USA - When global medical equipment giant Smith & Nephew was looking for images to dress up its booth at the Arthroscopy Association of North America convention, the company didn't have to search any further than the event's host city. Over 17m people visit Boston every year, easily placing the city among the top ten tourist destinations in the United States. Many are no doubt drawn by the picturesque and historic structures that help give this city its compelling character. Darren Lussier and Brian McNamara of Image Production Services drew on these local images to create a 'Boston-Scape' wall at the Smith & Nephew booth, using the PVP X3 LED video panel from Chauvet Professional.

For the doctors and other medical specialists from around the world who attended the convention, images of Fenway Park, Faneuil Hall and the like provided a welcome respite between lectures on weigh

UK - UK - London live music venue KOKO has invested in an Avolites Arena console to offer more live lighting control than ever before for its impressive roster of bands.

Since the club's restoration and reopening in 2004, transforming it from the Camden Palace into KOKO, some of the music world's biggest names have performed in the space, including Madonna, Amy Winehouse and Red Hot Chilli Peppers. The venue continues to attract a diverse mix of emerging musicians and global superstars.

KOKO's head of lighting, Hannu Finnila, has been using Avolites consoles for more than 15 years and is now using the new Arena console on a nightly basis.

"The Arena console is the best desk for what we need to do at KOKO, because we have different bands in every night, meaning I have to do a lot of busking," he says. "As every gig is different, the Arena is already making my life much

The Netherlands - ETC dealer Ampco Flashlight has installed 30 custom-painted Selador Desire D60XTI Studio HD LED fixtures, alongside seven full colour D60XTI Vivid and ten D22 Lustr+ fixtures, in the stunning new entrance building for Amsterdam's Van Gogh Museum - controlled by an ETC Unison Mosaic system.

The museum, which opened in 1973, houses the world's largest collection of the painter's works. The new 800sq.m glass building between the original museum and the temporary exhibition wing accommodates the cloakroom, shops and a central atrium. The 650sq,m of glass with which the building is constructed means that it is flooded with light during the day; so Ampco Flashlight was asked to design a lighting system which would not only be easy to operate with touchscreen panels, but would also respond to external light levels.

The tender also called for the system to interf

UK - After the success of ISCEx2016, the Institute of Sound and Communications Engineers will return to the picturesque location of Coombe Abbey on March 7-8, 2017 for ISCEx2017.

The Institute certainly raised the bar at ISCEx2016 once again. "It was unquestionably our most successful exhibition yet," said Ros Wigmore, manager, secretariat at the ISCE. "Of our 28 exhibitors, four were first timers - Leisuretec Distribution, Monacor (UK) Ltd, Nexo SA and Yamaha Commercial Audio. And away from the exhibition, I am delighted to say that all the seminars were packed throughout."

Monacor (UK)'s UK field sales manager, Leighton Castle, said, ''The event provided us with a great opportunity to network with industry peers and to reach out to those who may not have been overly familiar with the Monacor brand and service. We very much look forward to ISCEx2017, and to many years exh

USA - Major Lazer unleashed their new live show - which will be touring throughout 2016 - at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival in Indio, California - playing two Coachella (main) Stage sets, one on each weekend of the 125,000 capacity festival.

The show featured a complete new set, lighting and visuals design by Kyle Kegan of Voyage Productions and utilized Robe BMFL Spots, BMFL WashBeams and ColorStrobes - amongst other lights. All the Robes were newly purchased by Rainbow Production Services (RPS).

"Those strobes are simply mind-blowing," declares Kyle, using them for the first time after receiving a demo and swapping the originally specified product for the new ColorStrobes.

Major Lazer's new stage set includes eight three-sided Periactoi-style 13ft high towers which are about 7ft wide (six were used at Coachella). The first facade is a scenic speaker cabin

USA - After a highly successful run in London at the Chocolate Factory, John Doyle's The Color Purple opened to rave reviews at the Bernard B. Jacobs theatre on Broadway in December 2015. Interestingly, Doyle's latest version is a far cry from the original flamboyant Broadway show. This time Doyle opted for a much more streamlined, pared-down production, leaving more room for the performers to shine and for the intense emotions to resonate.

Just as he did for the London production, Doyle turned to Tony Award-winning sound designer Gregory Clarke to create a clean, powerful sound design that would accurately reflect the extraordinary passion of Alice Walker's tale of black female oppression and emancipation in the American south.

