France - Opened in 1998 for that year's FIFA World Cup, Stade de France in Paris has recently undergone a €1.5m upgrade to its audio system, with a major Yamaha and Nexo system.

Famed for staging rugby, football and athletics, Stade de France also hosts concerts by many of the world's biggest artists like the Rolling Stones, U2, Muse, Madonna, Prince and the country's iconic Johnny Hallyday. When constructed it was equipped with a Nexo Alpha audio system but, over a decade on and with considerable advances in digital audio technology, it was felt that a new system would improve the intelligibility and listening comfort for stadium users.

A number of companies were invited to tender for the contract. After a successful demonstration of a Yamaha/Nexo solution, Nantes-based Melpomen (the company which installed the original system) was the chosen supplier.

Featuring a Yamaha M

Czech Republic - When the Czech hard rock band Kabát toured to promote its latest studio album Banditi di Praga, the band continued their long association with Clay Paky and used the Alpha Beam 1500 and Alpha Spot HPE 1200. The rock show was built around a 360-degree circular stage, which toured the Czech and Slovak republics.

The centerpiece of the stage was a massive industrial chandelier constructed from 192 par cans. Positioned around the edge of the circular stage were 15 Alpha Beam 1500s dispersing massive beams of light like spokes from the hub of a wheel. Also part of the rig were 20 Alpha Spot 1200s, while Shadow 1200 long-throw followspots were used to track the band on stage.

Lighting designer Petr 'Panki' Volek from Prague-based production company Pink Panther has been with the band for 12 years and knows their requirements. He explains the reasons why the

UK - London-based hire company, Neg Earth included Robert Juliat spots in its inventory of lighting equipment on a number of large-scale musical events across Europe this year.

Take That's well publicised Progress Live Tour, designed by Es Devlin and Kim Gavin, spent two months on the road with no less than 10 Robert Juliat Lancelot followspots. Specified by lighting designer Patrick Woodroffe, the 4kW HTI Lancelots were chosen for their ability to handle the size of the stadiums and the long throw distances involved.

Two more Lancelots from the Neg Earth stock accompanied George Michael's Symphonica: The Orchestral Tour on 45 shows across 35 European cities before Michael's severe illness forced the cancellation of this year's remaining dates. Designed by Bas Halpin and Ken Watt, the tour included songs from George Michael's 30-year career, re-worked and re-arra

UK - A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET)'s audio division has supplied a new Nexo speaker system for the Performing Arts Centre at Downe House - one of the UK's leading boarding schools for 11 - 18 year old girls.

An integral hub of activity on the school campus, the multi-purpose space is a former barn, originally converted into a venue during the 1950s. The building is in constant daily use, not just for stage plays, dance and drama shows, bands and live music, but also for lectures and presentations.

It features a very distinctive hydraulic floor, which can be raised up to transform the flat floor space into a raked seated auditorium, which immediately changes the point of focus for sound and all the related acoustic characteristics of the space.

The time had come for the former sound system - installed about seven years ago - to be replaced. Joe Hilton, Downe House's

World - It's been doing the rounds in one form or another for years, but it's not going away and companies are still at risk of being taken in by it. The 'Expo Guide' scammers send forms which appear to be from a trustworthy source - in this case the PLASA Show organisers, PLASA Events Ltd - and encourage companies to complete and return the form to validate their data with the event organiser.

Harmless enough, you are supposed to think, but the small print will tell you that by signing and returning the form you are agreeing to have your details listed on the Expo Guide website at a cost of 1271 euros per year for the next three years. And if you don't pay, they will pursue you.

In the past the scam has been run from a number of different countries; the latest forms to come to our attention have been sent from Mexico. All the mailings include a pre-paid business reply envelop

Latvia - One of the most popular restaurant chains in Latvia and the other Baltic states, Gan Bei has a variety of establishments across the region, all of which are revered for both the quality of the food and the surroundings in which it is served.

When fitting out their new Asian restaurant Gan Bei City, located in the shopping centre Galleria Riga in the Latvian capital Riga, the restaurant owners were keen to continue the tradition of quality with a classy interior that had echoes of the Orient, but at the same time was sleek and ultra-modern. And they needed an audio set up that fitted in with that ethos.

Owner of the restaurant Oleg Arup called in audio specialists Unique Ltd to give them a system that wouldn't interfere with the design aesthetic of their new restaurant, but would still offer the quality and flexibility they needed.

