UK - Sterling Events Group recently added to its professional audio offering through a substantial investment in EM Acoustics loudspeakers. Since adding to its portfolio, Sterling has deployed EM Acoustics systems on multiple high-profile projects.
The investment, comprised of 24 R8 Reference Series loudspeakers, complemented by 12 S215 subwoofers, has granted Sterling Events Group access to a powerful audio arsenal, enabling them to offer high-quality sound solutions to an expanding client base.
"EM’s R8s have proven to be a game-changer for us. We recognised the need for a an accessible, yet still high-quality option to meet diverse demands of some of our client base,” commented Tom Wright, assistant head of audio at Sterling Events Group. “The Reference Series fits the bill, offering remarkable musicality and great value when compared to other brands. Couple

Singapore - Wild Rice @ Funan is part of a modern performing arts complex sitting at the heart of Singapore’s lively civic and cultural district. Built in 2019, the main Ngee Ann Kongsi Theatre space offers an intimate 358-capacity space with Singapore’s only thrust stage, which was inspired by the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Swan Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon in the UK.
In 2022, the theatre took delivery of a new Robe moving light package – 10 x T1 Profiles and 16 x ParFect 150s – which joined the original lighting rig that was specified by theatre design consultants Charcoalblue when the venue opened. More recently, the theatre invested in Robe again, purchasing Tetra2 moving LED battens and LEDBeam 350 wash beams to boost the general lighting rig.
The fixtures were delivered via Robe’s Asia Pacific office, and these lighting investments were overseen

USA - The 2024 edition of Premio Lo Nuestro dazzled on many levels, not the least of which were what critics called the “historic collaborations” that were performed throughout the three-hour programme.
The Univision TV special featured reggaeton performer Don Omar doing a rendition of Danza Kuduro with pop-punk rocker Machine Gun Kelly. Then there was Mexican music sensation Carin León joining forces with country music star Kane Brown in the world premiere of their song The One (Pero No Como Yo). Camilo and Evaluna also broke new ground at Miami’s Kaseya Centre by performing their song PLIS for the first time on television.
The spirit of collaboration also drove the creative juices behind the vibrant production that supported the iconic awards show according to lighting designer Tom Kenny, who described the process this way: “Production

Italy - In 2015, in an extraordinary display of unity, 1,000 musicians and hundreds of volunteers including producers, videographers, sound engineers and more, converged in Cesena, Italy to perform Foo Fighters' Learn to Fly live in order to realise a video.
This video was a viral musical plea to Dave Grohl, asking him to play in their city, and marked the inception of Rockin'1000, now cited as the world's largest rock band. Since its viral debut, Rockin'1000 has evolved into a global phenomenon, orchestrating annual events across Europe and Brazil.
Rockin'1000 selected L-Acoustics for its global reach and the versatility of K Series, both crucial for their travelling shows. The debut use of this system occurred at the Stade de France in 2019, installed by the France-based L-Acoustics certified provider Dushow.
Luca Stefani, sound engineer at Rockin’10

Argentina - Tale of Us, the Italian DJ duo based in Berlin, made their fourth stop on the Latin American leg of their Afterlife world tour when they recently played Buenos Aires.
Claypaky lighting took centre stage at the Mandarine Park & Tent at Punto Carrasco on 8-9 March for the two shows.
The duo is known for curating shows that transport audiences to another dimension with artistic activations, visually impactful installations and unique soundscapes, created by themselves and a variety of extraordinary supporting artists. They launched Afterlife in 2016, a show billed as an odyssey through the realm of consciousness, an immersive experience that transcends the limits of reality.
Lighting designer Pascal Bach was involved in the design of Afterlife. For the Buenos Aires show, BALS (Buenos Aires Live Show) provided a large complement of Claypaky fixtures

Saudi Arabia - Lighting designer Thomas Giegerich of bright! studios and ES:ME Entertainment Services teamed up to illuminate an agal art piece for Saudi Arabia's 2024 Founding Day celebration and used over 250 Elation Proteus luminaires to fulfil the brief.
The event, held on 22 February, commemorated the founding of the first Saudi state and showcased the ‘heritage and spirit of the kingdom’.
An agal, a traditional cord worn by Arab men to secure their headcloth, served as the centrepiece of the art installation, symbolising the cultural richness of the region. Thomas, managing director of bright! studios, brought his expertise to the project, crafting a dynamic light show that captivated audiences and could be seen across Riyadh.
In partnership with Alex Wuerfel, CEO of ES:ME Entertainment Services, Thomas orchestrated the intricate lighting design using

