Germany - Trussing, staging and rigging solutions manufacturer and distributor HOF has expanded its premises by 5,000sq.m, adding over 650 storing positions and increasing the size of its production site. HOF has also improved the exterior landscaping by installing a heavy-duty pavement that can withstand the weight of cranes for up to 120 tonnes. Trial installations for stages and constructions of up to 36 x 22m can also take place on the new surface. There is also an apartment on the new premises, which can be used by clients and installation staff during the trial installations. The new premises has a fully functional photo studio for product photo shootings and video productions. The new showroom now spans over two levels along with three meeting rooms. On show there are HOF trusses, XOOP Lighting and Excellent Line, brands owned by HOF. CJS Coupler and Br
USA - One London-based lighting programmer took home a brand-new MagicQ MQ70 console as he triumphed in ChamSys’ Programmers Competition, which took place during the LDI 2019 tradeshow in Las Vegas. The contest required programmers to programme a large Chauvet Professional rig for a one to three-minute song of their choice using MagicQ with MagicVis Visualization, with the top three entrants invited to playback their entries live at the trade event. “We were blown away by his incredible work,” said the panel of judges in a statement announcing that Matt Blake had won the contest. Chris Kennedy, director of ChamSys, added: “Matt made excellent use of the different fixtures on the lighting rig, created lots of different visual effects some static, some moving and made the most of ChamSys powerful control abilities to create a stunning show. This is all th
Vietnam - Prolights has announced the appointment of Vietnam Pro AVL as its distributor for Vietnam. The developing company has been founded in Hanoi by a young and resourceful team, whose main goal is to ‘bring the highest standards throughout the Nation, focusing on the establishment of the world class brand which represent and providing to the Vietnamese clients professionalism and the best AVL solutions suitable to their needs’. Lê Mạnh Thắng, Vietnam Pro AVL president, says: "I've been following Prolights for a few years, and I was deeply impressed by the fast process of growth the company has brought to the market. When I visited their HQ in Italy, I saw up close the hard work and the long term vision of the team about the brand establishment, as well as the attention to details in the products that perfectly meet the core values we aim to bring in our e
Czech Republic - Adamson Systems Engineering has added BaSys CS s.r.o. to its global network as its exclusive distributor for Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Based in Prague, BaSys CS is a division of Swiss-based technology distributor BaSys, which represents a number of AV and consumer electronics brands in Central Europe. “We’re proud to represent a prestigious brand like Adamson in the Czech and Slovak markets,” begins Ondřej Tureček, the head of sound for long-time Adamson Network partner ZL Production and now the Adamson brand manager for BaSys CS s.r.o. “Having worked closely with Adamson products and representatives through ZL Production, one of the biggest Adamson rental partners in Central Europe, I’m very familiar with the brand and its many competitive advantages, and see plenty of exciting opportunities and potential for growth in our region.”
UAE - Allen & Heath has appointed Dubai-based NMK Electronics as its exclusive distributor for the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman. Responsible for the full Allen & Heath range, NMK will offer a broad range of solutions to customers, from MI and pro audio through to AV installation. The partnership takes immediate effect, with plans for regular training and product support activities now in place. “We are extremely proud to partner with such a legendary brand. NMK has witnessed Allen & Heath grow at an increasing rate over the last few years,” comments Dino Drimakis, business development manager at NMK. “Thanks to the highly talented and friendly team at A&H and with the addition of Avantis joining the flagship dLive, SQ and Qu Series, we feel A&H perfectly complements the NMK portfolio and feel confident that we can continue to r
USA - Behind the Scenes (BTS) - the US charity that provides financial support to entertainment technology industry professionals who are seriously ill or injured - has now awarded $1,000,000 in grants. The milestone has been reached with the support of the wider industry, with numerous companies and organisations backing the charity via direct donations or by donating portions of its sales profits or service fees. “Every person or organisation who has made a donation, bought a raffle ticket or a holiday card, organised or participated in a community fundraising event, or become a Pledge-of-Support Partner has made it possible for Behind the Scenes to bring help and hope to our colleagues during some of their most difficult moments,” says the charity in a statement. Grants have been provided to individuals from across the US and Canada working in every facet of th