Rihards Rubenis, CEO at Unique, sai

Poland - At the Musical Theatre in Gdynia, where the hit musical Shrek recently opened, green is much more than just the colour of the lovable ogre's skin. It's where Philips Selecon's distributor for Poland, TEATR, completed Europe's largest permanent installation of Philips Selecon energy efficient, high output PL3 LED luminaires.

The triple light engine PL3s have been installed specifically for the Broadway production of Shrek, which premiered at the Musical Theatre on 8t October 2011. These were complemented by a number of Vari-lite VLX LED fixtures (the moving head version) for LD Peter Kuchta's recreation of Hugh Vanstone's original lighting design.

Kuchta used the PL3s and the VLXs for a number of effects as he explains, "The fixtures were used as the sidelight and overhead washes. I'm in love with these fixtures; they are now replacing standard halog

UK - IT and AV rental company DB Systems is already hard at work preparing the temporary internet and telecommunications network for the Farnborough International Airshow (FIA) which takes place July 2012.

Over the next eight months DB's Event Networks and Telecoms division will install and manage a temporary internet and telecommunications infrastructure, which will eventually allow internet access and connectivity for over 350 individual companies, hundreds of journalists and thousands of members of the public expected to attend the event.

The completed network will be able to deliver VoIP telephony, faxes, as well as general internet connectivity and WiFi. The network will also provide for large upload requirements in the press areas and live video streaming, and high download speeds for all users.

David Bulley, DB's managing director, said: "This will be the second

Canada - DJW has supplied, installed and programmed a wealth of equipment at Fort Edmonton Park, Canada's largest living history site on the bank of the North Saskatchewan River.

Thanks to the production team led by Rob Wyatt of Artisan Design, visitors to the park are able to gain a much better understanding of how Edmonton developed through the ages; from the ice age, man inhabiting the planet, Canadian first peoples to the arrival of early settlers and coming up to the date of the Capitol Theatre on the 1920's street and life in Edmonton in the 1920's.

The project is centred around the park's re-creation of Edmonton's original Capitol Theatre. Walking through the theatre's lobby, past framed pictures on the wall, which in fact show '1920's moving pictures', hearing the voice of a 1920's actress over the speaker, guests are ushered into the 250 seat theatre, complete with lu

USA - Lead guitarist Dave Amato of REO Speedwagon has become a fan of the Sensaphonics 3D Active Ambient IEM System he bought a couple years ago, the company reports.

"My problem with regular in-ears was that I couldn't hear my rig," he explains. "The ambient system lets me dial in that outside world, as much of it as I need. Now I have a full band mix from monitor world, plus I can hear my whole rig, including the effects. It's the perfect thing for guitarists."

When REO Speedwagon decided to move to IEMs several years ago, Amato was far from enthusiastic. "Originally, I fought against it, because I knew I needed to hear my amp," he recalls. "So like a lot of guys, I ended up using only one ear on stage. In fact, I used to cut off one earpiece. But that meant my stage mix was mono, and I had to turn it up pretty loud to hear everything. When

Germany - Live event audio production supplier Neumann & Mueller (N&M) has augmented its rental inventory with a TiMax2 SoundHub audio showcontrol matrix and TiMax Tracker performer tracking system. The purchase followed a 12-month period of extensive evaluation that culminated in a well-received outdoor staging of Die Zauberfloete (The Magic Flute) at Erfurt's Domstufen Festspiele event.

Erfurt's cathedral forms a focus, particularly across the three weeks of every summer when it provides the backdrop to the Domstufen Festspiele - an open-air theatrical extravaganza which takes the vast medieval cathedral steps as its performance platform. This year's production - by Guy Montavon - of Mozart's final opera transformed the imposing cathedral steps into the lush green of a magical garden where the enchanting story unfurled to capacity audiences every night.

With N&M's loc

UK - Flightcase and audio speaker solutions specialist Penn-Elcom announces that Bristol based rack aficionados Rackz is to join the Penn Elcom Group, "bringing a wealth of experience in the field of 19 inch rack mounting design, construction and installation to the equation". Rackz is headed up by Dave Roberts, designer, innovator, engineer and musician.

Rackz will continue to operate exactly as is in its current set up, with Roberts at the helm and all staff staying onboard. They will service their own clients in addition to expanding Penn's current range of racking products and working on a host of new Penn racking-based projects.

Penn-Elcom has expanded its business steadily and specifically over the last two years, strengthening and consolidating its already robust activities in flightcase components and pro-audio peripherals.

