UK / The Netherlands - The Ampco Flashlight Group won the Total Production International Award for 'Favourite International Production Company' in the recent TPi Awards 2007 ceremony at the Novotel hotel, London.

The award, which was voted for by readers of Total Production International (TPi) magazine, reflects the group's strength on the international concert production scene and its reputation for combining top quality service and equipment with constant innovation.

Ampco / Flashlight Group rental companies, both independently and jointly, have provided a wide variety of audio, lighting, rigging and motion control systems for major tours in the past 12 months including Madonna, Black Eyed Peas, Blue Man Group, Coldplay, Lenny Kravitz, Paul McCartney, Rammstein, Mariah Carey, Riverdance and Lionel Richie, and hundreds of festivals including North Sea Jazz, Lowlands and WOMAD

UK - XL Video has won its fourth Total Production International Award (TPi) for 'Favourite Video Services Company' of the Year. The 2007 TPi Awards - which recognise the industry's most innovative and ambitious technical, creative and production achievements - were presented at a ceremony in west London on 5 February.

The award was collected by members of the XL Video UK team. XL Video also won this coveted award in 2002, 2003 and 2005. XL UK's Chris Mounsor says: "Winning the 2007 Award means a huge amount to us, particularly as its voted on by our peers, giving it even more credibility and significance.

"The imaginative use of LED technologies has definitely stepped up a notch during 2006," says Mounsor, adding, "I'd also like to take the opportunity to thank all our crews and those out there representing us on the 'frontline', on tours, events and festiv

UK - The Rigging Partnership has designed, supplied and installed the latest capital acquisition of Stage Machinery into the Young Vic Theatre. As part of the Theatre's ongoing investment strategy TRP provided a lockable tracking beam system into the main auditorium, new truss grid systems into their two new studios and chain hoist motors for use in either space.

The Young Vic is one of the most creative venues in the UK having been completely refurbished over the last two years. TRP worked in close collaboration with the Young Vic management and technical team on this important project that will secure the versatility and functionality of the theatre for years to come.

TRP were contracted to design, supply and install 25 bespoke lockable travelling spreader-beams, which provide suspension points to any position in the auditorium. These spreader beams are telescopic, removable

UK - GE Lighting and New Look have today announced an £6.5 million exclusive contract for branch lighting for the next five years. GE Lighting will continue to provide lighting for all 570 New Look and 230 Mim stores and to supply expansions and refits.

New Look has decided to specify GE Ceramic Metal Halide (CMH) lamps because of their lumen maintenance and life span as well as colour rendering, ideal for retail environments. The retail chain used the GE CMH lamps for 18 months before this contract win. Historical data built up during this period confirmed to New Look that GE lamps were the right choice, with fewer failed lamps and better light levels.

The CMH lamps offer a low 8% failure rate allowing for fewer re-lamping procedures and help to drive down overall maintenance costs, the company says. In addition, GE has supplied the lamps with a pre-determined warranty

USA - At the world-famous Walt Disney Concert Hallin Los Angeles, independent consultant / sound designer Fred Vogler andhead of A/V Kevin Wapner recently upgraded the venue with a Dolby Lake Processor and Lake Contour digital loudspeaker processingnetwork. The new wirelessly-controlled setup, which provides powerful signalprocessing tools for the optimisation of live performance and studioloudspeakers, is being used to control the venue's flown JBL VerTec andcustom stage-level ATC sound reinforcement systems.

Designed by internationally renowned architect Frank Gehry, the Walt DisneyConcert Hall is a $272 million live entertainment complex in the heart ofLos Angeles that became an instant landmark upon openingin late 2003. The hall is the winter home of the L.A. Philharmonic and hostsa broad range of musical events.

(Chris Henry)

Italy - Following the results of 2006 and the outlook for 2007, Coemar reports that it has updated its company structure.

Under the lead of Massimo Fontanesi, the management had started various changes aimed at strengthening Coemar's position in the world market. Renato Molinari, former managing director, has also become president of the company.

Coemar says it is entering a new phase characterised by innovation, following a "more than positive response" to the launch of the new products , the Infinity Wash and the whole LED range.

(Chris Henry)

Italy / UK - Italian manufacturer Proel spa announced today that it has acquired the assets of Turbosound Ltd in a deal that looks set to transform the profiles of both companies in key market sectors.

