UK - The Arena Group extended its capabilities in event overlay this Christmas to supply structures for the Van Hage Garden Centre ice rink in Great Amwell, Hertfordshire, which opened to the public on 16 November.

Building on the success of last year's ice rink infrastructures at prestigious venues including London's Canary Wharf and the National History Museum, Arena was engaged by Van Hage to supply its structures to the site, creating a magical attraction for families over the festive season.

Arena's account director James Thomas worked closely with Rebecca Owen and Van Hage MD Chris Roberts, supplying 11 of its 6m x 6m Milano peak roof feature structures to accommodate the Santa's Grotto, VIP and skate hire areas around the perimeter of the ice rink site. In addition, Arena also laid the 650sqm ice rink substructure, which involved detailed calculations to ensure the stru

Web Triumph - Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, written by U2's Bono and The Edge, has taken the highest single-week takings of any show in Broadway history. The musical, which was plagued with problems from its inception, took $2.9m (£1.8m) over nine performances last week, according to The Broadway League. The Edge said it was a "proud day" for everyone who has been involved.

The show, which cost $75m (£48m) to make, is the most expensive Broadway show to be produced. Initially the production was beset with problems, which included injuries to some of the cast members, opening night delays, poor reviews and unpaid royalty claims. "For all the problems, there was magic on the stage," Bono said.

"Things did get chaotic and messy after our producer Tony Adams died. But this week's news has us all giddy again and we are raising our glasse

UK - Hoist UK has decided not to exhibit at any of the national or international trade shows this year. Instead they have decided to open a demonstration room and teaching facility at their new premises on the Wirral.

"We feel that our clients deserve to be given the time to thoroughly understand our products and services" says Tony Dickson, director of Hoist UK Ltd. "This new facility will allow a lot more one to one time to be spent with our clients than we could ever get at trade shows, and let them get a working knowledge and understanding of our products and our team so that they can be confident in what they are specifying or buying."

The demonstration room will house the full range of HUK products, as well as products from partners JR Clancy, Niscon Inc. and Verlinde, all of which will be installed and fully functional including some motion control p

UK - Due to continued demand for its lighting console training courses Cooper Controls has increased the number of UK training sessions for 2012. Taking place every Thursday, the first six months of training sessions are now available for booking:

For ORB Series Training - based in the factory in Cwmbran: 2 February, 1 March, 5 April, 3 May, 7 June; For Solution Series Training in Cwmbran: 12 January,9 February, 8 March, 12 April, 10 May, 14 June; For Jester Series Training in Cwmbran: 19 January, 16 February, 15 March, 19 April, 17 May, 21 June; For ORB Series Training - based at the Phoenix Artist Club in London: 23 February, 22 March, 19 April, 24 May, 21 June.

Scheduled Zero 88 courses are free of charge and include a light lunch. Attendees will receive a training certificate at the end of the session. Cooper Controls also offers onsite training on request. These tailored

Poland - Warsaw's Royal Castle is one of Poland's most famous and historic buildings, its 90m long façade and three spires leaving the city's residents in no doubt as to its importance. Nowadays a venue for major events like official visits, state meetings and concerts, the recent installation of a digital audio network has seen Yamaha equipment entrusted with audio mixing and system processing duties.

It took nearly 50 years for the building to be completely restored and nowadays its magnificent 300 seat ballroom is the setting for events of national importance, while a 180-seat concert hall hosts lectures, conferences and live music performances. In both venues, high speech intelligibility is an essential requirement. This is complicated by the ballroom's restored 18th-centurygrandeur featuring a polished wood floor, mirrored and marble surfaces and many windows.

Leading Po

UK - Black Light has worked with Graham Construction and North Lanarkshire Council to install a full package of stage lighting, sound, audio visual and recording studio equipment at the new Coltness High School in Wishaw, North Lanarkshire. This is the first of six similar projects Black Light is involved with.

"Black Light did an extremely professional installation," said Derek Johnston, head of music and drama at the school. "The entire system looks incredibly neat and tidy and operates in an extremely effective and flexible manner."

To achieve the required outcome for the end users at the school, Black Light developed a detailed project proposal that completely met the requirements of the Local Authority. The company's installation team then carried out the on-time and on-budget full package installation. The new facilities allow the school to make high

Poland - Jagiellonian University in Kracow is Poland's largest university and one of the oldest and most celebrated academic institutions in the world. Founded in 1364 as Studium Generale, the university - named after Poland's Jagiellonian dynasty - numbers Nicolaus Copernicus and Pope John Paul II among its alumni. Since August, a number of new sound systems have been installed in a variety of the university's lecture and concert halls.

