Robe - LEADERBOARD - Feb 2025
Doughty - Banner - from 6 June 2025

Business

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USA - Orlando-based Super Vision International Inc, a world leader in LED, fibre optic lighting and sign products, announced today that it had filed suit against Ocean Bank of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

The suit alleges that the Bank aided and abetted the efforts of Marsam Trading Corporation, Optic Tech International and the Wu Family of Shanghai, Hong Kong and Miami to avoid the enforcement of a court ordered injunction and the collection of a $41.2 million judgment awarded to Super Vision in September of 2002 by an Orange County, Florida jury in case number CI99-9392: the story was reported on this website on 1 October 2002. The Wu Family and their numerous associated corporations in the US and China were found liable on more than a dozen counts in the lawsuit, including Theft of Trade Secrets, Fraud, Violations of Florida's RICO Act, Negligent Destruction of Evidence and Civil

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UK - XL Video's Malcolm Mellows rose to the occasion when asked to supply a crew comprising the best looking and most stylish engineers, cameramen and technicians for live video production at the 2003 Men of The Year Awards for GQ Magazine. "Of course, I was absolutely spoilt for choice," he says, adding that XL's currently manic schedules did actually slightly narrow availability and, therefore, his choice of sexy specimens from the pool of regulars.

The event, sponsored by Giorgio Armani, was held in the Floral Hall at London's Royal Opera House. It was presented by Johnny Vaughan and attended by a host of celebrities and stars and accompanied by copious oozings of glamour and glitter befitting the occasion. XL Video was working for Dick Straker of Mesmer Productions, who co-ordinated the video production for event producers Time-Based Events Ltd, led by Richard Dodg

Doughty - Banner - from 6 June 2025

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UK - Ian Kirby, who set up Coemar UK just 18 months ago as the exclusive UK distributor for Coemar lighting and Antari special effects, announced during last week's PLASA Show the formation of a new sister company, Lighting Effects Distribution (LED). Operating alongside Coemar UK, LED recognizes the growing importance of LED-based products in the marketplace. The company will thus set out to provide a one-stop sales centre which will meet the growing demand - across a range of vertical markets.

Kirby told us: "Due to their long lamp-life and low running cost, the demand for LEDs is growing horizontally, and creating vertical market segments. We are already finding that whenever customers want to see a Coemar demonstration, they also want to see our LED products. However, because LED is still in the early stages of development, customers are envisaging applications but are

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Portugal - When it comes to coverage of top quality sporting events in Portugal, the profile of SportTV looms large. In the last few years, the Lisbon-based cable channel has established itself as a specialist provider of atmosphere-charged coverage of sporting events from all over the world. Recently, with the help of Telex's partner in Portugal, Pantalha, SportTV has embarked on an ambitious program of investment including the acquisition of powerful and sophisticated new broadcasting tools from Telex. The system comprises an Adam CS (32 inputs), a BTR800 UHF wireless intercom system, two RTS ISDN 2002 units, eleven KP12 keypanels five KP32 keypanels.

J. Bonifacio Ribeiro, Pantalha's managing director, commented: "SportTV considered the investment very carefully and tested all the competing products on the market thoroughly before coming down heavily in favour of Telex. I

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UK - Stanton Magnetics scooped two of the top awards at this year's highly-prestigious DJ Magazine T-Scan Awards, held at fashionable London restaurant Momo, while their UK distributor Lamba plc, in turn won accolades from Stanton themselves.

The Sunday night of PLASA 2003 was Stanton's night, as for the second consecutive year they ran away with the Best MP3 Hardware Player (for Stanton's Final Scratch) and Best Turntable Award (for Stanton's new ST-150/STR8-150). Then, on the following night, the spotlight turned to UK distributor, Lamba plc, which walked away from the Stanton Distributors' Convention with the award for 'Exceptional Business Partner'.

"This award underpins the strength of the Lamba and Stanton relationship," said Lamba sales director, Gerry Frost. "It is testament to the work our sales and marketing teams have done in reinforcing the Stanton b

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Germany - The Kulturpalast Dresden, situated at the Altmarkt in the heart of the town, is the Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra's parent company, and hosts music events including important guest conductors and solo artists. The 2,433-seat auditorium is the biggest multi-purpose hall in what was formerly East Germany: it serves as a plenary and concert hall and ballroom, providing a flexible, variable room design.

