entertainment for the children on the wards.

(Lee Baldock)

With German pro audio concern HK Audio having made huge inroads into the UK & Eire pro audio market in recent years, the JHS Event 2002 presented the perfect opportunity for HK Audio to launch three new and very significant product lines.

HK Audio’s impressive pro audio range now makes a significant contribution to the presentation of the JHS Event, and represents an ideal opportunity for the many trade visitors to the show to hear for themselves why HK Audio is proving to be so successful in this most difficult of markets to break into. It’s also an ideal chance for them to speak to representatives from HK Audio, who visit the JHS Event specially to consolidate HK’s increasing UK profile and presence.

The main outdoor stage at Event is flanked by 12 boxes of HK’s stadium-friendly R Series, offering a total of 7.2kW, with the large capacity active Projector sy

Stenger-Technik, ADB’s distributor and consultant office in Austria, is currently installing a large lighting control system for the new Stadthalle in Graz. Austria’s second largest city and the capital of the Styria region, is currently preparing for its role as cultural capital of Europe in 2003 and the events to be held in the course of the next year require the city to provide adequate performance spaces with up-to-date facilities.

The modern and multi-functional Stadthalle is intended to host a wide range of events: Stenger-Technik worked closely with the client and architect Klaus Kada on the lighting control system for the venue. The installation will include a full range of ADB lighting control desks with ISIS software (Phoenix 10 and Phoenix 5 desks) running on Ethernet software. The Ethernet signal is distributed via 7 Netswitches to a total of 9 Netgate (XT) uni

As a technical partner for the 36th Montreux Jazz Festival, D.A.S. will be providing a variety of sound reinforcement systems for the event to be held in Montreux, Switzerland from today through to the 20th July. One of Europe’s most respected festivals, MJF will be featuring an impressive line up of international artists, including Chris Rea and Jamiroquai.

In conjunction with D.A.S.’s Swiss distributor Animatec, a large selection of powered sound reinforcement products will be used, including the new Compact 2 System which debuted at the ProLight+Sound in Frankfurt earlier this year. The Compact 2 System is an extremely versatile four-way, triamplified system that utilizes ICEpower class D high efficiency amplifiers for a total power output of 2000W. The systems will be on hand throughout the whole event.

(Ruth Rossington)

Lenny Kravitz’s world tour, which is kicking off in Europe, provides the concert debut for JBL Professional’s new VerTec VT4880 line array subwoofers. Concert sound needs are being handled by rental firm Sound Image (based in Escondido, California) with help from Germany’s Crystal Sound for the UK and Europe.

Kravitz’ FOH engineer Dave Natale sought a powerful sound system for the tour, but one which would also fit into one truck. After careful deliberation, he specified JBL’s VerTec system, complete with the new VT4880 subwoofers, which became available just in time for the tour. The VerTec system was first supplied by Sound Image, who then contacted Crystal Sound, one of the largest VerTec stockists in Europe, to source the system for the European leg. "JBL’s worldwide VerTec user group list enables touring engineers to source supplemental equ

Following SSE’s recent formation of a dedicated sales department, the company has been appointed a main dealer for Allen & Heath. Equipment sales manager Julian Ward commented: "We’re really pleased to have the Allen & Heath range on board. The consoles are well specified and well designed. Our hire department has been utilizing the ML5000 for some time, and it has proved to be a good sounding flexible board with plenty of applications."

The first customer for an A&H desk was Roger Hatfield of Nottingham’s Panda Hire, who purchased a 24-channel GL2200 for his hire stock. "We've been buying equipment from SSE for years," he commented. "It’s great now they have a department set up to deal with sales."

(Ruth Rossington)

XL Video is supplying video production for Mexican guitar legend Carlos Santana’s world tour, which has just finished its European leg. The tour now continues in amphitheatres in the US for a month, before taking a break and resuming Stateside again in October.

