Events

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04 December 2024

France - Showlight is extremely excited to announce the first of its speakers who will present Papers in May. The selection draws from a mixture of lighting disciplines covering site-specific installations, mixed lighting challenges, product innovation and circus spectaculars with speakers, new and familiar, travelling to Dijon to be part of this exceptional networking quadrennial.

Here’s the first of what the Showlight 2025 line-up has to offer:

The Magic of Cirque du Soleil - Mikki Kunttu will explain how he turns magic into reality as the lighting & set designer and programmer for a number of spectacular Cirque du Soleil shows.

The Power of Light: From Myth to Science to Control - Anne Militello will examine how lighting techniques used today to stir emotional reactions, date back centuries to when man first incorpor

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04 December 2024

UK - Stephen Daldry’s National Theatre production of An Inspector Calls is a gripping and vivid adaptation of JB Priestley’s classic thriller. Having won numerous awards, including the Tony Award for Best Lighting Design, and having played to over five million theatregoers, the show has now returned for a new UK tour, with the previous one in 2022 being a record-breaking sell-out.

Having lit the original production back in 1992, and all of its subsequent runs, Olivier and Tony Award-winning lighting designer Rick Fisher is once again part of the creative team and approached White Light (WL), a d&b solutions company, to supply his rig; with the company having worked on the show since its original West End debut in 1995.

The play tells the story of Inspector Goole who arrives unexpectedly at the prosperous Birling family home where th

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03 December 2024

France - Ayrton, which has recently undergone a major expansion of its headquarters in Villebon-Sur-Yvette, south of Paris, showcased its new showroom and immersive museum with a series of events in November.

Over a two-week period, four events saw over 450 international guests, distributors, partners and lighting designers gather to immerse themselves in designs, innovative lighting solutions, and a world of creativity to inspire their next projects.

The new 1,200m2 x 8.5m high wide-format demonstration room, complete with luxurious theatre seating, provided the ideal forum to discover all of Ayrton’s products, while the immersive museum showcases the luminaires that have made Ayrton’s history. Guests were treated to cocktail receptions and dinner in the breakout rooms at every event which gave ample opportunity to network, ask questions and mak

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03 December 2024

USA - Robe returns to Las Vegas for LDI 2024 where the moving light manufacturer will be launching two new products, the T.5 Profile – a smaller version of the T1 – and the LedPointe, the new LED member of the Pointe family.

Also highlighted are four more new products seen for the first time at a US trade show – the iForte Fresnel, the Painte Fresnel, the SVOPATT and the SVB1.

Robe’s new expo live show, The Fifth Dimension, features ‘three live performers, jaw-dropping action and plenty of imagination’.

Robe’s other businesses – architectural and LED lighting manufacturer Anolis; UK-based lighting console and media server manufacturer Avolites; Australian-based power distribution gurus LSC Control Systems; and lighting control and integration solutions specialist Artistic License – will all be located on adjacent st

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03 December 2024

USA - Hive, a specialist media control manufacturer, is making its debut at LDI 2024. The show will serve as the stage for Hive’s latest innovation, Nucleus, a compact, rack-mountable 1U media player designed ‘to redefine affordability and scalability in live events and fixed installations’. Hive will exhibit alongside its exclusive distributor, Show Sage, at booth 2123, where attendees can experience live product demonstrations and explore the Hive ecosystem.

The Nucleus media player combines powerful functionality with a sleek, portable design, featuring a 1U rack-mountable chassis with dual SDM sockets that support all of Hive’s Beeblade computing modules, including Minima, Osmia and Pluto.

Built with a machined aluminium chassis, the Nucleus is engineered to withstand the rigours of touring while maintaining the portability and reliabilit

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03 December 2024

USA - Mega-Lite will showcase its latest products at the LDI Show. Visit Mega Systems at booth #2283, next to the Circle Bar, for the launch of five new products from the Mega-Lite family and the latest innovations from Mega Systems Inc.

Guillermo Cabada, head of marketing at Mega-Lite, said: "We are excited to be part of this year’s LDI and can’t wait to see all our customers and friends. We look forward to creating new friendships as we release five new products this year.”

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03 December 2024

Artistic Freedom - Theatres, opera and dance companies from across the European Union have warned the European parliament that "brazen attacks on artistic freedom" are posing an existential threat to creativity across the continent. Almost 250 artists and 178 cultural institutions from every EU nation are represented in the open letter to the parliament, which is also backed by UK figures including Battersea Arts Centre’s head of programming Pelin Başaran, reports The Stage.