"I deployed EM boxes on the original London version of the show in 2013 and they performed spectacularly well," explains Clarke. "I specifi

UK - Vanguardia has secured sole UK distribution rights to MeTrao - "a pioneering tool set to transform audio management at live events".

On 1 May 2016 Vanguardia is launching MeTrao's distribution, through which audio professionals and event organisers across the UK will be able to benefit from the product's technical wizardry.

Offering a new way of measuring sound and vibration, MeTrao was devised by Dutch entertainment technology experts Event Acoustics, based in Utrecht. The intelligent sound management product allows event organisers and sound engineers to meet noise control regulations with ease - while maximising the quality of audio output at the highest possible levels. Vanguardia has done a deal with the product's main European distributor, Ampco Flashlight Sales, to secure UK rights.

MeTrao was launched in The Netherlands in 2012, where it has sold over 200

Serbia - Pro audio specialists, Studio Berar DOO, has added the prestige Powersoft brand to its distribution portfolio. According to sales director, Bojan Po?u?a, the company had been searching for a brand that would meet their criteria for high-quality, including the requirements of their clients when it comes to creating such solutions.

"We very quickly came across Powersoft and immediately liked the fact that we share the same philosophy - namely, uncompromising quality and remarkable standards. Powersoft products are the most advanced solutions in the field of audio amplification production and are an essential component in any signal chain."

Po?u?a said their decision was based on decades of experience in renting and selling solutions in the audio field. "It has taught us to recognise quality and so Powersoft was our logical choice. As a brand it offers exactly what w

UAE - Venuetech LLC has been appointed as the first Middle East distributor of the ELC Lighting and Green-GO range of products.

Silvio Cibien, sales manager for ELC Lighting commented, "We are delighted to welcome Venuetech on board as exclusive and indeed the very first distributors of our product range in the Middle East. Venuetech's regional experience and knowledge of the industry is second to none and the company's reputation is held in high esteem by those working the AV industry. While our kit has been installed is some high profile projects in the region, this is the first time that local customers will be able to buy directly from a local distributor, which gives them the added benefit of product support on their doorstep, should they need it."

Elie Khairallah, technical director of Venuetech said, " Within the context of its continuous strategic development, Venu

UK -The Knight of Illumination Awards (KOI) 2016 has announced that this year's ceremony will take place at major live entertainment venue the Eventim Apollo, Hammersmith on the 18th September.

"Eventim Apollo is renowned for celebrating world-class talent of all kinds, so we're thrilled to be hosting the Knight of Illumination Awards 2016, which champion the exceptional work of the world's leading lighting designers," says Sarah Myring, Eventim Apollo Front of House and Corporate Sales Manager.

"It's also fitting that so many of the designers have themselves worked on shows at the iconic venue, which has recently undergone an overhaul with colour wash LED lighting to create a truly state-of-the-art lighting system. This is an excellent opportunity to recognise the talented community of lighting designers that have come through our doors over the years, and we're delighted

Non-Runner - Romania has been expelled from the Eurovision Song Contest after its national broadcaster failed to pay debts of more than £11m. Ovidiu Anton was due to perform the song Moment Of Silence in the second semi-final of the contest, which will take place in Sweden on 12 May. However, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) confirmed the nation will now no longer be able to compete after Televiziunea Romana (TVR) failed to meet a 20 April repayment deadline.

A statement on the Eurovision website said, "The EBU has withdrawn member services from Romanian public service broadcaster Televiziunea Romana (TVR) following the non-payment of debts totalling CHF 16m."

Reasonably Well Off - Adele has been named as Britain's richest ever female musician, according to the Sunday Times Rich List. A list of the top 50 music millionaires in the UK and Ire

The Netherlands - Increasing demand for his services has seen renowned Dutch cameraman and video editor John Huijbregts build his own 4K outside broadcast truck. A Yamaha TF3 digital mixing console proved the best solution for the vehicle's audio requirements.

John has worked both nationally and internationally, covering a wide range of different events and productions. His company Dutch Multicam is located in the southern town of Sint Willebrord, with facilities that include edit rooms and full post-production facilities. John has been using Yamaha 01V96 digital mixers for many years and so, when the demand dictated the need to develop an OB facility, he naturally looked to Yamaha again.

"I have a long history of mixing with Yamaha, both for recording and post-production. Many of my colleagues in the broadcast industry also use Yamaha because of their excellent reputation

USA - EDM fans came out of winter hibernation in mid-March in time for Miami Music Week, an early festival season gathering of some of electronic dance music's top acts. On 17 March, British progressive trance DJs Above & Beyond played the largest independent party during Miami Music Week and backed their performance with Elation ACL 360 Bars, colour-changing LED battens with narrow-beam output and 360-degree continuous rotation.