Rackz and Penn Elcom have been wo

UK - 2011 has been an eventful year for busy UK theatre consultancy Charcoalblue. The company has been responsible for many of this year's most highly praised UK theatre projects - regeneration and new build - including the Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury and the Newcastle Theatre Royal; as well as the successful transformation of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon. Although the RST was completed in 2010, it only opened to the public in April 2011, with a new repertory created specifically for the space.

The venue was shortlisted for the RIBA Stirling Prize and has won this year's Building Awards Project of the Year, the RIBA Regional (West Midlands) Award, the Enjoy England Outstanding Contribution to Tourism Award, the FX Awards Leisure and Entertainment venue Award, the 3R (Refurb, Rethink, Retrofit) Cultural Buildings award and the British Construction Indust

UK - J&C Joel played a major role in the refurbishment of 10 lecture theatres at the University of Manchester, the UK's largest university, installing 71 motorised acoustic / blackout banners within buildings in the university's city centre campus.

The units were designed to be discreet while effectively reducing sound reverberation and the amount of daylight entering the rooms. The units' protective housing was manufactured to be as small as possible and is powder coated, along with the fabric side guides, to match the walls of the lecture theatres.

The roller banners are operated via a single-phase tubular motor unit located within a ball raced roller that holds the fabric in place. The motor unit has built in travel limits and the system is operated using a simple hand held control.

The key to the units is the bonded wool serge fabric used. The client requested a fabric t

UK - The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh has recently completed the upgrade of the historic Great Hall. RCPE called in Audio Light Systems as they could provide audio, lighting & AV all from under the same roof. The brief was to install lighting, system control & audio in extremely sensitive surroundings.

The audio system is primarily for conference work, but is also used for foreground music at functions. QSC Acoustic Design speakers were installed as they are compact in size while still being horn loaded. The Acoustic Design subs were also discretely installed in existing wall cavities.

A Crestron processor is controlled wirelessly with an iPad or iPod, which gives user flexibility while also giving a great library of music. The Crestron processor controls the iLight lighting & QSC audio system (via an Allen & Heath DSP) using both presets and individual channel con

Russia - Summer 2011 has seen the rise of the new Green Centre in the city of Orël in Russia, a multi-purpose building that aims to be a major point of congregation for the city.

The structure is designed to accommodate sporting events, concerts, exhibitions and theatrical performances. Therefore the lighting had to be versatile to adapt to different types of events.

The technical requirements of the client regarding the lighting design, foresaw several important points that had to be met. The choice of equipment was carried out through a careful selection, comparing various brands of projectors, made available by the Russian retailers.

The choice fell upon Coemar products, including 20 Infinity Wash XL 1400W, with zoom range from 5° to 84°, to ensure a uniform illumination throughout the hall; 12 Infinity Spot M, which scored the highest in the weight, compactness

USA - At this year's LDI, TMB's exclusive North American distribution of Schnick Schnack Systems was formally confirmed, with the two companies' CEOs shaking hands over their signed distribution agreement. TMB will offer the entire range of Schnick Schnack Systems' products plus full technical support.

Coinciding with Schnick Schnack Systems' North American TV debut on Season 13 of ABC's Dancing with the Stars, the agreement ensures that American designers and installers will have full access to, and expert 24/7 support, for one of Europe's most popular LED accent lighting systems.

"We are very happy to have TMB as our distribution partner," says Erhard Lehmann, CEO of Schnick Schnack Systems GmbH. "Their team has considerable expertise and shares the same customer driven philosophy. We both expect our unique and user-friendly LED systems to be well recei

USA - Upstaging supplied a large Martin Professional MAC rig for the summer US leg of Def Leppard's current Mirrorball tour, a classic rock 'n roll rig that included MAC 2000 Wash XB, MAC 2000 Beam XB and MAC III Profile moving heads along with MAC 101 LED fixtures.

Lighting designer and lighting op for the tour worldwide is Kenji Ohashi. He stated, "I have used Martin products a lot and they are very trustworthy. That is why I chose Martin. The Martin equipment I used on this tour was all new to me but it all worked well and I was very satisfied. Particularly the MAC 101 worked great and reflected marvellously in my lighting design."

Ohashi's design incorporated 50 of Martin's compact MAC 101 wash lights, 36 of which were mounted on 12 ladders behind upstage screens with 14 on band risers. "They were a big boost for my lighting design for this tour,"

UK - The Theatres Trust, The National Advisory Public Body for Theatres, has announced its sixth annual conference, 'Delivering Sustainable Theatres' - on the challenge of achieving the triple bottom line.