France - At Les Rencontres Trans Musicales (aka Transmusicales or Les Trans) The music starts at 9pm and continues virtually nonstop until morning. This process is repeated over the course of four days inside 100,000sq.m of cavernous airport hangers at Rennes Airport Parc Expo.
The festival was founded 44-years ago by Béatrice Macé and Jean-Louis Brossard, who still run the event today.
Whether it’s Iranian American trip-hop innovator Rahill, or French Israeli jazz drummer Roni Kaspi, the festival embraces a potpourri of artists for the express purpose of finding “the next big thing”. Les Trans has done quite a good job in this quest. Nirvana got what many regard as their first big European exposure at the festival, so too did Björk, Cabaret Voltaire and Daft Punk.
Future stars, as well as established artists, performing in the festival’s spacious Gre

Canada - BlackTrax brought their expertise to the live sports industry and added a new level of immersive artistry to the recent NBA All-Star events. Whether you were spectating from home or within the arena, the NBA raised the bar by transforming how fans engage in sports broadcasting through the integration of immersive technologies, including BlackTrax, into the games as they happened in real-time.
In collaboration with ASB GlassFloor, the NBA left fans in awe as the traditional glossy hardwood floor was upgraded to a 27m-pixel screen displaying real-time visuals and animations. Certified for the highest level of professional sports competitions by federations such as the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and International Volleyball Federation, ASB GlassFloor is more than just a flooring system; it's a versatile, multi-functional solution.
The surface of

USA - This year’s Academy Awards featured a number of notable musical performances. With the help of Shure wireless audio technology, the industry’s most experienced professionals brought the evening at Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre to life, making certain that all 10.5m viewers watching the event around the world ‘could enjoy every blockbuster moment with crystal-clear audio quality’.
Overall, the Academy Awards’ production team deployed 50 channels of Shure Axient Digital wireless, monitoring the spectrum with Shure Wireless Workbench. The team, comprised of professionals from ATK and Soundtronics, also deployed 16 channels of Q5X PlayerMics that were combined with Axient Digital wireless receivers to deliver superior digital transmission and spectrum efficiency.
Originally developed for the NBA, Q5X PlayerMics are super concealable, bendable, and are design

Germany - This week, the biggest and brightest names in international sports and media technology will gather for SportsInnovation at the Merkur Spiel-Arena in Duesseldorf. At this, invitation-only event, ARRI is set to present its impressive technology portfolio of camera and stabiliser equipment that ‘elevates live entertainment and sports broadcast environments to new heights’.
ARRI is new to the roster of selected exhibitors at SportsInnovation this year and presents a bespoke lineup of tools and workflows that are helping to shape the future of spectator sports. During the event’s Innovation Games, ARRI showcases its Multicam and camera stabiliser systems through live game demonstrations in partnership with the Deutsche Fussball Liga (DFL) and the National Football League (NFL). These real-life applications, featuring live soccer and American football matches, end

USA - When the Sphere opened last fall to resounding acclaim at the Venetian Resort Las Vegas, another eye-opening yet distinctly intimate entertainment venue made its debut at the same resort, Voltaire. Presented as an entirely new kind of entertainment space, Voltaire features architectural and theatrical lighting by renowned design studio Lightswitch, with Elation luminaires playing an essential role in crafting its atmosphere.
“I think it’s interesting to compare and contrast those two modalities, two totally different experiences and two ways of thinking about entertainment,” Lightswitch principal John Featherstone says of Sphere and Voltaire. “Both venues offer experiences pushed to the extremes, one a massive edifice of technology that immerses you in a grand experience, and the other a beautiful, small, intimate space that offers a remarkably personal experi

UK - Celebrating two decades since their formation and gearing up for the release of their first album in five years, January saw British rock band Bring Me the Horizon (BMTH) embark on a sold-out arena tour across the UK and Ireland.
The nx_gn wrld tour featured a display including a 500-panel LED setup, courtesy of Video Design and powered by Brompton Technology LED processing. Video Design’s Alex Leinster comments: “Not only is this tour promoting the band’s new album, it’s also an anniversary year for them, so we were asked to create their most awe-inspiring display yet, something to suit the scale of an arena and festival stage.”
Video Design was responsible for supplying and managing the screens, processing, and camera package. “On a fast paced, highly technical, large-scale production like this, it was crucial for us to use the top brands to