The acquisition will add depth to Proel's position in the marketplace, allowing it to benefit from the strengths and reputation of an internationally renowned company which, for 25 years, has specialised in the design and manufacture of high end sound reinforcement products. The Proel Group is strongly committed to a strategy of growth and development which is built on a policy of carefully nurturing and exploiting the intrinsic skills of its various companies.The basic structure of the companies will remain unaltered, each continuing to operate independently on a day-to-day basis. By joining the Proel group, Turbosound will benefit from additional financial backing, enabling it t

Portugal - Summit Steel supplied trussing, motors, rigging and automation for a gala dinner and awards ceremony at the 2007 European Sales Meeting (ESM) of a leading US-based medical device company. It was their third year working on the project, which this year was staged at the massive Pavilhão Atlântico (Atlantic Pavilion) arena in Lisbon, Portugal.

Summit's team of six riggers headed by Jon Bray started two days before the dinner. It was just one of a series of events, conferences, seminars, workshops and presentations taking place all around the city. They installed over 300 metres of trussing and 60 conventional motors, plus seven Kinesys-modified hoists, two powered beam trolleys and a Kinesys' K2 control system to fly and move a nine-metre diameter truss. This was used for lighting effects and as a large circular projection screen.

The trussing was used to form three

UK - Lighting Technology Projects (LTP) has installed and programmed a new piece of interactive light art, composed from 10,000 nodes of ColorKinetics' iColor Flex SL LED-based strand, custom-produced for the project, complete with transparent channels.

Artist Tim Knowles was commissioned to create several contemporary artworks in the regenerated Harbourside area by developers Crest Nicholson PLC, of which "Field of Play" is the largest.

Measuring an impressive 48 metres wide by 12 metres tall, it's constituted from 288 vertical lines of Flex, staggered - as per the original design concept - at between 50 and 700 mm widths, with varying drops. It runs along the sides of two buildings in the at the ever-evolving Bristol Harbourside development.

"Field of Play" is an interactive light drawing created - sometimes unwittingly - by the public as they move arou

USA - The Long Reach Long Riders and The ESTA Foundation have announced their annual raffle to benefit Behind the Scenes at the USITT conference. This popular event will be held on 17 March at the Sapsis Rigging/ESG/Behind the Scenes booth (#525-625) on the trade show floor of the USITT conference in Phoenix. Tickets, which are $5 each or five for $20, may be purchased at the booth throughout the show.

Every dollar raised will be tripled thanks to challenge grants sponsored by I. Weiss and Sapsis Rigging. The list of twelve terrific raffle prizes, which have been donated by industry companies, can be viewed at www.lrlr.org/LRLRsponsors.html or www.estafoundation.org/bts/events_USITT.htm

All proceeds of the raffle go directly to The ESTA Foundation's Behind the Scenes programme, which provides entertainment technology industry members with grants for emergency situations, such

UK - PRG Europe has worked on a number of live TV shows recently. For ITV1's Soapstar Superstar in mid January, set designer PeterBingemann, working with lighting designer Al Gurdon, included 164sq.m of G-LEC PhantomFrame LED screens. Shortly afterwards,lighting designer Dave Davey worked with PRG Europe on Dancing on Ice.

"The design for Soapstar Superstar was based on the fact that thecompetitors on the show are stars of the small screen - hence the designis primarily based around screens," explains Bingemann. "The set isn'tdissimilar to last year's, with a few gaps filled in, especially whenthe camera looks back into the audience, as they tend to with this typeof show.

"TV studios always have weight limits in terms of the amount of kitwhich can be hung from the roof, and we were right up against that limitthis time round - so it's he

UK - Stage Electrics' hire is off to a flying start in 2007, with the company supplying the newly opened West End show Boeing Boeing.

Boeing Boeing lit by Hugh Vanstone opened at the Comedy Theatre on the 28 January. It initially opened in 1962 where it enjoyed a five-year run and was subsequently adapted into a film starring Tony Curtis and Gerry Lewis.

Equipment supplied to Boeing Boeing includes Clay Paky Alpha Wash Halos and three of the brand new Martin MAC700 Wash fixtures along with approximately 120 generics.

The new national tour of The Woman in Black for PW Productions opened at the Bromley Churchill Theatre at the end of January with Stage Electrics providing lighting and effects equipment to the tour which runs for 16 weeks.

