USA - The restoration of Omaha's Greater Beth-El Temple is complete after a June 2008 arson attack that nearly destroyed the Apostolic Christian church, popular among Omaha's African-American community. The congregation was forced to relocate while the temple underwent a complete renovation. Left virtually an empty shell after the fire, the building required new floors, a ceiling, a stage, seating, and numerous other necessities including a sound system.

Greater Beth-El services include a full musical ensemble playing contemporary Christian and gospel music. Theatrical performances and concerts are also regular events at the temple. According to John Manhart of Direct Pro Audio LLC, the contractor who designed and installed Greater Beth-El's new audio system, low profile looks combined with large sound capability were paramount in selecting the new system.

"Greater Beth-E

France - Lighting designer and DOP David Seligmann-Forest from Lite4Life used Robe Robin MMX Spots, Robin 600E Spots and LEDWash 600s to light La Grande Battle, a live TV presentation aired on French network France 2.

Ten major European stars from a diversity of musical genres - rock, pop, rap, flamenco, opera, brass band - battled it out to win the final of this popular series for the best re-interpretation of classical songs and music. They were selected from over 300 bands by the public vote via the website.

Hosted by popular TV presenter Nagui and classical musician Jean-Francois Zygel, the artist line up for the final included Italian opera singer Roberto Alagna, Anguun, France's 2012 Eurovision Song Contest hopeful and French jazz singer and guitarist, Thomas Dutronc. The show, recorded in the large Euromedia Studio 217, at the Studios de France in Paris, also inc

Germany - Hip-hop band Die Fantastischen Vier, AKA Fanta 4, just concluded their latest sold-out arena tour with a set, lighting and visual design by Gunther Hecker. The tour culminated in a spectacular home-coming performance by the band at Stuttgart's Hanns Martin Schleyer Halle.

Hecker - one of Germany's most innovative designers - worked in close collaboration with Marc Lorenz, who looked after all the LED screen and video elements, to create the show and specify the equipment. It has been acclaimed as one of the best stage presentations of Die Fantastischen Vier's long and eventful career which has put German hip-hop on the map. The 14m wide circular stage was built with a combination of Lite Structures' standard and custom products. It featured four 5m thrusts, each at 90 degree intervals around the stage.

Above, it was crowned by four circular trusses at 8, 10, 12 and 1

Russia - In 2011, Russian rock band DDT released the album Otherwise then hit the road playing dates across Russia, former Soviet countries and Europe. Stage and lighting design was by Andrejs Dubkovs of Lumen Art Division who turned to a Martin rig of MAC III series and MAC 2000 series fixtures along with MAC 700 Washes and MAC 301 Wash luminaires.

"The visual concept was based on several stories which gave the opportunity to create a bond between the music, video and audience," Andrejs Dubkovs says of the setup, which is dominated by a large 36 x 12m background projection screen. "The concept of the lighting design was one of symmetry that was harmonically fulfilled via video art while combining bright and colorful theatre and rock style lighting."

Used as video complement and creating impactful lighting looks onto the stage and catwalk were MAC II

Australia - The inaugural Equitana Sydney event was an extraordinary success with 45,000 attendees over the four days. Sydney Showgrounds was turned into an equine paradise with over 300 horses, five indoor demonstration arenas, two large outdoor competition arenas, 200 education presentations and demonstrations and 280 trade stands in the exhibition.

The key venue, The Dome, was transformed into a 5,000 seat international venue with concert lighting, sound and visuals supplied by Audio Visual Dynamics.

"The production challenges were enormous and the event could not have succeeded to the degree it did without a very skilled, dedicated - and patient - production crew," commented Colleen Lethbridge, production and media manager for Equitana. "The AVD team worked with us from the beginning to develop The Dome venue, offering advice and design ideas, so that we got

UK - Electrosonic has successfully upgraded some of the key audio-visual components in the Scottish Government's Media Centre at St. Andrew's House in Edinburgh. The Centre has the facility to run presentations, record proceedings and relay images to an adjacent room.

Electrosonic's Edinburgh office refreshed the essential presentation equipment in Media 1 (seating 70), Media 2 (a small briefing/meeting or overflow room), a preparatory Green Room supporting Media 1 & 2, a back projection room (for main control and video routing equipment), and a control room (housing video preview and audio equipment). The original equipment was installed around 12 years ago and overdue a refresh.

Carolyne Thomson, Scottish Government project manager, was very happy with the work carried out by the Electrosonic team. "They listened carefully to what we wanted to achieve and they came up w

USA - New York's Irving Plaza recently purchased High End Systems intellaspot and Technospot automated luminaires for installation in the live music/dance-oriented club.

