UK - Crestron has announced the grand opening of its new Design and Experience Centre in Leeds. This site provides local dealers a space in which to demonstrate the many benefits of Crestron's product range to its customers, says the company.

The new centre, which will be officially unveiled at an opening event on Thursday 1March 2012, provides a space for dealers to bring their customers, whether architects, contractors, developers, end users, or interior designers; to experience Crestron technology and give them an understanding of how it can transform their projects.

"We are incredibly excited about the new centre in Leeds and what it will mean for our dealers and their customers" says Phil Breitschadel, Crestron UK's sales manager "The Design and Experience Ce

USA - W-DMX by Wireless Solution Sweden AB will be showing the latest products in the W-DMX G4 range during PLASA Focus in Austin, Texas, February 22-23 on the A.C.T. Lighting booth 123. New products on display include the ProBox F-2500 G4, the BlackBox G4 MK2 and the BlueBox RDM Controller.

The ProBox F-2500 G4 is the flagship of the W-DMX range of products and is a transceiver solution with three functions in one. It is capable of transmitting or receiving two DMX universes with support of RDM and Ethernet protocols like Art-Net II/III and s/ACN. In addition, the unit is also a one DMX universe repeater with a built-in RDM controller that supports one universe with RDM over DMX or Ethernet. In addition, the ProBox F-2500 G4 also contains a built in RDM controller (BlueBox), all packed inside a 19" rack unit that supports both three-pin and five-pin XLR, Powercon and Ether

Grammy Awards - Adele was the big winner at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, winning six prizes including record, song and album of the year. She also made her live comeback at the ceremony, performing for the first time since having throat surgery last year. Rock band Foo Fighters won five prizes, while rapper Kanye West scooped four. The event saw heartfelt tributes to pop star Whitney Houston, who died on Saturday, while Amy Winehouse received a posthumous award.

Accepting the trophy for best pop solo performance for her song Someone Like You, Adele said, "Seeing as it's a vocal performance, I need to thank my doctors, I suppose, who brought my voice back."

Theatre Opening - A replacement for the old Westminster Theatre will finally open this autumn. The St James Theatre will launch at the end of September, housed in a residential development near t

USA - Lee Rose, of the Los Angeles-based lighting design firm Design Partners, has been handling the lighting for America's time-honoured Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve show more than 25 years. Over the course of that quarter century he has developed a reputation for incorporating some of the latest dynamic lighting gear into his designs.

For this year's 40th Anniversary show, he turned to Martin Professional's new and award-winning MAC Aura wash light to give New Year's Rockin' Evethat something special.

"I chose the Auras after seeing a demo of them at the Martin Professional offices in Los Angeles," he says. "Their small size and quick movement along with the zoom feature led me to specify them for this design."

The MAC Aura LED moving head wash light with zoom that uses two independent color systems to offer new visual possibilities

UK - Touring in over 50 theatres per year, The Scottish Opera has a most demanding tour schedule. Being a national opera company and the largest performing arts organisation in Scotland requires exceptional organisation and logistics.

Le Mark's PAL road case labels support them every step of the way, offering clear visual information, permanently secured to their road cases.

Instantly accessible details showing where cases are heading, its weight, touring dates and most importantly what equipment is inside is essential to any touring company. Scottish Opera's Fiona Gauld says, "The labels are great, absolutely spot on and do exactly what we require."

(Jim Evans)

UK - The 2012 Laureus World Sports Awards were held on 6 February at Central Hall Westminster, in the heart of London, the first time the UK has hosted this event.

With an audience of some 1000 international stars from the worlds of sport, entertainment and fashion, plus a global TV audience, these glittering awards demand a glittering setting and once again this was staged by production company Done and Dusted. Helping to build that set was Unusual Rigging, under the watchful eye of Robin Elias.

"There is very little flat floor in the Great Hall, so the stalls area was utilised for the stage, but this meant we had very few hanging points because the area is directly below the dome," says Elias. "However, we were able to utilise the existing house points to hang a 10m diameter truss above the stage for the lighting and the sound, and put in six or eight ground s

UK - Henry van der Helm has joined Simulation Displays as business development manager, heading up Paradigm AV s new wholly owned subsidiary.

Van der Helm, who has a long and distinguished pedigree in the specialist simulation and 3D visualisation sector, stated, "I am relishing the opportunity to get involved in this start-up phase in the field where I have focused my professional life."

Before joining Simulation Displays, Henry van der Helm worked in a similar sector for Pro Systems International for four and a half years, and prior to that was VP of sales for Panoram Technologies for eight years. He has also worked for AmPro, Unitek Displays and Greyhawk Europe.

Greg Jeffreys, MD of Paradigm commented, "Having been quietly making simulation displays and solutions for the likes of major simulation integrators such as Boeing, QinetiQ and General Dynamics UK o

UK - Pharos Architectural Controls has announced the appointment of Paul McLean as sales manager for Southern Europe and the Middle East. McLean will be the main point of contact for our distribution partners and key specifiers in these regions.

