UAE - Terry Miranda and Dubai based Lighthouse Productions designed and supplied another elegant set and lighting design for the 2016 Al Burda Islamic Art Awards staged at the Abu Dhabi National Theatre in the UAE.

Nearly 100 Robe fixtures graced the rig, including 16 x Robin 300 Beams, 12 x ColorWash 575 ATs, 12 x MMX Spots, 24 x PARFect 100s, 12 x Pointes and 16 x CycFX 8s. Lighthouse, known throughout the region for its fresh and inventive designs, has invested in Robe since 2004 and currently owns a large inventory of products.

The annual Al Burda Awards is open to artists of calligraphy, poetry and music from across the Middle East and internationally, whose works are judged by a panel of experts, and held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Abdulla Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and organised by the Federal Ministry of Culture and Knowledge

UK - Sennheiser has announced that Leisuretec, specialist distributor of professional and commercial audio, lighting, video and special effects to the trade, has taken delivery of the UK's first stock of lapel, headmic and handheld SpeechLine Digital Wireless systems. This significant investment places Leisuretec as Sennheiser's number one UK supplier to the trade.

SpeechLine Digital Wireless is claimed to be the world's first wireless digital microphone to be designed exclusively for speech applications. The most important requirements placed on microphones for speech applications are easy installation and operation, a high level of reliability and future-proof technology.

For SpeechLine Digital Wireless, Sennheiser's engineers developed a completely new wireless microphone. Installation, operation and adjustment are easier than those of any other microphone; once the mic

Europe - Italian loudspeaker manufacturer Outline has announced the appointment of Trius Vertrieb GmbH & Co. KG as its new distributor for Outline's complete family of professional loudspeaker and electronic products in Germany and Austria.

Over the last 20 years Trius, based in Ibbenbueren, Germany, has become one of the most important A/V distributors inside Germany and Austria. The company has separate pro audio, pro video, and musical instrument departments, as well as a related music distribution company - TMD GmbH. Trius is well known throughout Europe for supplying extensive customer training, high level technical support, well trained in-house sales and traveling rep teams, and a good selection of premium products.

"At Trius, we strive to offer our clients the highest level of technology products and top-notch support in all ways possible. Our constantly developing

UK - Whilst many of the athletes still revel in their achievements at the London Olympics and Paralympics 2012, off the track, one of the biggest successes of the time was Channel 4's The Last Leg - a spin-off show covering the day's sporting events. Now four years later and almost time for the next Olympics in Rio, the show is still going strong. Naturally, it has progressed over the years, moving from coverage of the Olympics to more topical events and things that have been happening over the past seven days.

And now, Adam Hill and co-hosts Josh Widdicombe and Alex Brooker are back for a seventh series and with a brand new lighting supplier - Richard Martin Lighting (RML). This series there is a fresh new set which meant it was the perfect time to create an entirely new look. RML has provided LD Chris Kempton with a rig including Sharpys, VL1000TS, Alpha Spot 700 HPE,

Germany - Lawo, manufacturer of market-leading network, control, video and audio technology for broadcast and live applications, has re-structured its global sales team following the Lawo company reorganization in January 2016.

With strong growth plans based around an expanding IP product portfolio, the re-structured sales organization combines the expertise and experience of all the Lawo entities into a single global concept. This fully supports the strategy to offer full audio and video IP solutions seamlessly integrated with a powerful control layer.

For this one-stop, turn-key approach for broadcast, installation and live customers, Lawo has formed focused regional teams to maximize customer service and consultation. This will provide customers and partners with direct local access to strong technical expertise and application knowledge to support the industry move to

USA - The best cheerleading squads in the country met recently in Dallas, Texas, for the National Cheerleading Association All-Star National Championship with well-practiced routines performed beneath a large dynamic rig that included lighting and video gear from Elation Professional. Held 19-21 February at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Centre, production company Gemini Light, Sound & Video of Dallas served as lighting and video vendor for the event, which was televised nationally on the CBS Sports Network.

The visual centrepiece of the setup was a large upstage LED screen made up of 448 Elation EPT6IP LED video panels. The 6.7mm pixel pitch LED screen, which served as a visual backdrop for the performance stage where cheerleader routines took place, measured 58.80 ft. wide x 33.60 ft. tall (28 panels wide x 16 panels tall, 2688 pixels x 1536 pixels). The LED wall was bi

South Africa - On 28 December 2015, 3,000 revellers gathered at Stanley Island, Plettenberg Bay to enjoy SA's top acts and many unexpected experiences in the extraordinary country which is the Castle Lite's Republic of Extra Cold.