The auditorium was this month equipped with a new sound system which exclusively features systems from the K.M.E.'s Prestige Series. The twin clusters and single loudspeaker positions for the stalls and the upper rank have been equipped with passive QS 1122 speaker systems. These are operated by K.M.E. amplifiers SPA 1200 MP. K.M.E. developed special installation accessories for the ceiling using a special simulation. The portal area is equipped with active QSA 500 D louds

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UK - The sound of a gavel on wood will be resounding round the Newbury Showground, on 23 October, when the Showman's Show's first auction of event equipment takes place. Over its 18-year history the Showman's Show has kept up to date with the latest trends, continually developing to meet the needs of visitors and exhibitors and, they claim, the auction will be no exception.

With technology developing on a daily basis, it is important to keep up to date, providing clients with the very best equipment available. Often the larger event company stock room is cluttered with items, which despite being in excellent condition are surplus to requirements. However for a smaller company these pieces of equipment would be of great benefit. The idea of the auction is to help all parties through the exchange of these items. The seller gains a return on their original investment and the buyer

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UK - For the first time this year, the PLASA Show installed a central feature as part of its stand plan, in the form of a large circular bar, above which was a high-resolution LED information screen, supplied by CT Screenco. The display specialist was able to field its latest, state-of-the-art Lighthouse LVP-1650 high brightness LED screen, displayed in a 5x5 format and offering clear visibility to all the visitors.

Reinforced by 13 plasma screens in various sizes, positioned around the entrance to the Hall, Lighthouse's LVP-1650 is a 16mm pixel pitch screen that fills the gap in the marketplace where a true outdoor screen in required, coupled with a high resolution image, at a cost-effective price. It produces 5000 nits of brightness and its high definition gives TV-quality images from a distance of 16m.

(Lee Baldock)

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Ireland - Soundcraft's MH3 multi-function console continues to stake its claim as the 'must-have' desk in the mid-price band. Since its launch at Frankfurt ProLight&Sound in March it has achieved success with sound engineers around the world and become one of Soundcraft's most heavily-specified mixing boards of all time.

One of the latest venues to take on board a 48-channel MH3 is Dublin's hybrid venue, the 700-capacity Temple Bar Music Centre, which doubles between live music and pure dance, and is linked up for recording. Audio Warehouse, Soundcraft's Southern Ireland distributors, supplied the desk. At the hub of the city's arts and music development, Temple Bar Music Centre has been run by proprietor Paddy Dunning since it opened seven years ago.

The venue operates in conjunction with The Sound Training Centre upstairs, which provides job-specific, product-based training

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Germany - Bavaria-based company Transtechnik Lichtsysteme has won the contract to equip two studios for the NDR (North German broadcasting company). The completion of the second phase of construction at the Production and Broadcasting Centre marks the end of a long-term plan for the NDR's TV production site in Hamburg-Lokstedt.

The first phase of the operation was completed in 1994 and comprised a 700sq.m production studio, a broadcasting operations centre and the main switching room. This is now to be extended to include two additional TV studios. The project is set to be completed in spring 2005 and will replace the previous studios, located in the oldest part of the complex and dating from 1953.

DAS, a daily evening news magazine, and the Landesfunkhaus Hamburg in Lokstedt are currently using these studios. The new studios are to be equipped with the latest in lighting tech

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Germany - More than 50,000 revellers descended on the Hunsrück mountains in Germany last month for one of the country's biggest and most popular outdoor Raves. The annual Nature One festival (now in its ninth year) is held over a weekend every August at a former US Army Missile site.

Lighting designer Martin Khun, who has created lighting designs for the event since 1997, was looking for something 'a bit special' to ensure this year's event surpassed previous occasions. He wanted to create something no one had ever seen before which is why the focus of his design involved extensive use of the G-LEC Curtain. Martin first came across the Curtain, which is made from LEDs in transparent tubes, at the ProLight and Sound show in Frankfurt and presented the idea to Nature One's producers who jumped at the chance to experiment with something new. "Having worked on Nature One for t

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Americas - Holland America's MS Oosterdam, the second of five planned Vista Class ships, joined her sister ship MS Zuiderdam on the high seas with a maiden voyage on 10 July 2003. Her first outing was a Viking and Czars themed cruise, highlighting major ports from London to Oslo. Her first transatlantic crossing will be from Lisbon to Fort Lauderdale in November 2003, after which she will begin sailing to Caribbean and Panama Canal destinations.

With a capacity for just 1848 passengers, Oosterdam has the highest passenger-to-space ratio of all Holland America ships giving a greater sense of intimacy yet maintaining the same elegance Holland America is known for. A unique feature of the ship is the exterior glass elevators with sea views that carry passengers to any of the 11 decks.

