UK - Organised by LSi magazine, the 2017 PLASA Awards for Innovation took place at the end of a very busy Monday at this year’s PLASA Show. Hosted by PLASA’s managing director Peter Heath, the awards aim to recognise and reward outstanding new product ideas. The Awards garner a huge amount of respect because they are independently and impartially judged by an invited team of industry experts. To win an Award for Innovation and Sustainability, a nominated product had to satisfy the chairman of judges that it met the criteria for Innovation by clearly showing that it demonstrates a new style of thinking; improves technical practice; introduces new technology, new materials or new techniques; includes patents or unique intellectual property; offers a new commercial advantage, or improves safety. “This year we saw an incredible 40 products nominated, rather f
UK GDS announced at PLASA 2017 the creation of GDS Korea, a GDS manufacturing and design office in South Korea. Following its creation, GDS has secured leading lighting supply and integration company, Hansam System Co Ltd as its exclusive distribution partner. Richard Cuthbert commented: I am extremely pleased to be working with Hansam System and the team in South Korea. With an unparalleled system integration knowledge, it is the right choice for GDS theatre and lighting products. I very much look forward to improving the technical quality of theatre spaces in South Korea, and driving standards higher, as GDS has a long-standing reputation for doing.” (Jim Evans)
UK - Sunday 17 September marked the 10th anniversary of the prestigious Knight of Illumination (KOI) Awards, held at the Eventim Apollo in London. During the dazzling evening event, 24 respected designers were 'knighted' - and bestowed with the iconic KOI sword. The event was skillfully compered by the inimitable Ola Melzig, an internationally renowned technical director perhaps best known for his tireless work on the annual Eurovision Song Contest - the world's biggest televised music event. More than 500 entertainment technology industry professionals gathered together to celebrate the achievements of the many international lighting and video designers whose work on shows across the UK earned them a coveted place on the shortlist for this year's KOI Awards. The winners are as follows: THEATRE Winner of The ADB Theatre Award for Plays:
UK - Tourflex Cabling, the cable manufacturing division of A.C. Entertainment Technologies Ltd. (AC-ET), has launched its new dedicated website - www.tourflex-cabling.com. Tourflex Cabling builds cable assemblies to customers' specific requirements in its manufacturing facility in High Wycombe, not far from London. The level of customisation even goes down to adding specific heat shrink labelling, RFIDs and barcodes as required by the client. Typical customers include rental and production companies, as well as venues and installers. Phill Capstick, AC-ET’s managing director said: "Custom cable assemblies for Entertainment, Film and TV is an important part of the business, but it’s always been difficult to explain the full range of what we’re able to do as there are thousands of options. Having a dedicated site for Tourflex Cabling helps us to do this. Ou
The Netherlands - Film & Broadcasting specialist ARRI has selected LumenRadio as its technology partner for their wireless offer going forward. The first products to be released are the SkyLink and the SkyPanel S360-C, both debuting at IBC 2017. “In the year of their 100th anniversary, ARRI has taken the step to go wireless and join LumenRadio’s ever-growing list of OEM’s and end-users who are using our ultra-reliable CRMX technology. This further solidifies our position as the de facto standard for wireless DMX within film & broadcasting, which is both a blessing and a responsibility – we will have to continue to deliver on our promise of Wireless Without Worries,” says Robert Larsson, international sales manager who is responsible for LumenRadio’s business within professional lighting. The SkyLink product is a particularly interesting deve
UK - Novum Audio Visual Ltd., a leading Midlands-based conference and technical event production company, has just invested in a significant stock of Outline PA equipment along with flying hardware, flight cases and amplifiers as part of an exercise to both revitalize and streamline their rental stock inventory. Novum’s technical team voted unanimously for the Outline products after a blind shoot-out between seven different speaker manufacturers. Novum’s commercial director, Tim Jacques, takes up the story: “In this current tranche of investment, we essentially had two issues to resolve. First, we were looking to overhaul our point source stock, and secondly we wanted to set a foundation and a direction for our next investment into a large-format solution. “Much of our previous audio stock was over 10 years old and over the years we had gradually built up a wid