Stanley Island, the only private Island in South Africa, features an indigenous milkwood forest, pristine wetlands and private beaches. The task of transforming the Island into a 'Country' was in the hands of set and technical provider Dream Sets and their project manager Riaan Jacobs, guided by their client OMAGE and the creative by Peter Blond.

Access to the island is only by ferry boat. While the setting is spectacular, the equipment moves from the mainland to the Island in stages, made possible by two barges, four 4

USA - The Knoxville Museum of Art held its primary annual fundraising event, L'Amour du Vin, 5 March. The elegant wine auction and dinner serves as the number one contribution for the museum, and has been hailed as the state's finest food and wine event.

"Bandit Lites has been involved with L'Amour du Vin since its inception 13 years ago," said Bandit's director of philanthropy Allison Burchett. "This year was unlike any other. The tragic, untimely death of Blackberry Farm's Sam Beall was evident in the hearts and minds of every guest. Rather than cancelling the event, just one week later, Sam's staff did exactly what he would have wanted: Celebrated his life, by celebrating food, wine, and art and how Sam inspired us all in his 39 years."

Bandit donated the lighting package for the opulent evening, bringing illumination to the night sky theme. GRNLite LED pars washed the

Poland - The City Cultural Centre in Plonsk, Poland, has updated its sound reinforcement system with Dynacord equipment. BGR BAU installed a Dynacord Cobra-4 compact line-array loudspeaker system with VariLine fills, LX and DSA power amplifiers and a P64 controller to ensure crystal-clear sound in the new multi-purpose auditorium. Additional Dynacord products were specified for other spaces in the centre.

The City Cultural Centre's sound reinforcement is divided into five independent sound distribution zones. The largest of these is a 300-seat auditorium, which is also utilized as a cinema.

"Multifunctional rooms create numerous challenges," says Krzysztof Goslinski, construction manager at BGR. "They require a combination of high intelligibility, homogenous sound and powerful coverage." Additionally, the customer wanted to integrate the old into the new sound reinforcemen

Poland - The inauguration of Wroclaw's term as European Capital of Culture 2016 saw a truly spectacular live street performance and light show with over 400 Clay Paky fixtures directed by ECoC performance curator Chris Baldwin.

Announced as the winner in 2015 following eight years of preparation, Wroclaw has an ambitious programme of 400 projects and 1000 cultural events planned for the rest of the year.

Kicking off the proceedings was the opening ceremony Awakening. Baldwin's complex and cleverly crafted design saw four different parade routes, around 5km each, simultaneously occurring throughout the city before meeting in its heart.

These represented awakening the four different elements of Wroclaw's history - the Spirit of the Flood of 1997, the Spirit of Rebuilding following World War II, the Spirit of Many Faiths celebrating diversity and the Spirit of Inno

Europe - Swedish rockers Ghost were honoured with an award in the Best Metal Performance category at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards, held 15 February at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles. Supporting the release of the latest album, Meliora, and enjoying the extra attention with a Grammy for the song from that album, Cirice, Ghost recently finished a European tour featuring Martin by Harman lighting fixtures that helped set the tone.

Freelance lighting designer Christian Wienberg Bonde worked with Ghost for several months in preparation for the tour. Ghost has a distinguished stage presence and the band was heavily involved in set design and production decisions throughout the tour, which saw the band play intimate clubs and festivals while traveling with a floor lighting setup.Ghost recently finished a European tour featuring Martin by Harman lighting fixtures tha

UK - has undeniable character. It also has a house lighting rig replete with Rogue moving fixtures from Chauvet Professional.

Lighting designer Victor Zeiser of Squeek Lights (New York) felt like he was meeting an old friend when he encountered this rig during a stop at Electric Ballroom Camden Town's Electric Ballroom m on his UK tour with his client, the multi-Grammy winning They Might Be Giants. Zeiser often uses a variety of Rogues on his US gigs, but he didn't have the high-output fixtures in his rig for the UK tour.

"It was great coming here and having Rogues at my disposal," he said. "They're amazing fixtures and I get a lot out of their output, speed and features like split colours and layered prisms."

