Mark White, until recently a member of the team of theatre consultants at the Royal Opera House, is to join ETC Europe on October 2 as sales manager for the UK and Eire. Having been part of the theatre industry since 1985, White's career has included the development of bespoke lighting and control equipment for shows including Cats and Phantom of the Opera . He has also designed lighting and effects for major exhibitions and displays, including Eurodisney, and his extensive knowledge and experience will prove invaluable to the ETC Europe sales team. Mike Lowe, managing director of ETC Europe, told PLASA Publishing: "The addition of Mark, with all his practical experience, demonstrates the fact that ETC continues its commitment to providing the best customer service in the business."

Martin Professional A/S has reached a settlement with Vari-Lite Inc which sees the lifting of the injunction against the Martin MAC 500s, MAC 600s and MAC 300s in the US market. The two companies had been locked in a long-running legal battle over the issue of the manufacture and sale of the MAC units which also extended to the company's Case series controller when sold in conjunction with these. Only two months ago, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit had reaffirmed the injunction, rejecting Martin's claim that the patent expired in July 2000, ruling instead that it did not expire until March 2001. For Martin Professional, the settlement means a return to full trading freedom in the United States, which is expected to contribute positively towards the company's future development in terms of both turnover and profitability. With the recent release of a half-year f

CAST Lighting of Toronto, Canada, has announced that it has signed a letter of intent with Electronic Theatre Controls that allows ETC exclusive territorial distribution rights for CAST's lighting design and visualisation software. This announcement comes on the back of an earlier announcement that ETC and CAST have formed an OEM alliance that would allow CAST's software to be integrated with ETC's range of advanced lighting control products. R. Bruce Freeman, CEO of CAST comments: "It made absolute sense to us, once we started discussions with ETC about the OEM relationship, to pursue the idea of having ETC distribute our mainstream software product." While the distribution agreement is effective from August 21, 2000, both companies will officially launch the alliance at PLASA.

Coemar DeSisti Australia has announced staff changes to cope with steadily increasing business. David Lee joins the company as TV and film lighting specialist. David has had 30 years' experience in the lighting industry including theatre, concert, corporate and TV lighting, spending 20 years working for BTQ7 in Brisbane. During the time at BTQ7 he was responsible for all studio and location lighting and also a number of large outside broadcast events such as Gladiators, RAQ Fashion Awards and Brisbane Lord Mayor's Christmas Carols for seven years, as well as game and children's shows such as Wipeout, Amazing, Family Feud and A Big Breakfast. He was also technical director/lighting director for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics (Australian TV Coverage) and lighting director for News and Today Show at 1988 Seoul Olympics for the NBC Network USA.

Christie Lites has signed a three-year multi-million dollar deal to exclusively support the Martin line of moving lights. In a unique move for a rental company, Christie Lites will only purchase Martin automated lights for the duration of this contract. Troels Volver, CEO of Martin Professional Inc. comments, "We are very pleased that Christie Lites has chosen Martin as its vendor for automated lighting. With our extreme dedication to customer care and technical support and our professional partners in Canada and throughout the world, we are able to support a company like Christie Lites and their global business practices. The benefit to customers in the USA and abroad will be the increase of various MAC series rental units for larger productions including touring, television and corporate events. Their shops are second to none when it comes to providing quality equipment and servic

High End Systems is now making its presence felt in the Big Apple. Located just off Times Square, the company's new office has a fully-equipped demo facility and dedicated WYSIWYG room, as well as a training and seminar area and a customer meeting room. Sales, marketing and technical service representatives will be based at the office, which is headed up by director of special projects, Paul Sonnleitner. The company has also expanded its presence in London by refurbishing the original offices of its partner, Flying Pig Systems. The new office in West London offers visitors a fully equipped demo facility with a training and seminar area, technical workshops and a customer meeting room.

Lightfactor Sales continues its ongoing expansion and re-structuring with the appointment of Paul de Ville as managing director. De Ville will be working proactively alongside Lightfactor's established sales team in a move designed to free up Mick Hannaford to deal with group expansion, product line development and the marketing of the group. De Ville is one of the most colourful characters of the lighting production and performance industry. For the last 15 years he has worked at the Lighting Technology Group, and is a well-known and respected figure throughout the industry.

