UK - Following the announcement of the final programme for the PLASA International Rigging Conference - taking place on 13-14 September at Earls Court - delegate numbers are rising daily and global interest has spread.

Running alongside the established trade show, PLASA 2010, this unique event is the first of its kind for the international event and entertainment rigging community and will be an invaluable industry forum.

Delegate numbers have now reached over 100 and include representation from all over the world including Europe, USA, Canada and Australia. Delegate places are still available and there is still time to book to be part of this new international rigging initiative.

Industry icons speaking at the conference include Unusual Rigging's Alan Jacobi, Star Events Group's Roger Barrett, Prolyte's Marc Hendricks, CM ET's Cristiano Giavedoni and Sapsis Rigging's Bill S

UK - Save Our Sound UK, the body supported by major organisations representing the breadth and depth of the British Entertainment Industry, is calling on supporters to contact their newly-elected MPs to help ensure a fair compensation package for the PMSE (Programme Making & Special Events) sector in the face of the proposed changes to the use of the UK's radio spectrum.

Representatives of Save Our Sound UK have attended a meeting at HM Treasury where once again the plight of the PMSE sector was laid before Government officials. During the meeting it was stated that Treasury and BIS (Department for Business Innovation and Skills) are trying to find a compensation scheme that is the right one. However, industry representatives are fearful that any scheme, when and if finalised, could eventually prove to be no more generous than the terms originally proposed by Ofcom - the reason

UK - Representatives of Save Our Sound UK attended a meeting yesterday at HM Treasury. Once again the plight of the PMSE sector was laid before Government officials. During the meeting it was stated that Treasury and BIS (Department for Business Innovation and Skills) are trying to find a compensation scheme that is the right one. However, industry representatives are fearful that any scheme, when and if finalised, could eventually prove to be no more generous than the terms originally proposed by Ofcom - the reason for launching the Save Our Sound UK campaign in the first place.

On current evidence Government would still appear to be sticking to the line that only Channel 69 capable equipment will qualify and that compensation levels will be based on residual value of equipment. The effect of this will be to exclude owners of equipment that does not tune to Channel 69 but will

Italy - Forty international Djs on five different stages entirely equipped with RCF TT+ Touring and Theatre systems entertained thousands of people at the Maximal 2010 Italian Electronic Music Festival in Novegro, near Milan.

The new TT+ Large Venues system, composed of TTL55-A line array modules and TTS56-A high power subwoofers, was used for the main stage while the others were provided with TTL33-A line arrays and TTS28-A subs. TT25-SMA coaxial stage monitors were used for the monitoring of the DJ's consoles.

The concept of Maximal 2010 is to involve young people in a move out of the passive kind of entertainment experienced in most of the clubs. A path through four main environments represented by the different stages: Soul, Matter, Energy and Desire, each identified by a peculiar set design, sound, performances and digital art installations.

In order to realise this con

Poland - Lubuskie Province Day 2010, organized by Lubustkiego Marshal's Office and the Regional Centre for Cultural Animation in Zielona Gora, was held on 27 June 2010. The event featured a variety of activities aimed at building and strengthening the integrity of the region's identity. The highlight was a gala concert taking place in the Amphitheatre Zielona them. A. German.

ARAM was responsible for media for the concert and delivered an 85m ² LED Curtain LED Fourlight Grid, which combined with a huge LED screen Fourlight SMD10 an area of nearly 50m ², filled the amphitheatre stage.

ARAM Multimedia is a one of the largest Polish provider of audio-visual services for events, conferences, concerts, trade fair stands and TV shows.

South Africa - The 2010 football World Cup kicked off with a a major concert to which Sennheiser wireless equipment made a major contribution.

Taking place at the Orlando Stadium in Soweto, the 10 June concert celebrated the competition's first staging by an African country and featured artists from across the globe, mirroring the eclectic collection of nationalities represented by the football teams themselves. Alongside the Soweto Gospel Choir were African acts including Hugh Masekela, John Legend and Angelique Kidjo, with Alicia Keys, Black Eyed Peas, Shakira and others imparting a truly international flavour.

Audio for the event was supplied by Britannia Row Productions and included a comprehensive array of Sennheiser equipment.

"It was a non-stop show, broadcast live to around a billion people - so no pressure!" says Brit Row's Bryan Grant. "It featured h

South Africa - Soccer fans at four official FIFA Fan Fest venues in South Africa followed the games taking place at the main stadiums in the World Cup competition via EAW speaker systems provided by Surgesound, EAW's South African distributor.