McLean has over 20 years experience in the industry and spent over a decade in Greece with Telmaco, Telvin and later EVC providing design and project services for many major installations in Greece and the Middle East and product support for a wide range of manufacturers including Flying Pig Systems, High End Systems and ADB, as well as design and programming for several live events and high profile TV productions.

"I've been a huge fan of Pharos Controls products since day one and have taken every opportunity to get their products into any suitable job that I've been involved in. I'm very happy to be to be joining a simply excell

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The Netherlands - Paradigm AV has reported "an overwhelmingly positive response" to its product showcase at this month's ISE 2012 in Amsterdam. In what was seen as a radical departure for the company, the show marked the launch of Paradigm's new European distribution arrangement with Scalable Display Technologies and provided a first large-scale presence for its newly-formed subsidiary, Simulation Displays.

The stand highlight was the Paradigm Display Wall, a unified display product range based around Scalable Display Technologies' products for automatic alignment, blending, warping and colour calibration of projected images, while the eye-catching gesture-controlled Cube from GestureTek, provided an effective means of beckoning visitors into the environment.

Paradigm AV managing director, Greg Jeffreys, was delighted with the reaction from consultants and specifiers

USA - Alex's Lemonade Stand children's cancer charity created an evening for some of America's top celebrity chefs to utilise their culinary talents to the delight of a broad spectrum of 250 diners, totally lit with bright Core Point20 battery uplighter fixtures from NiceUplights.com. Luminescence's Nice Uplights division were contracted to fully illuminate the building using 48 of their Core Point 20uplighter fixtures set to a pastel lemon colour.

Master chef Jonathan Waxman assembled over 30 culinary greats from across the USA at the Industria Super Studio. The great and the good of Manhattan were treated to "stunning creations and a performance of The Nutcracker featuring Erica Pereira from the New York City Ballet.

It was the attractiveness of the fixtures with white covers, self-power, beautiful pastel shades and setup speed that rubber-stamped Luminescence's

UK - TV chef Gordon Ramsay's latest venture is Bread Street Kitchen in London's East End. Drawing inspiration from its industrial surroundings, the 250-seat gourmet temple is aesthetically reminiscent of a warehouse.

Since Gordon Ramsay conceives of a meal as a feast for all the senses, he attaches serious importance to the sound distribution systems installed in his restaurants. Responsibility for the system design and installation in the Bread Street Kitchen was entrusted to CGA Integration, specialists in sound, light and video integration.

"Russell Sage's restaurant design posed a real challenge," says CGA's Chris Gunton. "Very high ceilings and a monopoly of hard surfaces are treacherous - especially when the restaurant is full. The sound system we installed needed to focus on eliminating the reverberation characteristic of large open venues such as warehou

Europe - The Fusion 672LED-based video system has recently been deployed at events from London to Rome, allowing lighting designers to create seamless visual experiencesto flow alongside musical performances and other live events.

Entertainment lighting specialist White Light has supplied Fusion battens to Immersive Ltd for recent projects including theDeadmau5 World Tour, the Dissonanze Festival in Rome, the Knife Party World Tour, and the Glade Festival in the UK, amongst others.

Fusion is one of Immersive Ltd's favourite video fixtures," comments Immersive's Mark Calvert. "We use Fusion with an Ai Media Server to map the video content to each LED fixture, and then we make surface specific content to suit the show."

White Light has also put Fusion to use on many projects of its own, including an event for Square Mile Magazine at the Royal Courts of Justice i

UK - The design team at London lighting rental company Colour Sound Experiment (CSE) have installed their new proprietary BT36 LED screen as well as a new Anolis lighting scheme for the latest ice sculpture installation at the Icebar By Icehotel London in Heddon Street, London W1.

The lighting is project managed by CSE's Steve Marley. The company has worked with the venue for three years and the lighting spec and site fit-up is overseen for CSE by Jon Rickets, who works closely with the Icebar By Icehotel London team, including general manager Matthieu Bourgogne.

The elaborate and intricate ice sculptures - created by designers from the original Icehotel in Sweden - are changed annually along with the lighting, which is an integral part of the whole vibe of the space.

During the second year lighting the ice, CSE added 21 Anolis ArcLine RGB 36 battens to up-light the main ice

UK - Newly formed installation business, Push the Button Ltd (PTB), launched in January 2012, is the brainchild of Nick Ewins.

"PTB's full time staff members, alongside our team of skilled specialist electricians and engineers, bring a friendly, expert approach to the demands of entertainment installation projects. Whether it's a top West End theatre, a cruise ship or a multipurpose arts venue, PTB understands the client's needs and has the ability to respond productively and positively every time," says Ewins. "This philosophy has brought work to our doors from the moment we opened them for business."

Push the Button's mission is "to bring an intelligent and sympathetic approach to its clients' projects". The business covers the fields of electrical design, installation, project management and test & inspection.

Although PTB is effectively a st

Serbia - Studio B92 television station has upgraded to ETC. Early last year, technicians from B92 visited ETC dealer Studio Berar's open day to take a look at what was available; they were offered a demonstration, then lent a range of equipment to try out at their studio.