The European Theatre Convention, Opera Europa, the Prospero – Extended Theatre platform, German and Swedish theatre academies and the national theatres of countries including Slovakia, Albania, Greece and Croatia are among those raising the alarm about an "orchestrated cultural-political strategy aimed at the disappearance of a diverse European culture".

According t

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02 December 2024

UK - Billed as “the most diverse music meeting in the world”, WOMEX (Worldwide Music Expo) is an international music event, renowned for staging a vibrant annual gathering of music professionals and music enthusiasts. WOMEX features live music, films, a trade fair, panel discussions and presentations in a different European location every year, showcasing breakthrough artists and talent from around the globe.

2024 was the 30th anniversary of the WOMEX Festival event, and it was brought to Manchester, UK by host partner Manchester Music City, where locally based creative audio specialists Tube uk provided sound systems and engineering services for the four largest live performance stages.

Says Tube uk’s Melvyn Coote: “We were hugely excited to be asked onboard for this event in our home city and to work with some incredible line-ups and musici

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29 November 2024

UK - WSDG will participate in the 12th annual Stadium Business Design & Development Summit. A global forum for innovators shaping the future of sports and entertainment venues, this event will take place at Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester, from 2-4 December, 2024.

The summit will bring together a diverse audience, including international project delegations from stadiums, arenas, and entertainment destinations, alongside leading architects, engineers, consultants, and sector specialists. Over three days, attendees will explore the latest innovations in venue design, construction, and technology, while taking full advantage of networking and collaboration opportunities.

WSDG’s extensive portfolio encompasses celebrated projects across sports stadiums, performance venues, and entertainment destinations worldwide.

Representing W

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27 November 2024

UK - The spectacular new production of the musical Mary Poppins is currently embarking on a UK and Ireland tour. Presented by Cameron Mackintosh and Disney Theatrical Group, this record-breaking show recently celebrated its 20th anniversary and continues to dazzle audiences on a nightly basis. Starring Stefanie Jones and Jack Chambers as Mary Poppins and Bert, it features a lighting design by Hugh Vanstone who approached White Light (WL), a d&b solutions company, to supply his touring lighting rig; with the company having also supplied the show’s first UK tour back in 2008.

As lighting designer, Vanstone finds himself returning to the show once again, having first lit a West End run five years ago. He comments: “When I first became involved in 2019 at the Prince Edward Theatre, it was in a ‘revival schedule’ so I had to tailor my ambitio

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27 November 2024

France - Arbane Groupe is exhibiting at the JTSE trade fair in Paris (27-28 November, Dock Pullman stand #094). The French audio manufacturer will unveil its new line array, specifically designed for large shows and events, alongside a new APG subwoofer and a design method technology.

APG, a brand of Arbane Groupe, will showcase the new Uniline Max line array system, a high-performance audio system dedicated to large-scale events and concerts. The system features the UM210 2x10” line array speaker and the UM121 1x21” subwoofer, both of which deliver exceptional audio clarity and power for audiences of up to 10,000 people. The Uniline Max is the result of over 40 years of constant innovation, collaboration and listening to the needs of the live events industry. The easy-to-use solution meets the highest level of requirements from rental companies, live pe

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27 November 2024

USA - Elation invites lighting professionals to Experience Tomorrow at Booth 2224 at LDI in Las Vegas, where visitors can ‘embark on a journey through lighting’s next frontier’. Elation is providing an immersive booth experience that will transport them to a retro-futuristic spaceport lounge of discovery – ‘a gateway to new worlds where visitors can explore Elation’s latest advancements in professional lighting’.

The spaceport-styled booth balances cutting-edge technology with mid-century aesthetics, evoking an era when excitement for the future was at its peak. Elation product experts will be on hand to help visitors explore Elation’s latest technologies via immersive product demonstrations while ‘an otherworldly light show will dazzle every hour’.

The latest innovations across the Proteus, Fuze, KL, Pulse, Limelight, S

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26 November 2024

USA - Following the success of the recent Be Seen, Be Heard event in London, the Be Seen, Be Heard community is now bringing the conversation to prominent USA trade show, LDI.  

