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14 March 2016

In addition, ExCel London has signed a new five year services agreement with Blitz Communications to provide support to the in house team in regards to equipment hire and services. James Mark commented, "Blitz has been an ExCeL service partner for a number of years and has made a fantastic contribution to the business. I am delighted that this relationship will continue to develop under the new arrangement.

"Over the years we have brought a variety of venue services in-house and these have proved to be extremely effective in ensuring that we maintain consistently high service levels across the whole business. The creation of this new team will allow us to provide a more seamless service for all o

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14 March 2016

Seven sub-distributors across the UK and Eire have been selected. Spanning the AV, AV and Pro Audio Installation and Pro Audio sectors, each company has been chosen for its specialist expertise, market position and technical expertise.

UK distributors include AC Entertainment, Audio Logic, Leisuretec Distribution, Louis Grace, RW Salt and The Warehouse, and in Eire, Sound Productions. All distributors will carry a wide range of stock from Polar Audio's product portfolio and will have access to its full range of products; in addition, staff will take part in Polar Audio's regular training programmes to ensure the end user receives the best possible service.

Polar Audio's national sales manager, Simon Druce comme

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14 March 2016

Based in Bangalore, Total Productions got off to a promising start with its new system. Buying the rider-friendly Geo D system helped the company to win a prestigious contract to provide sound for American rock band Mr Big on the India leg of their reunion world tour, and to beat stiff competition to service the opening ceremony for the 2009 IWAS World Games (paralympics).

Total Productions started life as an event management company, promoting concerts, explains head of operations Francis Perry. "Having used most of the sound rental companies in our region over the last 15 years, we knew all the points of difference for the PA systems that were available.

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14 March 2016

The City Council of Coquelles decided to beautify one of its key commercial streets - Avenue Charles de Gaulle - with an architectural lighting scheme to extend an eye-catching evening welcome for all those arriving and staying there. Many hotels are located on the busy Avenue, and these are in constant use by visitors and business people in transit.

Installation company Forclum Calais (the electrical division of civil engineering operation, Eiffage) specified Anolis ArcSource 6 RGB Inground LED fixtures for the scheme, a total of 30 of which are used to illuminate the trees and foliage along a key stretch of the Avenue.

Forclum Calais contacted Anolis's French distributor Ambiance Lumiere's commer

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14 March 2016

The new sound system is based around Bosch's Hemi-directional Loudspeaker. Embodying an innovative acoustic design using 14 specially positioned speaker drivers combined with advanced filtering, it provides a large opening angle for the whole frequency range. The result is consistent, high-quality sound reproduction over the whole coverage area.

The new installation resolved the innumerable coverage problems that plagued the p

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14 March 2016

The company has supplied many previous projects for McIntyre's including Dancing on Ice, Peter Kay, Bottom, Chris Rock, Russell Brand, The Mighty Boosh, and not forgetting - notably - a pair of giant 20ft red underpants for one of the Little Britain tours.

The basic touring package was specified by Adam Scott, the tour's production manager, complete with a selection of "get out of trouble" items.

Cover It Up's Rhys Sion says, "It's been great working with the team at Phil McIntyre Entertainment again and especially with Adam Scott. The drapes give the stage clean edges and the versatility of the touring package has made the tour possible in ven

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14 March 2016

Grown out of the XL Video Group's expertise, XL-Technologies is an independent company well placed to maximise the expertise and knowledge held within the group, thus offering its clients a wide range of LED products and design solutions for purchase.

All major and currently specified LED brands will be available through XL Technologies. Not being tied to any specific range or brand, the company can offer a fully integrated service to fit the exact requirements of its clients.

