Netherlands - Following a devastating fire in 2022, the NBC Congrescentrum in Nieuwegein has emerged from its ashes not just rebuilt, but technologically transformed. This premier Dutch event venue, which evolved from a modest meeting space in 1992 to hosting up to 4,000 guests today, now features a sophisticated L-Acoustics K Series sound system with a design innovation: when two large halls combine into one space, four precisely positioned line arrays seamlessly integrate to deliver consistent audio coverage throughout.

L-Acoustics Certified Partner AudioBizz collaborated with René Doeser, project leader for the NBC, from Dutch system integrator AVEX to overcome NBC's primary challenge: creating a versatile system that not only satisfies demanding production riders but also integrates seamlessly with the venue's architectural aesthetics.

"We creat

USA - Situated in Fredericksburg, VA, the 1,200-seat multipurpose Dodd Auditorium, at the University of Mary Washington (UMW), has been treated to a new, fully DSP-optimised Wavefront Precision line array from Martin Audio.

The installation, which comprises hangs of seven elements per side, was undertaken by Martin Audio partner, Soundworks of Virginia.

Soundworks had worked at the venue many times over the years as a rental provider, notably at commencement ceremonies. Their CEO Steve Payne observed, “At these events all parents really care about is hearing their kid’s name read out clearly. But this was always a challenge over a 250ft throw distance.” But this is just one of a variety of events hosted at the venue, including all types of performance arts, lectures and movies.

Soundworks had traditionally front-lined another PA system,

UK - Media City’s new Content Studio and co-working space at White Tower in Salford offers a blank canvas for influencers, photographers, producers, film makers, and other creatives, where they can share ideas, collaborate on projects, and make connections.

An important feature of the new Studio is its audio system, which was delivered by experienced Salford-based specialists Hollowsphere AV, who recommended and installed a Pioneer Pro Audio system from the company’s CM-Series of commercial audio products. With a brief to provide a system for background music and performance, the system needed to provide warm, clear sound, whilst also having the aesthetic qualities to discreetly complement the Content Studio interior.

Adrian Ball of Hollowsphere comments: “We were recommended for this project having completed a previous job at Media City’s Ho

UK - After receiving a generous grant from the Arts and Humanities Research Council, part of the Creative Research Capabilities Project, Professor Andrew Knight-Hill (Professor of Music and Sound Arts) and Dr Dave Hockham (Associate Head of School Student Success) commissioned the Stage Electrics team for two new installations.

This government investment into creative research practices recognises the significant contribution of the creative industries to the UK economy and has sparked innovation in the University of Greenwich’s creative research community.

Speaking about the Bathway Theatre, Professor Knight-Hill stated: “The vision for this space was to create a flexible environment that fosters possibility - allowing people to realise whatever they can dream, breaking the concept of a traditional stage, and dissolving the boundary between stag

Poland - Fryderyki 2025 is Poland’s leading music awards ceremony. The gala performance, held in April 2025, was the culmination of a celebration that spanned Poland.

Held in the Tauron Arena in Kraków, the show was built around the power of DiGiCo Quantum consoles, with four Quantum 338s for front of house and monitor mixing, plus an additional Quantum 225 dedicated to public speaking and host mixes. The entire system was supplied by Brawlers, the audio production company owned by Remigiusz Kasztelnik, who was also on site to produce the audio for the event.

Organised by the Association of Audio-Video Producers and the Phonographic Academy, this celebration of Polish music took place in three different cities. On 23 March, nominees in the jazz categories gathered in the Polin Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw. A week later, on 30 Mar

UK - Bespoke wedding and events venue, Blackbrook Barns in Sussex found its match in the Optimal Audio ecosystem which married its need for a simple-to-use system with the delivery of a diverse range of audio styles – from the soft melodies of a ceremony to lively evening celebrations – across the multi-zoned venue.

The venue team needed an audio system that would keep pace with the ebb and flow of a meticulously planned wedding day and a key challenge was the creation of an experience that covered a range of uses, including background music, speeches, live performances, and live DJs, without complicating operation to ensure that staff could focus on delivering a flawless event rather than managing a complex sound system.

Local installer Richer Sounds, with the support of Logan Helps from Audio-Technica, designed and installed an ecosystem that w

Denmark - Litecom has made a major investment in new Robe moving lights. The company is based in Copenhagen and has a branch in Stockholm, Sweden and works extensively across the two countries and throughout Scandinavia.