In-house LD Ian Davis installed eight Technospots in early October and four intellaspots in early November. The 1,100-capacity venue was in need of a full-on lighting system for a while, Davis said.

"I hadn't had my lighting system at 100 percent in at least two years," he explained, "and High End Systems Chris McMeen was the only person who understood my plight. It was a real struggle that had been affecting my ability to do the kind of show I wanted to do." Regarding the Technospots, Davis says, "This is a great fixture at an unbelievable price. It is a small unit that competes in every way with the intellaspots, it has just about all the same attributes and super fast moving parts.

UK - It all makes perfect sense, conduct an experiment for the Noise Abatement Society and what's the first thing you do? Rent in a PA system. It does make sense in one way, how else can you investigate the suppression of noise without first creating it, "but this was something completely different," said John Tinline of Encore who provided the system.

"This was another Martyn Ware Illustrious Production 3D sound installation", he continued. "The event was sponsored by the City of Brighton Council. We put 18 d&b audiotechnikQ1 loudspeakers in various places around West Street in Brighton. This is the main shopping street, the installation was part of the Brighton Festival, but the purpose was not to give people something to listen to, quite the opposite."

What Ware had designed was a six point sound field, a 3D image formed by Ware's signature eth

Thailand - LD Palle Palmé is the first to use Martin Professional's new MAC Aura in Thailand having incorporated 18 of the award-winning LED wash lights into his lighting design for renowned Swedish magician Joe Labero's Genesis Magic Spectacular show.

Playing at the Danze Fantasy Theatre, a 500-capacity new-built theatre in Phuket, Labero holds to a demanding schedule with performances five nights a week, two shows per night. Palmé looked across Southeast Asia for a rental company that could deliver a suitable rig for the ambitious show and eventually found Orange Events in Kuala Lumpur headed by Blurr Wong.

"It seemed to be a very professional company who worked with Martin gear and that was what I was looking for," Palmé states of the Malaysian-based company. "They had just invested in the new MAC Aura and I thought that this would

UK - Lighting and visuals rental company HSL supplied and installed a full mother grid and flying system for scenery, cloths and props, plus all the lighting equipment to stage one of the UK's highest profile pantomimes this year - Robinson Crusoe & The Caribbean Pirates - at the Clyde Auditorium in Glasgow.

The show, produced by Qdos Entertainment, stars John Barrowman who also co-directs with Jonathan Kiley. He's joined by maverick Scottish comedy duo, The Krankies, in a colourful, all-action romp from Port Glasgow to Skull Island, where good and evil battle it out in classic panto style resulting in a supersonic evening of entertainment, slapstick humour and much hilarity. Lighting is designed by Nick Richings.

HSL's project manager is Mike Docksey, who comments, "It's great to work with Nick, particularly on this production which really lends itself to dramatic

UK - Audio-Technica Ltd has announced it has entered into an agreement with Allen & Heath Ltd to act as exclusive distributor for the mixer manufacturer in the UK.

The strategic move mirrors a similar arrangement in Germany, where Audio-Technica has been Allen & Heath distributor since 2005, seeing a significant growth in sales over the last six years in the territory.

Allen & Heath's sales and marketing manager, Debbie Maxted said: "Providing outstanding service to our UK customers is extremely important to us, so we are particularly delighted to be working with Audio-Technica, which has already demonstrated its commitment to the brand and to our dealers and end users in Germany. Allen & Heath has enjoyed strong growth in recent years and we have some exciting new products due for release in the near future, so we feel that this partnership comes at just the right time f

UK - On 1 January 2012 Elstree Light and Power (ELP) became the new owners of production rigging services company, Nippy Industries.

ELP has always had one foot in the rigging world as part of its mainstream lighting production offering, and has delivered various bespoke film and TV rigging projects in the past. This move sees a huge up-scaling in terms of the range of rigging equipment and expertise available from a single source.

Nippy Industries Managing Director, Steven Williams says: "Nippy will be absorbing ELP rigging, not the other way round. As such the quality standards of ELP rigging will be elevated to that of a dedicated rigging services company. Nippy Industries will remain able to supply the full range of services, as always, but with the vast addition of ELP equipment. We will remain in the same location, with the same core team, but gain additional ELP st

UK - After working with some of the UK's biggest music acts such as Adele, JLS and Calvin Harris, Live Effects are primed for a busy 2012. The company has seen unprecedented growth in the previous year and has now set up shop in the state-of-the-art Millennium Studios.