Big Issues - Industry bodies have highlighted the biggest issues for the arts following the general election result – with Equity stating it is “extremely concerned” about the impact of Brexit. Following the Conservative win in last week’s general election, organisations, also including the Creative Industries Federation, UK Theatre, Incorporated Society of Musicians and the Back for the Future Campaign, have outlined their priorities for the creative industries. Equity general secretary Christine Payne said: “As the largest union in the creative sector, representing more than 48,000 professionals, we strongly encourage the government to take up the offer we make today of expert guidance on matters that are crucial for the future health of the UK’s creative industries. “Equity remains extremely concerned about the impact Brexit will have on our memb
UK - Audiotonix has reached an agreement for a next-stage investment from private investment house, Ardian. James Gordon, Audiotonix CEO, comments, “This is an outstanding opportunity to partner with Ardian to enable further growth, and it represents a significant step in the future development of Audiotonix. We have built an incredible infrastructure within the group in the past five years, which has clearly benefited all our brands with manufacturing know-how, developing new technologies, and growing their worldwide reach. Ardian’s financial support and advice, combined with Astorg’s, who are also remaining as an investor for this next phase, will help expand our brands and product portfolio even further.” Olivier Personnaz, managing director, Ardian Buyout, comments: “How people enjoy live, televised and streamed entertainment is going through a revolutio
UK - West London rental specialist Entec has announced the appointment of Daniel Scantlebury as its new head of sound, effective immediately. Scantlebury, who has joined after several years with Manchester-based dbnAudile as a senior project manager, says: “It was time for a new challenge and an incredible opportunity like this does not come along very often, so I’m thrilled. I’ve always respected Entec for its approach to business as well as its impressive history, and moving south to be closer to my family was also a consideration.” The news of Dan’s appointment coincides with another major move for the company’s sound department. A committed d&b rental house since 1995, Entec recently invested in the brand’s latest generation SL-Series with the purchase of 50 KSL line array loudspeakers - 28 KSL 8 (80° dispersion), four KSL 12 (120°) and 18 card
Czech Republic - Over 300 sound industry professionals from 40 countries recently visited Prague for Yamaha’s annual System Designers Conference. Immersive audio was the theme of this year’s SDC. Prague was an appropriate location, as the city’s long history of opera and classical music has seen many venues built with acoustics in mind. It was in the newest of these - the O2 universum, opened just six weeks earlier - that the conference took place. Featuring a wide range of conference facilities and a 4,500-seat sports arena, the O2 universum staged demonstration immersive sound systems in both the largest conference room and the arena, as well as comparing them to a large format Nexo L-R line array system flown in the arena. SDC 2019 featured a wide range of different presentations and demonstrations. These included the Prague Music String Quartet demonst
UK - White Light and ELP Broadcast & Events (ELP B&E) have announced a strategic partnership. ELP B&E will continue the full service broadcast and events wet hire business it currently operates. The partnership commences on 6 January 2020 and reverses the position announced in November 2019 of the cessation of ELP B&E at the end of 2019. It will pave the way for the acquisition of ELP’s lighting rental business by WL during 2020. ELP B&E staff and premises in Manchester will be retained, along with the equipment stock. Additional staff, equipment and operational resources will be added from within the WL organisation, bolstering ELP B&E’s strength and ability to meet client needs. During the early months, fulfilment and despatch will continue from ELP’s base at Cardington Studios with a transfer to WL’s Wimbledon premises taking place la
Italy - RCF Group has completed the acquisition of professional sound systems manufacturer Montarbo. From an operational standpoint, the brand’s running and distribution will be overseen by AEB Industriale. A statement from RCF says: “The incorporation of Montarbo into the group further expands our product range in a market segment that is demonstrating strong growth. The acquisition perfectly fits RCF Group’s strategy of selective M&A activity focussing on iconic brands that leveraging the Group’s competitive positioning, together with its technical and commercial expertise, fully exploit the growth potential contributing to the Group’s progress and value creation.” Arturo Vicari, CEO of RCF Group, comments: “We’re delighted to welcome Montarbo to our Group. It’s a historic brand that has contributed to the evolution of the music and profe