2024’s purchases include 50 x Forte Profile moving lights, 60 x Painte Profiles and 136 x Spiider LED wash beams, all delivered by Danish distributor, Light Partner. This was followed by a further investment of 24 more Fortes, another 50 x Paintes plus three BMFL FollowSpots.

“This decision was based on boosting our inventory with reliable stage lighting products that are universally useful across all our projects,” explained Litecom lighting designer Martin Wallin.

Wallin has been with the company for 19 years and oversees all the major broadcast projects, which have included supplying lighting to the Eurovision Song C

France - "Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist." Kelian Sevrée and the team at Concept K embrace that concept, and they proved its merit in style at the 2025 Dystopia festivals, held in two separate locations, Mulhouse and Rennes.

At both sites, they departed from the standard practice (that says you must have a massive video wall on a festival’s main stage). Instead, they animated their two main stages, both of which were devoted to hardcore music, with brawny collections of lighting effects, including the Chauvet Professional Color Strike M, as well as some compelling cubic set pieces.

“Unlike what is done in most modern productions, we chose not to include a video screen at the back of the stage,” explained Sevrée. “Given the scale of the event, we were able to break away from this standard element, a

India - The Chambal riverfront in Kota, Rajasthan is an urban development that has rejuvenated a 6km stretch of land into a thriving cultural and tourist destination.

Designed to celebrate the architectural heritage and cultural richness of India, the riverfront features 26 distinct ghats, each representing a different regional style. Among these, the Rajputana Ghat highlights the art and traditions of nine regions of Rajasthan, while the Sahitya Ghat pays homage to literary giants with statues of renowned authors and a library housing thousands of books.

Beyond its cultural significance, the restoration of the Chambal Riverfront plays a crucial role in ecosystem revitalisation, renewing the connection between the community and the river. The west-side garden of the project combines art, lighting, and horticulture, offering visitors a captivating exp

USA - The 2004 comedy-drama The Terminal had Tom Hanks’ character trapped in New York’s JFK airport due to a diplomatic snafu, but the subtler story under that narrative was how the airport had almost every service one needed to stay there, from food to retail.

From an arts perspective, that’s not unlike what one can find at Segerstrom Centre for the Arts in Costa Mesa, California. Its 14-acre campus is home to Segerstrom Hall, a 2,994-seat, opera house-style theatre, the campus’ largest facility and a venue for Broadway musicals, ballet, and other large productions.

The complex also hosts the 1,704-seat Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall and the 375-seat Samueli Theater – a multi-purpose facility, for jazz, cabaret, theatre, and special events – as well as the 53,000sq.ft Orange County Museum of Art. And many organisations

USA - When world-renowned immersive arts collective Meow Wolf transformed its Convergence Station venue into an unforgettable dancefloor experience for the Deep Dark & Dangerous’ Danceportation takeover, Lost Horizon Productions was entrusted with delivering exceptional audio to match the venue’s otherworldly setting. The result was a seamless fusion of immersive art and cutting-edge Funktion-One sound.

A sprawling, 90,000sq.ft creative universe, Convergence Station blurs the boundaries between art installation, interactive museum and event space. For Danceportation, the venue played host to 14 artists from the Deep Dark & Dangerous roster, who performed across two stages surrounded by Meow Wolf’s distinctive environments.

Lost Horizon Productions, a full-service event production company based in Colorado, was tasked w

Chile - The LXIV edition of the Viña del Mar Festival took place 23 February through 1 March, and for the first time, it was broadcast live worldwide to more than 5m viewers. To ensure quality performances for the audience and artists alike, Viña del Mar relied on the Shure Axient Digital Wireless System.

With an impressive artist lineup, the Viña del Mar festival has wrapped up another edition where great audio played a crucial role. The technical team relied on 70 channels of Axient Digital technology, 62 channels of PSM 1000 Advanced In-Ear Personal Monitoring System, and four channels of Axient Digital PSM Advanced Digital In-Ear Monitor System, among other Shure gear.

Thanks to its robustness and reliability, Axient Digital and PSM delivered quality audio and solid RF throughout the festival, despite the challenging technical environment.