UK - The PLASA Show’s second year at London Olympia marks its 40th anniversary. It may be 40 years old, but the show has moved with the times, adapting its offering to accommodate the shift in how companies want to exhibit. There are over 200 brands on the show floor this year, displaying the very latest pro audio, lighting, AV, staging and rigging technology. New audio products on show include: Adamson’s IS-Series of loudspeakers; d&b audiotechnik’s 24S and 24S-D and 21S-SUB point source loudspeakers; FBT Audio’s VENTIS and Shure’s Axient Digital Wireless System. New lighting releases include Chauvet’s Maverick MK2 Profile; Elation’s Artiste Dali; Eaton’s Zero 88 FLX S and Robe’s new MegaPointe. This year’s enhanced seminar programme sees more than 100 industry experts giving key-note talks, live demos, interactive workshops and panel discussio
UK - As the PLASA Show’s second year at London Olympia and its 40th anniversary approaches this Sunday, 17 September, there is much to look forward to. It may be 40 years old, but the show has moved with the times, adapting its offering to accommodate the shift in how companies want to exhibit. There will be over 200 brands on the show floor this year, displaying the very latest pro audio, lighting, AV, staging and rigging technology. New audio products on show will include: Adamson’s IS-Series of loudspeakers; d&b audiotechniks’s 24S and 24S-D and 21S-SUB point source loudspeakers; FBT Audio’s VENTIS and Shure’s Axient Digital Wireless System. New lighting releases include: Chauvet’s Maverick MK2 Profile; Elation’s Artiste Dali; Eaton’s Zero 88 FLX S and Robe’s brand new MegaPointe. This year’s enhanced seminar programme, will see more t
UK - Theatres Trust has announced the programme of speakers for Conference 17: Theatres & Placemaking which will take place on 17 October at the Lyric Hammersmith, London. Speakers will be discussing the role of theatres and the wider cultural infrastructure within placemaking. Teams behind recent theatre projects will explore how community and placemaking plays a fundamental role in the future proofing of their venues with Storyhouse Chester, Tara Arts, New Diorama Theatre, Royal Town Planning Institute, Argent LLP and others joining in the discussions. Jon Morgan, director of Theatres Trust says: “Conference 17 will stimulate conversations around theatre buildings and their role in placemaking – ranging from their impact on vibrancy of place and the local economy, the physical and philosophical relationship of theatre buildings to their community and their co
UK - Lighting and rigging dry hire specialist Nexus has launched a new brand identity as part of its wider business growth plans. The company, which earlier in the year secured private investment from motor finance giants Evolution Funding, has introduced the new corporate identity to represent their position in the market and their vision for the future. Tom Agar, Nexus managing director, explained: “This year has been a rollercoaster, with lots of exciting developments. We’ve invested nearly £1m in new stock over the last six months, including significant new purchases from Martin Professional, SGM, Robe, MA, ETC, and INDU. “We’re securing contracts from all over the globe and a shift in our business model means we are now buying everything in quantity to ensure we have enough stock to service even the most onerous demands. “We felt it was time
UK - Storm Ltd. of the UK has optimised its large inventory of ProPlex Data Distribution units, installing them in rugged, touring racks, a solution for their work on productions throughout the UK and Europe. “ProPlex provides a truly versatile and reliable solution for our networking demands,” says Storm’s hire coordinator, James Price. “Much of our work involves ‘rolling’ entire systems in and out of venues quickly, and by installing ProPlex in dedicated racks we have our entire networking ‘brain’ in a single package. Some of our racks include the GBS 10-port, Opto-Splitter 2x8, and IQ DMX-Ethernet nodes. We also have IQ Minis for truss-mounting. Everything is wired with ProPlex cable, making our network arsenal ready for anything.” Storm’s director, Dave Knapp adds, “The ProPlex software and devices are intuitive and very easy to use, as well
UK - A.C. Entertainment Technologies Ltd. (AC-ET) has been appointed as the UK-exclusive distributor for the LSC Lighting Systems range of control, dimming & distribution products - a selection of which will be showcased on the company's stand (E30b) at PLASA 2017, Olympia, London, 17-19 September. AC-ET's UK sales & purchasing director, Jonathan Walters, commented: "We are delighted to add LSC to our portfolio of control, dimming & distro brands. LSC is synonymous with producing innovative and high-quality products, and its impressive line-up further strengthens the choice of solutions we can give our customers access to - all under one roof." PLASA will see the launch of LSC’s new Unity cabinet dimmer and power distribution system. Already specified into one of the worlds’ biggest installations, Unity offers a next generation, complete solution to con