Cyprus - A.L.A. Equipment, founded in 2001 by Andrea Piemonti and Tony Lyssiotis has been appointed distributor for Prolights in Cyprus. Andrea Piemonti, managing director for A.L.A. Equipment, comments: “I have worked in this industry for more than 30 years but when I first approached Prolights I was pleased to join a partner who shares our commitment in delivering the best solutions. It’s a well-rounded company, a breath of fresh air in the AVL market. Prolights’ wide selection of products offer enormous advantages suited to any kind of needs, from broadcast and live shows, right through to the architectural projects. I’ve seen closely the hard work behind Prolights solutions and their long-term vision of strong brand establishment. I have no doubts that the future will be bright for this brand. We’re looking forward to starting this collaboration”. Paolo A
Hungary - KV2 Audio has appointed Megatone as the brand’s exclusive distributor in Hungary. Based just outside the capital of Budapest, Megatone is one of the country’s largest full-service production companies supplying a wide range of markets from event production to broadcast, to corporate AV and much more. Alongside this, Megatone also operates a thriving installation wing which handles AV installs from the initial project planning, to design, install and service. There is also a specialist lighting division and finally a distribution operation. According to KV2’s sales director for EMEA & Latin America, Alessandro Pagliani, Megatone was a natural choice. “Megatone has been working with our products for several years in the capacity of a main professional installer and dealer. Most of the recent installations in Hungary - such as the Opera Café in Budapest
Belgium - Biamp has announced a new streamlined European distribution model to strengthen the company’s sales, support, and product distribution in the region. Biamp has transitioned to either a sole distributor or dealer-direct distribution system to better support specific countries throughout Europe. The following sole distributors have been announced: Austria: Kain Audio-Technik GmbH Denmark: Kinovox Scandinavia ApS France: Sidev Germany: prodyTel Distribution GmbH Italy: Prase Engineering S.p.A. Norway: Scandec Systemer AS Poland: Konsbud Audio Sp. zo.o. Spain: AVIT Vision S.L. Switzerland: Show Supply GmbH The Netherlands: Mennegat Trading BV In Belgium, Luxembourg and the UK, Biamp will be transitioning to a dealer-direct distribution model. “We are thrilled to partner with this select group
UK - Specialist hire and events company SLX has made a number of new stock announcements, including a £250,000.00 spend on SGM fixtures. The investment places SLX as a major stockist in the South West of the SGM IP rated LED fixtures used for professional stage lighting, broadcast lighting and architectural installations. Chief executive and owner of SLX, Alastair Currie, says: “The new roster of SGM fixtures now on the shelves of our warehouse or already out on hire include the P-6 Flood, Q-7 Strobe, G-7 Spot and even the brand new much anticipated G7 BeaSt. That’s a spotlight we’re sure will very rarely be sat on our warehouse shelves, as lighting designers and production managers around the country seem very keen to utilise it. “We’re delighted to become the biggest stockist in the region of SGM fixtures. The SGM fixtures we already had, including the P-
UK - Laserworld, manufacturer and distributor of show laser systems, is holding a general laser training day in the West Midlands. Taking place on 14 January 2020 in Solihull from 10am, the training is conceived as a workshop, considering not only laser safety aspects but providing a general overview of how show and event laser light systems are used. There will be technical background information as well as hands-on training with different laser systems. Laser safety will be one aspect included. This workshop is primarily designed for DJs, smaller production companies and lighting designers. Attendees receive a certificate of participation from the Laserworld Academy that states the contents of the training. Topics include: Laser Safety - legal aspects, basic physics, technical safety aspects, safe laser operation in public, safe laser control; Setting
UK - Long-time DiGiCo user Stage Sound Services was one of the first companies to invest in the British console manufacturer’s latest Quantum 7 engine for its seven SD7s, stating that their belief in DiGiCo’s ability to continually upgrade its product made its most powerful engine to date a must have for the Cardiff-based rental company. “As well as the SD7s, we have a large stock of SD10s,” says Stage Sound Services' Phil Hurley. “When it was time to add more consoles to our inventory, we wanted to invest in the very latest technology and having seen the capabilities of the Quantum 7 it was an obvious choice. We knew that as soon as our customers saw Quantum 7 was available, they’d want to use its new features and capability to enhance their sound designs.” Two of the Quantum 7s were put to immediate use on the UK theatre tour of Dr Doolittle an