The systems consisted of 48 KF760 and 12 KF761 line array modules, including a complement of 48 SB1000z subs, with 48 KF730 compact line array modules and 48 SB730 subs providing in-fill. Monitoring was performed with EAW SM12 units, and 24 UX8800 Digital Signal Processor units provided processing. Surgesound recently delivered a large complement of EAW speakers to Johannesburg-based The Sound Corporation, one of the biggest professional audio production houses in South Africa, in time for installation at the fan parks.

The Sound Corporation installed EAW speaker systems at Soweto (Johannesburg), Rustenburg, Bloemfontein and Nelspruit. I

Belgium - Voice alarm products from TOA are at the heart of a new paging, evacuation and BGM system installed at one of Europe's most prestigious conference and exhibition venues, the Brussels Expo.

Built for the World Expo of 1958 and still retaining all the glamour, elegance and modernity of that era, the 12 halls of the Brussels Expo play host to a string of major exhibitions and events every year, among them the industry show Batibouw, the farming event Agribex, and the ICT technology forum.

In 2008, the management of Brussels Expo approached Prévost System Integration (PSI) to design, supply and install a state-of-the-art PA/VA and BGM system to replace the antiquated equipment that had previously been in use.

Walter Geerts, director at PSI, reports, "The first phase of the project comprised renewing all the central equipment racks, for which we offered a sy

South Africa - DWR Distribution is bringing LumenRadio's CRMX Nova and CRMX Outdoor to the South African market. This wireless DMX, RDM and DALI technologyeliminates long cable runs and is able to provide full reliability in the the most challenging environments.

"There has been a strong growth of sales of CRMX products over the last quarter," says Per Hultén, CEO of LumenRadio. "Customer interest surged with the release of our CRMX Outdoor series which brought reliable wireless DMX, RDM and DALI control to the outdoor entertainment and architainment markets. We believe the entire CRMX product portfolio will see strong sales in the expanding South African market in the next year."

Anders Ardstål, vice president of LumenRadio, adds, "We are excited and proud to see our CRMX products distributed by DWR in South Africa. DWR was our first choic

Switzerland - SpinetiX has announced a new business relationship with Texas Instruments (TI), the silicon manufacturer, supporting SpinetiX technology as its reference designer for digital signage solutions.

SpinetiX currently uses Texas Instruments' DaVinci video processors in its dedicated digital signage appliance, the HMP100 Hyper Media Player. The processor performs real-time video decoding and high-definition scene composition, enabling customers to meet the requirements of changing standards in video codecs and provide software updates and new features to field-deployed units.

Now the two companies are taking their partnership further, with TI's ready-to-incorporate SpinetiX technology into its microprocessor chips for third-party LCD panels and projectors, tailored to digital signage applications.

"We want our chips to enable manufacturers to produce a product t

Italy - Proel Group was a key player at the latest edition of the Cosmoprof show. The Italian company, in cooperation with EVR Media as the main contractor for the video, audio and lighting systems setup in the major areas, provided the sound reinforcement with Proel Axiom and Turbosound.

For more than 40 years, Cosmoprof has been the most important international event in the beauty and cosmetics sector.

Agorà, Symposium, Green, Trend/Coppola, Gam, Hair were areas in which Proel Group operated in collaboration with Hollywood Service, responsible for the main stands setup and promoter of the principal events in Cosmoprof.

For the 21st edition of the Accademia del Profumo award, EVR Media, a Proel Group company, created an evocative and suggestive holographic projection during the event. Fragrances were appointed by Victoria Cabello, supported on stage by a Proel Axiom sound

Qatar - Creative Communication Group was hired by QMDI Event Organizer to produce the light and sound for the third Senior Convocation of Qatar Education City. On 5 May a concert took place at Qatar Foundation Ceremonial Court featuring the Saudi Arabian singer Abdul Majid Abdullah.

The lighting system used on stage had some limitations due to the shape of venue and the stage, the only possibility was to use a truss of 12m height with no room to get any front lights. Thus, the CCG lighting crew used the Clay Paky Alpha Profile 1200 from the control area which was about 40m from the stage.

A large LED wall was used to send different contents and pictures and because of that, the quantity of light on stage had to be balanced with the Clay Paky Alpha Wash and Alpha HPE 1200.