Germany - The era of Germany’s Weimar Republic was marked by compelling imagery that can never be forgotten by those who lived through it or studied it. The haunting aura of those years is palpable in Babylon Berlin, the series on Sky Deutschland that is set in the German capital in the waning days of the republic.
The gripping power that has made the TV series so unforgettable runs through the three Babylon Berlin Live in Concert performances that took place at the Theater des Westens. Part of the TingelTangel concert series, this stirring performance by the Baltic Sea Philharmonic, transports audiences back to the Weimer era musically and visually.
Amplifying the impact of the concert for live audiences, as well as for those who watched recordings later on television, was a nuanced lighting design by Jerry Appelt of Appelt Lichtdesign that featured 12 Chauvet Profe

UAE - Creative Technology recently upgraded the workflow within its Middle East team with the help of Stage Precision’s SP software. The Middle East teams, based in Saudi Arabia, Doha and Dubai, have been integrating the tools provided by SP software to help power large-scale events in the region.
“We first heard about Stage Precision about a year ago through social media,” recalls Carlos Aguilar, deputy head of video at Creative Technology ME. “It was the AR tracking capabilities of the SP software that first interested us, so we reached out for more information and began onboarding the tools into our projects. In fact, we first used SP for AR tracking during the Dubai World Cup last year.”
More recently, the Creative Technology team utilised Stage Precision software at Liwa Festival in Abu Dhabi, a week-long celebration of UAE heritage held in the shadow

Spain - Event production specialist AMG has provided a full suite of technical services including sound, video, lighting and staging at a corporate event in Barcelona. Italian commercial vehicles manufacturer Iveco invited 1,300 dealers, customers, partners and press to the unveiling of a new brand identity and a restyling of their entire product range at an occasion curated by event design specialists Filmmaster under the title Be The Change.
With just two days to set up in the 10,500 m2 space, the production involved some 200 engines, 1500m of truss, 750 moving heads, 1600m2 of projected video area and a 1500-seat grandstand, with up to 100 technicians on site at any one time.
AMG deployed their large inventory of Nexo sound systems throughout the event, most notably to cover the main convention area and a gala dinner. AMG Audio Engineer Roberto Del Duca takes up the

Luxembourg - After an absence of 31 years, Luxembourg marked its return to the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 by staging the precursor Luxembourg Song Contest event, organised and broadcast by RTL and featuring Claypaky lighting fixtures.
Prior to 1993, Luxembourg had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 37 times, winning on five occasions. But after a poor showing in 1993, Luxembourg was disqualified from competing the following year then opted out of the event until the announcement of the country’s return last year. The national entry for Eurovision’s 2024 competition was to be selected through a televised final.
The final round show and the concluding super final, narrowed down to just three contestants, were held 27 January at the Rockhal in Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg. The show was broadcast on RTL Tele Letzeburg, as well as on the broadcaster's radio s

Spain - Rock Circus Volume 2 - a completely new version of this performance concept - returned to the stage at IFEMA in Madrid, produced by Productores de Sonrisas, choreographed by Albert Sala and lit by Juanjo Llorens with a set design by Anna Calvo. The show meshed the thrills of extreme circus with a string of ‘inspiring and monumental rock anthems’.
Ten dancers, an 18-piece rock ‘n’ roll band and over 100 Robe moving lights brought the performance to life, embracing 40 musical moments from artists like AC/DC, Kiss, Metallica, Miguel Rios, Iron Maiden, GNR, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Tequila, Queen, David Bowie, Rosendo and more.
Having lit the first Rock Circus edition in 2022, Juanjo once again enjoyed working collaboratively with a creative team including video designer Romera Infografía and technical director Flavio Bañuelos alongside producers

UK - This year’s Printwear & Promotion LIVE! event landed at Birmingham NEC in February with an AV solution by JLL that featured hi-res LED video displays driven by tvONE's Green Hippo brand of Hippotizer Media Servers.
The event showcased all that’s new in garment decoration and attracted more than 100 suppliers, including the AWDis portfolio of brands. On the AWDis stand, JLL delivered design, equipment, and operational support, constructing a Lynx Pro Audio sound system and three large 6m x 4m LED video displays, with Green Hippo’s flagship Hippotizer Tierra+ MK2 Media Servers at its core.
“The high-performance hardware of the Tierra+ MK2 Media Servers was ideal for the large-scale, high-resolution output required for the 6m x 4m screens, offering reliability and advanced video processing capabilities,” says Rick Skelton, senior project manager at JL

