USA - GearSource and PRG announced today the first 'Gear-Up' sales event powered by GearSource.com, beginning on 1 May. This event will offer equipment from PRG's audio, lighting, video and rigging inventory at "unheard of 'auction-like' pricing, but without the hassle or buyer premiums associated with auctions".

All items will be sold on a first come, first served basis. "This isn't an auction, but the buying frenzy will be the same, based on the pricing we're already seeing coming in," says GearSource president Michael Fairbairn. "Obviously, PRG has a massive inventory of equipment in audio and lighting. This event is created to help them liquidate that inventory without the trouble of staging an auction," says Fairbairn. While the Gear-Up sale may eventually open up to other GearSource.com vendors, this event is exclusive to PRG's US-based invent

UK - Tomorrow's A.C. Lighting North Event (1-2 May) will see the first UK showings of two new product innovations from leading Italian trussing and rigging manufacturer Litec. The new Litec EXE-Lodestar 650C1 is a BGV-C1 multifunction electric chain hoist designed for use in the entertainment industry.

BGV-C1 is a German code of practice for the entertainment and theatrical venues, part of which covers lifting and rigging equipment. Adopting BGV-C1 is voluntary, but it is generally required to obtain insurance within Germany and is therefore rapidly becoming an industry standard across Europe. A C1 chain hoist can be defined as a unit suitable for use to move and hold loads above people, and as such has to meet certain criteria such as a design factor of 10:1, underload and overload protection and a double brake mechanism.

"We needed to make a simple hoist that could work

Denmark - Martin Architectural's Cyclo IP65 Directional Series is a new range of fully weatherproofed directional luminaires designed for outdoor illumination of facades, structures and signage. With a slim linear design based around white or coloured 54 W fluorescent tubes, the Cyclo IP65 Directional offers long-lasting performance and uniform distribution of light and colour.

Developed around Martin's fluorescent colour-mixing module, the Cyclo IP65 Directional Series is further enhanced by its use of a well-known lamp technology that ensures long lamp life (20,000 hours) and a low maintenance schedule, says the company.

The Cyclo IP65 Directional can be programmed to generate smooth variations in light and colour, as well as 'daylight' variations in colour temperature. The Series offers a choice of static colours, variable colour temperature, or RGB colour mixing. Each of t

UK - ADB Lighting's UK distributor, LSI Projects, will be showing some of the latest ADB Lighting products at this week's AC Lighting North event in Leeds.

On display will be the award-winning WARP/M (Motorised) and manual WARP zoom profile spotlights, which have recently been installed in the UK at leading venues including the Barbican Concert Hall, Glyndebourne Opera, the English National Opera's home at the London Coliseum and the London School of Speech and Drama.

Alongside it on LSI's stand will be the compact, powerful ADB Mentor control console, whose leading UK customers include ITN and the BBC, which has taken delivery of ten consoles for its UK regional television studios and recently ordered another two of the desks for a new London studio that will open in June.

LSI Projects will also be displaying the Europe and Eurospot luminaires, two of ADB's best-selling lig

UK - Germany-based lighting control systems specialist MA Lighting invited friends and colleagues to the opening of its new London office and showroom yesterday. The opening of the office follows success for MA's lighting control systems in London's West End, on shows including Thoroughly Modern Millie, Mamma Mia!, Avenue Q, Wicked, Sinatra and the Blue Man Group, as well as the upcoming productions of Lord of the Rings and The Drowsy Chaperone.

The company has also reports seeing strong uptake of its lighting control systems in the touring rental, TV/studio and architainment markets.

The new London office will have a dedicated technical support and sales team in place to support the UK market, and the company plans to open its New York office later this month, through its US distributor A.C.T Lighting, to service its growing Broadway presence.

(Lee Bald

UK - Hawthorn supplied lighting and staging for the recent International Visual Communications Association Awards Ceremony, held in the Great Room at Grosvenor House, London.

The theme of the evening was the Four Seasons, and for the room lighting, Hawthorn's LD Matt Oscroft used PAR cans and Selecon Cool 90s, complete with gobo break-ups to change the mood from season to season throughout the ceremony.

Working for The Staging House, Hawthorn also installed a 76ft x 12ft foot stage using its Steeldeck modular staging units, as the stage had to be large enough not only for the live band, but also to hold all of the award winners together for group photos at the end of the awards.