Nautilus Entertainment Design (NED) designed the systems in the entertainme

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UK - Marquee Audio has won a major contract to equip the Wycombe Swan, one of the UK's leading provincial theatres, with a brand new audio infrastructure, based around d&b loudspeakers. The venue - an 11-year-old, 1,076-seat receiving house - is owned by Wycombe District Council and operated under contract by Wycombe Arts Management.

According to the theatre's technical manager, Carlos Quieroz, the audio is the first phase of a complete equipment overhaul, and coincides with the renewal of Wycombe Arts Management's contract for the next 10 years. The total programme of refurbishment - expected to span a three-year period - will end up costing the theatre around £750,000. "Lighting should also be upgraded this year, followed by new flying systems," predicts Quieroz.

The audio is based on a new public address system, control - and a complete overhaul of The Swan's pag

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UK - CT Screenco folded back time and helped bring a 'Fly To The Past' revival to real life when they supplied a 60sq.m (12 x 5) LED display for the weekend event at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire. Blenheim, the home of the Duke of Marlborough and birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill, provided a perfect setting for the event. Produced by Harvey Goldsmith CBE and co-produced by Francis Rockliff, 'Fly To The Past' celebrated 100 years of music and flight, and concentrated on a 1940s revivalist theme.

The show included a three-hour air display, featuring The Red Arrows, with Lancaster, Spitfire, Swordfish, Harrier, Mustang and Falcon aircraft, while the music included Sir George Martin and The RAF Central Band and The Glenn Miller Orchestra (as well as local Fairport Convention man Ric Sanders and his Group). The revival show even offered a trip to New York for the best-dressed 1940

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USA - Lighting designer Jason Robinson recently employed Bandit Lites to help an American icon turn 100. The headlining acts were kept under a heavy veil of secrecy prior to the party but were eventually revealed as the Doobie Brothers, Tim McGraw and guest appearances by Kid Rock and Elton John. Robinson said: "Bandit Lites and their crew performed extremely well. Their attention to detail and preparation made all the difference to the show's needs."

Celebrating the hundredth anniversary of the leading American motorcycle company, whose roar is known on every highway and byway of the land, is not a task for the fainthearted. The lighting rig featured custom trussing in the shape of the Harley Davidson logo, along with six triangular trusses located behind the logo. Trussing also ran down the length of stage right and stage left, and two half-moon trusses were located

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UK - Large screen entertainment and media specialist Blink TV has taken its winning formula to the 42-date American Idol 2003 tour. This follows on from Blink's work on the UK Pop Idol tour, the first American Idol tour in 2002 and this year's German version, 'Superstar'. Blink was again working for 19 Management, creators of the 'Idol' concept, and was the only UK contractor involved in the first American Idol tour to also work on the second.

Blink Production managed the tour's live video, with hardware and a six-person crew supplied via LA-based XL Video Inc, in conjunction with their European sister companies XL Video UK and XL Belgium. The American Idol video package consisted of two side screens, a centre stage screen - framed by the set into an elliptical shape, projectors, three cameras and a digital PPU. The live video director was Kate Ferris, and the theme mirrored the

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USA - ESTA (the Entertainment Services and Technology Association) announces the finalists for the 2003 Dealers' Choice Customer Service Awards and the finalists for the 2003 Manufacturers' Choice Awards: the 10 Manufacturers vying for the Prestigious Dealers' Choice Awards are as follows: Doug Fleenor Design, Johnson Systems, L.E. Nelson Sales Corp, and Production Intercom in the category of manufacturers with 1-6 employees. City Theatrical, Lighting & Electronics and SSRC in the category of manufacturers with 7-25 employees, and Apollo Design Technology, Electronic Theatre Controls and Lex Products Corp, in the category of manufacturers with over 25 employees.

And for the manufacturers awards the finalists are: Circuit Lighting, Indianapolis Stage Sales & Rentals, Murphy Lighting Systems and Premier Lighting & Production Co, in the category of dealers with 1-6 employees; BMI S

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USA - Robe America has opened a new warehouse in LA, and announced the start of a nationwide road-show to raise the profile of the powerful new Robe Spot 1200 fixture. The new 20,000sq.ft premises in LA has been designed specifically to enhance the efficiency of Robe America's operational and administrative structure, and to enable Robe America to offer the highest possible standards of customer service. It's equipped with up-to-the-minute IT and computerized stock systems.

Robe America's HQ will act as a hub for the distribution of Robe's products across the North American continent. The first container of Robe Show Lighting stock from the Czech Republic, worth $1 million, has just arrived. A series of 'open days' is planned for just after the 2003 LDI show in November.

