UK - Audiologic has announced an exclusive distribution partnership in the UK with Fohhn, Germany based creators of audio systems for professional applications, effective from 1 September 2023. Beyond a catalogue of over 100 models of loudspeakers, Fohhn's intelligent system amplifiers and digital tools contribute to their distinction. Each component, from software to hardware, is crafted within Fohhn's German headquarters, in Nürtingen. Fohhn’s Beam Steering Technology allows for precise control of sound dispersion via a simple mouse wheel. Fohhn's commitment to customisation extends to a rich array of options, from special colours and enclosure lengths to weather protection and bespoke builds. Uli Haug, sales and marketing director of Fohhn, comments: "Our partnership with Audiologic opens up a whole new era of possibilities. Combining our expertise with A
USA - ESTA has announced a team of nine ETCP recognised trainers as the recipients of the Frank Stewart Volunteer of the Year Award for service in both 2022 and 2023: Bennett Brian (Reed Rigging, Inc.), Tyler DeLong (DeLong Rigging Solutions), Brent "Mickey" Henry (ETC), Shane Kelly (DePaul University), Rebecca Knipfer (ETC), Ed Leahy (The Chicago Flyhouse, Inc.), Verda Beth Martell (DLR Group), Tracy Nunnally (Vertigo), and Patrick Stewart (ETC), whose father is the award's namesake. These trainers tirelessly volunteered around their busy schedules to plan, design, and deliver a curriculum for the Midwest Rigging Intensive (MRI) two years in a row. “Being recognised by ESTA for doing MRI is one of the highlights of my career thus far,” said DeLong, whose company, DeLong Rigging Solutions, is a sponsor. “I support MRI because it is a unique event driven by a gro
UK - The British Drivers Club chose Prolights solutions to illuminate the VIP locations during the British Grand Prix at the Silverstone Circuit. A.C. Entertainment Technologies, the official distributor of Prolights in the UK and an official sponsor of the club, supplied and installed a sophisticated lighting system that left both the A.C. Entertainment Technologies team and the British Drivers Club satisfied. The main event took place at The Farm, the circuit's largest venue, which hosts a 30m x 30m marquee, terrace, and gardens. To ensure perfect lighting both during the day and in the evening, A.C. Entertainment Technologies carefully selected the most suitable Prolights products: For the indoor lighting of the marquee, they used 20 EclSoft LinearIP, four Astra Profile400, eight Astra Wash7Pix, and four EclPanel TWC. The internal stage was enriched with four Astra
UK - Experienced lighting designer Anthony Hazelden has made the journey from classic theatre to high-octane dance raves effortlessly, his generic stage lighting of yesteryear now replaced by next generation hybrid LED strobes, including GLP’s new JDC Line 1000. For a recent EDM concert within Cardiff Castle he not only provided a cutting-edge floor package for headliner Fisher, for whom he was LD, but the generic house rig for the support acts. This included Luther star Idris Elba and Arielle Free. Hazelden had known most of these artists from working with them on other projects around the world and had known the production manager for the Cardiff Castle show, James Dutton, from High Scream Productions in Ibiza. Mindful of the high-speed approach of Australian dance DJ Fisher within a historic venue, Dutton and Hazelden conceived their design for the sh
Hungary - Lightware Visual Engineering has announced the launch of Lightware Academy, its new free certified e-learning resource for students and professionals at every level who have a thirst in specialising in the AV market, and gaining or advancing their knowledge of the entire industry. Based on Lightware’s core principles of openness and knowledge-sharing, Lightware Academy is open to everyone - customers or not - and provides industry-leading content curated by a breadth of seasoned professionals in the area. Participants can enrol in more than 10 courses, organised into three core categories: Traditional AV: Focused on the use of hardware components, such as audio and video cables, switchers, and matrixes, to transmit and switch audio and video signals between devices. AV-over-IP: It involves the processes behind sending audio, video, and other si
UK - Britannia Row Productions supplied L-Acoustics PA systems across four of WOMAD’s stages: Open Air, Saddlespan, Siam and Taste the World, on behalf of Judgeday Productions Director, Dave T. The Open Air Stage is the second festival environment in which Britannia Row has deployed the new L Series L2 system, following exceptional results at Soho House Festival. System engineer Sergiy Zhytnikov worked across the Open Air Stage. It boasted main hangs of L2, K2 stacked on the platform for side coverage, KS28 subs in a cardioid configuration across the stage, and A15s for front-fill. He comments: “As WOMAD is a world music festival, artists perform a variety of different genres including indie rock, nu jazz and downtempo, Indian funk and so on. Both the guest engineers and the production team were very happy with the L2’s results over the weekend, from consis