Hawthorn's stage backdrop consisted of an 18m x 6m Prolyte truss goal post, with a starcloth backdrop and sharkstooth gauze panel in front. LD Oscroft used the gauze as a projection surface fo

UK - The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) recently completed the purchase of 10 Martin Professional MAC TW1 80 V Tungsten fixtures with narrow lenses. Specified for King Lear and The Seagull by lighting designer Neil Austin, the RSC also bought eight Atomic 3000 strobes.

The RSC attracts audiences and artists from around the world to its three theatres (Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Swan Theatre and Courtyard Theatre) in Stratford-upon-Avon. Currently, King Lear and The Seagull are performed in repertoire at the 1500 seat Courtyard Theatre. The two productions make up the last of the RSC's Complete Works season after which the productions will embark on a world tour that includes stops in Singapore, New Zealand, Australia and the East and West Coasts of America before returning to the UK. The remainder of the tour will be played over an eight week

USA - ESTA's Technical Standards Program announces that two draft standards have been posted on the ESTA website for public review through 25 June 2007.

The draft standards, BSR E1.35-200x, Standard for Lens Quality Measurements for Pattern Projecting Luminaires Intended for Entertainment Use, and BSR E1.36-200x, Model Procedure for Permitting the Use of Tungsten-Halogen Incandescent Lamps and Stage and Studio Luminaires in Vendor Exhibit Booths in Convention and Trade Show Exhibition Halls, can be accessed at http://www.esta.org/tsp/documents/public_review_docs.php

BSR E1.35-200x, Standard for Lens Quality Measurements for Pattern Projecting Luminaires Intended for Entertainment Use, describes a method for measuring stage and studio luminaire lens quality with particular emp

USA - Josh Groban began his 29-city North American concert tour in with the grandMA in tow for lighting control. Groban's tour was in support of his latest studio album, Awake on Reprise. His two previous studio CDs have been certified five times platinum with the most recent, Closer"I fell in love with the grandMA after the Paul McCartney tour a couple of years ago," explained lighting director Wally Lees. "It was the only console that could do the job. The grandMA has a lot of universes, and its NSPs are so stable. I got great backup from MA and A.C.T."

For this tour, Groban wanted a more industrial rock look for the lighting even though he's not recognised as that kind of performer. He asked production designer Roy

UK - Almost 30 years after Nottingham's Theatre Royal reopened to the public following extensive refurbishment work and 25 years since the Royal Concert Hall was unveiled, Theatre Projects Consultants is providing theatre consulting services to the Royal Centre Nottingham again.

The Royal Centre, a celebrated Nottingham landmark and regular touring venues, is currently undertaking a strategic review. MD James Ashworth explains, "Theatre Projects were the natural choice for the job with their intimate knowledge of the building, having helped us conceive it during the 1970s and 80s. With a vast portfolio of experience and an unparalleled reputation for excellence, we believed they would assist us in ensuring the Royal Centre continues to be one of the country's finest facilities for the 25 years."

Theatre Projects is currently celebrating its 50th anniversary of consul

UK - Robe ColorSpot 2500E ATs were specified by Dancing on Ice Live lighting designer Mark Cunniffe and lighting director Svend Pedersen. These are a major element of the lighting scheme for the sold out arena tour which follows the second hugely successful Dancing On Ice TV series.

The 2500s were chosen for their power and intensity and also their reliability. 21 of the CS 2500E ATs are rigged onto the main trussing structure above the ice, consisting of a circle in the centre, with eight spines radiating outwards towards the edges of the ice. There are six units on the circle and then either one or two on each of the eight spine trusses. There's another four above the judge's panel at the end of the ice rink, and six on the floor directly behind them.

Pedersen has been a Robe advocate ever since the first time he used ColorSpot 1200 ATs two years ago on a TV sp

UK - Bandit Lites UK supplied full lighting production and crew for the Once In A lifetime Rewind tour, featuring a line-up of UK and US artists from the 1970's - Showaddywaddy, David Cassidy, David Essex and The Osmonds.

Bandit also supplied the original Once In A Lifetime (OIAL) tour in 2005 as well as the OIAL country tour in 2006, all project managed by Bandit Lites' Lester Cobrin.

For this Rewind tour, the lighting design was completely reworked by Bandit's production designer, Dizzy Gosnell from their San Francisco office, which included the addition of a moving truss system. This enabled the rig to be moved into different shapes for all the acts. Although there was a specific running order, they were all effectively headliners.