There is the flexibility to offer standard LED solutions from the wide product range and also second-hand sales from large projects that are now finished, plus

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14 March 2016

As part of a £1 million makeover, Sound By Design created a sound reinforcement system of four UP-4XP and four UPJ-1P loudspeakers for the diverse activities at the 350-capacity Elgar Room, with equipment supplied by Amber Sound. "Our brief from the Royal Albert Hall was to create a flexible new performance space that would sound great," says Griff Hewis of Sound By Design. "The UP-4XP fit perfectly for what I needed for the bar area, and a

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14 March 2016

The LRX2 was used at the concerts by Richmond Studios Productions MD, Toby Alington, and head of audio, Richard Lancaster. Alington has been a SADiE user for over 10 years, with SADiE PCM16 and BB2 systems also in use at the studios, and despite only having had the LRX2 for three months he had no hesitation taking it out on the road.

"I'm always on the lookout for bullet-proof equipment for live multitrack recording systems, but also systems that offer some kind of versatility for fast editing onsite,&quo

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14 March 2016

America has celebrated Christmas round this tree - decorated with 20,000 coloured lights - since 1931. Once again this year, there was a show that attracted thousands of people: this was also thanks to the spectacular ice rink, which, since it was opened in 1936, continues to draw people of all ages.

On stage to celebrate the event, amplified by the 'Outline arrays' - as well as other systems - stars included Aretha Franklin, Shakira, Alicia Keys, Rod Stewart and the Muppets, all performing Christmas classics.

The show, transmitted live on NBC and New York mayor Michael Bloomberg turned on the lights of tree, w

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14 March 2016

Renovations to the Boddy Dodd Stadium audio/visual system began two years ago with the upgrade of the Stadium's 10-year-old video setup. Although most of the budget focused on the video system, Baker Audio was still charged with providing an audio system that could mirror the new scoreboard's quality. The company developed a JBL solution that included two arrays of four VLA601H and two VLA601 line array loudspeakers in the stadium scoreboard on either side of the video board.

The VLA series loudspeaker arrays cover approximately 80 percent of the stadium. There are four PD5212 boxes for down-fill in front of a Panasonic video board in the south end zone, and four PD764 loudspeakers used for

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14 March 2016

Jo'burg Day is a family orientated concert and hosts only local South African talent, with artists such as Johnny Clegg, Prime Circle, Zebra and Giraffe and Flash Republic performing to a capacity crowd.

"We had the luxury of soundchecks with each of the bands the day before the concerts and are therefore able to build scenes for each of them," says Sound Stylists' Nardus De Lange. "In addition to this, a

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14 March 2016

The setup was similar to the 2008 event, with three stages facilitating the rapid changeovers required for the live televised event. However this year, a house band provided musical backing for three of the artists.

FOH duties were handled by two XL8s, one taking care of the 72-piece Norwegian Radio Orchestra and the house band, leaving the second console free for visiting engineers to mix their own artists, and for MCs Will and Jada Smith. This year's lineup included Donna Summer, Westlife, Wycliffe Jean and A

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14 March 2016

The band has been on this current world tour since the middle of 2008, with the schedule stepping up after the release of their third studio album Day & Age in November last year. It finishes up in February 2010 after visiting Asia and the Far East.

Killers' lighting designer Steven Douglas has worked with Gearhouse SA before on a Kanye West tour three years ago, and says he was confident that the production and service would be "excellent" when it came to the SA leg of the tour.

His original full production touring rig has several different permutations to allow for the variab

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14 March 2016

The old building at St George's Church, in Tufnell Park, has been renamed Rock Tower and has reopened as a place of worship. The building, which operated as a theatre and a community space in recent years, has been fully refurbished with a new extension, a cafe with free Internet access for the community, a youth centre and a day care facility for under-fives.

The charity approached SSE over two years ago at the earliest stages of the renovation. SSE was commissioned to install a complete audio and lighting installation for the church auditorium and adjacent spaces.

The audio design for the main auditorium was a challenge because the local Council had set de

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14 March 2016

JHS has been the exclusive distributor for Allen & Heath's PA and ZED Series in the UK and Ireland since September 2008. By sharing distribution with Allen & Heath in mainland Britain for the GL2400 and WZ range, the remaining A&H small-format PA mixers are incorporated in the JHS portfolio.