Color Kinetics has expanded its senior management team. Five new Vice Presidents - including two promoted from within the company - have joined the senior team. The company was founded in 1997 and in just under three years has grown to nearly 100 employees. Joining the existing senior team members who have been in place since the early days of Color Kinetics are Bruce Beck, vice president, business development who brings over 28 years experience in new market development and sales to the company. Kevin Dowling is the new vice president of strategic technologies: he joined the company in April 1999 as director of engineering. Allen Duck joins as vice president, international sales: he brings 12 years of extensive international sales experience to Color Kinetics. David Goselin, who has over 30 years experience in manufacturing and operations management is the new vice president, manufactur

It's probably the world's most famous radio studio and visitors from around the world flock to the Grand Ole Opry House every weekend to get a glimpse of their favorite country music stars. The facility also frequently houses general meeting sessions and multimedia shows, as well as concerts, business conference, and nationally televised awards shows (such as the Country Music Association's annual awards). The 45,000sq.ft building features pew-style seating for 4,400 people, and a 110ft-wide by 68ft deep stage, floored with beechwood imported from Denmark, save a circle in the centre of the stage lifted from the stage of the Opry's original home at the Ryman Auditorium. Lucas W. Hendrickson Management wanted a replacement for the dimming system and looked to Bandit Lites to provide handle the installation. Jeff Goetsch (regional sales manager at Bandit Lites), worked out the system spec,

FAL has appointed MilTec (UK) Ltd as its sole distributor for the UK and Ireland. The company, which only started trading on September 1 2000, is headed by David Faulkes, previously sales director with Martin Professional PLC. David Faulkes told PLASA Publishing: "MilTec (UK) Ltd has been formed with the single aim of providing the industry with a service and range of products second to none. We are excited to be taking on this range of products and are looking forward to working with FAL.

John Lethbridge, founder and ex-managing director of Cerebrum Lighting and a former vice-chairman of PLASA, has launched a brand new on-line Internet auction site through his new company, Cereco International Ltd. www.cereco.com will specialise in offering new and ex-demonstration audio, lighting, AV and effects equipment - all of which carries a 12-month guarantee.The auctions are free to enter for buyers and sellers and unusually, for an e-commerce operation, buyers do not have to give any credit card details. All sellers will be carefully vetted as Cereco will provide a money back guarantee to any dissatisfied buyers. Instructions on how to take part are available on-line in French, German, Spanish, Italian, Swedish, Chinese and Japanese and products are offered in six different currencies. New auctions will start every Thursday evening and run for 10 days, finishing on a Sunday eveni

The Board of Directors of AC Lighting Inc has announced that Bob Gordon has become president and chief executive officer of the company. As one of the founding partners of AC Lighting Inc, Gordon has been instrumental in establishing a distribution company with an enviable reputation for quality products and technical support in North America. Founded in 1993, AC Lighting Inc distributes professional lighting equipment to the North American entertainment industry. AC's exclusive product range includes MA Lighting (grandMA lighting control), Jands Electronics (lighting control), Chroma-Q (colour changers) and cable assemblies.

Laser Grafix of Royston have been successful in persuading Richard Wright to join the company as Group sales manager. Wright has left his role as general manager and director designate of GVC Laserpoint. Wright will bring with him a great deal of sales experience, not only from his time at Laserpoint but also from his work for Philips Analytical, and his knowledge of the videowall and large screen industry will prove invaluable.

Color Kinetics, manufacturers of full spectrum digital lighting, has added 16 new US and international distribution partners to its growing list of worldwide authorised distributors, expanding the company's distribution channel by more than 100% in the first half of 2000 alone. The new distributors will offer the full line of Chromacore-powered digital lighting products, including fixtures, controllers, enablers, accessories and lighting design software. Signing on as authorised distributors in the US are ten companies: Bradfield Stage Lighting, Tennessee; City Lighting Products, Missouri; CM Buck and Associates, Indiana; Cooper Electric, New Jersey; Curtis H. Stout Company, Arkansas; Maurice Electric, Washington, DC; Pacific Lighting, Seattle; RC Lurie, Phoenix; Rexel-Elgee, Columbus, Ohio and Top Shelf Distributors, Chicago. Six international companies have been added to the Color Kine

Caribiner International has launched a new name and identity. The company will be known as Jack Morton Worldwide after merging with its American counterpart of the same name. The company has an impressive client list and was responsible for the public arena installations in the Millennium Dome and at the Hanover World Expo 2000. Recent projects include the Special Olympics World Games Opening Ceremonies, The Royal Military Tattoo and the Queen Mother Celebrations on Horse Guards Parade. The new combined company represents a worldwide community of over 1200 people in more than 30 locations in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific. William Morton is chairman and chief executive, located in New York, whilst Josh McCall, located in Boston, has been named president and chief operating officer. Lois Jacobs, based in London, becomes executive vice president, regional director, Europe and Asi