However, Zeiser wasn't bereft of lighting power on his UK tour. In place of his usual Rogues, his rig included 10 of their cousins, the Intimidator Spot 355Z IRC

China - The Ko Shan Theatre in Hong Kong has installed Mina line array loudspeakers to upgrade its long-standing Meyer Sound system. Used to discreetly support a schedule of Cantonese opera productions, the compact Mina system was chosen for the 1,031-seat theatre due to its low profile, as it was important to theatre management that the system had zero visibility.

"The Mina system has been more than just a technology upgrade - it has truly transformed our entire audio operation and system workflow," says Yeung Tsz Yung, the theatre's resident deputy technical manager. "We are very impressed, and truly appreciate the support Meyer Sound provided before, during, and after the installation."

Aesthetics proved to be one of the project's most significant challenges. "The Mina arrays are hung within cave-like concrete compartments, and concealed behind black mesh cloth - the sa

Australia - Cunard's spectacular Queen Victoria liner helped kick off International Women's Day activity around the globe by turning purple in Sydney.

Wearing a 60m long banner on her hull sporting this year's campaign message 'PledgeForParity', the Queen Victoria took on a purple hue as dusk fell in the city, reflecting the internationally recognised colour for women's rights, which celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievement of women.

The event was managed by Event Emporium with lighting designed by Ziggy Ziegler and operated by Ben Ronczka. Chameleon Touring Systems supplied 31 x Martin MAC Quantums, 16 x Clay Paky Mythos, and two MA Lighting grandMA2 light consoles.

The ship was lit from both sides as well as from the bow. Ziggy required a punchy light that could reach the distance from the Sydney Opera House across the water to the port sid

UK - Apex has announced the appointment of CUK Audio as the exclusive distributor for the innovative, all-in-one Liviau control platform throughout the UK and Ireland. CUK has already taken delivery of the first shipment of Liviau devices, and is preparing "to hit the ground running".

Liviau is available in two flavours: the first is Liviau R for conference room control applications, now with integrated Skype, YouTube and MirrorOp streaming software in addition to its high definition audio capabilities and all the other integrated services you would expect from a conference room control platform. The second version is Liviau S, now integrating the Spotify app, which is aimed at bars, clubs, retail, houses of worship and corporate applications.

Liviau S benefits from the same high quality audio functionality as Liviau R but with greatly enhanced video and lighting capabilit

Singapore - Loudspeaker system manufacturer d&b audiotechnik has announced the latest addition to its global network of wholly owned subsidiaries. d&b audiotechnik Asia Pacific Pte Ltd is to open in Singapore and will play a key role in the company's regional expansion.

The new Singapore premises will provide facilities and resources for d&b to strengthen its position in the Asia Pacific mobile market and make further inroads into the installation market. The APAC team will focus on supporting d&b Distributors and the company's growing customer base in the region. They will also roll out the industry leading d&b training program, providing resources and support as well as workshops and seminars.

By the end of 2016, the office will operate as a full service hub for the Asia Pacific region. The hub will enable d&b to deliver a faster service and provide a spare parts service

USA - Built in 1971, the John Lance Arena at Pittsburg State University (PSU) in Kansas is home to the Pitt State Gorillas basketball team. The University recently received significant contributions, led by Alan and Roberta Whetzel, for renovations to the 6,500-seat capacity arena. Included in the improvements was a wall-to-wall maple hardwood floor covering the main court and two practice courts, new seating, new shooting standards and a VUE Audiotechnik sound system designed and installed by Reliant Media Systems.

The new VUE sound system in the John Lance Arena consists of four arrays and two zones of fill speakers. The two arrays that face the North and South sides of the arena each are made up of four VUE al-4 Subcompact Line Array systems and one al-4SB Flying Subwoofer System. Each of the two arrays facing the East and West ends of the arena are comprised of six al-4s a

China - The Ko Shan Theatre in Hong Kong, China has installed MIna line array loudspeakers to upgrade its long-standing Meyer Sound system. Used to discreetly support a schedule of Cantonese opera productions, the compact Mina system was chosen for the 1,031-seat theatre due to its low profile, as it was important to theatre management that the system had zero visibility.

"The Mina system has been more than just a technology upgrade - it has truly transformed our entire audio operation and system workflow," says Yeung Tsz Yung, the theatre's resident deputy technical manager. "We are very impressed, and truly appreciate the support Meyer Sound provided before, during, and after the installation."

