UK - PLASA has said the 2018 edition of the PLASA Show has been ‘the busiest and most vibrant’ show since it moved to London Olympia in 2016. PLASA 2018, which took place on 16-18 September, saw a 4% increase in visitors with a palpable atmosphere that was reminiscent of its popular Earls Court days. The show welcomed a stream of exhibitors and attendees from around the world, primed to explore the leading edge of live entertainment technology. The expo also confirmed its importance for networking and trade, with 63% of visitors being final decision makers or specifiers, and a quarter being business owners, managers and directors. Jonathan Walters, UK sales and purchasing director from A.C Entertainment Technologies comments: “This third year back in West London has really confirmed PLASA’s decision to relocate to Olympia, each show here has worked consi
UK - Technical manager and vision engineer John Steele has joined Blitz, a GES company, as technical director. Prior to joining Blitz, Steele specialised in providing engineering support, planning and technical solutions for large-scale, multi-camera mobile broadcasts. Steele has engineered and managed in most areas of the video industry, including corporate presentations, concert tours and international sports coverage. Steele is responsible for running the Blitz technical teams, including video, sound, lighting and set and staging, as well as the project management team. In this role, Steele is part of the Blitz senior leadership team and reports to Blitz managing director Mike Phillipson. Phillipson commented, “As Blitz grows, we need to bring in the very best talent and John Steele certainly fits that bill. His wide-ranging technical experience an
UK - Brompton Technology has been featured by The Sunday Times in its 18th annual league table of the top one hundred private technology, media and telecoms companies in terms of fastest growing sales over the past three years. The Tech Track 100 is compiled by Fast Track, and Brompton was one of 13 high-tech manufacturing companies to feature, with two others also doing business in the live event industry. This achievement by Brompton Technology further consolidates its position as a major player in its sector, for which it develops high quality LED video processing systems. Managing director Richard Mead comments: “It is always nice to have your achievements acknowledged, and everyone at Brompton Technology should be delighted with this national recognition. We have prided ourselves on excellence in both customer service and product innovation. This league r
USA - Creative studio Obscura Digital recently worked with Vornado Realty Trust to install a permanent projection system to illuminate the façade of Chicago’s Merchandise Mart (theMART) with images reflecting Chicago’s cultural heritage. Art on theMART will be launched with an opening ceremony on 29 September featuring original content from Obscura media team and select international artists. The reins will then be handed to theMART's curatorial team to craft two-hour projection shows five nights a week, 10 months of the year. Art on theMART will be lit nightly by 34 projectors shining over one million lumens across the Chicago Riverwalk onto the building’s 2.5 acre façade. Through a custom, software-driven curatorial platform, the building will be transformed into a singular curatorial canvas for fine art. theMART’s curatorial team promis
The Netherlands - The ADJ Group has announced ‘the sudden passing’ of Jo Mulders (61) on 17 September. Described as an ‘esteemed and beloved colleague’, Mulders worked for the company for over 15 years, most recently as a general manager at ADJ Group’s European headquarters in Kerkrade, The Netherlands. Toby Velazquez, ADJ Group president, comments: “On behalf of everyone at the ADJ Group, we are stunned and deeply saddened by the news of the passing of Jo Mulders and send our sincerest condolences to his family. Those of us that had the privilege and honour to know and work with Jo have lost an inspiring friend. Jo was a warm, infectiously positive person who really cared for others and his absence will be felt with great sorrow. Jo was always sympathetic and team-oriented, valued for his know-how and drive, and was essential in helping to lift the company
UK - Microphone windshields and suspension systems manufacturer Rycote has been acquired by The Vitec Group. The acquisition will enable Vitec, a camera supports maker and distributor, to bring complementary audio products to its customers whilst growing the Rycote brand, which will become part of the Creative Solutions division. Rycote MD Simon Davies will remain with the company. Davies comments: “We are thrilled to become part of the Vitec Group and I’m really excited and confident that we can continue to go from strength to strength; designing, manufacturing and selling our fantastic Rycote products. “We are looking forward to celebrating 50 years of Rycote next year and, as we enter into this new chapter, we remain committed to serving the needs of our professional audio customers and exploring other markets for our existing and new products.