The video element of the tour was co-ordinated by XL Video Inc in the US, where the tour kicked off on the first of three US legs. The video front end and control in Europe was supplied by LA-based XL Inc and the screens came from XL Belgium. Santana played a single UK date at Crystal Palace. This is the first time that Santana has toured with a full scale video production, and video director Gerald McReynolds explains that Carlos Santana had some very clear ideas about what he wanted in terms of images - including fire, water and other abstract pre-recorded sources, which are skilfully mixed in and overlaid with the live

US company The Screen Works has opened an office in The Netherlands. A joint effort with The Screen Works, Europe (an already established UK operation), the Hoofddorp facility, located just outside Amsterdam, will provide convenient, centralized access to presentation equipment and staging resources. It will have an extensive inventory of projection screens, pipe and drape systems, trim kits and skirting, modular scenic systems, a projection screen cleaning and repair service and presentation accessories.

Overseeing the new venture will be Gabriel West, a long-standing member of The Screen Works management team, who has relocated from Chicago to take up his new role of European operations manager - Netherlands. Company president, Lee Facklis explains: "An overseas operation allows us to manage equipment resources, accelerate turnaround times and contain freight costs. Customers wi

London-based lighting specialists Fentura Production Services have just completed a high profile corporate event at the Royal Academy of Art. Lighting designer Tim Matthews specified ChromaCans which were supplied by Richard Martin Lighting to illuminate the main staircase. These units are based upon short nose Par 36 cans fitted with Pulsar’s ChromaRange of LED fittings. The units worked flawlessly throughout the show providing a dynamic and ever-changing carpet of light on the main entrance staircase.

For control, Matthews utilized the built-in programs of the Chroma Zone Controllers which gave him perfect control without the use of DMX or a control desk! Other fittings included CityColors, 400W HQIs and Source Four profiles and pars, which were rigged by a crew of three, in a hectic half hour, between the museum closing to the public and opening again to the corporate guests.<

David Langton and Bob Bailey of PricewaterhouseCoopers have been appointed joint administrators for the Lighting Technology Group and its associated companies - Lighting Technology Projects Ltd and Cerebrum Ltd. The three are very high profile within the industry and the news, though not entirely unexpected, will still shock those who felt that the Group was beginning to put its recent financial problems behind it.

Operating from bases in London, New Malden, Corby, Manchester, Newcastle and Paris, the three companies had made their names specializing in the supply of lighting and sound equipment to the entertainment and leisure industries. Whilst Lighting Technology and Cerebrum concentrated on the distribution of a large portfolio of brand names, Lighting Technology Projects focused on installation, specializing in high profile architectural projects. It should be emphasized that the

Event Lighting and Design has handled the lighting requirements for some of London's most high profile events. The company was responsible for the creative design and lighting of the Centenary Development Launch Party at Tate Britain and the Swiss Cultural Fund’s event at Tate Modern. The company has also provided the lighting design and technical production for several events related to the Matisse Picasso exhibition (which opened at Tate Modern on 11 May and runs through to 18 August), including dinner for 200 guests at the opening evening on 9 May. On that occasion the team, including Blackout and Dobson Sound, rose to the challenge by rigging a 19m x 12m printed screen backdrop hanging from the gantries 14m up in the air - thus creating an impressive focal point for each evening. Since the opening, Event Lighting and Design has provided the technical production for further even

When a transfer to Manchester United forced former England international Paul Parker to pull out of his plan to open a bar in Brentwood, his partner, Mark Stevens, went ahead regardless and the bar/brasserie operated as Parkers for 10 years until Stevens decided it was time for a complete refurbishment. With the help of interior designer John Breley and a new TOA sound system, the venue was open - complete with big screen - in time for the World Cup.

"We desperately needed a change of image because there were a lot of new venues arriving in the high street," said Stevens. "It was important that we moved with the times and kept ahead of the competition." The new Bar West One boasts a 6ft extension in the room, with bold colours, a curved ceiling, a granite bar, a neat perspex back bar grid lit by AVR Colourmaster colour changers, and a punchy TOA sound system.

The

In anticipation of its phased move to the 75,000sq.m Highbridge development in Uxbridge, ARRI GB was on royal duty last month when Her Majesty The Queen unveiled a sculpture in the town centre, of which ARRI was one of the major sponsors.