UK - Life City Church is a modern, vibrant, multicultural church based in the heart of South London. Music plays a major part in the daily worship, with live bands regularly providing a focus for Sunday meetings, supported by a new sound reinforcement system from K-array, supplied by Audio Related Technology.

With an ever-increasing involvement of live music in its regular activities, Life City Church was looking to update its entire sound and lighting package and turned to Simon Griffett of Chesham-based Audio Related Technology for recommendations. The church’s older Turbosound PA had served it well but had become tired and was inconvenient to move around, as while looking for a permanent home the church was operating out of Woodcote High School in Coulsdon.

“We wanted a portable line array system for a predominantly live band mix,” said Life

Europe - 2024 was a notable year for Nina Chuba and 2025 is set to be even busier, with a summer of festival appearances already scheduled. Her first large-scale arena tour, starting in October 2025, has sold-out for most dates. Christopher ‘Toffie’ Plaschke has been Nina’s front-of-house engineer since the beginning of her live career. In 2023, he also took on the role of production manager, switching to DiGiCo consoles and sticking with them for every show he has done since.

“Nina is an incredible artist, and I’m truly grateful to be part of her journey,” Plaschke explains. “I used the Quantum 338 throughout the year, for both the tour and festival dates. The experience was fantastic, especially with the additional routing options. Whatever musical ideas I have, with a DiGiCo console, I never face limitations – it always supports my ideas.

USA - Billie Holiday observed that every song – like every person – must be unique, or it isn’t music. As a lighting designer, Jack Thomas agrees. Guided by this principle, he set out to leave visual fingerprints on each song in Bayside’s current North American Errors Tour.

“I programmed this show with Bayside to be very precise with cue-to-cue transitions so each moment of every song has its own specific fingerprint,” he explained. “Doing so keeps the energy fresh and exciting.”

Thomas’ ‘fingerprints’ provide the accompaniment to the emotionally powerful music on the New York punk rockers 25th anniversary tour. Calling forth a variety of lush colour blends, artful touches of atmospherics, unique light angles, and a touch of geometric patterns courtesy of this Chauvet Professional Epix Bars, Thomas reflects the distinct

USA - Located in the heart of Landover, Maryland, Northwest Stadium is a premier destination for sports and entertainment enthusiasts. Known for its vibrant atmosphere, the stadium hosts a wide range of events, from electrifying football games to large-scale concerts and community gatherings.

With seating for up to 63,000, Northwest Stadium combines modern design with cutting-edge technology to deliver an unparalleled fan experience. Its commitment to innovation and world-class AV has cemented its reputation as a cornerstone of entertainment in the region.

After 25 years of operation, parts of the stadium’s audio system needed maintenance. Following a competitive bidding process, C.V. Lloyde AudioVisual was selected to oversee the stadium’s audio upgrades. Originally specified with competitive products, the team at C.V. Lloyde saw an advantage in

USA - After a major production upgrade, Mosaic Nightclub in Kansas City has reopened its doors – reintroducing itself as a premier nightlife destination with a high-performance 1 Sound audio system.

Located in the heart of the Kansas City Power & Light District, Mosaic is known for its high-energy events and sleek design, including an indoor dance floor that opens onto an outdoor balcony overlooking the plaza. To match the versatility of the space, the audio system needed to be as dynamic as the club itself – delivering exceptional clarity and power while also standing up to the elements when the space transitions into open-air mode.

To meet those demands, the team at Definitive Pro Sound, led by Peter Bonavota, designed and installed a 1 Sound system centred around the Contour CT212 loudspeakers paired with SUB2112 subwoofers. This combinati

UK - Reinforcing a long-standing relationship built on trusted in-house design capabilities, the BRIT Awards chose to work with Britannia Row for a 30th year.

The UK music industry showcase asked Global Success Award recipient Sabrina Carpenter to open the 2025 proceedings, followed by live sets from Sam Fender, JADE, Ezra Collective, Jorja Smith, Lola Young, Teddy Swims and Rising Star winners Myles Smith, and The Last Dinner Party.

The show's audio delivery is overseen by Britannia Row account executive Tom Brown, with the sound system design created by Britannia Row's head of engineering, Josh Lloyd.