"The light output of the Alpha 1200 is great, especially using the narrow beam; we could see clearl

UK - A crew member working on a Will Young concert died yesterday after a fall before an open-air show at Rochester Castle in Kent. The man, who has not been identified but is reported to be in his 40s, was reported to have suffered severe facial and head injuries in the fall and died later in hospital. An appeal for witnesses was made over the PA before the delayed start of the show; Police have said the death was not being treated as suspicious and a post-mortem examination would take place. Significantly, they also added that the incident was "not thought to be in relation to any health and safety issues".

A spokeswoman for the Ambulance Service said that the man "had apparently fallen off the stage".

(Lee Baldock)

USA - When Scott Scovill of Moo TV was deciding which manufacturer's LED panels to use to create the video screen for Brad Paisley's 2010 Summer Tour, he turned to the country superstar himself to help make the final call. Scovill had narrowed the choice down to three LED panel models - two with a 20mm pixel pitch, and one with a higher-resolution 18mm - all of which he had been "putting through the paces" in the office of his Nashville video production company for weeks beforehand.

"It always helps if you have the artist in on the final decision," said Scovill. "So I brought Brad in, and as soon as he walked into the room he pointed at one of the screens and said, 'That's the 18.' I told him, 'No, that's the Elation 20mm.'" Paisley thus confirmed the decision that Scovill had arrived at after extensive testing - to go with the Elation Professional

UK - Allen & Heath's iLive digital mixing system was once again on tour with Danish pop act Alphabeat, who were supporting Lady Gaga on her arena tour and have just completed a UK solo tour to promote the band's second studio album.

The band's engineers - Steve Pattison at FOH and Ben Booker on monitors -selected an even smaller, space-saving set up, without compromising capacity and features.

"I asked Allen & Heath if they were considering making a smaller surface because I am comfortable working in layers and prefer using a touch screen," says Booker. "They had something in development and I sent them a drawing of what I required; the end product was spot on."

The band toured with an iDR10 MixRack digitally split to the new iDR-16 MixRack, with control from the new rackmount iLive-R72 surfaces.

"The R72 lends itself to any live application becaus

China - Milos trussing is being utilised in style in several major pavilions at the 2010 Shanghai Expo, supplied by Guangzhou based Milos China in conjunction with Milos' HQ in the Czech Republic.

Five major Pavilions - USA, UAE, Canada, Singapore and the China Information & Communications Pavilion are all featuring Milos products.

The Information & Communications Pavilion - Extending City Dreams is built by China Mobile and China Telecom, and utilizes cold water from the Expo site to regulate the indoor temperature, helping to reduce energy consumption and emissions. Most of the construction materials are recyclable and environmentally-friendly, and after dark, the pavilion's surface changes color. A variety of Milos products are used in this space showing the versatility of the range. All the indoor structures in here are supported with Milos which is hanging many pro

UK - Black Light reports that it is renewing its sponsorship of one of Scotland's leading village cricket clubs. The sponsorship deal for the Freuchie Cricket Club, which includes providing clothing for the club's teams and equipment for its social functions, is designed to help the club move forward with its community and youth work.

Freuchie Cricket Club, which celebrated its centenary in 2008, is one of the most active and successful village teams in Scotland and a real focal point in the life of the mid-Fife community in which it is based. It is a driving force in the development of youth cricket and a leading fund-raiser for this worthy cause.

"Freuchie Cricket Club's members are justifiably proud of their achievements, whether on the pitch, in the community or through its youth development programme, and we are proud to support them," says Gavin Stewart, Black

Germany - Pop star Pink was injured during a gig in Nuremburg, Germany when a flying stunt went wrong. She fell out of a harness which was supposed to carry her out over the crowd, and was dragged into a barricade. The concert was stopped and the performer was taken to hospital for checks.

She later apologised to fans on Twitter, and added: "Didn't get clipped in2 harness correctly, drug me off stage, fell in2 barricade. Getting xrays. I hope it at least looked cool!!!"

(Lee Baldock)

UK/Germany - In the wake of its successful sponsorship of the Agora stage during the Frankfurt Musikmesse 2010, Peavey Electronics has confirmed that it has been selected to run the live stage at the forthcoming London Music Show at ExCel in October in partnership with LMS organisers, Future Publishing, and the Agora stage in Frankfurt once again for Musikmesse 2011.