Commissioned by Hillingdon Arts Association, ‘Anticipation’ was the work of Welsh-based sculptress Anita Lafford. Crowds lined the streets outside The Chimes Shopping Centre in the town centre as Her Majesty The Queen and HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, performed their royal duty and the sculpture was revealed. ARRI GB were represented by managing director, Renos Louka, and finance director, Sean Leone.

The company will begin its three-phase move into its new three-storey home at the end of August. It has already forged links with the local Brunel University - which recently installed a media suite of television and video studios -

An Outline sound system was used for the Music Party in memory of top Italian singer Alex Baroni (who recently died following a motorbike accident), held at Rome’s Imperial Forums on Sunday 23 June 2002. The show, presented by Fabrizio Frizzi and Angelo Baiguini (RTL 102.5) was transmitted live via radio by RTL 102.5 and included performances by artists of the calibre of Fiorello, Renato Zero, Max Gazzé, Giorgia, Eugenio Finardi, Alexia, Dirotta su Cuba, Paola Turci, Paola & Chiara, Marina Rei, Alex Britti, Massimo di Cataldo, Michele Zarrillo, Rossana Casale, Tosca, Paola Cortellesi and many more.

The event was also covered by all the national TV newsreels. The Outline F.O.H. system - helmed by Marco Covaccioli (Alex Baroni’s sound engineer) and Enrico Chiarioni - was made up of twelve Tripla II and 12 Victor Live subwoofers, backed up by three Tripla II on near-field dut

As part of the refurbishment of The Florence Hall, The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) appointed Paul Gillieron Acoustics (PGA) to investigate a way of improving the speech intelligibility of the venue. This unique space is a restaurant by day and by night becomes the venue for product launches, corporate presentations and of course RIBA’s own seminars and award ceremonies.

The challenge that faced the consultants was not only the difficult acoustic (RT > 3 sec) but also finding a solution that would have the minimum visual impact. Extensive acoustic treatment was not possible as the finishes in the room are listed. This listed status also meant that installing a distributed system was impossible. So, as a result of this, PGA decided to investigate an AXYS Intellivox solution and a demonstration quickly followed. The performance of the system coupled with its unobtru

One of the few modern ballet companies recognised worldwide, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater has just visited the renowned Sadlers Wells in London as part of its ongoing European tour. Known not only for dance, but for the lighting of dance, Ailey chooses ETC equipment to light his shows.

The company has an intense schedule - touring eight months a year, two to three of which are overseas - more overseas than any other modern dance company. Over its 44-year history, the company has performed in 48 American states and 67 countries worldwide. "We are constantly moving," says Al Crawford, lighting director for the company. "This year is big internationally, including Spain, Germany, Austria, England and Italy." The lighting equipment that Ailey uses must be ultra-durable, reliable and flexible. What they can’t bring with them, they count on getting locally and

The decision by leading entertainment lighting distributor A.C. Lighting Ltd, to invest and restructure, is well and truly paying off, the company reports. Latest figures up to May show a turnover increase of six percent over the same period last year, and the indications are that this growth will continue. Substantial investments made at A.C. Lighting, in terms of facilities and systems, are reaching their target objectives to streamline the organisation, enhance customer service, and gain new business from around the globe.

Whilst organizational changes have played their part in the company’s success, the investment in personnel with the necessary skills and dedication has also been a major factor. The recent addition of the sound department has also contributed to the increase in turnover, and reinforces A.C.’s position as being a ‘one stop shop’ for entertai

A major networked installation has been completed at Sandown Park Racecourse in Esher, Surrey, by Racecourse Technical Services Ltd (RaceTech). The scale of the contract - which has been completed over an 18-month period - can be measured by the fact that it involved five BSS Audio Soundweb 9088LLs to set up the digital network across 36 sound zones, as part of an overall audio contract which will run to around £150,000 when complete.

Running parallel with the upgrade at the Racecourse’s bars, restaurants, function rooms, private boxes, conference and exhibition facilities, was the construction of a new stand. But Race-Tech’s head of sound, Robin Dibble, noted that the entire complex - including all the bars and leisure areas - had been refurbished. "It’s been overhauled from the ground up," he said. The audio system replaces what he describes as a 'home b

International Leisure Industry Week (8-10 October, NEC, Birmingham) has announced the keynote sessions for the free seminar programme at this year's show. The programme will feature high profile speakers addressing the industry's key issues and concerns, and sharing best practice and business innovation.