South Africa - Global design and BIM software solutions provider Vectorworks has announced that DWR Distribution has been appointed an official distributor for Vectorworks Spotlight, Braceworks and Vision software in South Africa. The agreement will also facilitate greater technical and sales support with direct access to the team at Vectorworks. Tara Grant, director of channel operations at Vectorworks, comments: “DWR has demonstrated a strong commitment to Vectorworks and has deep roots in the entertainment industry, and it was a natural progression to have them officially join the Vectorworks family as a distributor. As the demand for our solutions grows and Vectorworks continues to expand, we are looking for strong distribution partners like DWR to provide local support in markets around the world.” Duncan Riley, owner of DWR Distribution, adds: “It
Germany - Absen Europe has announced the appointment of Christian Czimny to the role of R&D director, EU Business Unit. A new role for the company and the first R&D position based in Europe, it will see Christian take the lead on establishing a R&D team in the region to develop the future pipeline of LED display technologies and solutions with features that are specifically sought after by customers in the market. Christian will be working closely with Absen Europe’s team based in the Rüsselsheim HQ in Germany, where he will also host customer visits. Christian will also travel frequently to Absen’s China-based HQ and manufacturing facilities in Shenzhen and Huizhou respectively, in order to align with all departments. The position will take Christian on site visits to customers in Europe to gather their feedback on existing and future products and what deve
UK - Innovative technology and insightful seminars have been the highlights on Day One at the PLASA Show, with exhibitors wowing visitors with new technologies and stylish solutions. After revealing its new stand concept, Platinum Sponsor Robe continues to showcase its latest lighting fixtures in a show-stopping stand production featuring a dance troupe, rain, fire and a mysterious cave, all visible from the Gallery Level. “We decided to create a ‘Lost World’ trilogy for three trade shows,” explains design duo Nathan Wan and Andy Webb. “We drew inspiration from Tomb Raider, Indiana Jones and the Goonies, creating an epic fire VS water battle. We always go big and this year sees a 22m wide rain feature.” Stand aesthetics have led the way for Yamaha, too. Chris Irvine, Yamaha’s product manager, says: “This year we took a new approach which has had a gre
Vietnam - Ba Sao Investment recently deployed a full-scale Harman Professional Solutions AV Solution at FLC Samson to provide a luxury entertainment experience for guests. FLC Group is a leading real estate developer in Vietnam with over 16 years of experience in resort-oriented facilities, ranging from beach villas to high-rise hotels. Their flagship property, the FLC Samson - a luxury hotel and resort on the coast of the East Vietnam Sea - is known for staging show-stopping performances from globally renowned artists in their 1,200-seat Plenary Ball Room. FLC Group recently hired Ba Sao Investment to design a full-scale AV solution at FLC Samson to elevate the sound quality of these performances both in the ball room and throughout the resort. “FLC Samson is a five-star luxury resort, and we needed an AV solution that could provide five-star sound,” a spok
Italy - It was the summer of 2015 and start up entrepreneur Fabio Zaffagnini was taking a drive, listening to the Foo Fighters on the radio - and dreaming that they might one day perform in his home city of Cesena, near Florence. To entice such a big act to a city so small, it would take a gesture of gargantuan proportions. And so the Rockin’ 1000 was born - he set about assembling 1,000 musicians in a park for a special one off performance of the Foo Fighters track Learn To Fly. The biggest rock band in the world made history with millions of YouTube views worldwide, grabbing the attention of the Foo Fighters lead singer Dave Grohl who promised to play for the 1000 in Cesena - and did just that on 3 November the same year. An expression of Italy’s passion, creativity and artistic skill, this was just the beginning for Rockin’ 1000 which has
UK - The recently-built Anjuman El-Saifee Community Centre in Birmingham, UK is benefitting from Powersoft’s Ottocanali 4K4 amp which was specified as part of the AV installation. With good speech intelligibility at the forefront of requirements for a House of Worship, Powersoft’s Ottocanali product was chosen for the project. The Dawoodi Bohra community spent years fundraising, planning and preparing to build the Community Centre comprising a mosque, evening school and sports hall – and as with any House of Worship, it would require a robust AV system so that the imams and speakers could clearly project their message to the audience. Pete Rutherford owns and runs Direct Audio Visual, which was engaged as AV integrator for the project. With a background in retail, corporate and warehouses, this House of Worship project was a departure for Rutherford and his team