Located in Bedfordshire, just over an hour outside of the capital, the studios boast a generous 12-acre site, complete with helipad access and runway for clients wishing to fly in.

Established in 2006, Live Effects design and produce special effects for events from Formula 1 to theatre productions to stadium concerts; from initial design ideas, venue approval and risk assessment, through to set-up, firing and de-rigging.

Managing director Alex Jarrett comments: "We have a constant commitment to creativity and safety. All events are managed continuously to ensure spectacular and unforgettable results"

USA - Lighting designer Tony Fransen continues his long association with the Jands Vista lighting and media control system by going on the road with a Vista T2 console to run lighting for the Sara Bareilles US tour.

On the road since May, the tour is a mix of her own headline performances as well as some opening shows for country duo Sugarland.

Fransen's neatly designed touring package gives Bareilles her own individual stage aesthetics utilising his distinctive 'boutique' style.

Taking advantage of whatever extra lighting is available in each venue to supplement his design, he uses the Vista's powerful Fixture Swap and Cloning to swiftly integrate units into his show.

"It's extremely powerful, the software is rock solid and it is definitely the best control platform on the market" he reports.

Bareilles' floor package consists of Vari*Lite VL2500s, about 40 Mar

Hong Kong - Lighthouse will supply four LED screens to the new Macpherson Indoor Stadium in Hong Kong, which will bring enhanced community facilities to the city's area of highest population density.

Located on the edge of Mongkok - which, according to Guinness World Records, has the highest population density in the world - the new venue will replace the previous Macpherson Indoor Stadium, which plays an important role in the development of youth recreation in Hong Kong.

The existing venue has been demolished as part of a programme of redevelopment, which will see it and the surrounding area replaced with a residential complex and the new sports venue, expanded to hold 2,500 spectators.

As part of Media-Go Engineering s successful AV tender bid, for which Lighthouse was chosen as LED screen partner, two sets of 6mm resolution screens, each measuring 5.12m (w) x 2.4m (h), an

USA - Xantech provided the core technology systems that enabled the 'strength and conditioning' training room at United States Naval Academy's Ricketts Hall to become an advanced state-of-the-art facility.

As part of a technology upgrade, AV systems integrator DSL Sound of Hagerstown, Maryland, installed a Xantech control system consisting of the WIC1200Web Intelligent Controller, two CWTC10Wireless Touch Controllers, CSPLCD64Gin-wall touch panels and a host of IPRS232XtraLink IP modules.

The network-based Xantech components provide full control over the weight rooms' new AV systems, which include an HD Video Matrix system by FSR, 16 55-inch LG plasma monitors that makeup five zones of video, and an extensive audio system throughout the facility, featuring the BiAmp Nexia networked digital audio processor. Xantech's IPRS232 units enable network control of the RS232-based LG mo

UK - W E Audio, based in North Oxfordshire, has taken delivery of two Midas Pro 2 consoles, purchased from LMC Audio.

With a pair of 'always-in-demand' Heritage H3000s already in stock, which have been used on all of the festivals they have supplied this year, Wayne Barker, MD of W E Audio, and his team are familiar with the audio quality of Midas products.

"We have always loved what Midas put into their consoles, especially the XL3 & XL4 and of course the H3000", explains Rylan Machin, project manager at W E Audio. "So when we saw what Midas had done with the Pro 2, bringing out a console with a small footprint, a respectable channel count, and the same Midas quality and attention to detail, we knew there would be high demand for hire on this console again."

Barker and Machin made the decision to invest in Pro 2 at this year's PLASA Show, where they took

UK - Integrated communications firm Imagination, based in London, has a reputation for producing experiential and effective brand marketing using the latest in digital lighting technology and recently turned to Martin Professional's Exterior 400 Range of LED luminaires to illuminate its own headquarter façade.

Imagination's headquarter building lies in the heart of London's West End. It is a multi-use, award-winning facility with a visually attractive façade that has been illuminated for years in a pleasing shade of blue, a colour scheme that the company wished to keep. Yet an upgrade to more dynamic and energy-efficient luminaires was called for.

"We wanted to maintain the previous classic blue lighting scheme on the building, which was HMI lighting and which we've had for quite some time, but we also wanted the ability to do different lighting schemes, for example at

The Netherlands - The KWF (Dutch Cancer Society) has over 120,000 volunteers who help it to raise awareness of cancer and funds towards patient support and furthering cancer research. One of its annual highlights is the Alped' HuZes, which sees thousands of cyclists climb the French mountain Alpe d'Huez. Concluding with a live concert at the resort on top of the mountain, Yamaha equipment helped this latest event to raise a record amount of money.