UK - Vectorworks has announced details of its annual Vectorworks Spotlight Conference where the company will provide further details on Vectorworks decision to open its first ever office outside the US here in the UK. Operational since mid-August, this initiative is testament to the importance of the UK market, its customers and partners to Vectorworks, inc. This conference is for Vectorworks Spotlight users and any designers looking at Vectorworks as a software solution. Speakers will include a Vectorworks Key Spotlight Developer, the Vectorworks UK Spotlight Evangelist and “inspiring speakers who will help you add value to your designs and share their latest tips and tricks”. Says Vectorworks, “As this event is being organised for our customers using the Spotlight software if there is anything you would particularly like covered during the day please let
Eurtope - Atlona’s commitment to the Benelux market in Western Europe – Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg – just grew stronger with the appointment of Intronics as its regional distributor. Headquartered in Barnevald, the Netherlands with offices around Europe, Intronics specializes in the development and supply of connectivity for information and data supplies, retail and electronics, and works closely with systems integrators to provide complete solutions for commercial AV projects. The addition of Atlona to Intronics’ impressive list of brands fortifies Intronics’ position as a leading supplier of video extension, distribution and processing equipment. Atlona’s continued leadership in wired switching and distribution systems coupled with its emerging innovations in AV over IP, networked control, soft codec conferencing and BYOD connectivity will substant
Virtual Reality - Benny Andersson has confirmed to a Swedish newspaper that plans for a virtual reality tour featuring all four members is in the works. He told Expressen: "We see each other every now and then, we've done a few different things, and now we've got a project ahead of us" The tour, featuring digital avatars of Benny, Bjorn lveaus, Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Agnetha Fältskog is planned to kick off in 2019. “It will take a bit of time, it takes time to digitalize a face,” he said, adding: "It's fun that it's so technologically advanced. It will be interesting." Refurbishment - London’s Aldwych Theatre is undergoing a multimillion-pound refurbishment. The refit is taking place over 15 weeks between the closure of Beautiful – The Carole King Musical and the opening of La Soiree on 24 November. The refurbishment has been fund
Europe - When it comes to some of the biggest names in the business, performing at some of the largest stadiums and venues across the globe, MDG know a thing or two about providing the perfect haze and atmosphere - for both the lighting and the artists. Stellar artists Adele and Phil Collins both engaged the design services of Patrick Woodroffe who, in collaboration with Roland Greil, both from design practice, Woodroffe Bassett Design, produced some stunning shows for their latest tours. On each production, Greil took on the mantle of associate lighting designer, lighting director and operator so has a unique perspective on the role and delivery of haze and fog across a wide spectrum of environments and venues. Woodroffe and Greil specified two different types of MDG machines across three tours in all: Adele’s LIVE 2016 tour and Phil Collins’ Not Dead Yet tour bo
USA - Chance the Rapper is enjoying plenty of popularity and critical comment in general, and on his past US tour in particular, which featured an eye-catching show designed by another rising star in our own industry, Michael Apostolos. Like the artist, Michael is also based in Chicago. They met through Chance’s management team four years ago, when Michael started as LD, and he is now the creative director as both their career trajectories have soared. Michael put Robe moving lights right at the heart of the Be Encouraged tour, specifying 30 x BMFL Spots, four BMFL WashBeams and 56 x LEDWash 1200s as well as eight CycFX 8s for the tour, all supplied by rental specialist, Solotech. The lights were positioned across five overhead ‘finger’ trusses, fanning out from upstage center and along the deck upstage of the band risers. The LEDWash 1200s for
UK - Pro audio provider, The Warehouse Sound Services, helped this year’s Edinburgh International Festival (EIF) conclude with an explosive finale thanks to over 100 Adamson loudspeakers. Working with Tammo Schuelke, concerts and projects manager for Scottish Chamber Orchestra and production manager Wesley Cameron, The Warehouse had to design a complex system. The over-riding challenge was to ensure perfect synchronicity between the sound of the concert and the visuals of the fireworks. In addition, power, clarity and perfect coverage across the event was critical. The Virgin Money Fireworks Concert brought the festival season to a close in style with a stunning display of over 400,000 fireworks from world renowned fireworks company Pyrovision choreographed to live orchestral music performed by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra set against the spectacular backdrop of Ed
