Robe - LEADERBOARD - Feb 2025
Doughty - Banner - from 6 June 2025

Business

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UK - At the end of January this year, in appalling weather conditions that shut down much of East Anglia, lighting designer Mark Ridler suffered a devastating accident on his way home from work. As a result, Mark is now paralysed from the waist down in what is described medically as a T11 injury: in lay terms this means there is no hope of recovery and he will be confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life.

Mark, who is 38, started his career as chief electrician for the Piccadilly Theatre in London, where Mark White (now with ETC) gave him his first job. He then worked as resident lighting designer for the Phoenix Dance Company in Leeds, then at the Nottingham Playhouse, later going on to Sadlers Wells and The Peter Hall Company at the Piccadilly, The Royal Court, and the Royal National Theatre. A member of the ALD, for the last four years Mark has worked for Maurice Bril

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UK - Slough-based pro audio and lighting specialist Stagetec has launched a major new initiative - ‘Spotlight on Education’ - to enable schools, colleges and educational establishments to get more value from their technology budgets. Stagetec has always been active in the schools market, which represents 20 per cent of the company’s turnover. It’s also an area that’s been very rewarding in terms of building future relationships, via training schemes and investment in designing and installing practical, cost-effective schemes to benefit tomorrow’s potential performers and production designers and technicians.

Stagetec’s range of special offers provides an opportunity for drama departments to gain access to a wide range of sound, lighting and studio products at reduced prices: "Spotlight on education will help consolidate Stagetec&rsq

PLASA Show 2025 - Banner - June-Aug 2025

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UK - The UK’s new National Directory Enquiries service has changed to a new telephone number - 118888. To assist it’s UK press launch, the London-based agency PR-21 commissioned the services of Laser Grafix to produce and execute the world’s biggest ever 'guerrilla lighting' PR stunt. PR-21’s Ian Twinn came up with the vision of illuminating the BT Tower green and projecting the telephone number onto the tower, and the subsequent spin in the press being ‘BT Turned Green with envy at rival’s half-price calls’.

A simple enough idea - but how do you light a 628ft tall tower, all the way around with four projection points, without permission, except for CAA notification - and what kit do you use? Sales and projects manager at Laser Grafix, Richard Hawkins, sought knowledge and a free dinner from LD ‘Mr. P’ (real name kept secret

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UK - Screenco joined forces with screen manufacturer Unitek to provide a groundbreaking new graphics display which revolutionized the information scoreboard definition at this year’s IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics, at Birmingham’s NIA. Screenco had initially won the contract to supply sports presentation suppliers, Fast Track, with big screen reinforcement following their success at last summer’s Commonwealth Games in Manchester.

Fast Track had been contracted by the IAAF to stage manage the prestigious three-day event, and their production manager, Bob Capel, was soon in conversation with Avesco’s business development manager, Dave Crump, discussing ways in which the somewhat antiquated scoreboard technology might be improved. Crump called LED display manufacturers (and Screenco suppliers) Unitek. They debated the feasibility of a colour LE

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UK - Projectionist Pod Bluman has recently set up Pod Projects Ltd - a company specializing in large-format projection work.

Bluman is an experienced projection designer: he started his career with Labyrinth, a company which specialized in ‘Guerilla-style’ projections, probably the most famous of which was the image of a naked Gail Porter projected on to the Houses of Parliament in London. He went on to work on numerous projects, including projections onto Buckingham Palace, MI6 and the Tate Gallery, as well as being involved in the River of Light project for the Millennium celebrations in Liverpool.

In the last two years he has been the video crew chief for a number of large projects, including the Vodaphone Ball 2002, the New Year’s Eve celebrations at the Millennium Dome and the launch event for the Birmingham Bullring. More recently, he has taken on the p

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Germany / Portugal - Barco announced today that it has won orders for Slite LED screens to two major European football stadiums - the brand new Estadio das Antas Stadium in Porto, Portugal, which has been chosen to host the European Football Championships in 2004, and the Stade de Genève in Switzerland, which will be used to host the Euro 2008 Football Championships, co-hosted by Switzerland and Austria.

96sq.m of Barco’s SLite 10 LED screen will be installed at the Estadio das Antas Stadium, which has a seating capacity of 50 00. The opening game of the championships will be played in the stadium on June 12, 2004.

