UK - Engineers from A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET) 's Rigging division have passed the new official Columbus McKinnon (CM) 'Certified Hoist Technician' examination, making AC-ET the only CM Entertainment reseller and servicing agent in the UK to have engineers trained and authorised to this level of certification.

The course - which is a new initiative by the manufacturer - was conducted by CM's training manager, David Carmack, at their UK headquarters in Merseyside. All four AC-ET engineers who attended passed the full set of practical modules and a detailed written examination with flying colours.

The AC-ET staff - Martin Price, Julian Tether, Keith Hartley and Graham Lovell - are based across the company's High Wycombe and Leeds offices and work as part of the highly experienced A.C. Rigging team.

(Jim Evans)

UAE - Recently completing a successful seminar on Primacoustic acoustic products in the United Arab Emirates with the President and CEO of Radial Engineering, Peter Janis, Melody House has now also been appointed as the distributor of Radial products in the region.

Radial Engineering is a Canadian based manufacturer that designs and builds Radial DIs, splitters, switchers, isolators and re-ampers. The company also manufactures the Primacoustic range of acoustic products that include recoil stabilizers, room kits, panels, bass traps, diffusers and IsoTools.

"We have been working with Radial Engineering over the past year promoting the Primacoustic brand which we have had some reasonable success with," commented Dino Drimakis, business development manager at Melody House. He added, "although Radial is not so well known here they are great products and we like work

USA - The athletes at Eastern Pennsylvania's Moravian College returned to school this September to find their familiar Steel Field complex radically transformed. The $2.6m renovation project created a new sports facility, including an expanded and resurfaced Timothy Breidegam Track, a new playing surface on Rocco Calvo Field, renewed bleachers, a new scoreboard, and a new high output full-range, horn-loaded R-Series loudspeaker system by Community Professional Loudspeakers.

Pat Conneen of AVSG/HiFi House Group, audio designer and installer for the project, explains that the college had some very specific requirements for their new audio system. "They needed a solution that could be easily configured for a wide range of activities, from football games to track meets and special ceremonies," he says. "It also had to enable Moravian's audio engineers to control and d

UK - The presentation by Rosco of a cheque to UK charity Light Relief has become an annual event at PLASA, and this year was no exception, with a cheque for $3793 (approximately £2420) being accepted by Light Relief trustee Rick Fisher.

Making the presentation, Mark Engel, president of Rosco, said, "Last year, our 100th anniversary, we reflected on the wonderful collaborations we've had with designers and craftspeople over the years - Rick Fisher and Supergel 313 Light Relief Yellow included. As we look forward to our next century together, our commitment to you as artists and people is just beginning. Since Supergel 313's introduction, each year we have donated the proceeds from its worldwide sales to Light Relief. Thanks to your use of that great colour, this year's contribution brings Rosco's support to this extraordinary cause to just over $25,000."

Thankin

Peru - Wireless Solution Sweden sent the W-DMX technology to Peru to play an important role in the 100-year anniversary of the discovery of the existence of the Quechua citadel of Machu Picchu in 1911 (100 Años del Redescubrimiento de Machu Picchu) by explorer Hiram Bingham.

Machu Picchu, also known as the Lost City of the Incas, is perhaps the most familiar icon of the Inca World located 2,430m above sea level on a mountain ridge above the Urubamba Valley. Not the easiest site for a lighting installation.

The celebration involved lighting the historic city with a vast array of colour from high atop the mountains. Two W-DMX F-1 G4 Transmitters and Receivers were used to send signal to 40 Vari*Lite VL3500 Washes, 20 Vari*Lite VL3000 Spots, 20 Atomic 3000 strobes and 2 Strong Super Trouper 2K follow spots. Lighting designer was Gian Franco Di Vitto and Andres Cuadros was

Hungary - dBTechnologies DVA loudspeakers flanked the stage recently at the new Mercedes-Benz plant in Kecskemét in Hungary. A total of six DVA T4 speakers (three each side) and two DVA S10 subwoofers were supplied by dBTechnologies' retailer Prodyn on 23 July when Formula One drivers Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher found time to visit the factory in the week before the Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring.

"It was very easy to set up the system; we only needed three quarters of an hour from unloading the lorry to sound check," said Janos Szabo, owner of Prodyn L. "The speeches and background music needed reinforcing within a 30m x 60m area, and the roof height was 4m. The audience size was somewhere in the region of 800-1000 people.