"JHS has a great track record and a prominent position in the MI market," says Allen & Heath UK sales manager, Martin Daley. "It was logical to share distribution of the MixWizard and GL2400 and expose their customer base to all of the relevant product lines in our range."

"It is a privilege to include these proven and award-winning produ

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14 March 2016

Danmarks Radio (DR), Denmark's national public service broadcaster, in cooperation with the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, invited people from across the globe to make their voices heard during the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen.

"The climate is a common concern, so we thought it was natural to use the Concert Hall's big blue screen to give everyone a chance to express their attitudes, hopes and expectations to the climate summit participants," says Lars Silberbauer Andersen, the man behind the initiative along with Web editor Casper Bech from the Foreign Ministry. Silberbauer Andersen is creatively responsible for DR's blue screen

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14 March 2016

The theatre hosts everything from seminars, AV presentations, one-man shows and Christmas pantomimes to full-blown rock concerts, so the console had to be both flexible and easily configurable. Sliman Maouchi, the convention centre's technical coordinator who was responsible for the refu

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14 March 2016

Designed by architects BDP for two clients, Tesco and Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council, the new civic centre has rejuvenated this run-down area of town, offering two swimming pools, a sports hall, private gym and dance studio. Its curved roof wraps tightly over the building, and the stylish modern design is carried through into the large theatre at the heart of the building.

Equipped by Stage Electrics, the auditorium has a dedicated control room housing the 48-channel RSS M-400 V-Mixing console, which offers the house and visiting engineers a toolkit of 16 busses, channel and bus DSP, four stereo FX processors, fo

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14 March 2016

The pantomime season has been building up since early December, with White Light dispatching a wide range of equipment as specified by a variety of lighting designers to theatres around the UK. The show tally includes five Aladdins, seven Cinderellas, two Dick Whittingtons, one Humpty Dumpty, two Jack and the Beanstalks, seven Peter Pans, one Pied Piper, three Sleeping Beautys and four Snow Whites. The show's producers include First Family Entertainment, Evolution and UK Productions as well as independent productions in Camberley, Ha

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14 March 2016

From February 2010, Creative & Cultural Skills will work with Job Centre Plus and regional partners throughout England and Wales to secure employment in creative and cultural venues and organisations which are members of the National Skills Academy for Creative & Cultural Skills. The jobs will be open to people aged 18-24 who have been claiming benefits. The jobs on offer will include theatre technician, costume and wardrobe assistant, community arts officer and business administrator. All will include a level of accredited trai

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14 March 2016

In addition to its contents, the show has distinguished itself for the exquisite set assembled in Mediaset's studio 11, the result of intense teamwork between photography director Franco Buso and set designer Dario Cavalletti. It all takes place inside a studio that has been outfitted as a real night club down to the smallest details with mood lighting, dancers, show girls, piano players and an audience seated at cocktail tables.

Franco Buso comments on the light design, "The goal was to

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14 March 2016

The UK Competition Commission revised its opinion that the deal could lead to music fans paying more for tickets to see live performances. The regulator found that it would not be in the new merged company's interest to shut out competition. The new company "would suffer significant and immediate losses, with very uncertain prospects for long-term gain," the Competition Commission said.

The reg

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14 March 2016

Delivering these musical styles with a modern sound was the challenge that sound designer Chris Full, Andy Pink (associate) and FOH mixer Matt McCarthy took on. The show started life at the Watermill where it played for two weeks before a UK tour. Due to the diversity of the theatres on tour, Full used Axys Scope loudspeakers as key elements to deliver the required punch and excitement at all levels from the smaller orchestral arrangements through big band to rock/ gospel whilst providing a consistent sound character through the full dynamic range of the show and across all of the individual venu