UK - The PLASA Show will open its doors this weekend (16-18 September) at London Olympia. The trade show will feature hundreds of brands across the show floor as it prepares to welcome thousands of entertainment technology professionals. Audio heavyweights L-Acoustics, Bose and Yamaha, and lighting pioneers Robe, DTS, ETC and Philips will all be present on the show floor and the seminar programme promises to deliver in-depth sessions across a wide range of topics. Product highlights Elation will be showcasing the Smarty Hybrid, their new LED lighting fixture. MA Lighting is showcasing its grandMA3 lighting console. Robe is launching a new product as well as showing its RoboSpot Multi Device Control. Robert Juliat will reveal new additions to its Dalis range. Prolight Concepts is bringing the all-weather Endura and Evora series from elu
UK - A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET) will exclusively showcase over 15 brands from its portfolio of over 200 marques at PLASA 2018 (Stand E30), London - including four products nominated for this year's PLASA Awards for Innovation and several previous Innovation award-winners. 2018 PLASA Awards nominees include PROLIGHTS' new Panorama IP WBX IP65 LED moving wash light ideal for temporary outdoor events; Columbus McKinnon's new Lodestar VS chain hoist featuring Magnetek IMPULSE G+ Mini drive and other industry-leading safety procedures; Tourmate's new Multilock Hoist Connector for distribution of power and control to motorised hoists which eliminates potential cross-connection with other entertainment applications; and BroadWeigh's new BW-HA advanced wireless handheld display for its innovative wireless load monitoring system. Staff from AC-ET's dedicated produc
UAE - Event design and technical production specialist Maestra has launched a new scenic department in Dubai. It will operate from a dedicated facility close to their HQ in Investment Park. Maestra has been providing its clients with creative scenic services for the past few years in both London and Dubai, so this consolidates the business model, and brings a key division of the contractor services portfolio in-house. Already delivering lighting, audio, video, rigging as well as scenic elements including the fabrication of set and staging, it was a “totally logical step” confirmed Maestra Dubai’s managing director Tom Clements. The new department will be headed up by Jurgens Potgieter, who brings over 10 years of practical experience in the region, working for several leading fabrication contractors. Before then, he cut his ‘production teeth’ in the sam
USA - With a career that spans more than half a century, Elton John kicked off his Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour, at the PPL Centre in Allentown, PA. The stage is set with a massive LED screen framed by a highly-detailed, artistic portal, built by TAIT, that showcases a retrospective of his career. Production experts George Hoadley, production manager, Patrick Woodroffe, lighting designer, Stufish Entertainment Architects, stage designers, and TAIT, staging and automation providers, collaborated on the tour to provide fans with a concert experience that only Sir Elton John could deliver. One of the most impressive elements of Elton John’s set is the artistic portal that frames the main backdrop video screen and wraps around the front of the stage. The portal is a scenic fascia brick frame fashioned with fine-detailed scenic elements depicting moments that ha
Canada - Solotech has announced the appointment of Jason Howard as director of operations for the Ottawa office, effective 5 September 2018. In this role, Howard will lead the operational activities, including the integration of advanced equipment and technology for clients for all the segments of expertise (government, business, cultural and sports facilities) of the sales and integration division. Jason has been working in project and operations management for almost 20 years and his areas of expertise include quality assurance, strategic planning and process improvement. (Jim Evans)
Germany - Phil Myers has joined German IP video, audio and control specialist Lawo as senior director of IP Systems. In this newly created role, Myers will coordinate the IP product portfolio and core technology development across the Lawo business as well as supporting the Advisory Board with strategic and technology direction during this fast-changing transitional period in the broadcast industry. Myers previously held the role as IP product manager for SAM (Snell Advanced Media) and Grass Valley, a Belden Brand. Additionally, Myers has undertaken technical product management and head of technology positions at Pinnacle Systems Inc. (now part of Avid Technology), Sony and CVP. Myers comments: “It’s great to be part of a team with such a great vision about the future of our industry and that has the commitment, passion, right people, and leading-edge IP audio, vid