The DVA system made it easy for the drivers and the throng to take part in a question-and-answer session on the seas

UK - PLASA 2011 was reportedly a "highly successful" event for first time exhibitor Backstage Academy.

The new industry-led training centre, based at the LS-Live rehearsal studios in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, registered the interest of over 250 students who visited the stand between 11-14 September. The Academy received enquiries relating to its many short courses in backstage skills, Apple-based technologies or Avid training.

It also grabbed attention for its new 15-month Foundation Degree in Live Events Production, with several students signing up for an interview for the forthcoming course this November, for which there are a few places remaining.

Said chief operating officer Robin Watkinson, "We were bowled over by the flurry of activity surrounding our stand at PLASA. Even though it was our first time exhibiting here, a lot of people and companies in the

UAE - Nicolas Kyvernitis Electronics Enterprises, distributors of Midas and Klark Teknik in the Middle East, have been awarded as distributors of the year for 2011 at the recent distributor meeting, which coincided with the PLASA 2011 exhibition.

Based in the United Arab Emirates, NMK have over the past few years spearheaded the sales of digital Midas consoles in the region with a total of 7 PRO6 consoles, a PRO3 console and an XL8 sold to market segments that include install sound, live sound and broadcast sound.

With a few more sales in the pipeline and the introduction of the new PRO2 and PRO2C consoles in the market, NMK are preparing themselves" for a very busy and exciting year ahead that will see a lot more Midas digital consoles in the market".

"We are grateful to the team at Midas/Klark Teknik for acknowledging our hard work and dedication to the bran

Festival Funding - Edinburgh festival-goers could be asked to volunteer to pay extra for tickets in a bid to help raise money for the city to host major events. Jenny Dawe, Edinburgh City Council's leader, said a box to tick to add a "small percentage" could be added to online booking forms. She said she there was "generally no objection" if people knew the money was going to improve venues. Sales of tickets at this year's Edinburgh Fringe were up by 3% on 2010. According to figures released by the Fringe Society, 1,877,119 tickets were sold by its box office over the festival.

Olympic Countdown - The London Philharmonic Orchestra has finished recording more than 200 national anthems for the Olympic and Paralympic Games next year. The epic challenge took 52 recording hours at Abbey Road Studios and finished with Zimbabwe on Sunday. The orchestra had on

Singapore - Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay, Singapore, has expanded its existing stock of Robert Juliat lighting equipment by taking delivery of a further consignment of Robert Juliat zoom profile lanterns, this time targeted at their 2,000-seat Lyric Theatre.

Comprising 26 RJ 611SX, 16 RJ 614SX, eight RJ 711SX2 and eight RJ 714SX2 Profiles, the total of 58 units were supplied to Esplanade by local Robert Juliat distributor, Total Solution Marketing Pte.

Esplanade's technical manager for lighting, Milton Arnold, says, "Robert Juliat was already in place at Esplanade when it opened in 2002. We have been happy to explore Robert Juliat solutions when we make changes to our equipment line. Of course each project involves a testing and comparison procedure. This time our target was the Theatre's FOH lighting positions. We did considerable testing to finally arrive at the conc

Malta - UK-based Ross Ashton from The Projection Studio was asked by Maltese President George Abela to design and execute a stunning video projection show for the Rockestra spectacular - a high profile fundraising concert for the Malta Community Chest charity.

It was the second time that Ashton has designed visuals for the show which was last staged in 2009, returning by popular public demand. Ashton also has a previous history of displaying his visual art to large-scale productions in Malta. Says Ashton, "It was an honour to be asked back to work in Malta on this event."

An enthusiastic 10,500 capacity audience packed into the Malta Fairs & Convention Centre (MFCC) to experience the two hour Rockestra show, with the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra under the musical direction of Sigmund Mifsud performing a selection of classics made famous by a variety of

Slovenia - Musician and media personality Anja Bukovec has been using a DPA 4099V instrument clip mic for her live appearances. The microphone was provided by Sonus, DPA's distributor in Slovenia.

"After trying several different pickups and microphones over the years, I can only say that I'm more than happy with my new DPA 4099," says Bukovec. "It captures the natural sound of my instrument, and has proven to be a reliable choice for indoor and outdoor concerts. I use it for my solo performances and also when I'm playing in a band. The 4099 has instantly become a mandatory piece of my equipment."