Held at the old RC Cola Plant in Miami's Wynwood neighbourhood, lighting designer / production designer for the event was Neil Marsh, who has been lighting the DJ trio for the last five years. He included 12 ACL360 Bars as part of the floor package, positioned on upright trusses at shoulder height on the stage to provide strong backlight and visual interest both on camera and for the audience.

Output from the ACL 360 Bar's seven 15W RGBW LEDs coul

UK - An Allen & Heath dLive digital mixing system comprising an S5000 control surface and DM48 MixRack has recently been installed at St George's Church, Leeds.

Dating back to 1838, St George's is a Church of England parish church based in the centre of Leeds, West Yorkshire. And with morning and evening Sunday services and a range of other activities taking place each week, the church is a busy venue.

Given its variety of weekly activities, the church's PA system needs to offer a high level of flexibility as well as exemplary sound to cope with changing set-ups of musical and spoken content. The mid-sized S5000 control surface allows great versatility and an ability to cater to the church's constantly changing band line-ups and recording needs.

Replacing an out-dated analogue system, the dLive system presented few issues to the PA team at St George's, with Ben Hammond

USA - Fingerprint Audio, the North and South American distributor for sE Electronics and the US distributor for Bel Digital and Van Damme Cable, has announced that it is poised for growth with three new US rep firms.

"We are excited to expand our independent field rep network with three excellent rep firms with deep experience in Pro Audio and MI," says Greg Addington, Fingerprint Audio's national sales manager.

Beginning 1 March, Audio Pros took on representation for the New England States (ME, MA, VT, NH, RI, CT).

Starting 1 April, AMP Sales began representing Fingerprint's product lines for the southwestern US (CA, NV, UT, AZ, NM, CO, & WY).

Also starting in April is a new firm, Fusion Tech Marketing, LLC, built on over three decades of experience working at every level of the Audio Visual industry. Fusion Tech Marketing will be servicing the plains states (NE,

Germany - Following a successful live tour in the Nordic and Scandinavian regions, Genelec is now moving onto Germany where the company is visiting a series of local distributors, dealers and end users with its SAM (Smart Active Monitoring) range. Part of the company's 10-year celebration of the launch of SAM, the tour is designed to educate and inspire, as well as showcase SAM features and benefits, and will finish off at the High End show in Munich, 5-8 May, 2016.

"Taking our SAM products on the road to our customers has proved hugely popular," says Tomi Hassinen, Genelec. "Our customers have enjoyed getting up close and hands-on with the latest products in the SAM range, and the format also allows us to educate users about new features, as well as the best way to achieve the full performance benefits that SAM offers. The response so far has been great and I'm also really lo

USA - Production Resource Group LLC, (PRG) has announced a new brand for their creative LED special projects team, formerly a subsidiary of XL Video. Now known as PRG Projects, the team, led by Frederic Opsomer, is renowned for creating and providing innovative custom video solutions.

Frederic's team are based at PRG's location in Ostend, Belgium. The new PRG Projects team will also incorporate, and work more closely with, the former XL Video research and development team based in Shenzhen, China. The combined expertise of the team has already been responsible for realizing some of the most technology forward designs and custom installations in concert touring, large-scale spectacles, television, and sporting events, including ceremonies in Athens, London, and Sochi over the last several years.

In addition to working with the team in Ostend, PRG Projects in Shenzhen will c

Ireland - In the hands of Wicklow-based systems rental house Sound Design, Nexo's STM Series line array systems have played a prominent role in Dublin's month-long official commemorations of the 1916 Easter Rising, the long and bloody rebellion of the Irish people against British rule.

Ireland 2016 was an ambitious and wide-ranging national commemoration with an extensive programme of music and speech, theatre and sport. As in 1916, some of the most significant events took place in Dublin, where large crowds attended ceremonial parades and entertainments, culminating in a multimedia spectacular at the legendary Croke Park Stadium.

Irish president Michael Higgins and Taoiseach Enda Kenny were guests of honour at Croke Park, along with 82,000 spectators who watched two premier Gaelic Football league finals before a special theatrical production. Produced by Tyrone Pro

UK - PLASA Focus Leeds (10 -11 May, Royal Armouries) seminars this year offer visitors the chance to attend sessions on a variety of topics and to demo new products from leading brands in the world of entertainment technology.