Commenting on the project win, Marco Bruines, Division Manager, Barco Media said: "Barco’s LED display solutions have long been regarded as the reference in the rental & staging and major events industries. Reliant Park in Houston was our first maj

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UK - A Charity Gala Concert at the Royal Opera House, London, drew together a glamorous line-up of acting and musical talent in support of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund.

Among the stars helping to raise money for the cause were Alan Bates, Terence Stamp, Nicholas Grace, Dame Eileen Atkins, Michael Palin, Rula Lenska, Sinead Cusack and Jeremy Irons. Among the musical line-up were Bryan Adams, Brian May, Alessandro Saffina and the Operababes.

Production manager Robbie Williams brought in White Light Events to take care of lighting, a duty overseen by lighting designer Mikey Robertson, with Jason Larcombe as associate LD. Robertson says: "The stage was too big for our purposes, even with the number of performers who would be appearing on it, so we halved the depth by putting in a back projection screen. This freed up some of the side lighting fixtures which we used for back-

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UK - Until now, Braehead Arena has been one of Glasgow’s undiscovered assets, according to its recently-appointed executive director Jim Francis. All that’s about to change as Braehead becomes a major player in the growing medium-sized arena circuit. So, what is the significance of this? Let’s look at recent history.

In the past decade the larger arenas such as Sheffield, Manchester, Birmingham, Newcastle, Wembley and London Docklands have all invested considerable amounts of money to provide quick, easy mechanisms by which they can convert from ‘full house’ to smaller, 7,000, 5,000 and even 3,000 seat configurations.

Also, in the same decade, the traditional smaller venues - the city halls, theatres, and smaller sports halls - have all become busy, catering specifically for a different audience through the plethora of tribute bands and revival pa

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UK - Few albums in the history of popular music can rival the success of Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon. Artistically ambitious and blatantly appealing at the same time, Dark Side remains a staple 30 years after its release. To celebrate that milestone, the band decided to re-release the album for the first time in 5.1 surround on Super Audio CD (SACD). The highly regarded producer and engineer James Guthrie, who has worked with the band for more than two decades, was asked to handle the remix. Although he happily accepted the assignment, Guthrie says the decision was not made without a bit of trepidation.

"This was a very difficult 5.1 mix. Not from a musical point of view, because the record really lends itself to a three-dimensional treatment, but from the point of view that everyone knows the original mix so well. It is indelibly printed on our minds. We've had

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UK - The MacRobert Arts Centre is a multi-purpose arts venue based at the University of Stirling. A recent extensive refurbishment project has seen all its performance spaces completely upgraded.

The work has been carried out by Edinburgh-based black light, who installed the new technical facilities within the six performance and presentation spaces. Paul McGreal, the company’s project manager, took on the planning and management of the £650,000 project, whilst Jock Wallace, as the company’s site manager, spent most of last summer on site, supervising the practical elements of the installation.

The key elements of the project included the installation of new lighting control and dimming equipment, audio and PA systems, cinema projection and sound equipment, communication and stage management equipment and AV systems. black light also used its in-house resources (o

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USA - TMB has implemented an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), making TMB employees worldwide shareholders in the company. Colin Waters, TMB's CEO, told us: "The ESOP conveys a greater stake in our growth to each employee. Everyone's work and innovative ideas contribute to their own equity in the company. Furthermore, wealth formation through an ESOP is tangible evidence that employees are successful (and therefore satisfied) in their work. Employees gain a sense of ownership, personal accountability and dignity. If worker/owners perform extraordinarily well, company performance is more likely to be extraordinary, and that translates into high stock value for the employees. Customers benefit from increased incentive for employees to provide the best possible service. The ESOP truly represents the spirit behind our company."

According to TMB president Marshall Bisse

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The Netherlands - The Dutch town of Kerkrade has become something of a magnet for Dutch, Belgian and German ravers of late. The draw is the recently opened 5,000 capacity Vizion club - a massive, multi-layered venue, situated near the German and Belgian borders, which features no less than 15 bars, several restaurants, a VIP lounge and a studio for the local radio station.

Pierre Vijgen, who owns Vizion, has invested more than €10 million in the venue, which sits tucked beneath the stands of Kerkrade’s Parkstad Limburg stadium. And get this for luxury - visitors arriving by car can choose from one of 1,500 parking spaces, with entry to the club costing only 10 euros.