UK - Audinate is hosting the popular Dante AV Networking World at PLASA 2017 on Tuesday, 19 September and will bring together manufacturers who have integrated Dante, Audinate's industry leading Audio Over IP solution. With an introduction by PLASA’s managing director Peter Heath, the first component of the day will be a Dante Level 1 and Level 2 certification course which will be presented in the morning sessions. “These two courses help individuals who are new to using Dante and want to get started with small to medium sized Dante networks,” says Kieran Walsh, Audinate’s director of application engineering (EMEA). “The course will also be useful for more experienced operators to understand how to really take advantage of Networked Audio. “The second component of the day will take place in the afternoon and is an introduction to the Dante Level 3 ce
Germany - Since 1997, Berlin's Stars in Concert at the Estrel Hotel and Convention Centre has brought a wide range of musical theatre acts to over four million spectators, making it one of the most successful live shows in Germany’s history. To provide a permanent wash lighting solution to the long-running series, which features shows such as the Beatles’ All you need is Love and Elvis Das Musical, the Estrel Festival Centre recently added 18 Rogue R2 Wash and 10 COLORado 1 Quad Zoom fixtures from Chauvet Professional, supplied by Fischer. Both the Rogue and COLORado fixtures were positioned on trussing above and to the sides of the stage to add a full spectrum of wash lighting to complement the existing rig. While the Rogue fixtures provide powerful and dynamic wash lighting across the vast 15m- wide elevated stage area, the COLORado fixtures provid
UK - The new £57m Birmingham Conservatoire building has officially opened its doors. This milestone development elevates the Conservatoire facilities to world-class status and includes a recording and live sound production infrastructure without compromise, and with SSL very much at its heart. The new equipment list includes four SSL Live consoles and five SSL SuperAnalogue consoles, connected with a facility-wide Dante network. With a history dating back to 1859, Birmingham Conservatoire is one of the leading music and drama academies in the UK. Part of Birmingham City University, the development boasts five new public performance spaces, which include a 500-seat concert hall, a 150-seat recital hall, and a 100-seat organ studio. It also includes The Lab, a cutting edge, completely flexible black-box studio, the first permanent jazz space in any UK conservatoire (the 80-se
UK - Stage Electrics has supplied over 120 new lights to Liverpool’s Royal Court. The range of lights supplied included a selection of, ETC Lustr Mk2 Spots and Fresnels, ETC ColorSource PAR Deep Blue, ETC Smart Rack power controls, an Interspace Cue Light system, Chauvet Ovation battens as well as Smoke and Haze machines, Green Go comms and GDS Blues system. After this update to their performance lighting rig the Royal Court Liverpool calculated its production lighting energy saving to be in the region of 70%; this is a shining example of the benefits that can come from LED lighting. The entire order was delivered to fit in around the venue’s current re-fit and busy production schedule. The delivery was met on site by the venue crew who set about unpacking and rigging it immediately for their in-house show ‘The Royal’. Rob Beamer of Stage Electr
USA - This summer, the centennial celebration of Cleveland Metroparks featured fireworks, events, and activities honouring the past and celebrating the future of Cleveland’s green urban landscapes. On a July evening, city dignitaries hosted a gala event which included dazzling outdoor lighting, supplied by ILC, and controlled by W-DMX wireless devices. “We utilized our new W-DMX G5 units to drive data for Elation Q5 Volt fixtures,” explains Renee Herbert, business development executive at ILC. “The event took place in the Brookside Reservation and was host to over 500 dignitaries and supporters of the Cleveland Metroparks. Around the event’s entrance area, we utilized 50 fixtures to light trees and foliage in Cleveland Metroparks’ green and gold colors. “The W-DMX units transmitted reliable data over 500 feet and ran consistently for several hours. This p
Ecuador - Ecuador’s Centro Cristiano de Guayaquil (CCG) recently installed a dLive S Class mixing system and ME personal monitoring system as part of an upgrade to the church’s audio equipment. The largest evangelical church in the city of Guayaquil, CCG hosts a variety of events including services, conferences, live music shows and theatrical productions. It has a 3,800-capacity auditorium, with additional space for Christian Education and Children's Ministries, and has grown to more than 7,000 in weekly attendance. Comprising a S5000 Surface and DM64 MixRack, the Dante-enabled dLive system is installed at FOH in the auditorium, and manages FOH, monitors, recording and broadcast, along with a ME system, comprising a ME-U hub and 5 ME-1 mini mixers, to provide performers with personal monitoring facilities. "We needed a mixer that was compact yet powerful eno