UK - Stage Electrics has announced three seminars to take place during its January 2020 showcase event, to be held at the SS Great Britain in Bristol on Wednesday, 29 January 2020. The programme features Artistic Licence’s Wayne Howell on lighting control and future of data in your venue, Sennheiser’s Kevin Gwyther-Brown talking about “is your venue is ready for the 700MHz band radio mics spectrum clearance” and Stage Electrics’ Dan Ryan guiding you through making sure that electrical / mechanical infrastructure and equipment used within your venue have an appropriate maintenance regime and schedule in compliance with relevant your legal obligations. Le Maitre will also be returning to Bristol to host a harbour-side pyrotechnic demonstration
Italy - Optocore and its partner company BroaMan have appointed Parma-based Audiolink as its sole distributor for the Italian market. Stefano Cantadori, Audiolink general manager, comments: “The reason we chose Optocore was simple. Today’s integrations require a massive chunk of fibre optic data, and Optocore, together with BroaMan, allows all the different signals to be managed on a single fibre ring with 100% redundancy. Total redundancy means avoiding any type of problem - unforeseen circumstances that can lead to a lot of expense for the installer and the customer.” Tine Helmle, Optocore MD of BroaMan and director of sales & marketing, adds: “We are very happy to have found a strong partner in Italy that will best represent our two brands. Stefano and his team are very competent people, with whom we can’t wait to start this collaboration.” She
Europe - Area Four Industry is inviting clients to join professional rigging advisor Eric Porter in a back-to-basics video that focuses on the roundsling. In his latest video on A4.tv, Eric visits the polyester roundsling and how this versatile, gentle and lower pressure contact sling should be used - and not be used! He also covers labels found on roundslings, as well as how pyrotechnics and narrow beam stage lamps have an adverse affect on them. Click here to watch the video and get up to speed on roundslings.
UK - West Midlands-based event technical production specialist CPL has invested in 40 new Robe LEDBeam 150 moving lights, the company’s first Robe purchase. These will extend the lighting department’s rental stock and will help service CPL’s busy schedule. In addition to a diverse range of corporate and industrial clients, the company provides design services plus lighting, video, sound, rigging and staging to a selection of music and arts festivals and shows including Arcadia Spectacular. Elrow Town, The Hay Festival, Boomtown and Camper Calling. Getting the LEDBeam 150s onboard was a decision taken by the whole lighting and visuals team at CPL, all of whom had an input. “We needed a good, fast, reliable, versatile and small moving light and all roads led to the LEDBeam 150 which fills a gap in our stock of small moving lights,” commented events direct
South Africa - The University of Johannesburg recently invested in a grandMA3 compact console for the UJ Arts and Culture Centre, situated on the institution’s Kingsway Campus in Auckland Park. Jannie de Jager of DWR Distribution, MA Lighting’s sole distributor in South Africa, recently facilitated training at the institution to ensure that the theatre’s crew can make the best of the new console, as well as the newly launched MA3 platform. Jade Bower has served as the production manager at the UJ Arts and Culture Centre for several years and is very pleased with the theatres’ latest acquisition. “The UJ Arts and Culture Centre provides students at the university access to theatre and the performing arts, which is an important part of providing a holistic education,” Jade explains. “While we do not have a drama department at the university, our students
UK - A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET), in conjunction with Luminex, has hosted a number of sell-out network training events specifically for lighting, video and audio professionals. Held at AC-ET's training facilities in High Wycombe and Leeds, industry experts have been teaching the fundamentals of networking, plus the specifics of networking and data distribution for professional lighting, audio and video applications. The courses provided the chance to learn more about Luminex products - including the new LumiNode next generation Ethernet to DMX processor and the Araneo software tool that provides a complete graphical overview of a Luminex Gigacore Network. Application specialists from Luminex led the courses; one focusing on networking for lighting & video and the other on audio applications. Both saw a massive demand throughout the year, with eac