New tribute show, Beyond the Darkside, is to tour the world through 2001 using over 100 Martin lighting fixtures. For the legions of Pink Floyd fans scattered all over the world, the opportunities to enjoy a live concert experience by this legendary band are few and far between. The show will be touring Australia for the later half of 2000 and plans include a tour of the UK, Europe, Japan and the US to commence in mid 2001. The show uses over 100 Martin fixtures and lighting designer Athol Sargood is looking to increase this number in the near future. For co-producers Kevin Hunt and Sargood, Beyond the Darkside is their most challenging and ambitious production so far, and now employs one of the largest digital light shows to tour Australia, with 114 digital moving light fixtures, videos, pyrotechnics and a 5-watt, fully computerised, air-cooled laser. The show includes a spectacular 4.5

The fuel crisis must have come as a blessed relief to the Dome, but it hasn't taken the attraction long to be back in the media spotlight. Just a week after Nomura withdrew from its bid, the police are currently carrying out an investigation into fraud allegations. Apparently these centre around "irregularities" in connection with the procurement of contracts, and media reports are suggesting that the firm under investigation was one of the contractors working for the New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC). Nomura of course pulled out on the basis that they had been misled over the Dome's finances.

Pulsar presented two awards during PLASA, demonstrating the company's continuing commitment to training. The already established Disco International UK Light Jockey contest was won by Colin Walker, with Stuart Wardale second and Peter Ramdine third. The winner was presented with the coveted trophy - a unique Gold Masterpiece 216 and the title of UK Light Jockey Champion. Following on from the success of the Light Jockey contest, and a pilot scheme last year, the Student Lighting Designer Award was launched. The heats took place at Melton Mowbray College and this year's winner was Matt Randle who received £2,000 worth of Pulsar products, presented as part of the PLASA awards. The success of the award has generated huge interest and the intention for next year is that the concept will become a PLASA/L&SI endorsed project, inviting other colleges to take part.

Bandit Lites has been appointed to provide lighting services for the Orange-Arrows FIA Formula One Team for the 2000 season, worldwide. Set designer Mark Williams and Dominc Denny from Bank engaged Bandit to provide lighting and creative services to enhance the atmosphere prior to each Formula One event in the team's vendor/sponsor area. Phay MacMahon from Bandit is acting as production manager for all dates.

Le Maitre has signed two new distribution deals in Japan and India. The contracts were signed during the recent PLASA Show at Earls Court 1 in London. The Japanese contract is with Kazoue Inoue, President of the Rock Co, Tokyo. Le Maitre sales director Rick Wilson told PLASA Publishing: "At last we have found a customer in Japan willing to take the trouble to cut through the enormous amount of red tape required to import pyrotechnics. The Rock Co. has an extensive network of customers in live rock and roll." Le Maitre has also been successful in opening up another extremely difficult area of the world, India. Wilson added: "With huge tariffs on imported goods, India has always been a difficult market to crack. Our new partner Morani Fireworks, based in New Deli, is well connected in the film and entertainment industry which is burgeoning in India." Both companies will

With the aim of improving and upgrading the efficiency of its distribution and support network in Switzerland, Clay Paky has formed a new sales network appointing Emme (Camorino), MCG (Zürich) and Audio Light (Colombier) to handle its range of intelligent lighting products.

West London-based HFM Lighting has acquired 13 of Coemar's new CF7 luminaires from UK distributor CoeTech, currently making HFM the largest UK supplier of this new intelligent lighting fixture. HFM, headed by Hugh Frazer Mann, specialises in the supply of high specification intelligent lighting and projection systems for exhibitions, corporate presentations and special events, is looking forward to adding the CF range to their existing inventory. Since its launch this Summer, the CF7 has already found favour with top lighting professionals. In particular it has been specified by Lighting Designer Liz Berry for Robbie Williams. As the largest stockist of the CF range in the UK, HFM is currently supplying VLPS with 12 CF7s for the forthcoming Robbie Williams tour. HFM will be hosting a number of open days later in the year when full light shows and technical courses will be offered.

Laser Grafix in Royston, Herts, has formed a new liaison in Dubai with lighting and sound specialists, DLC ensuring that Laser Grafix will have ongoing representation in Dubai, ready to handle the Middle East enquiries for laser light shows. A wide range of laser equipment will be permanently based at DLC's premises in Dubai, to serve the home market place and GCC countries. This equipment will include water features, lasers, projectors and both inflatable and water screens. Laser Grafix has provided lasers and effects for a number of events in the region, including the celebrations of the 100 year Anniversary of the Founding of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Further emphasising DHA Lighting's expansion into international markets, the company has announced the appointment of Rainer Weggen, previously of Lightpower Showtechnik, as its fourth international regional sales manager from October 1. Weggen, who will continue to be based in Germany, has tremendous knowledge and experience of DHA's product range following six and half years at Lightpower looking after key account customers. In his new role, he takes on responsibility for Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Eastern Bloc countries.

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