The Kracow and Wroclaw-based branches of Tommex Zebrowscy Sp. J. were responsible for the design of the sound systems. In the case of the Kotlownia lecture and exhibition hall, the firm's specialists attached particular importance to finding a loudspeaker system capable of delivering both a very high level of intelligibility and precise control. They opted for a solution featuring equipment from Dynacord.

VariLine VL 262W two-way loudspeakers

UK - Lighting designer Grum Leesmith recently showcased PixelRange's new SMART technology luminaires on Example's latest tour. The rig included six PixelSmarts and six SmartLines from the new intelligent range.

Grum Leesmith states:,"The new PixelSmart is special. Being able to take control of every cell on the PixelSmart allowed me to give texture to what would normally be a flat wash. The addition of the narrow beam, warm white LEDs gave me an alternative to a traditional ACL, two lights in one fixture, saving me weight and space both on the truss and the truck.

"I was also incredibly impressed with the SmartLine, having used PixelLine many times I was keen to see how PixelRange would improve on the design. The RGBW colour mixing blew me away, I was able to get a really nice warm white that worked together with my tungsten lights perfectly. Only at very low outputs

USA - The leafy green hills west of Baltimore are home to First Evangelical Lutheran, one of the area's oldest churches. Established in 1874, the church has grown steadily over the years, moving to its current site in the mid-1950s. The campus is home to several buildings, including the Ellicott City Children's House, Montessori School, and the current sanctuary, dedicated in 1996.

The octagonal-shaped sanctuary is acoustically challenging. Designed to feature the church's pipe organ and choir, the building's wood and glass ceiling, brick walls and rock and tile floor create a reflective environment that wreaks havoc with spoken word intelligibility. As senior pastor Eugene Kern explains, the issue was one that was initially not easy to discern.

"Since my arrival to First Lutheran in early 2009, there were complaints passed on to me about the sound system," says Kern

Germany - The 64th Frankfurt Motor Show (IAA) drew more than 900,000 visitors. The IAA has been one of the most important trade fairs for Gerriets for many years, and the company was again involved in creating the show's largest and most spectacular display - the Mercedes-Benz booth.

Over the past several years, Gerriets has supplied a variety of extraordinary ceiling coverings for the Mercedes-Benz booth. This year, the ceiling element consisted of more than 5,000 m² of custom-dyed blue muslin. Wrinkle-free suspension of the fabric was achieved by means of a custom-engineered and -fabricated 7-ton elliptical steel ring.

All components were precision-manufactured to ensure that despite the enormous dimensions there was no difficulty incorporating the ceiling element into the venue's existing steel construction.

Gerriets worked closely with Display International to help deli

UK - The PLASA 2012 free registration website is now live. Show organiser PLASA Events expects around 6000 visitors to take advantage of the special free registration offer over the next 48 hours, with early bookers saving £20 on the standard ticket price for this year's PLASA Show, which takes place at London's Earls Court on 9 - 12 September 2012.

All previous PLASA Show visitors have been sent the special offer via email, and free registration for new visitors is now live at www.plasashow.com.

"We have been offering free registration for early bookers for the past three years and each year the number of registrations soars," comments events manager Sophie Atkinson.

"PLASA 2012 will be the first show to take place after the London Olympic and Paralympic Games and it will be a celebration of our industry's contribution to this summer's events. We'll be

UK - The Skills Academy's third Annual Industry Conference (www.nsa-ccskills.co.uk/annual-industry-conference-2012) will bring together professionals from the theatre and live music industries to address current challenges, and to discuss "how we can work better in collaboration with young people and education".

Say the organisers, "Together, we will explore the real return on investment in skills and what impact this is having on the sector. We will look at the issues we're facing, explore possible responses and focus on real, practical solutions. We will also be acknowledging and celebrating the inspirational achievements of the last year, and looking at how we can build on these for the future.

"This is no talking shop - come prepared to make decisions! Please join us for a crucial two days, as we prepare to move forward into 2012-13 and the challenges a

Poland - Getting 2012 off to a great start, the city of Wroclaw hosted the country's biggest celebration and featured no less than six Yamaha digital mixing consoles.