Despite the scale of the venue, its split-level layout ensures that even when the building is not entirely full, its feel remains intimate and busy. Numerous internal galleries, like stork’s nests, of

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USA - Mondiale, the publisher of Total Production magazine, have announced a licensing agreement with new American publishing company, Austin Burbank Media Productions LLC. The agreement will see the launch of a new magazine - Total Production US - in March 2003 serving the lighting, audio and staging industries in the USA. The magazine will reflect the values of its European sister but be dedicated to US events and news.

Austin Burbank founder and editor is Bruce Jordahl, formerly the editor of the US-based Pro Lights & Staging News (PLSN) magazine. He commented: "Total Production has long had a great reputation over here for its editorial values and commitment to the industry. A US version will give us the time and space to fulfill those same aims specifically for the American market. By bringing the title over, the industry already knows the style and quality of magazine

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Switzerland - When Gerard Shallier's French production company NAT rigged the Renault stand at this month's Geneva Motor Show, not only were they showing the latest cars from Renault, but also the latest automated lighting fixtures from Coemar - the Flex range.

NAT, who utilize Coemar automated lighting exclusively in their rental fleet, had worked closely with the Italian manufacturers during the development of the new Flex range and saw the Renault stand - with its long throw distances and high output required - as an ideal opportunity to debut the range.

NAT installed 80 iWash Flex luminaires, interspersed with 18 Coemar 2.4K SuperCycs and 19 Coemar 2.5k PC theatrical projectors, to create a stunning presentation for the new Megane, Scenic and F1 showcase cars. All the lighting cues on the Wholehog II desk were programmed by Remy Roland, working for DoP Frederick Dorieux, w

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USA - The ‘Tim McGraw & The Dancehall Doctors One Band Show’ tour kicked off this spring with more than 120 High End Systems automated luminaires in the rig and a couple of Wholehog II consoles in control, as prescribed by lighting designer John Broderick. Premier Global Production Company of Nashville supplied all the lighting gear and built the rolling stage for the tour, which runs from 20 March to 31 May in the US.

HES fixtures on the tour include 50 Studio Beam, 38 X.Spot and 33 Studio Color 575 automated luminaires. Show control is conducted via two Wholehog II consoles, programmed by Troy Eckerman. Lighting director is Jerome Thompson, spot caller is Phil Ealy, crew chief is Rich Vinyard, electrician is Jamie Grossenkemper and lighting technicians are Eric Perry, Steve Schwind and George Kiem.

(Lee Baldock)

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UK - The Institute of Sound and Communications Engineers (ISCE) and the Professional Lighting and Sound Association (PLASA) have agreed to set up a joint group on Audio Frequency Induction Loop Systems (AFILS). International Standard IEC/EN 60118-4 is up for revision, and some of the current content has been a bone of contention amongst many for some time. The collaboration between the two organizations will help provide a productive forum for members to generate a considered and expert view on the proposals, submitting them via BSI committee EPL/29.

PLASA has agreed to share John Woodgate's reports on the relevant BSI and IEC meetings with ISCE members. Currently, it is anticipated that the group will communicate through the ISCE mailgroup at present. If necessary, a separate mailgroup can be set up, depending on the level of response. The group is open to employees of PLASA me

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Finland - Oy Hedcom Ab has recently supplied three Midas XL4 consoles complete with XL3 sidecars via their installation partners to Kvaerner Masa-Yards in Helsinki for installation into some of the world’s most advanced cruise liners. Kvaerner Masa-Yards has been shipbuilding since 1737 and is now a vast operation employing over 4,000 people across two extremely modern yards in Helsinki and Turku. In the last 10 years, over 25% of the world’s cruise ships have come from these two shipyards.

The consoles have been installed in the main show lounge/nightclub of the Carnival Pride with a passenger capacity of 2,680 and her sister ship the Carnival Legend which sail primarily in the Caribbean out of Florida, while the third has been delivered to the Costa Mediterranea, which is still under construction and will be sailing in the Mediterranean upon her completion later th

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UK - Having completed another successful year, UK-based sound and lighting wholesaler Batmink Ltd has expanded its warehouse with an additional purpose-built storage facility covering some 6,000sq.ft. The additional facility is now in full operation ensuring a fast turnaround of customer orders and additional stockholding. Commenting on the expansion, managing director David Churches said: "We seem to be bucking the downward trend, with 2002 being our most successful year. I believe this is due to our customers appreciating our honest and competitive outlook to the trade distribution business. The first three months of 2003 are some 15% higher than the same period last year and I am looking forward to a very successful 2003."