UK - Backup is once again the lead charity on the #WeMakeEvents Support Hub at this year's PLASA Show. The #WeMakeEvents Support Hub brings together multiple charities and organisations that have been playing an integral part in supporting the industry. The team will be on Stand A80 (part of the #WeMakeEvents Hub) to offer support, raise awareness of mental health and help remove the stigma that surrounds it. Trained mental health first aiders from Backup and Music Support will be on hand to provide advice and information for anyone who wants to talk, either for themselves or for someone they want to signpost to get industry help, throughout the show, with PLASA also bringing in EventWell to provide a specific Wellbeing and Safe Space for anyone who needs immediate help at the show. On Monday 4 September at 11.30am in Seminar Theatre 3, Backup will also host a session
The Netherlands - Obsidian Control Systems has announced that Controllux BV has been named the exclusive distributor of Obsidian products in the Netherlands. The agreement, which went into effect on 1 July, 2023, covers Obsidian’s full range of lighting control products, including the company’s growing range of Netron data distribution devices. Founded in 1968, Controllux is a leading full-system integrator for professional lighting and operates in the key markets of theatre, broadcast & film, entertainment, and architectural. The company has grown over the years to add audio and architectural lighting to its portfolio, evolving into a one-stop-shop for system integration. Controllux distributes a wide range of brands and is delighted to have added Obsidian Control products to its offerings. “As we’ve transformed from a sales company to a full support sys
UK - When Birmingham Festival 2023 took place from 28 July - 6 August to mark the one-year anniversary of the Commonwealth Games, JA Productions (JAP) delivered all event, site and operations management on behalf of organiser Birmingham City Council. Building on the Commonwealth Games’ legacy, a cultural programme of entertainment was curated by JAP’s programme partner Opus with tens of thousands coming to Birmingham’s Centenary Square to enjoy local and international art, culture and entertainment. A key consideration during both the planning and delivery phase was minimising the event’s environmental impact. JAP set out a sustainability strategy for Birmingham 2023 that took its own plan and objectives, along with the findings post Commonwealth Games into account. Sustainability goals set for the event included a clear commitment and ownership from its
UK/Ireland - This year marks the seventh anniversary of the successful collaborative relationship between award-winning independent design practice, High Res, and specialist manufacturer of LED video processing products for the film, broadcast and live events industries, Brompton Technology. Building on over 25 years of experience, Dublin-based High Res specialises in visionary creative, multidisciplinary implementation and practical solutions in virtual production and design. Its team, headed by company’s founder, Emmy Award-winning lighting designer & technical creative director, Peter Canning, uses new and innovative technologies such as Brompton LED processing to realise ambitious briefs and to help bring client stories to life. From major spectacle broadcast events to international touring theatre shows, High Res has cemented its place as an award winning, i
Denmark - For this year's Smukfest, the Roxx Cluster B2 FC was used on the festival's main stage as a blinder. The mood was high at Smukfest in Skanderborg earlier this month as 40,000 guests flooded the festival grounds to experience five days of performances by international and Danish artists on the five different stages - and the odd rain shower. Nordic Rentals, who supplied lighting for the festival's main stage, Bøgescenen, chose to use 72 Roxx Cluster B2 full colour blinders, which generated a buzz on the main stage because of the endless possibilities the fixture offers lighting designers. The Roxx Cluster blinder made its debut last year directly on three of the biggest festival stages, the Glastonbury Festival, Rock am Ring and Rock im Park and has since found its way to many of the biggest stages in the world. The fixture has become very popular all o
The Netherlands - The Billybird Park Dragon Kingdom is an amusement park in Reuver. Since it opened in 2013, the park has continued to grow and its latest attraction is the largest play castle in the Netherlands. Designed by Amusementprof, the castle is 15m high and features a lighting installation by Dynamic, Beeld, Licht & Geluid who used fixtures from Showtec. The original Billybird Park began as Recreatieplas Hemelrijk back in 1986. Billybird Park Dragon Kingdom is the second of three Billybird parks that exist today, each of which is constantly being improved. Opened on the 30 April 2023, the new play castle at Billybird Park Dragon Kingdom is located on top of a hill and stands 15m tall. The castle has various rooms, different obstacles to climb and features several slides, including one that descends 12m, watched over from the highest tower by a 10m long dra