As well as being a major ski resort, Alpe d'Huez is famous as a stage in the Tour de France, the fastest ascent taking 37 minutes and 35 seconds. This year's Alpe d'HuZes saw 4,661 of the volunteer amateur, professional and celebrity cyclists reach the 1,860m(6,102ft) summit in considerably slower times, but raising over €20m for KWF's work in the process.

The event's grand finale took place in the Palais de Sport on top of the moun

USA - Two illustrious high school stadiums in the Tacoma Public Schools system enjoyed vastly improved sound for the 2011 football season, thanks to comprehensive distributed audio system upgrades at both locations.

Lynwood, Washington-based systems integration firm Electrocom managed the upgrades, installing Technomad advanced audio loudspeakers and high-powered amplifiers among other components at Stadium High School and Lincoln High School. Electrocom handpicked the systems to replace aging horn components that were in disrepair and bleeding into adjacent neighbourhoods - prompting a flurry of complaints.

The stadiums' long, rich histories are evident in their grandeur: large, bowl-shaped venue designs with concrete bleachers and expansive sideline space. This made sound improvements - especially even, venue-wide coverage - unusually challenging.

"These are not typic

UK - Following lengthy negotiations, CPS Group has confirmed the purchase of the Stagecraft brand together with a significant proportion of assets, after the recent voluntary liquidation of Stagecraft Technical Services Ltd. The newly acquired assets have strengthened CPS' stock of industry standard brands such as ETC, Avolites, Shure, Steeldeck & Prolyte.

Richard Colegate, director, comments, "Stagecraft has been a well-respected name in the industry for over 30 years and CPS is delighted to pick up the torch and lead the Stagecraft brand into the next decade."

Colegate continues, "We look forward to working with Stagecraft customers in 2012. Combining CPS' excellence in modern lighting, audio and video with Stagecraft's expertise in stage production and outdoor structures provides exciting new possibilities. Bringing on-board Stagecraft's expertise in stage co

Sweden - W-DMX by Wireless Solution Sweden delivered the lighting to TeliaSonera's Stockholm headquarters for the holiday season. TeliaSonera AB is Europe's fifth largest telecom operator with operations in Northern, Eastern Europe, Central Asia and Spain, with a total of over 150m mobile customers. The company headquarters are located at Stureplan in the centre of Stockholm, one of the highest wireless traffic locations in the world.

The design idea seemed simple enough: display lit Blachere snowflakes in the windows of the front of the building facing the main square downtown and put on a nightly light display every evening from mid-November through 27 December. Ola Melzig of M & M Production Management was contracted by DDB Stockholm to come up with the design and logistics surrounding the concept.

The first idea was to hang the lighting on the exterior of the building belo

USA - Brad Paisley entertained more than one million fans during his H2O II: Wetter & Wilder World Tour. During each show, 25 Chauvet Professional SparkliteLED drapes created a luminous backdrop behind the country music superstar.

Lighting designer Dean Spurlock, of Dean Spurlock Lighting and Design, specified the use of SparkliteLED drape for the tour. Designed for large-scale installations like Paisley's arena performances, SparkliteLED drape measures 20 x13ft and includes built-in effects. The drapes, which are powered by 128 tri-colored LEDs and divided into eight controllable sections, gave Spurlock the flexibility to customise and control all 3,200 LEDs in the backdrop at his discretion.

Interlocked using hook-and-loop fasteners, the 25 drapes created a star-field backdrop that twinkled brightly during select song performances adding dimension to the stage.

(Jim

China - The elaborate Ordos epic, Holy Heimori, produced by the Etuoke Qianqi people of Inner Mongolia in China, premiered in September on the Grassland Stage of the Shanghai Temple in Inner Mongolia.The legendry tale, a play about drawing tribal conflict to a close and seeking lasting peace on the grassland, came to life with the aid of an elaborate set and stage design that incorporated mood-generating and decorate effects from Martin MAC 401 Dual RGB Zoom luminaires and MAC 2000 Wash moving heads. Lighting design is by Sha Xiao Lan, lighting designer for the Opening Ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.Traditional song, dance, and art, as well as ethnic customs and values are expressed on stage with the help of dynamic lighting technology to give the audience a better understanding of Mongolian Ordos culture.For example, Ordos folk songs are melodious, like the sounds o

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