“It's a great way to see emerging acts coming through,” says Lloyd. “We're committed to treating all incoming engineers equally, and providing an excellent service, making the event run smoothly for each artist's team. It's impo

Finland - A large complement of Claypaky Sharpys and Tambora Batten squares illuminated the final qualifying event for Finland’s entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2025

The finale of UMK (Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu), or New Music Competition, was held at the Nokia Arena in Tampere on 8 February when broadcaster Yle treated viewers to six performances to determine who would represent Finland at Eurovision in Basel, Switzerland in May.

Lighting designer Pekka Martti and Ari Levela, creative director/founder of MOBB Helsinki Oy, designed the stage for UMK 2025. Martti chose 68 Sharpys and 46 Tambora Batten squares to light the two-hour show.

“Sharpys were used as audience ‘extras’ for songs with 360º shots and when performers went out on the catwalk,” explains Martti. “Sharpys still giv

UK - The Human League’s Generations arena tour kicked off its UK leg in December 2024. By the band’s third show they’d already elicited a five-star review from the Guardian, who described the show as “An evening of immaculate electro pop, delivered with grace, precision, and elation”.

Behind the scenes, seasoned production manager Sarah Hollis was at the helm. Hollis has been production managing tours since the late 90s and has worked with The Human League since their 2008, Steel City tour. “I was also the stage manager on that tour,” she explained, “which was a mixture of arenas, theatres and a couple of academies (and not in the order you’d like!) so let’s say it kept me on my toes, and I’ve been working with the band ever since.”

Emmy Award winning designer, Rob Sinclair, was asked by the band’s

Malaysia - HK Audio helped to deliver an unforgettable experience at Malaysia’s annual Rock in the Jungle festival. The two-day event brought together a combination of local Malaysian and international rock artists from Indonesia and Singapore who all performed through a Cosmo concert sound system on the main stage at the Sarawak Cultural Village.

From its humble beginnings nine years ago, Rock in the Jungle has rapidly become an established event that is the highlight of the year for local rock fans. Taking place at the end of December as an end-of-year celebration and organised by Authentic Ideas And Events, the most recent two-day festival featured performances from Wings, Sweet Charity, XPDC, Jemson, Criss X, JS Boys, Edane, Candy, Criss X, Senseless, and BNB Band.

To cover all performances, the FOH system for the main stage n

Europe - Raw Cereal, a renowned global creative production studio, was tasked with designing a bold, immersive visual experience for Hardy's Quit!! tour. With Hardy's evolving musical style blending country, rock, and pop, Raw Cereal had to ensure the visual elements matched the energy and variety of his performances. For the second time, they relied on AV Stumpfl's Pixera media server, known for its flexibility and robust feature set.

Cort Lawrence, the tour’s creative director, explained the scope of Raw Cereal's involvement: "On the show, we handled everything from the production design, stage design, lighting design, scenic design, as well as pyro, special effects, video content, and just overall show." The team was responsible for creating a comprehensive experience that connected Hardy's new album visuals with his live performances.

USA - As a drummer, monitor engineer Travon Snipes always had an interest in live productions, which ultimately led to him travelling the world with major artists like Jaden Smith, Fantasia, Megan Thee Stallion and Brandy, among many others. Most recently, Snipes was out on the road for Post Malone’s F-1 Trillion Tour, running monitors alongside Kevin Brown at front of house. While in the midst of this latest run, the tour’s audio team looked to enhance the quality of sound and replaced the show’s existing microphones with a selection from DPA Microphones.

Among the microphones to grace the stage were several of DPA’s newest live performance microphones, including the 2017 Shotgun and 2015 Wide Cardioid. “We made a great connection with the DPA team and, after hearing more about the brand, we knew the mics could take our sound to the next

USA - On its latest world tour, metal band Underoath wanted to remind its fans of where the group got its start, while celebrating the 20th anniversary of the successful album, They’re Only Chasing Safety. The set begins with what appears to be a dingy living room and gradually evolves into an expansive, modern show with intense lighting effects provided by Sonus Productions out of Moorestown, N.J.

“I always try to tell the story,” said Lenny Sasso, lighting designer for the tour and director of touring accounts at Sonus Productions. “Essentially for the band, this tour was telling the fans, ‘This is where we came from. This is how we wrote the record’.”

With the minimal initial visuals, Underoath gave a glimpse at the physical practice space in which They’re Only Chasing Safety came to life. The setlist featured a p

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