"Making each artist look different was the biggest task for me," says lighting director and console operator Pe

Poland - Telewizja Polska (TVP SA) which is one of the largest stations in Europe has invested in a variety of lighting equipment by ETC. Impressed by the calibre of lighting control on the 2005 Eurovision Song Contest, which was done with four ETC Congo consoles, TVP decided to acquire its own Congo.

According to Janusz Plewin'ski, the general lighting operator for TVP in Poznan, "Congo is a good choice for mid- to large-sized studios, particularly because the console doesn't use a touchscreen. Its versatile faders and keys allow quick shortcuts to help lighting designers keep up with the busy world of broadcasting."

Congo's 'zoomable' channel views are another helpful feature for television studios, as well as the zoomable Channel Layout function that allows users to draw their own live displays using standard channel symbols or icons. TVP technicians apprec

USA - Wybron has appointed Bryan Steele as Northeastern regional sales manager for the company. Steele replaces Miles Dudgeon who previously held the position and was promoted to director of marketing at Wybron.

Prior to joining Wybron, Steele was the Rosco Laboratories account executive in charge of covering the northeastern United States. He is currently an artist in residence at the University of New Haven.

"Bryan is a terrific salesperson, well-known and liked in our industry," said Larry Turner, CEO of Wybron. "Many of our dealers have written me to congratulate us on hiring him and tell us how much they look forward to working with him as he transitions to Wybron. Additionally, Bryan's background as a lighting designer really gives him a clear understanding of our clients needs."

(Jim Evans)

UK - Research for the proposed National Skills Academy for the Creative and Cultural Industries suggests that current and projected growth in live entertainment will generate demand for an extra 10,000 skilled offstage and technical staff over the next decade. And with half of the current workforce expected to retire or leave the industry by 2017, the total estimated number of recruits required rises to around 30,000.

Major employers in the theatre, live music and events industries already report serious difficulties recruiting qualified and experienced professionals in a wide range of disciplines including lighting, sound, stage controls and specialist backstage support staff.

Since January 2007, more than 300 individuals and organisations - including employers, trade bodies and freelancers - have been consulted on the Skills Academy proposal being developed by Creative & Cul

USA - It's rodeo time in Texas, and MA's grandMA made its debut at the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo where two consoles were used to control the main and perimeter lighting rigs for star turns by leading performers.

"What's unique about this show is that you're dealing with 20 performing artists in 20 days," notes LD Systems' John Dickson, who handled all the overhead stage lighting. "And that means 20 different lighting designers. They don't run the board; they give you ideas to translate. The challenge is coming up with different looks using exactly the same rig every night.

The grandMA is really fluid, and its timecode is totally cool. Two shows were done to timecode: the National Anthem and a multimedia presentation honouring the volunteers and featuring a brief history of the rodeo. The grandMAs took the timecode feed better than any other system I've used

UK - SPS has just completed its work for the Institute of Directors Annual Conference, a one day event that featured presentations by high profile business leaders at London's Royal Albert Hall.

SPS has worked on the IoD flagship event for four years and utilised its extensive experience to design and construct the impressive stage set. SPS used LED screen technology both as a graphic display and a powerful lighting source. This allowed the 2,500 company directors attending the event a clear view of the stage. These LED screens coupled with two large video projection screens created a dramatic stage set. SPS's creative team also produced the graphics and visual content.

The theme of this year's event was Success in a Challenging World. It examined topics such as the rapidly expanding European Union, globalisation of markets and environmental issues. Key note speakers in

Denmark - Martin Professional's Stagebar 54 is a compact, powerful LED luminaire with a comprehensive colour range, all-in-one simplicity and a tough temperament for the touring market. It functions as a pixel bar for displaying imagery and video or as a wash luminaire for floodlighting surfaces and stages, says the company.

The Stagebar 54 is bright enough to be matched with other light sources. With five coloured diodes (Red, Green, Blue, Amber and White), instead of the usual three, the Stagebar 54 offers a broad range of colors. Lens options include a 29° standard lens or opaque diffuser.

A central feature of the Stagebar 54 is the ability to create even and consistent colours. Each pixel board has been measured and calibrated, "guaranteeing standardized brightness and colour performance".