Denmark - Blackmagic Design reports that all video production for Denmark’s Grøn Festival including IMAG projection is handled by an end to end Blackmagic Design live solution, comprising URSA Broadcast, ATEM 4 M/E Broadcast Studio 4K and Smart Videohub 12G. Grøn Festival takes place across consecutive dates at eight different locations around Denmark, with the same crew and artists delivering the entire festival schedule. Live events specialist, Deadlight Lydiksen, takes responsibility for live production, handling all aspects of video from a purpose built 12G-SDI outside broadcast (OB) van. “Grøn is an amazing festival with a concept that really shouldn’t be possible. Everything is built, conducted and packed back up each day, at venues with up to 35,000 spectators. Working from the van makes it easy for us to get in and out quickly each day,” explains Ca
Australia - Australia’s largest university has established centres of academic excellence around the world, including eight on home soil – with Clayton campus its biggest, educating more than 30,000 students every year. First established in 1958, 20km south-east of Melbourne, the campus has recently undergone an extensive transformation of its Learning and Teaching building - with 65 formal and 60 informal newly equipped learning spaces spread over almost 30,000sq.m providing a truly forward-thinking, innovative environment for campus teaching. Designed to free the minds of the academics and students, liberating them from the constricts of more traditional teaching environments, the AV set up is central to this philosophy - enabling teachers and students alike to engage with the technology intuitively, rather than it being a barrier to learning. Monash Univ
Europe - RTW has announced the appointment of Thomas Valter as the company's new director of product management and marketing. Valter, who has more than 20 years of experience in the audio industry, will be at IBC 2018 (RTW stand 8.D89). He comments: "I am pleased to be joining RTW, a highly focused, professional and strong brand. I look forward to taking part in further developing and strengthening the company's position within the ever-changing global broadcast market." Valter recently served as vice-president of business management for the broadcast and production division of TC Electronic. Previous roles at TC Electronic include international public relations manager and product manager, in which he drove product development, UI/UX specifications, sales and marketing for the company. (Jim Evans)
Europe - Digital control specialist ArKaos has announced its support for software-driven IP workflows using NewTek NDI Network Device Interface protocol. Joining the industry’s largest IP ecosystem of products, and a rapidly expanding number of companies enabling IP-based customer workflows, ArKaos has integrated NDI into its MediaMaster PRO, MediaMaster Express, Grand VJ and Grand VJ XT products, which are all now recognizable as a source by other NDI-enabled applications and devices connected via a standard Ethernet local area network. The ArKaos Ecosystem allows for the maximum and most flexible control of lighting and video, in one easy-to-use comprehensive tool. ArKaos hardware and real-time video software is present in every major market sector and industry, from IOT / architectural and architainment installations to LED applications and media solutions
USA - Matrix is supplying their PPU, camera systems and LED to the North American segment of the Phil Collins tour - Phil Collins Not Dead Yet, Live (see LSi September 2017 for a production report). This is the first tour Phil has performed in the US, in 12 years. The North American region forms part of the Worldwide tour which runs for three weeks from 3-28 October. The concerts commence in Fort Lauderdale, travelling up the west to Canada, into the Mid-West and onto the West Coast – all in all 15 shows in 25 days. Phil Collins and the band will be supported with a range of Matrix supplied equipment - most notable is the PPU, camera systems and LED inventory. The Matrix PPU with Ross Carb
USA - 311’s Unity tour is criss-crossing North America with a full video rig powered by Avolites’ Ai. The American rockers worked with production designer Bobby Grey, from Sightline Design Group, who created a video-focused show to add dynamic and fast-paced eye-candy. The band is backed by a 38'x16' 5.9mm upstage LED screen and considerable lighting rig. “For this tour, the band and their management felt strongly about bringing hi res video into the mix,” says Grey. “Touring with full video is somewhat new territory for 311, and the song catalogue that they pull from nightly is well over 120 very different sounding songs. This means that while we have mainstays that are frequently used in the set that we can plan for and timecode, there are also some deep cuts that require some fast, on the fly punting.” To find the right solution, Grey teamed