Adds Borut ?elik, Sonus sales manager, "The 4099 accurately captures the sound of Anja's instrument and provides enough gain before feedback on the most difficult stages."

Bukovek performs all over the world as a soloist, and has won international award

UK - For the second year running, figures released by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) reveal that the number of injuries involving the use of ladders and stepladders has fallen from 2132 in 2007/08 to 2011 in 2008/09 and 1817 in 2009/10. This despite an average overall increase of 51 per cent in the total number of falls from height reported to HSE over the same period.

The figure of 1817 compares with 2631 ladder-related injuries reported to HSE in 2001/02, a drop of 31 per cent.

According to the Ladder Association, no one single initiative is responsible, but rather a combination of initiatives driven by the association itself and in collaboration with other agencies, in particular HSE and the Access Industry Forum (AIF), of which it is a founder member.

"Whatever the sceptics may say, it cannot be denied that these welcome statistics coincide with a significant i

Switzerland - Genelec 4000 Series active loudspeakers feature in a recent refurbishment project at the University of Zurich. Eleven new classrooms have been created at a University campus site in the city, with Genelec's installation-friendly speakers providing the sound element to complement the new audio visual equipment installation.

The University of Zurich, is the largest university in Switzerland, with over 25,000 students attending a diverse range of courses. The campus is spread across many buildings located across the city. The new teaching facility is part of the Film Studies Faculty and in acquiring the space the University took the opportunity to create a 21st Century teaching environment complete with a top quality audio visual installation. The Genelec speakers were supplied by Dr.W.A.Günther Audio Systems AG in Erlenbach.

"We supply a lot of Genelec speake

USA - The highly anticipated American version of X Factor premiered live on the Fox network in the US and Canada on 21 September with lighting designer Tom Kenny lighting the show using a rig of 40 Martin Professional MAC 2000 Wash XB moving heads along with Martin LC Series LED panels.

Kenny used the powerful XB fixtures' full 63,000 lumens of brightness from a 50ft trim height to light the large stage and audience at venues across America, including Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Miami, Dallas and Seattle, before moving to Pasadena for two weeks of 'bootcamp' in which contestants selected at auditions refined their performances. The LC Series LED panels were used as side screens on the live show and as back projection in the bootcamp.

(Jim Evans)

USA - The 70-year-old, 10,000-seat Abbott Memorial Stadium in Alabama is an historic treasure to Tuskegee University and its alumni. The university, in alignment with ongoing stadium preservation, recently added a Technomad Turnkey PA system with six Technomad Berlin weatherproof loudspeakers. The system plays out intelligible voice and high-quality music across four zones and long distances for football games, graduations and other stadium events.

Wortz Consulting, an Alabama-based IT consulting company with expertise in audio/video, network infrastructure and lighting, designed and integrated the sound system. Chris Wortz, president, balanced the sound detail inside and outside the stadium. The Technomad system substantially improves sound to the field, bleachers, press box, common outdoor spaces and a lawn section with picnic areas.

"The sound needed to extend beyond t

India - India's Kingdom of Dreams is a first-of-its-kind entertainment destination near Delhi that presents Indian culture and experiences to tourists in the form of Indian-based performing arts, art, crafts, and cuisine.

Spread across a large six-acre site at the apex of the golden triangle of Jaipur, Agra and Delhi, Kingdom of Dreams boasts venues of international standard, namely the Nautanki Mahal and Showshaa theatres, and a cultural and cuisine area known as Culture Gully.

Nautanki Mahal is an 848-seat auditorium with an ornate facade designed like a palace that serves as the park's main entertainment space. Consulting lighting designer for the theatre is well-respected German LD Jerry Appelt, who also designed the lighting for the theatre's debut show, Zangoora - the Gypsy Prince, an extravagant cinematic and theatrical musical billed as "the biggest Bollywo

UK - Lumonic chose PLASA 2011 to launch its new 'ilumo' range of LED lighting products. "Our confidence in our new products was reinforced at the show," says director Mike Edwards.

"Our design philosophy is to develop products that are technically superlative in functionality and that also combine the desired physical and handling characteristics with aesthetic appeal."