USA - Flogging Molly’s 21-city Road To Rebellion tour started 16 February at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut and closed 17 March, St. Patrick’s Day, at the downtown Las Vegas Events Centre.
Keeping pace with all the hand clapping and sing-alongs is a colourful and lively Peter Therrien lightshow that features a 100-percent Chauvet Professional floor package supplied by JDI Productions.
“I do build a page for every song with Flogging, but nothing is timecoded, as it’s all about spontaneity and freshness,” said Therrien who ran his show on a ChamSys MagicQ MQ500 Stadium console. “As far as my colour selection goes, it’s based on the feeling I have for the band’s music. So, for instance, when I hear ‘Drunken Lullabies’ it’s always white. I’ve tried blue and amber in the past, but it just feels wrong. The colour choice has to be in the mom

Qatar - Qatar Vision (Qvision) utilised a wide array of Claypaky lighting for the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023. The fixtures illuminated pre-match ceremonies, the Fan Zone and coronation ceremony at the 18th edition of the cup, a quadrennial international football tournament organised by the Asian Football Confederation.
Although the event bore a 2023 date, it was scheduled for 12 January to 10 February 10, 2024 due to Qatar’s high summer temperatures. Twenty-four national teams participated with host Qatar the defending champion and, as it turned out, the repeat title winner. Four cities in Qatar furnished nine stadium venues for the games, including Lusail Stadium, with a capacity of nearly 89,000, hosting the opening and final matches.
Based in Doha, Qvision offers a comprehensive slate of event production, technical integration solutions, marketing, creative design,

Portugal - Nescafé presented its new Dolce Gusto NEO coffee machine in Portugal, which was complemented by a spectacular 182,000 lumen immersive projection display.
ADLC Audiovisuais selected nine Christie projectors to flood the auditorium of the Fundação Champalimaud in Lisbon with light and colour for the official presentation. At the launch event, produced by the UPPartner agency for Nescafé, approximately 300 guests had the opportunity to participate in an unforgettable experience that integrated artificial intelligence, human avatars, video projection, tasting areas, and exclusive personalised animations.
The event placed a special emphasis on the brand’s strong commitment to sustainability, as both the machines and the capsules are made from recycled materials. In addition, all materials used by Nescafé in the presentation were able to be recycled after

Saudi Arabia - Despite only launching in 2022, Gamers8 has become the largest globally recognised Esports tournament. Taking place in Riyadh over eight weeks, this year’s Land of Heroes event kicked off on 6 July, bringing together gaming enthusiasts from all corners of the world, who competed to take home cash prizes and the Gamers8 trophy.
The production behind Gamers8 is considerable, as alongside the intense gaming tournaments it also plays host to live concerts, attractions, and entertainment shows. A line-up of world-renowned artists and DJs, including Afrojack, Macklemore, Iggy Azalea, Imagine Dragons and more performed across its eight stages this year, in a show-stopping production.
Visual design and technology studio bright! studios were responsible for the media playback and virtual production of the gaming tournament elements of the event. bright! worked

Spain - Visitors to ISE in Barcelona were greeted by the sight of a custom-made 7.5m umbrella, where 61,500,000 pixels of animations enlivened every panel using six 10-bit, 4K, 20,000-Lumen projectors which were driven by Hippotizer Boreal+ MK2 Media Servers.
The project was realised by UK-based Motion Mapping, who were challenged with creating the concept and delivering the unusual exhibit, which was rigged on the Epson stand.
“We managed to load up the two Hippotizer Boreal+ MK2 Media Servers with the new Hippotizer 4.9 software and used the SHAPE toolkit to 3D map the undulating surfaces of the umbrella’s many panels,” says Stuart Harris of Motion Mapping. “We constructed a 3D model in C4D and then the real thing was constructed in Germany. SHAPE helped us to calculate everything and visualise it all in pre-production and then blend and line it all up on-s

Namibia - Etosha National Park in Namibia sprawls across a landscape of golden sunsets, sheltering endangered species and the Etosha Pan – Africa’s largest salt pan that attracts over 250,000 nature enthusiasts and adventurers every year.
The park’s luxurious Mokuti Etosha lodge, owned by the O&L Group, has recently undergone an extensive audio-visual transformation, designed and installed by Stage Audio Works (SAW) Namibia. As a long-standing client of SAW Namibia, the O&L Group entrusted them to completely re-imagine Mokuti Etosha’s conference space while also enhancing the surrounding pool and bar areas with an easy-to-use audio and lighting control solution. The outcome is truly remarkable and has elevated the overall experience for guests and visitors.
“O&L Leisure is a loyal client of ours and we wanted to assist them in offering their gue

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