(Lee Baldock)

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Germany - That doyen of German lighting designers, Max Keller, approved the use of five Wynne Willson Gottelier (WWG) Fantômes as the main component front-of-house system for Munich’s historic Kammerspiele theatre, which re-opened recently for public performances after seven years of darkness.

Fantôme is WWG’s fully automated version of Robert Juliat’s revered d’Artagnan 2.5kW HMI zoom profile spotlight. Fantôme provides pan and tilt via WWG’s patented orbital, double mirror head, now manufactured by High End Systems, remote automation of zoom, focus, and iris plus WWG’s new flexible, full-framing system. Automated mechanical fader and gel-scroller, both by Licht Technik, were also incorporated at the specific request of Keller.

The challenge for Keller was that the Kammerspiele has a listed decorative ceiling in the theatre and it was fo

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Russia - Spanish manufacturer D.A.S. Audio reports that its systems have been fundamental in installations ranging from houses of worship to theatres in both Korea and Russia recently. Kusan,the company’s distributor in Korea has installed D.A.S. systems in a number of venues requiring precise and natural coverage. Reference series R-212s and Dynamics series DS-12s have been incorporated in the audio/video systems of the the Bu-Kwang Methodist Church, the San-sung Church and the Pyung-Tack City Youth Center.

Another example of the international scope of D.A.S. installations is the Norilsk Zapoliarny Theatre in Russia. BossMan, D.A.S.’s Russian distributor has installed a large number of different D.A.S. systems. The venue was built in 1941 and remodeled in 1985. In commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the theatre, a series of upgrades were undertaken, including n

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UK - Summit Steel has moved into new, bigger, better, more convenient and funkier premises in Kent.According to Summit, the move was necessitated by the expansion in Summit’s equipment stock over the past 12 months, reflecting a healthy growth in the working schedule, which in 2002 included major events such as the Queen’s Golden Jubilee and the Commonwealth Games.

The new warehouse and offices will consolidate all the equipment stock - including James Thomas trussing, ground support systems, Lodestar Motors and Summit’s own SmarTmast small footprint PA towers - in one location. The warehouse will have easier access for trucks, and geographically, Sissinghurst is well located for major motorways and road routes. It’s 45 minutes from central London on the train.

The offices - all with South facing windows - have been designed and purpose built by the Sum

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UK - KAVE Theatre Services, a specialist in theatre and theatrical education services based in West Sussex, is extending its services to the Midlands and North of the country, by opening a new office in Wirksworth, Derbyshire, on 23 April 2003. This new Midlands division will be based at Wirksworth Station, which itself is seeing rejuvenation, as plans to re-open the Wirksworth to Duffield line are well underway.

Established for over 30 years, KAVE is now a major supplier of theatrical services to theatres, concert halls, schools, colleges and conference venues. Demand for its specialist expertise and services has geographically widened and the opening of KAVE Theatre Services Midlands represents the company’s desire to offer a regionally responsive service. David Abbott, managing director of KAVE Theatre Services, told us: "The opening of our Midlands division is an

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UK / France - Focusrite recently announced a new partnership with French distribution company Audiopole, who will be responsible for the entire range of Focusrite hardware products. Focusrite sales director Chris Gooddie said of the appointment: "We're delighted to have the opportunity to work with Bruno and his team at Audiopole. They are a company who match technical excellence and commercial know-how with the best in customer care - a combination that makes them the perfect partner for the Focusrite brand."

(Lee Baldock)

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UK - UK Steel have welcomed the preliminary ruling by a WTO disputes panel that the tariffs imposed by the USA last year on steel imports contravene WTO rules. The news will also be welcomed by those in this industry who export steel-based products to the US.

Ian Rodgers, deputy director commented: "This confirms what we said from the start - that there was no legal justification for the US government to impose these measures at a time when steel imports had been falling consistently for three years. The WTO rules are quite clear - such measures can only be taken in response to a current increase in imports."

Responding to the possibility that the US government might appeal the ruling, Rodgers said: "This was such a cut-and-dried case from the start, it would make most sense for the US government to end the tariffs immediately, rather than suffer the humiliation

  1. Event industry gathers in Yorkshire
  2. Nexo Alpha goes to Stageland in Portugal
  3. ESTA announces approval of Certification Business Plan
  4. Barco strengthens LED market position with acquisitions
  5. Shuttlesound provides two EV line arrays for Donny Osmond
  6. ESTA presents hands-on training in NYC
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Astera - Large MPU - June 2025
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