Speakers include Peter Alvarez of Virgin Atlantic Airways, who will tackle issues surrounding the service-profit chain; the relationship between staff retention and customer loyalty, and share tips on best practise for the service industry. Simon Sprowell of Hilton Hotels UK & Ireland will offer insight into combining mission and vision to ensure your brand values are reflected throughout the entire organisation. Graham Abbey of easyJet will address the challenging task of developing a corporate culture that reflects your company's personality. Abbey will focus on easyJet case historie

A leading global consumer brand recently asked international production company, Imagination, to create the ultimate wow factor for the 3,000 attending its annual meeting - held at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

Imagination’s Chris Slingsby, who conceived the innovative set, turned to Creative Technology to draw on its inventory of audio-visual support equipment, anchored at equipment locations throughout the US and UK. In London, Dave Herd (who co-project managed the event with Joe Conway) worked closely with Imagination, ensuring that all software would be compatible with the various screen resolutions and aspect ratios. The result was one of the most elaborate stage sets ever designed, involving no fewer than 552 panels of Barco’s iLite 6mm LED panels and 318 panels of their iLite 10.

Presenters Charlie Rose and Donald Sutherland - along with fellow guests inc

Edwin Shirley Staging (ESS), the international staging and structures specialist headquartered in London, has successfully achieved the ISO 9001:2000 Quality Assurance (QA) standard. This award caps over 12 months of work within the business to overhaul its procedures and systems and bring them into line with the internationally-recognised organisational standard.

The company embarked on the process after discussing with clients what key properties would provide assurances to them regarding working with businesses in the future. It became apparent from this research that a growing number of clients from the private and public sectors, based in the UK as well as the other international markets served by ESS, that the ISO QA standard provides an acceptable objective measure of how a business deploys its services. As with all ISO-accredited businesses, ESS will undergo regular audits by a

Audio-Technica has revamped its European website, adding a number of new sections and features to make its online presence even more user friendly. The new site, which can be found at the address given below, includes a comprehensive library of product information, a guide to discontinued products and an easy to use ‘UK stockist locator’ facility, which lists over 1000 dealers and provides on-line maps and directions.

Visitors to the new site will also be treated to a dynamic magazine service, which delivers breaking news of product launches and high profile applications of A-T products direct to their desktops. Other features of the site include a monthly competition to win A-T products, a technical help desk, a comprehensive product review section and a new area entitled ‘Out There’ which lists the artists and bands who are using A-T products either in the stu

The organisers of the Showman’s Show 2002 (Newbury Showground, 16-17 October) have announced that Europe’s largest exhibition for outdoor event professionals is getting bigger this year. Following the success of the 2001 show at Newbury and the inaugural Northern Showman’s Show at the North Yorkshire Showground earlier this year, the interest for the 2002 show is already very strong. In one of the busiest years seen in the outdoor event marketplace in recent years, the show organisers, Lance Publications Ltd, are looking towards incorporating new developments and responding to industry trends.

"We will be making a few changes to the layout of the showground," said organiser Stephen Lance. "These are in part being made to accommodate increased demand for space and partly to make the show more effective for visitors and exhibitors. Even after all these ye

Prolyte distributor Aerial Rigging Inc recently delivered the first Prolyte ST-roofsystem in its maximum configuration of 77’ 55"x 51’ 2"x 48’ 2" to Pro Stage West for its Las Vegas office. Pro Stage immediately put the system into use - the first set-up was at Sam Boyd Stadium at UNLV in Las Vegas in conjunction with Xtreme 107.5. The concert featured a total of 15 acts, including Cypress Hill and Alice in Chains.

Aerial Rigging also supplied Pro Stage of America earlier this year an MPT-roofsystem of 47' 4" x 42' x 30' 5" (12 x 10). Blake Ferry, president of Pro Stage West and Pro Stage of America commented: "We have been working with Prolyte truss for some years now. We have become very spoiled because the truss using conical connectors goes together so quickly, which has saved me a lot of time and money on the set up of a production.

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