Taking place on 12 June 2012 at Stratford Circus, next to the Olympic Park in East London, the Conference will explore how theatre buildings are managing their building's resources and addressing their future sustainability. The Conference takes place the day before the ABTT Theatre Show, allowing attendees and sponsors to take full advantage of these two London events.

The Conference will address the question of 'Delivering Sustainable Theatres' looking at how theatres are addressing the sustainability agenda in these rapidly changing times, and how they are providing a catalyst for social and economic recovery in the communities they serve. Conference speakers, sponsors an

China - Nike has just rolled out a new ad campaign in China that called on people to run, even at night in an attempt to challenge Chinese people, especially from big cities, to put on their running shoes.

As part of the campaign, Nike hosted Lunar Runs a 10 kilometre race, in three cities across China - Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou with the famous TV tower, the tallest building in the city, as the backdrop to the Guangzhou event.

Two full loaded trucks and a core crew from Star Orbit China which is a fully registered WFOE (Wholly Foreign Owned Enterprise) made the 30 hour trip from its base in Shanghai to provide a 15m Orbit stage which hosted stage based activities for the 15,000 participants featuring live music, race winners and a few celebrities to jog a few memories that running is a fun activity that can be also done at night.

Jo Xie, Star's general manager

China - ArKaos has been instrumental in the Centenary Celebrations of Tsinghua University, Beijing.

Tsinghua University, China's famous school of higher education and internationally recognised as one of the leading universities in mainland China, is located on the west side of Beijing and surrounded by beautiful scenery.

The university is well known in China for its famous alumni, such as the President, Hu Jingtao, the Nobel Prize winner, Dr. Yang Zhenning, and many other scientists and writers.

To mark 2011 as the centennial anniversary for Tsinghua, a ceremony was staged on 24 April in Beijing, which was attended by most of the Chinese political leaders.

Lighting and stage designer Mr. Sha Xiaolan contributed to the celebration by setting up a huge stage with a spectacular visual show driven by ShowPower's MTL media servers running ArKaos MediaMaster Pro.

It was the f

China - The Ejin Horo Banner Theatre complex in Ordos has been equipped with a range of Fohhn loudspeakers, DSP-controlled amplifiers and system control technology. The complex is situated in an area of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region of China that is historically significant as the location of Genghis Khan's Mausoleum.

Within the complex itself, an impressive 1200-seater theatre space is flanked by a concert hall and multi-purpose hall, each with a capacity of 600, plus six conference rooms. In each of the spaces, Fohhn systems have been installed with a view to achieving excellent reproduction of speech and music combined with flexible remote control and networking possibilities, while remaining sympathetic to the architectural surroundings.

A range of Fohhn Arc-Series compact high performance loudspeakers, including 18 AT-66, 44 AT-07, 12 AT-201 and eight AT-50 models,

USA - Clay Paky Sharpy fixtures are gaining in popularity in the USA with extensive exposure on Simon Cowell's music talent show The X Factor as well as the recent MTV Video Music Awards (VMA) telecast.

Sharpy is currently on tour with Usher, the Foo Fighters, Peter Gabriel, Keith Urban, Gretchen Wilson, Bruno Mars and others. Now, Sharpy is being recognized by the TV production community for its small footprint, fast response and laser-like beam.

The much-anticipated X Factor, whose franchise originated in the UK, marks the return of Simon Cowell who created the high-stakes singing competition's format and is one of four judges who each mentor a finalist in a particular category while judging contestants in the other categories.

Lighting designer Tom Kenny travelled with lighting director Brian Klunder and programmer Dirk Optende as the new show made talent st

UK - A.C. Entertainment Technologies Ltd (AC-ET) has delivered a quantity of the latest Chroma-Q Color Force LED and Robe moving and digital lighting products - including the new Robin MMX Spot - to Universal Live, a leading single-source production solutions provider to the live events industry.

Bradford-based Universal Live works extensively in the corporate sector - supplying production equipment to conferences, roadshows, exhibitions, concerts, tours, festivals and other special events.

The sale was co-ordinated between Grant Smith from AC-ET's Leeds office and Universal Live's MD, Jon Eden and hire manager, Ben Phillips.

Prior to the sale, Universal already owned a quantity of Chroma-Q Color Force 72 1.8m length LED battens, bought at the end of 2010 from (AC-ET), which is the UK dealer. These have been in constant use ever since, and they were so impressed with the pow

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