Lazar Josanov, marketing manager at Studio Berar, says, "B92 was looking to update and augment their lighting, dimming and control. We delivered 81 channels of SmartPack rack mount units, as they wanted compact, low cost, powerful dimming.

"We recommended a SmartFade and SmartFade ML control desk, because the studio had a limited budget with no need for the extra functionality which comes with Congo or Eos line desks. And they also took delivery of 12 ETC Source Four PARNel and six Source Four Zoom 15-30º beam angle luminaires to complement their existing rig. The equipment will be used across a va

UK - Following the success of its northern-based event last year, A.C. Entertainment Technologies's (AC-ET) Lighting division will host a session of the Martin Professional Engineered For The Eye UK roadshow on Thursday 23 February at its southern sales office in High Wycombe.

The roadshow, which is targeted at the entertainment as well as the commercial and architectural sectors, will showcase Martin's latest dynamic lighting and visual solutions.

AC-ET's High Wycombe session is open to all lighting professionals and interested parties. The format for the day includes product demonstrations, application and hands-on training, presentations and Q&A sessions by Martin's UK sales team, assisted by members of AC-ET's specialist lighting sales division in a relaxed environment.

Products featured include all the current ranges of Martin moving heads and LED lightsources, video sc

Qatar - An Optocore system has been used by French rental company De Préférence for a one-off show by Vangelis, to inaugurate the new Katara Amphitheatre in Doha.

The Greek composer had written a celebratory opus for the grand opening and the Paris-based production company, which specialises in large-scale spectacular events such as this, was tasked with constructing an optical fibre ring using seven of their Optocore and SANE converters to deliver the sound to an audience of 3,000 people.

The concert also brought together the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra (a multinational ensemble) and Moscow's Yurlov State Academic Choir, boosted by superstar soprano Angela Gheorghiu and tenorissimo, Roberto Alagna.

This required De Préférence, and their 14-strong crew, to construct an elaborate network loop via Optocore fibre and SANE Cat 5 Ethernet platforms, u

Canada - MDG has been appointed Canadian distribution partner for the entire Anolis range of energy-saving architectural lighting products.

John Saunders, sales director at Anolis comments, "As part of the continuing expansion programme of the Anolis brand we are delighted to bring MDG on board. We believe the strength of MDG's own brand combined with their reputation for quality, reliability and excellent service will be the perfect compliment for the Anolis range, which itself is known for all these attributes. MDG's extensive local knowledge of the Canadian market is exactly what Anolis needs in order to further expand our brand.

"During discussions with MDG it was clear there was an excellent understanding of Anolis products and how they will fit into the various market sectors. With many projects already targeted, I am sure this will be the beginning of successf

Qatar - Fixtures from across the PR Lighting discharge and LED range of moving heads were deployed by TechnoPro, their distributors in the Gulf regions, for the recent Barzan Gas Project Stone Laying Ceremony at the Doha Sheraton Hotel.

The Barzan Gas Project's goal is to provide sufficient gas to the State of Qatar's domestic market to meet the country's growing need for cleaner natural gas well into the future, and the event was attended by His Highness the Heir Apparent Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

TechnoPro, a Dubai based technical production company with a branch in Qatar, provided the PR Lighting equipment - along with a Meyer Sound PA system.

Suspended from the truss were six each of the Chinese manufacturer's XL1200 Spot and Wash lights and 12 each of the XL700 spot and wash. These were complemented by 12 of the powerful Beam 300, offering three beam angle option

UK - Nearly 300 Robe lighting LED fixtures were utilised in a ground-breaking lighting design by Andy Hurst for the 2012 Total Production International (TPi) Awards.

The event was staged at the Novotel London West in Hammersmith, and it was arguably the first major Awards event ever to be lit entirely with LED lightsources - and also exclusively with Robe lighting products.

This was the result of a collaboration between the Czech Republic based manufacturer and its UK operation, Mondiale Publishing, producers of the Awards, and leading UK lighting and visuals rental company HSL, who handled the rigging and installation of the lighting equipment .

The lighting rig featured - for the first time on any major show - Robe's new Robin DLX Spot. The 52 DLX Spots were joined by 102 Robin 300 LEDWashes, 32 Robin 600 LEDWashes - Robe's fastest ever selling product - and 19 Robi

UK - Broadcast audio specialists HHB Communications is holding the world premiere of the new RØDE Stereo VideoMic Pro during the BVE London show at Earls Court 2 this week.

TheStereo VideoMic Pro builds on the features of the popular VideoMic Pro by using a matched pair of high sensitivity, half-inch cardioid condenser capsules in a coincident XY pair.

Designed for videographers, as well as recording music and atmospheric ambience, the Stereo VideoMic Pro has an ergonomic form factor perfectly suited to DSLR, consumer camcorders and large sensor video cameras. An integrated shock mounting system is also provided to offer isolation from vibration and mechanical noise.

The Stereo VideoMic Pro's solid construction and high-quality capsules are complemented by features such as power and equalisation controls, including a high pass filter at 75Hz, a robust multi-strand cab

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