Organised by frame:work, Production Futures, and Disguise, the positive London event was hosted at Bluman Associates, London. It brought together thought leaders, industry pioneers, and emerging talents from the world of entertainment technology and design. Collectively, they presented panel discussions and storytelling sessions. These ignited insightful and forward-looking conversations around the value of diversity in the industry and how that might be achieved sooner rather than later.  

Additionally, the Be Seen, Be Heard manifesto was conceived at the gathering – a progressive living document and a call to action that outlines steps for c

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26 November 2024

Germany - The 30th anniversary of Prolight + Sound is all about fresh impetus. From 8 to 11 April 2025, the expo will present a newly designed and expanded area for theatre and stage technology that combines four central aspects: exhibition, education, knowledge transfer and networking. Visitors can expect an inspiring platform for exchange between generations and industry experts, as well as a comprehensive range of innovative products and services.

An integral part of the concept is the ‘Theatre College’, which offers expert knowledge on relevant topics with high-quality, bilingual seminars and workshops – realised in collaboration with leading industry associations. The new Theatre Stage is the centrepiece, where presentations and the Theatre Talk invites exhibitors and the trade audience to exchange ideas. The Networking Area, with daily events and

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26 November 2024

USA - LED Studio is set to unveil its latest outdoor rental display innovation, the Vista Series, at DSE 2024 in Las Vegas next month. Visitors to Booth 3135 will be among the first to explore Vista’s advanced features, including ultra-high refresh rates, ‘exceptional’ contrast, and a modular design that enables fast and flexible installation.

The Vista Series offers a variety of pixel pitch options, ranging from P0.9 to P2.5, ensuring tailored options for a diverse array of outdoor applications and viewing distances. With a 10,000:1 contrast ratio, 99.8% DCI-P3 colour gamut, and 4,000 nits brightness, the Vista Series ensures visuals are vibrant, true-to-life and impactful. Its high refresh rates of up to 7,680Hz deliver fluid and seamless visuals, ideal for dynamic content.

Built to last, the Vista Series boasts a 100,000-hour lifetime and IP

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26 November 2024

France - Unusual Rigging has announced its participation at this year’s JTSE show in Paris, taking place on 27-28 November 2024. Visitors to Stand 092 119 in Dock Pullman will have the opportunity to meet with the team and explore how Unusual can devise creative solutions for their rigging challenges on upcoming projects.

Unusual’s attendance at the show comes as the company continues to thrive, marked by its recent 40^th anniversary celebrations and the successful opening of its new branch in Paris earlier this year. The expansion, initially as a means of preparing for the Paris 2024 Games, is also a strategic move to address the increasing challenges of working in the region post-Brexit.

Mark Priestley, project manager at Unusual Rigging, comments: “The Paris branch was opened to overcome the operational obstacles of working in Euro

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26 November 2024

Elephant Trap - Members of the House of Lords have expressed “profound concern” about the UK’s arts sector following chancellor Rachel Reeves’ autumn Budget, with one peer dubbing it an “elephant trap” for culture.

Kick-starting a debate about the impact of the Budget on arts, heritage and cultural organisations on 14 November, conservative peer Amanda Sater cited the Society of London Theatre and UK Theatre’s warning that 40% of theatres and performing arts venues face closure over the next five years.

SOLT and UK Theatre’s appeal for an urgent pot of funding to stave off these closures was snubbed in a Budget that outlined plans to increase government spending by almost £70 billion a year over the next five years – almost half of which will be funded by tax increases.

Sater called on the government to consider the impact

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25 November 2024

USA - The Obsidian Control Systems team will highlight the Onyx platform at a dedicated booth (#2243) designed to offer hands-on demonstrations, showcase the latest products, and provide expert insights into how Onyx can elevate professional lighting control for a wide range of productions.

“At this year’s LDI, we’re showcasing products in an interactive, purpose-built environment, and creating an experience where attendees can directly engage with Onyx tools,” commented Obsidian sales manager John Lopez. “We welcome everyone to get hands-on, ask questions, and meet our newest team members, Daniel Boerner and Edward Smith. Whether you're a seasoned pro or just starting out, we invite you to stop by for a talk and a hands-on demo.”