USA - Designer Tyler is a fan of the Chauvet Professional Rogue R1 FX-B with its five individually controlled RGBW moving heads. He particularly likes the fixture’s infinite pan and tilt. When lighting multi-platinum rockers Breaking Benjamin on their North American tour earlier this summer, Veneziano stopped himself from using this feature at points during the band’s 90-minute, 17-song set. “I love the infinite pan and tilt, but I didn’t want to over-use it and become predictable,” he explained. “My plan was to save theses looks for key moments to maximise their impact.” There were plenty of such moments in the band’s performance, as they rocked the crowd with ‘their heart-shaking base, crunchy guitar riffs and thunderous percussion’. When they did, Veneziano was ready with his 12 Rogue R1 FX-B units, which, like the rest of the rig, was supplied
China - In collaboration with event solutions provider Creative Technology (CT) UK and Nordic, Holoplot’s flagship X1 Matrix Array took centre stage at Auto Shanghai - Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition for the launch of Polestar, the Swedish electric performance car brand’s new model, the Polestar 4 electric SUV coupé. By harnessing the power of 3D Audio-Beamforming and Wave Field Synthesis, Holoplot created an inspiring multi-zone audio extravaganza, with show visitors treated to a keynote presentation from Polestar’s CEO, delivered via two dedicated listening zones, one for English, one for Mandarin Chinese - the world’s first-ever live simultaneous translations without the need for wearables. X1 also played a pivotal role in creating a captivating audio experience throughout the show, enveloping visitors in a discoverable sonic journey.
UK - ATG (Ambassador Theatre Group) and Preevue have announced the expansion of their View from Seat service to all UK ATG venues. Following the successful implementation of the feature at select shows, including Moulin Rouge! The Musical at London's Piccadilly Theatre, Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club, and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on Broadway, ATG will now roll out this feature across all its UK venues. This service provides ATG customers with the ability to preview the exact view from each seat in every venue during the booking process, enriching the theatre-going experience overall. Preevue's digital twins (3D models of ATG’s venues) are used to power the View from Seat system. The company’s experts utilise LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) laser scan data of the venues, accurate down to millimetres, to construct detailed 3D models of
USA - LEA Professional has forged a partnership with United States technology distributor, Snap One. The collaboration will expand sales opportunities for the LEA Professional product portfolio and growth opportunities for both and provide additional customer support for LEA customers in the US. The LEA Professional product portfolio will provide high-quality amplifiers for Snap One’s outdoor residential and commercial audio systems, including Episode Radiance. The product portfolio provides multiple ways to connect to the amplifiers remotely, meaning partners can provide service for their customers without being on-site. “Demand for cloud-enabled solutions as well as remote monitoring and management capabilities that underpin service contracts and facilitate recurring revenue models continue to increase, LEA Professional’s technology is optimally positioned to
UK - PLASA Show once again returns to Olympia London to showcase the future of live entertainment technology. From 3-5 September, the expanded show will set the stage for 239 brands, 112 educational sessions, and the meeting of thousands of industry professionals. Free tickets are available until 31 August, after which the price will increase to £15, then £20 on the door. Lighting professionals can look forward to meeting Artistic Licence, Astera, Ayrton, Chauvet Professional, Claypaky, Elation, ETC, GDS, GLP, MA Lighting, Martin, Robert Juliat, ROXX, SGM, TMB, Vari-Lite and more leading brands. Plus, headline sponsor Robe will run impressive live demonstrations on its stand throughout the show. Pro audio professionals can connect with brands suc
Sri Lanka - Nestled on the south-west coast of Sri Lanka in the beautiful city of Galle, and overlooking the blue depths of the Indian Ocean, lies the luxurious Jetwing Lighthouse Hotel. In view of offering their guests exclusive entertainment opportunities and an enhanced audio experience during their stay, this luxury beachfront property recently partnered with Digital Ear Pvt. Ltd., the regional distributor for Void Acoustics, to install a world-class sound system that complements the hotel’s idyllic beachfront setting. Specialising in high-end audio and luxury lifestyle products, the team at Digital Ear were tasked with specifying and deploying an audio system which was both eye-catching yet unobtrusive; state-of-the-art whilst withstanding the demands of the outdoor salty environment. Meeting all these requirements, Jetwing Lighthouse Hotel’s sound system has