Aesthetics proved to be one of the project's most significant challenges. "The Mina arrays are hung within cave-like concrete compartments, and concealed behind black mesh cloth-t

USA - The Ultra Music Festival keeps expanding in dazzling fashion. Now in its 18th year, the three-day multi-sensory experience of bright lights and fast beats continues to draw bigger and bigger crowds. A large share of the more than 165,000 people who jammed into Miami's Bayfront Park for the festival this year trekked over to the World Wide Stage to see EDM superstars perform under a high octane lighting rig created by Steve Lieberman of SJ Lighting.

Given the shoulder-to-shoulder density of the crowd, not every fan was lucky enough to get a direct centre stage sightline. Still everyone in the crowd got a clear and direct view of the action on stage (and on the lighting rig), thanks to an innovative design by Lieberman, which drew on sharp, clearly defined "fingers of light" from 36 Chauvet Professional Next NXT-1 moving LED fixtures.

"The large crowd at the World Wide

USA - Establishing an identity with young worshippers is essential to the success of church youth conferences. While many conferences rely on colourful on site banners to accomplish this goal, Love Is Red has taken this concept a step further, putting its logo in pixel mapped lights, using the Nexus 4x4 from Chauvet Professional.

The largest Christian youth conference in the Midwest, Love is Red draws thousands of 17- to 29-year-olds from throughout the Great Lakes region for three days of worship, learning sessions, and music from noted Christian bands such as Elevation Worship, which recently reached No. 1 on the Billboard charts with Here As In Heaven. Contributing to the experience at the conference is an engaging lightshow that is anchored by an impressive centre stage logo display created with Nexus 4 x 4 LED panels from Chauvet Professional.

"We wanted a dyna

USA - As many fans are getting their first look at one of country music's hottest performers, Cole Swindell is quickly winning over crowds nationwide on his first headlining tour. The production team needed to create an impactful tour design that would best accentuate the experience of the music. Wanting an expansive gear list that also included HD LED video, the production turned to Nashville-based Elite Multimedia who provided quality lighting and video solutions, along with a custom set cart design as well, all fitting in a single truck for travel.

"On this tour, it really all starts with the music and the artist behind it," began production manager James 'Mo' Butts. "As a passionate songwriter, Cole is also a high-energy performer so we wanted to incorporate quality HD video into the tour design to heighten the experience for this headlining tour. When looking for a tour p

New Zealand - PA company, Noise Productions Ltd., employed its new Allen & Heath dLive digital mixing system to provide various broadcast feeds for the annual International Sheep Shearing competition, The Golden Shears.

Sheep shearers from more than 25 countries travel to the small rural town of Masterton in New Zealand every year to compete for the most coveted title in the international sheep shearing calendar, which takes place in a 1600-seat stadium.

Coverage of the event is broadcast live to various national and international networks, provided by local AV provider, Noise Productions Ltd, which has been providing live broadcasts of the event for the last three years. This year, the company utilised its new dLive system, comprising a S7000 Control Surface with DM48 MixRack and DX32 expander rack, to provide the audio mix for the live broadcast.

"The new system lite

USA - The transition from academics into the working world can be daunting. That's why for the last 17 years, ETC has offered the LDI Student Sponsorship, which gives undergraduate seniors and graduate students an all-expenses paid trip to the LDI tradeshow. ETC selects five students from North America and at least one international student to participate in the programme.

This year's show will be held 21 to 23 October, in Las Vegas, where you could get a jumpstart on networking and job hunting, and stay up to date on the latest technology trends. By taking a few short minutes to fill out the application at www.etcconnect.com/LDISponsorship - due by Wednesday 1 June - you could get your key to a brighter future.

Are you nervous about graduating and no longer having a faculty advisor to help guide you? ETC's LDI Student Sponsorship gives you the chance to get that support.

UK - West London based lighting and visuals rental company Colour Sound Experiment continued its three-year association with the Rudimental and lighting designer Jonny Gaskell, suppling lighting, associated rigging and crew for their most recent UK tour which included a sold out show at London's O2 Arena.

Colour Sound was brought in by Jonny when he became involved with the band. "Once again the service was fantastic as you expect. Everything was spot-on, and H (Colour Sound's MD Haydn Cruickshank) ensured that the kit was absolutely optimised for the available budget as well as supplying an amazing crew."

The award winning band are still riding high on the success of their second number one studio album My Generation and on this tour played a real mix of venues, mostly academy sized in the UK, followed by the O2, then larger venues in Europe.

An ultimately scal

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