The management team leading Lumonic includes Dr James A Powell whose reputation in LED Applied Technology is recognised throughout the industry. "James's technology created some of the most innovative lighting products to hit the LED Entertainment market in recent years," says Edwards. "It was his electronics, software and LED technology that was behind both the iconic '1044' and Par 90 products." More recently, Powell's electronics technology has been behind the LED ligh

UK - As part of a recent £600k equipment investment, Blitz Communications has added two DiGiCo SD8 digital mixing consoles to its audio inventory.

With a need for consoles that could work across both sides of the company's business, Blitz Head of Sound, Chris Jordan, explains why they decided to invest in the SD8s. "We'd made the decision to purchase some new consoles and we wanted to invest in a clear market leader, a favourite with engineers and what we believe to be the best product around," he says. "It is clear that the DiGiCo SD7T has become the desk of choice with the vast majority of theatre sound designers. A number of designers we work with have given DiGiCo a strong endorsement and that reinforces what we hear ourselves, which is that they sound very good.

"After an extensive evaluation process, we decided the SD8 is the most appropriate de

World - The Estée Lauder Companies and Philips have launched a global partnership as part of The Estée Lauder Companies' Breast Cancer Awareness (BCA) Campaign.

Prominent landmarks will be illuminated using Philips' innovative and environmentally-friendly LED technology to raise awareness about the importance of breast health and early detection to millions worldwide. These landmarks, along with numerous others that will be lit pink worldwide, join together as part of The Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign's Global Landmark Illuminations Initiative and stand as symbols of hope and empowerment, encouraging all to "Connect. Communicate. Conquer. For a Future Free of Breast Cancer".

The 2011 BCA Campaign's Global Landmark Illuminations Initiative marks a dozen years of casting a bright light on a disease that, if localised and detected early, is 90% curable.

UK / Italy - Clay Paky has reported positive feedback following the launch of several new products at the recent PLASA show in London.

On view for the first time was the GlowUp, a portable, battery-powered uplight that solves the logistical headache of running cables at events - reducing set-up time and saving money. The wireless colour changer is intended for temporary architectural applications where access to power is limited or where cables represent a safety issue - in public access areas, exhibitions, conferences, weddings, trade shows and shopping centres.

Joining the ranks of the Alpha range for the first time was the Alpha Spot QWO 800, a compact 800W spotlight packed with artistic features for the most discerning of designers: an animation wheel for creating life-like projections; a self-focusing zoom with 7° to 55° range; and the new Dyna-Cue Creator, capabl

South Africa - Toyota South Africa celebrated its 50th anniversary with a gala dinner event staged in the Gallagher Convention Centre, Midrand, Johannesburg. The centrepiece of the evening for 700 invited guests - including Toyota management, staff and associates, VIPs, politicians and dignitaries - was an up-tempo live entertainment spectacle with a cast of over 140.

Robe moving lights played their part in the slickly choreographed musical chronology that accompanied a presentation of Toyota SA's achievements since 1961, when the late Dr Albert Wessels imported the first Toyopet Stout pick-up trucks (popularly known as 'bakkies' in SA) into the country.

The show's creative director and designer was Laurence Sale from Inhouse Productions, who asked Johannesburg based corporate lighting specialists DNG to provide the full technical production - lighting, sound, video and stagin

UK / Saudi Arabia - Baldwin Boxall reports that it will be exhibiting at the first ever IFSEC Arabia in Riyadh where the company will be launching a new product range - CARE2, an emergency voice communication system.

In addition to the new product range, Baldwin Boxall will be demonstrating a VIGIL2 voice alarm rack and the CallCare range of products.

(Jim Evans)

USA - The Big House, the largest stadium in America, now houses two of the most impressive LED video screens in the world - twin Lighthouse Impact 16 LED video boards, located at opposite ends of Michigan Stadium at the University of Michigan.

Approaching the stadium from the north or south, fans, opponents and Wolverines - the University's home teams - are greeted with the impressive housing of the LED video screens - a giant maize coloured 'M' on a blue background - striking each group with different impressions: Wolverine football players and fans are coming home; opponents are entering one of the most intimidating football stadiums in the world.

Inside the stadium, Michigan fans are treated to a professionally-produced pre-game programme, featuring player interviews, game highlights, entertainment segments, and a one-on-one interview with head coach Brady Hoke, who breaks

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