Noises Off - Police escorted four theatregoers out of Grease the Musical in the West End after causing a disturbance. The audience members were removed from the Dominion Theatre during the evening performance of the musical, which stars Peter Andre and Jason Donovan, on 26 August. A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: "Shortly before 8.40pm on Saturday, August 26, police received reports of two men and two women causing a disturbance at a theatre in Tottenham Court Road. Officers attended and the group were escorted from the premises." The spokesperson added that there were no arrests and no injuries reported. A theatregoer told Sky News that the four audience members had reportedly been "rude and abusive" on the balcony but allegedly refused to leave after being spoken to by staff. Classic Tracks - Classical music is set to be played at
Denmark - Since opening in 2010, Sonic College, which is part of University College South Denmark, has provided a state-of-the-art hub for students looking to embark on a career in sound design to hone their craft and discover the full range of opportunities that exists in the art form. The college, which moved into a new purpose-built campus last September, enables students to explore an array of options and technologies relating to film, TV, gaming, and more. Lars Tirsbæk, a verified audio expert and lecturer at Sonic College, discusses trends in sound design, education, and the rise of immersive audio. An increasing number of Dolby Atmos projects passes through the college doors, and Merging Technologies equipment is used to streamline the production process. “As a teenager, I dreamt of being a keyboard player in a band, so my background is in music,” shares T
South Africa - Johannesburg-based Norwood Productions has invested in some of Robe’s most compact fixture ranges to further the company’s growth - starting with LED Beam 100s and now also including LEDBeam 150s and LEDBeam 350s, with some Spikies on order. The Robe purchases - eight of each fixture - are appropriate for the current size and scale of the events they are providing with technical production. Norwood Productions is a relatively new business, founded five years ago by Chris Norwood who has previously worked in the industry for other companies. In this short time, the company survived through the pandemic, which also inspired new ideas and provided impetus to reach out in new directions. Currently, around 90% of their business is dedicated to delivering high quality corporate and industrial events, brand activations and product launches, with around 10%
Italy - Prolights products illuminated the Innamorato Tour of Blanco, the young artist riding high in the Italian music scene. Following the success of the Blu Celeste Tour, boasting 35 sold-out dates, Blanco has once again astonished his fans with his inaugural stadium tour, securing his position as the youngest Italian artist to perform on these prestigious stages. The concerts took place at Rome's Olympic Stadium and Milan's San Siro Stadium, where the singer delivered an overwhelming performance, paying attention to every detail and presenting a setlist that encompassed the best of his repertoire, accompanied by a visually stunning scenography. To ensure a captivating visual experience, the rental company Mister X Service employed 106 Astra Wash19PixIP and 138 Sunblast 3000FC Prolights fixtures to illuminate the stage. These fixtures orchestrated a sy
South Korea - Established in 1927, the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) is one of the leading television and radio broadcasters in South Korea, operating seven radio networks, 10 television channels, and multiple internet-exclusive services. Recognising the power of virtual production and XR technology to create immersive and dynamic sets for live broadcast applications, KBS partnered with Ark Ventures Korea to create the XR/VP studio for live broadcast at KBS facilities. Powered by Tessera SX40 LED processors, the studio features a ROE Visual LED wall and makes KBS the first broadcasting company in the country to implement this successful blend of ROE Visual and Brompton Technology, setting them apart from other South Korean broadcasting stations. "Given the increasing popularity of virtual production and XR technology, particularly in live broadcast scenarios, KBS re
USA - Things never got “routine” for the Beartooth production crew this summer. The Loudwire and Metal Hammer award winners’ 37-city tour has included a wildly mixed bag of shows, as they’ve moved from headlining their own appearances, to supporting bands like Breaking Benjamin and Disturbed, with a healthy sprinkling of festivals thrown in. “It was just kind of all over the place on this run,” said the band’s lighting designer Dan Michie. “This made it critical to have a floor package that was not only very versatile, but could also be set up and torn down fast.” Michie got what he wanted, and more, with a versatile, easy-to-work-with rig from Squeek Lights that featured a collection of compact, but powerful Chauvet Professional fixtures. “The Squeek rig was so great for what we had to do,” he said. “It could be set up and torn down, and offsta