The LMS stage will feature a similar system to the one that performed in Frankfurt in March - that is to say a Peavey Versarray line array system powered by Crest Pro 200 Series amplifiers with Peavey QW Series stage monitors also powered by Crest Audio Pro 200 Series amps. A Crest CV 20 console will handle FoH duties and a Crest HP-Eight has been selected to run monitors. System management and speaker processing will be handled by a MediaMatrix Nion n6 digital audio processor.

British singer-songwriter Newton Fau

South Africa - Gearhouse South Africa was contracted by ceremonies producers VWV Group to deliver all technical aspects of the Closing Ceremony of the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup - including rigging, power, sound, lighting and large format projection (which was contracted out to French-based ETC) - utilising the dynamics, skills and services of most companies in the Gearhouse Group.

The 30-minute show at Soccer City Stadium in Soweto happened just ahead of the Final match. It reflected the vibrancy, energy and colour that characterised one of the most successful World Cup tournaments ever. It featured a cast of 740 including 40 'elephant operators' plus 35 headline artists.

Mark Ransom was technical production manager. Technical director Mik Auckland and David Proctor, David Zolkwer and Adrian Bourke from Jack Morton Worldwide acted as consultants. A spectacular lightshow was d

Russia - While leading politicians and authoritative experts gathered in St. Petersburg, Russia for the International Economic Forum to focus on the problems faced by emerging economies and to discuss laying the foundation for the future, Faithless, the British electronica band, entertained the masses.

The main rental company in the area, Euroshow, organised the event, which took place on 17 June. To create the dynamic effects desired, Euroshow chose to work with Martin Professional's MAC 401 Dual, MAC 301 Wash, and the power-packed MAC 700 Profile luminaires, as well as Martin LC Plus LED panels.

Alexander Blednykh, owner of Euroshow, states, "It was Martin equipment that performed the main role in the lighting decoration of the event. Martin is a good and reliable partner. Their technical solutions for lighting projects are innovative and their equipment is high quality

USA - Audio-Technica reports that its microphones are being used by a number of leading performers and stage shows in Las Vegas. Productions as varied as Donny and Marie at the Flamingo and comedian Carrot Top's show at the Luxor, as well as a number of other high-profile venues including Sammy Hagar's newly-opened Cabo Wabo Cantina at Planet Hollywood, have all turned to Audio-Technica microphones and wireless systems.

Veteran performers Donny and Marie Osmond have been the headlining act at the Flamingo Hotel since September 2008, and the show has proved to be a huge success, with the duo set to continue their run through at least October 2012. Both performers use Audio-Technica's Artist Elite 5000 Series UHF Wireless System.

Sax, trombone and trumpet are handled by the 3000 Series Wireless System with ATM350cW Cardioid Condenser Clip-On Microphone. Also used a

UK - Paul and Sarah Clarke, who run The Great Football Giveaway hosted an event in June to celebrate and thank all their volunteers, friends and donors for their continued support in their goal of delivering footballs and netballs directly into the hands of children from some of the poorest and most rural areas in Africa. Stage Electrics provided a complete technical solution for this outdoor event, which took place at their home in Wiltshire.

Stage Electrics supplied a 3m x 1.7m (12 panels) high performance LED screen to display the England vs. America World Cup football game via a live Sky feed, with the match sound being provided through an L'Acoustics PA system, controlled by a Yamaha LS9.

A 4m x 3m stage and lighting for the live band was also be supplied by Stage Electrics, as well as illuminating the marquee and the picturesque grounds with warm mood lighting, re

Israel - The music of Brahms, Grieg, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky and Verdi featured in the Jerusalem Festival of Light 2010. The Concert of Light took place at the Sultan's Pool in the city.

The performance included the work of internationally renowned lighting designer Gert Hof and the music of The Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra IBA orchestrated by Gal Altrovich. With the old city walls of Jerusalem as a dramatic backdrop to the event, it also relied on the latest technology, with a grandMA system used for lighting control. Lighting director and programmer Ofer Brum ran the show on a grandMA full-size console with a grandMA light as a backup and two MA NSPs (Network Signal Processors).

Ofer Brum reports, "The show programming was done on a grandMA full-size with MSD (Martin ShowDesigner) 3D lighting visualisation software. I made the 3D model, including stage trus

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