To ensure the best possible lumen performance, on-demand fans monito

UK - Staging Services has announced the launch of its new LED, modular staging/dance floor system. It can can be used in conjunction with the company's modular staging system - Super Stage as a dance floor, lit fashion catwalk, stage or exhibition floor. Each LED tile is 500mm x 500mm and can be individually programmed to emit "thousands of colours, limitless sequences, patterns and basic alphanumerical characters".

If the system is used as a raised stage, handrails can be locked into the floor to prevent guests from falling and if it is used at a height of 150mm a bevel is locked into the floor to allow safe access to and from the stage.

As well as the full colour, LED system, Staging Services also stocks a stylish check pattern in black and white vinyl and traditional polished parquet dance floors to suit different events.

(Jim Evans)

USA - The Grinnell Water Works building in Charlotte, North Carolina was the scene of one of the city's biggest recent mega-bashes, a Players Ball hosted by national recording artist Calvin Richardson and Vintage Productions. LEDs, moving lights and other special effects from American DJ and Elation Professional were instrumental in setting a partying mood, according to lighting designer Jack Kelly of Eye Dialogue Lighting and Sound.

"The biggest visual challenge," said Kelly, "was to 'orient the party', which encompassed two separate spaces - a VIP area in the building's foyer, and a large tent for general admission guests." With each space having its own entrance, there were four lighting zones: VIP, VIP entrance, GA, and GA entrance.

"The easiest way to orient a room is to frame the entertainment and the bar, the two most valued gathering points at

UK - The seventh annual A.C. Lighting North event in Leeds last week (1-2 May) saw the biggest increase in attendance levels since the event began - attracting over 30% more visitors than last year.

Owing to a construction delay with the new bigger Royal Armouries Saviles Hall, the event took place in its original location - a move which proved conclusively that the show has now outgrown the venue and will need the extra capacity to cope with predicted attendance levels in 2008.

The event provided a showcase of over 70 leading brands for buyers in the Midlands, North of England and Scotland, and also served as a platform for many exhibitors to unveil their new products to a UK audience for the first time this year.

This year's seminar highlights included unique talks from leading lighting designers Bernie Davis and Andy Doig, PSA general manager Andy Lenthall, and Barco crea

Sweden - W-DMX Generation 3 BlackBox units, manufactured by Wireless Solution Sweden, will be used to send wireless DMX signal to moving trusses and other equipment during the Eurovision Song Contest, staged in Helsinki this month.

W-DMX will control a total of six universes of DMX, including moving trusses containing Syncrolite B-52s and moving lights. It is also being used on a 120cm large prism mirror ball suspended from the ceiling, custom assembled mobile fog machines, and a Cyberhoist-rigged Fogscreen that descends from above the stage during the interval act.

The new W-DMX Generation 3 BlackBox has a high power radio output with up to 375mW and uses AFHSS and TDMA to avoid interference - even in a television broadcast environment loaded with 24 cameras and a hostile radio signal atmosphere.

(Jim Evans)

USA - Florida-based Chauvet has entered into a licensing agreement with Color Kinetics Incorporated whereby Chauvet has access to Color Kinetics' complete worldwide patent portfolio.

Chauvet CEO Albert Chauvet said, "Because we have invested heavily in LED technology and because we strongly believe that it is the way of the future, we took a pro-active stance in approaching Color Kinetics and seeking access to their patent portfolio. "We are thrilled that we were able to come to an agreement that will help us consolidate our position as a forward-thinking, groundbreaking company while still allowing us to offer the value that we are known for."

"Color Kinetics is committed to enabling the intelligent LED Lighting market by granting access to the IP we've funded and developed for over ten years," said Bill Sims, president and CEO, Color Kinetics. "

UK - Zero 88 Lighting is being used extensively within the UK TV production sector, reports the company. Zero 88 distributor Flashlight continues to supply a range of control products to a number of production companies. The largest is 3 Sixty Media, the company formed by BBC Resources, Yorkshire Television and Granada Television.

The current filming schedule at Granada's studios includes the remake of hit wartime sitcom Allo Allo in Studio 12 which is controlled by an Illusion 500.

Provision is the TV and Camera rental division of Granada, providing all OB facilities for 3 Sixty Media. Based in Leeds at Yorkshire TV, current shows being serviced include Heartbeat and The Chase, which are both controlled on their own Illusion 500 with dimming being provided by Betapacks.

Stewart Grant, operations manager of the newly opened Manchester branch of Provision

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