Together with Ukraine, Poland is co-hosting the Euro2012 international football championships, so its authorities are aware that much attention will be focused on it throughout the year. Wroclaw always hosts a New Year's Eve (Sylwester in Polish) celebration in its Market Square, so this year there was an added incentive to show the country's celebrations at their very best.

Wroclaw's Sylwester event was hosted by TV presenters Gra?yna Torbicka and Hubert Urba?ski and featured over 15 different live bands from across Europe, who played in front of an enthusiastic crowd of over 220,000 and a televised audience of millions.

High profile Polish acts including Vavamuffin, Kayah, Zakopower, T. Love, LUC, Urszula Dud

Czech Republic - An energy saving Anolis LED lighting scheme designed by Petr Kolma?ka has been installed to highlight the famous City Hall Tower in Ostrava, the third largest city in the Czech Republic and the administrative hub of the Moravian-Silesian region.

The city has a strong commercial heritage based on the heavy industries that grew up around its high quality black coal deposits, discovered in the late 18th century. More recently it has launched a big initiative to clean up the environment and control the many years of accumulated pollution, reinventing itself as the 'City of Colours', highlighting its equally rich history as a centre of innovation, creativity and education (as a major university city).

This, the city's first civic lighting scheme, is part of the process of helping to create a new cultural identity for Ostrava. Its numerous creative and entertainment

Poland - Gerriets Joker 95 has been used for the Polish edition of Voice of Poland show. ARAM multimedia, one of the largest and most innovative event engineering companies in Poland chose two independent Joker 95 track systems for moving led displays curtains.

The system has four independent engines each controlled by Gerriets with DMX option. As Rafal Mrzyglocki, CEO of ARAM Group sad, "We have used totally 54m of track, divided into two rails. Each track has two engines and two controllers, but the front screen has four screen tiles while the back screen has only two screen tiles. After long discussions with Gerriets, we chose the rope-free system has proved a good choice". All automation has been operated from an Avolites Tiger Touch console.

(Jim Evans)

USA - The ETCP examinations will be given at USITT's Annual Conference & Stage Expo in Long Beach, CA. All three examinations will be given at the same time and are scheduled for the morning of Saturday, 31 March. Candidates who wish to take more than one exam should contact ETCP. Interested applicants must submit their application, along with supporting materials and fee, to the ETCP office no later than 1 March 2012.

Candidate information, including eligibility requirements and applications, is available on the ETCP website (http://etcp.plasa.org), or if you would like the information mailed, please contact Meredith Moseley-Bennett, ETCP Certification Manager, at 212-244-1505 or etcp@plasa.org.

Can't make it to USITT? ETCP examinations are given daily at over 190 computer based testing centres across the US and Canada. After an application has been received and accepted, can

Italy - Robe Robin MMX Spots, LEDWash 300s and ColorWash 575 AT Zooms were the core lighting elements for LD Paolo Firulli's eye-catching design for the recent Meraviglioso Modugno, a tribute show to Domenico Modugno, one of Italy's best known actors and singer/songwriters from the 1950s.

The show was staged in the new Teatro Petruzzelli in Bari, the largest theatre in the city and the fourth largest in Italy, well known for its stunning interiors and colourful history. It starred 13 different contemporary artists all of whom performed one of Modugno's most popular songs.

The main lighting challenge was to give each one of them a totally different look and feel for their performance for which was able to take advantage of the flexibility and scope brought to the occasion by using Robe fixtures.

There were 20 each of Robe's new MMX Spots and LEDWash 300s, plus 20 Color

USA - Escondido, California based Sound Image, a leading provider of audio systems for touring and installation applications globally, is the second American company to join Adamson's Project Energia.

The significant investment in Adamson's E15 system was no surprise to Sound Image president, David Shadoan who comments, "Adamson kept us closely informed as Energia was developing. As soon as beta testing began, we confirmed that we would join in Phase One. The Sound Image philosophy is to deliver leading technology and to stay ahead of the curve. Energia was a simple choice. This system is progressive and a very powerful solution. We look forward to getting it on the road."

Sound Image has carried Adamson Y-Axis and T21's in their inventory since 2007 and the move to the Energia series was a natural step forward. Adamson Systems Engineering, president, Brock Adamson c

Turkmenistan - An Allen & Heath iLive digital mixing system has been installed in the conference room of Turkmenistan's iconic new TV Tower located in the capital city of Ashgabad.