Fame is also being supplied by Stage Electrics; the new national tour opened in Nottingham on 12 Janua

UAE - The announcement of the fourth all-star annual Dubai Desert Rock Festival at the 30,000-capacity Dubai Country Club in March, is having a profound effect on interest for May's Event 360 expo, an integral part of PALME Middle East.

According to Jonathan Gadalla, project manager for the vertically-integrated show, interest in live music is running at an all-time high in the desert, with international legends such as Iron Maiden, The Prodigy and Incubus heading a Festival line-up that will appear on one of the largest stages in the region. Also included are Junkyard Groove, the winners of SHAMAL (a competition for unsigned rock bands in the region).

Gadalla believes that the world is starting to take notice now that the Middle East is not only attracting leading names in the world of rock, but will also stage a second F1 Grand Prix (in Abu Dhabi) in 2009 - which will

UK - The ABTT Theatre Show's organisers - The Association of British Theatre Technicians - have announced that its 29th edition has sold out five months before it takes place on 13 and 14 June in London's Royal Horticultural Halls.

Filling all three exhibition halls in London's Royal Horticultural Halls to capacity, the show will again play host to over 100 exhibiting companies who will showcase a comprehensive range of products and services for professionals involved with equipping, refurbishing or up-grading their drama studio, theatre, auditorium or multi-purpose performance space.

Committed to building on the show's success the organisers aim to expand the show's attendance which grew by 5% last year to over 2,400 visitors, and included theatre and venue managers, technical directors, technicians, technical managers, heads of drama departments, architects, consultants, des

UK - When the plush new Bar Plazma in Wickford burnt down in October 2005 shortly after opening, it was hard to believe that it would re-emerge a little over a year later with an up-rated specification.

But the town centre venue, owned by experienced nightclub operator Douglas Quirk and managed by Alistair Burrell (who had safely evacuated all the staff and customers on that fateful October evening), has done precisely that.

Quirk, who made his name running the epochal Hollywood Romford in the 1980s, turned to fellow Essex contractors, Southend-based Essex Sound & Light and interior designer Colin Stone of Stone Me Design, to deliver a superior interior package. What they have produced is an upscale, all-day chameleon venue which trades from 11am until 11pm (midweek), 1am Thursday and 2am at weekends.

ESL were asked to carry out the technological integration in view of their

UK - Blackout enjoyed its busiest Christmas ever in December 2006, including supplying drapes to four music awards ceremonies and a further series of three concerts within the space of four weeks.

Within the relentless run-up to the festive season, the Blackout team was called upon to provide black wool serge drapes to a series of prestigious events, all of which were televised.

The hectic period began in Copenhagen, where Blackout supplied drapes to the two venues hosting the MTV Europe Music Awards in November. Blackout then moved on to London to supply black wool serge drapes to the UK Music Hall of Fame event at Alexandra Palace. "We 'black-boxed' the Great Hall and Blackout did an amazing job," says Paul-Anthony Viollet, the event's production manager.

"Working with Blackout is always a pleasure," Viollet continues. "Their profess

Germany / Denmark / Sweden - Sennheiser Nordic A/S, the Denmark-based subsidiary of German audio specialist Sennheiser, will extend its business to include Sweden, so all Scandinavian markets will now be served by Sennheiser Nordic directly.

From April 1, after a long and close relationship with Sennheiser AB in Stockholm, Sweden will join Denmark, Finland and Norway, giving customers direct access to top products, services and comprehensive consulting support for audio projects of all kinds.

Volker Bartels, Speaker of the Sennheiser Executive Committee, says: "Our experience has shown that setting up our own subsidiaries permits closer cooperation with the end customers. This transition will provide added value and make the best use of resources and infrastructure."

Paul Whiting, vice-president sales of the Sennheiser Group, says: "A local presence in Sweden

UK - Proel (International) the UK distributor of a range of international Pro Audio and MI brands, "welcomes" the acquisition of UK loudspeaker veteran, Turbosound, by Proel spa, Italy, and confirms that it will be "business as usual - only more so" in the UK.

Proel International's MD, Paolo Burocchi says: "This is excellent news for all the parties involved and for the audio market as a whole, because it strengthens two major European brands. We offer our congratulations to both Proel, in Italy, and to Turbosound.

"Meanwhile, Proel (International) continues as the UK distributor for a wide range of products including those from Proel, but not for Turbosound, which will still handle its own brand in this country."