The Robe America team, headed by Ron Ramirez as national sales manager, has been strengthened in the last

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UK - Autograph Sales has announced the sale of two Shure radio mic systems to the BRIT School, Britain's only state-funded school providing vocational education in the arts for 14 to 19-year-olds. Although Autograph has worked closely with the BRIT School for a number of years, this is the first sale it has made to the establishment.

One of the systems consists of five handheld U2/Beta58 mics including a spare, and two U4D dual receivers with passive splitter and active remote antennas, while the second consists of six U1 beltpack transmitters with Sennheiser MKE2 mics and three U4D dual receivers with active splitter and active remote antennas. Each set of receivers is fitted into an SKB 6U suspended flightcase fitted with a Furman PL-PLUS-E mains conditioner/distribution unit, and a 10m 6-way multicore was supplied with each system.

"We're pleased to make this sale to t

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UK - The Building Regulations* now require building log books containing details of the building services installed in new non-residential buildings, enabling owners or occupiers to monitor and control energy consumption. In response to this new regulation, Action Energy has published Building Log Books - A User's Guide to provide advice on using building log books for facilities managers, building operators and energy managers. The Guide is also designed to help maintenance staff, consultants and contractors who work in a range of buildings.

Using log books should improve the understanding, management and operation of buildings resulting in lower running costs and reduced carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions to the atmosphere. The Guide is an integral part of CIBSE's own new toolkit which also includes, Building Log Books - a guide and standard template for preparing log b

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UK - Pearce Hire provided the power, lighting and PA equipment to help ensure the 26th Peterborough Beer Festival was a record-breaking success. The 2003 event attracted 43,000 aficionados of real ale over the six event days, resulting in the beer festival being officially crowned as the largest in the UK.

Pearce Hire has been working at the beer festival for over 10 years. The site, managed for Pearce Hire by Steve Kane, centred around three 75m long marquees with bars running the complete length of two, serving more than 350 different real ales, ciders and bottled beers. A third marquee featured live music from different bands each evening.

Pearce Hire supplied a synchronized pair of 200kva generators to produce enough power for the festival and distributed it to all areas of the site, including the stage lighting and PA, trade stands, the two bars, toilets and catering fac

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UK - Mean Fiddler's Carling Weekend double header over August Bank Holiday proved to be a huge success. Operating simultaneously at the traditional Reading site and Bramham Park in Wetherby, there were plenty of stages for the production crews to equip with technical services.

CT Screenco was in action on both main stages - which saw Metallica, Linkin Park, Blur and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club headline. This was supported by the Radio One Stage, Carling Stage, Smirnoff Experience Dance Arena, Concrete Jungle Stage and Comedy Stage. At both venues the company provided 30sq.m screens, stage left and right, with front-of-house delayed LED screens for the audience behind the mix position. This took the form of an 18sq.m Lighthouse LVP1650 (16mm) LED display at Reading, and Screenco 25mm screen at Leeds. While CT Screenco took a broadcast feed at the Reading Festival they provided a

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UK - The Kerrang! Awards - one of the most prestigious events in the world of rock and metal music, was this year held in the ballroom of London's Royal Lancaster Hotel. Now in its 10th year, the Awards took place in front of over 500 people, and was presented by Radio 1's Edith Bowman and Colin Murray, with guest presenters that included Jack Osbourne and The League of Gentlemen. The show was also recorded for broadcast by Channel 4.

Britannia Row provided an Electro-Voice XLC system for the event, powered by EV Precision Series remote amplifiers and IRIS management software. Three XLC 127 mid-high array cabinets, with five XLC118 subs, were ground-stacked either side of the stage, with EV 1152s for front fill. Overseen by the experienced system engineer Colin Burrell, the XLC system more than matched the demands of the bands that performed, Good Charlotte, Linkin Park a

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UK - The recent opening of Stella McCartney's London store was one of the most anticipated events in the fashion calendar. The three-storey building in Bruton Street, central London, has been completely refurbished from top to bottom, as befits one of the most fêted designers in the world.

Staffordshire-based sound installation company Ansabac was asked to design and install a sound system that combined punch with precision, "a high-quality audio performer that can be driven loud," explained John Clinton of Ansabac. "Clearly, the big opening party will not be the only event held here."

The retail areas are spread across three floors, and the audio system has been designed to provide four independent zones on each floor. Four Australian Monitor AMIS604P power amplifiers are at the heart of the system, supplied by Fuzion, the UK distributor. These four amps

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  6. WE Audio packs Rat Pack with Turbosound Qlight
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Astera - Large MPU - June 2025
Sennheiser - MPU - June 2025

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