Opened in 2011, the 700ft Television Tower includes a TV and Radio studio complex catering for six channels, and houses an OB fleet. There is also a revolving restaurant and offices built in the shape of the national emblem - an octagonal star - which is registered with the Guinness World Records as the largest star in Turkmenistan.

The building's sole conference facility has a small control room, which required a similarly compact mixing console. Consequently, audio and lighting contractor, Asimetrik, selected an iLive-T80 Control Surface and iDR-48 MixRack system.

"The tiny control room now has a small mixing system but with enormous features," comments Mert Kiliccote from Asimetrik. &

Spain - Following its success on Broadway, in the West End and on tours in the US, Israel and Poland, a new Spanish-language version of Shrek The Musical is proving a sell-out success in Madrid, featuring a Yamaha PM5D-RH at front of house.

Running at the Teatro Nuevo Apolo (New Apollo Theatre), Shrek El Musical is keeping family audiences spellbound with its mixture of comedy, choreography, a wide range of new songs and heart-warming plot, all suitably adapted for the Spanish audience.

Production company Theatre Properties specialises in musicals and has a number of Yamaha digital consoles in its inventory. A Yamaha PM5D-RH was chosen to mix the FOH requirements of what is a fairly complex production.

"ThePM5D-RH was specified for a number of reasons," says Jacinto López of Yamaha Music Europe Ibérica. "A prime one was that the company's

Brazil - The 2011 edition of the Rock in Rio festival featured a bill that included Red Hot Chili Peppers, Guns 'n' Roses, Coldplay, Metallica, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Jamiroquai, Katy Perry, Rihanna, Shakira, Motorhead, Claudio Sanchez (Coheed and Cambria), Lenny Kravitz, Snow Patrol, Maroon 5 and many more.

The sheer scale of the event is extraordinary, certainly when compared with even the largest European festivals - the 150,000sq.m (about the same as 28 American football pitches) area of the Parque do Atleta in Jacarepaguá can accommodate 800,000 people.

Gabisom Audio Equipment, sound provider for the show and one of the world's largest audio rental companies, deployed an Outline GTO line-source system on the 'Sunset' stage, one of the most prestigious stages at Rock in Rio, featuring a diverse array of acts including Joss Stone and local favourites Sepultura as well

UK - Scottish lighting and sound supplier The Warehouse has recently completed a seven-week temporary installation commissioned by the City Of Edinburgh Council.

The project required the illumination of four specially selected 'iconic' buildings in the city centre over the Christmas and New Year periods. The buildings chosen were the City Chambers, New College, The Royal Scottish Academy and St John's Church in the West End.

The brief required the sites to be linked to allow synchronised colour changing using the theme of 'Fire and Ice'. Lighting hire manager and lighting designer Dave Morris chose a combination of Studio Due City Color 2500W, and Chauvet Colorado IP 1s and 2s for the sites. The Warehouse used their extensive stock of Wireless Solutions W-DMX units and aerials to establish the radio links across the City, which performed flawlessly over the entire period. With

UK - A.C. Special Projects (ACSP) has supplied a bespoke truss grid and flying system for Nike's new concept store in Westfield Stratford City, London's latest flagship retail destination and one of the largest shopping centres in the UK.

The 17,000sq.m Nike store showcases the latest innovations in professional sports and casual footwear from the brand and is situated in an impressive double-storey glass fronted outlet.

Nike Europe's retail design director Greg Stobbs, who created the look and feel of the interior, wanted to maximise the space as a versatile display area. Due to its layout, a substantial and unique atrium space was available reaching three metres back from the front façade, with eight metres of headroom.

Stobbs envisaged a truss grid that could be moved up and down for easy and safe accessibility and quick changeovers, that would look contemporary, attract

UK - Jands Vista consoles, running the new Vista v2 software, have been installed in the two TV studios at Lincoln University's Media Broadcast Production Centre, a purpose built production environment which includes radio studios, video editing, audio editing, digital imaging, and multimedia suites as well as a brand new sound theatre.

The studios have been newly upgraded to include some of the latest lighting and camera technologies, bringing the facilities up to full multi-camera and HD spec.

The University offers qualifications with some of the UK's leading media orientated courses, and the studios are used for full programme making and a variety of other associated functions. They are run by the University's Media, Humanities & Technology Faculty, and overseen day-to-day by studio engineer and technical specialist, Steve Judge who also teaches the practical and technical

Latest Issue. . .