Burocchi continues: "For our part, we have recently expanded our management and technical teams - an announcement will be m

UK - When The Automatic's FOH sound engineer James Lawrenson first started prepping his band's production for their headline role on the hugely influential NME Awards Indie Rock Tour he was unaware of the Digidesign Venue digital mixing environment.

But the Welshman was savvy enough to listen to the recommendation from his friend Richard Jackson, who recounted that he had used Digidesign's D-Show live console while mixing Welsh band Super Furry Animals.

From that point things moved quickly into gear, so that by the time the UK mainland tour commenced at the Glasgow Academy, the sound engineers from all four bands had become willing converts.

Two companies had provided the catalyst for this: Digidesign resellers Marquee Audio, and the tour's sound production company Stage Audio Services, who were more than happy to accommodate the desk - supplied with a mobile Pro Tool

UK - Vision Fire & Security has announced that The O2 Arena has selected Millbank solutions to provide voice alarm and public address systems for the new music venue. The O2 is being re-developed by Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) to transform the Millennium Dome into "Europe's finest music venue". The 23,000 capacity in-door arena aims to host up to 150 music, entertainment and sports events in its first year.

The building will be renamed The O2 will also have a smaller Music Club venue with a capacity of 2,200, a multiplex cinema, an ice rink, a world-class exhibition space and a vibrant 'entertainment district' featuring a variety of bars, restaurants, retail and leisure facilities.

Building on Vision Fire & Security's global partnership with Tyco, the Millbank team began working together with ADT to realise the challenging brief from the early stages.

The pr

USA - Philadelphia Park Casino and Racetrack in Bensalem, Pennsylvania is an established horse track - home of the prestigious Pennsylvania Derby - that houses a more recent casino addition. A somewhat drab exterior facade fuelled owners' desire to enhance the venue's Porte Cochere entrance and thereby draw attention to Philadelphia Park as a newly diversified, dynamic entertainment facility.

Lighting Design Alliance of Signal Hill, California was called upon to create the eye-catching look. Scott Hatton, Principal of Lighting Design Alliance, commented, "The façade is a white semi-transparent fabric that conceals a fairly uninteresting building that had no exterior lighting at all. As this was an existing building that was being converted from just a racetrack to both a racetrack and a casino it was critical to clean up the façade cheaply and quickly and to light it in a

UAE - Stage One demonstrated the its Q-Motion motioncontrol system recently when it was called into action for the 18th Gulf Cup, heldin Dubai. Brought on board by Dubai based production company HQ Creative,the team were tasked with pulling a world class show together just 43 days afterreceiving the go-ahead from the organising committee.

Fortunately, the Gulf Cup followed hot on the heels of the Asian Games, whichhad just taken place in Qatar, meaning that a great deal of the expertise, technicalequipment and skilled personnel were already in the region and available oncethat project was concluded.

Jim Tinsley, technical director for Stage One, says: "The success of this ceremony isdown to sheer hard work. It was pulled off in an incredibly short time scale - onewe wouldn't want to make a habit of! It does demonstratehowever, that we can provide a service that goe

Korea - Cadac Electronics plc, working in partnership with local distributor Dreamsound Co Ltd, reports a series of installations in Korea. Four international musicals are currently being staged, with J-Type Live Production Consoles at the core of each show's sound system. In addition, Dreamsound has supplied Cadac's Digital Series Stage Rack (DSSR) to two major theatre installations - for the Sejong Center's Grand Theatre in Seoul and for the Grand Performance Hall at the Pohang Theatre.

Musical theatre has seen a significant rise in popularity across the region, with a resultant demand for high quality audio systems, as evidenced by Cadac's regional success. Mamma Mia! recently opened in its third Korean city, SeongNam, following the high profile Korean-language production of Disney's The Lion King, which opened last October in the Charlotte Theatre at LotteWorld

South Africa - Even 15 years after the death of lead singer and consummate showman Freddie Mercury, fans still rank Queen as the greatest rock band of all time. For proof positive of their legacy, witness the overwhelming success of We Will Rock You, a musical based on their song catalogue that has proved a worldwide sensation.

Written by noted British author Ben Elton in conjunction with band members Brian May and Roger Taylor, We Will Rock You has sold over four million tickets in London, Tokyo, Moscow, and many other cities around the world in four years. Six main cast members backed by a sizable ensemble, a live band, huge sets that change in seconds, synched video, dozens of sound effects, over 200 lighting changes, and a long equipment list make the technical scope of this show mind-boggling.

Tickets were snatched up for the recent Johannesburg, South Afric

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