The booth provides more space to highlight the Onyx platform with an expansive video wall simulating a large-

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25 November 2024

USA - Brompton Technology is set to showcase its latest Tessera solutions at LDI 2024 next month at the Las Vegas Convention Centre – West Hall. With a strong focus on live events and broadcast applications, Brompton (#2861) will highlight its powerful HDR content capabilities, new features in Tessera v3.5 software such as Extended Bit Depth and Dark Time Insertion, and its groundbreaking TrueLight technology, which redefines standards for colour accuracy.

The Brompton booth will allow visitors to experience Brompton’s latest advancements through a dedicated broadcast and live events demo area, where comparisons between HDR and SDR content, HDR content with and without Extended Bit Depth, and features like Dark Magic, Puretone and Dark Time Insertion will be on display. Those seeking a deeper look into the potential of TrueLight can experience a speciali

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22 November 2024

UK - Rise, the advocacy group for gender diversity in the broadcast media technology sector, has announced the winners for this year’s Rise Awards.

Rise received 424 nominations from across the globe, with attendees from Australia, United States, Malaysia, United Kingdom, France, Norway and Spain, at the ceremony. Winners in 14 categories were celebrated at Troxy in London, in partnership with Sky and EMG / Gravity Media. Rise also presented a Special Recognition Award and the Rise Woman of the Year Award, for outstanding work in 2024 and significant contributions to the broadcasting world.

More than 400 guests attended the sold-out event, to recognise the achievements of winners and nominees across a host of media and broadcast technology roles. The ceremony was streamed globally on the Rise YouTube channel, supported by

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21 November 2024

USA - The 2025 NAMM Show (Anaheim, 21-25 January) will place a strong emphasis on pro audio. NAMM (the National Association of Music Merchants) has “maximised the show’s exhibit and demo space, so professionals will have their best-ever opportunity to get hands-on with the latest in pro audio technology. These new product introductions will be complemented by a full suite of educational sessions and training opportunities for professionals in live sound, recording and music technology.”

“One of the main reasons that audio professionals come to the NAMM Show is to hear the latest equipment from the biggest pro audio brands,” said John Mlynczak, NAMM president and CEO. “We are making that easier than ever before with more demo space for our exhibitors and more opportunities for our members to hear what state-of-the-art truly sounds like.”

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19 November 2024

Spain - Following a memorable 2024 event, BikeFest Spain is set to return for its fourth consecutive year, inviting cyclists from across the industry to join the 360km ride towards ISE in Barcelona. From 31 January to 2 February 2025, riders will again rally in Valencia, cycling along the Mediterranean coast in support of industry causes.

Last year’s BikeFest raised an impressive £25,000 for Backup Tech, with the goal to surpass that and more this year.

In 2025, BikeFest will expand its support to Casa Caridad Valencia, a local charity assisting those affected by recent severe flooding in Valencia. 

Following the reduction of operating costs to run the initiative, 50% of the sponsored funds raised will go directly to Backup Tech, who run initiatives such as

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19 November 2024

Sold Out - Tickets for Glastonbury Festival 2025 sold out in under 40 minutes, organisers have said. The event will be held from 25 to 29 June before taking a year off in 2026 to allow the ground at Worthy Farm in Somerset to recover. Tickets cost £373.50, plus a £5 booking fee – an increase of £18.50 on 2024.

In a post on X, Glastonbury Festival said: "Tickets for Glastonbury 2025 have now Sold Out. Thanks to everyone who bought one and sorry to those who missed out, on a morning when demand was much higher than supply. There will be a resale of any cancelled or returned tickets in spring 2025."

An automatic queue system was introduced with fans needing to be online before the start of the sale with a valid registration number. Some reported issues with the new system, with one X user saying: "I was on the booking page, clicked proceed and then

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15 November 2024

UK - Lighting designer Phil Supple utilised 56 x Astera Tubes – 40 x Titan and eight each Hyperion and Helios – to illuminate 137 windows across 57 rooms at the George Heriot School in Edinburgh, Scotland, for Where to Begin, the opening event of the 2024 Edinburgh International Festival (EIF).

This Edinburgh International Festival production was created by Pinwheel and delivered in partnership with The Macallan, for which Phil worked closely with creative agency Pinwheel under the artistic direction of Katy Fuller and co-director Simon Sharkey, together with composer Roma Yagnik and video artists, Yeast Culture.

Where to Begin celebrated the energy, vibrance and spirit of Edinburgh, Scotland’s heritage and mythology as well as the alchemy of invention, carefully blended in with a festival atmosphere evoking emotion, inspirati