Highlights include sessions from d&b audiotechnik, MA Lighting console training from Ambersphere Solutions and HOG4 training from High End Systems.

The seminar from d&b audiotechnik's Steve Jones explores how loudspeaker size affects its whole performance including its directivity, the direct to reverberant ratio and what loudspeaker throw actually means.

The three sessions available from Ambersphere Solutions on MA Lighting dot2 compact lighting consoles will provide visitors with an overview of all the features of the new console, including hands-on instruction covering all the basic operational features. High End Systems will also offer traini

USA - Originally founded in 1984, the Bethel World Outreach Church has seen its ministry grow to where they currently hold worship services in six locations nationwide.

As part of this growth, the worship family located in Brentwood, TN, recently underwent a building campaign to expand their ministry even further and in doing so they wished to make LED video a part of their worship services. While attending the WFX tradeshow in Nashville, Senior Pastor James Lowe found his solution for the new facility which was FLEXLite 6.9mm LED video tiles from PixelFLEX.

"With our Bethel Build Campaign underway, we were also about to undertake a month-long sermon series where our pastor wanted to show HD video elements during the message," began Technical Director Garrett Hestla. "This was something entirely new for us and since we wanted to bring LED video into the new facility as wel

Germany - From 15 to 17 June Stage|Set|Scenery will be represented at the Stage Technology Conference (BTT), which is organised by Deutsche Theatertechnische Gesellschaft (DTHG) and will be taking place in Bremen.

The BTT is the most important advanced training event organised by the theatre and event technology industry in German-speaking countries. A total of 80 companies will be represented there, including established family-run firms and innovative enterprises, ranging from small start-ups to major market leaders. The Stage Technology Conference can look back on a history that spans more than 100 years and this year will be taking place for the fifty-eighth time.

The extensive programme of supporting events comprises around 70 lectures, seminars, round table discussions, workshops and excursions. High points of the conference will include the SoundLab, specially desig

USA - Celebrating 30 years in 2016, the South by Southwest Music and Media Conference (SXSW) is a six-day event held every March in Austin, Texas (USA). Allen & Heath's digital mixers from across its dLive, GLD and Qu ranges were employed this year in many of the particpating venues.

Two dLive systems managed the popular British Music Embassy Showcase, hosted by Austin's Latitude 30 club and featuring 10 to 12 bands each day of the festival. A GLD-80 was installed at the Threadgills venue to manage their roster, plus local PA company, Rock 'n Roll Rentals, supplied Qu mixers to various smaller venues.

dLive was requested for broadcast duties at the SPIN magazine party at Stubbs, where Chvrches, Deftones, and Vince Staples played, and a GLD-80 Chrome system with Waves was used by Tommy Williams mixing Ry-X for his key performance at St David's Episcopal Church.

At the B

Philippines - One of the biggest boy bands in K-pop, EXO, have played their first two concerts outside of Korea with a high-impact lighting design by Moon Won Jun of Lite Factory using over 200 Clay Paky fixtures in Manila, Philippines.

PMX Trading and Technical Services supplied a full technical package to the two consecutive dates, including 130 x Clay Paky Sharpys, 50 x Sharpy Wash 330s, 16 x A.leda B-EYE K20s and a mix of 42 Stormy CC and Stormy LED strobes. The sold-out concerts took place at Manila's 20,000-capacity SM Mall of Asia arena.

"In my experience, Korean productions are all about having the latest technology and the most spectacular lighting designs," says technical director Dwight Carvajal of Beatbox DJ Store & Launch Pad Events, which operates under Launch Pad Consultancy Ventures Inc. "This is why Mr Moon Wun Jun specified such a large amount of Clay Pak

The Netherlands - Wowing crowds of 17,000, Dutch superstar Marco Borsato's Symphonica in Rosso is one of the most spectacular series of performances. Held at Amsterdam Ziggodome Arena during 2016, 12 sold-out concerts broke boundaries in terms of technical creativity, innovation and wizardry.

Jo Pauly, d3 operator and programmer from Belgium-based Visual Solutions was brought in to consult and design all video during the preplanning process.

Another first for BlackTrax, the motion tracking solution was used to track key performer, Marco Borsato on stage and on a guitar shaped interactive LED video catwalk throughout the performance.

BlackTrax was seamlessly integrated with d3 technologies 4by4pro media servers to manage content for the entire concert including main stage LED wall, two IMAG LED walls and two rows of LED video banners throughout the whole venue.

"We

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