Germany - Black Box Music has become one of the first in a growing number of rental companies to invest in a second L-Acoustics K1 WST line source system, giving the German company a total of 96 K1 boxes.

The new K1 system, which raises BBM's inventory of L-Acoustics cabinets to more than 700, will be busy from May until September on major tours with Sade and Rammstein across Europe as well as North and South America, and will remain in the US for further shows. In the meantime, BBM's original K1 system, purchased in 2009 and the first in Germany, will be used for a Herbert Grönemeyer tour as well as the Hurricane/Southside festivals.

"K1 enjoys a high level of demand and market acceptance, and we were receiving more bookings than we could fulfill," says BBM technician and K System Engineer (KSE) Ulf Oeckel. "K1 is the best full range system on the market, inst

Europe - Effective immediately, Philips Vari-Lite has announced the realignment of its European distribution of products, parts, and support services.Through an agreement reached with Production Resource Group, L.L.C. (PRG), Philips Vari-Lite will assume control of relationships with current and future Vari*Lite dealers and will now provide goods and service direct from the company headquarters in Dallas, Texas.

"This is a very exciting development" said Bob Schacherl, Philips Vari-Lite vice president of sales and marketing. "We are grateful to PRG Europe Distribution (PRGED) for their years of dedicated service as our European master distributor. We look forward to taking full control of these relationships in order to further solidify the strength of the Philips Vari-Lite brand and significantly grow sales within the greater European market."

In order to

Austria - A debate on Austria's most explosive political issue takes place every Sunday evening as part of the widely viewed "im Zentrum" TV programme. The show is produced and broadcast by ORF and was recently relocated. The outdoor entrance area of their headquarters and central production facility in Vienna now makes up the visual back-drop for the set.

Outdoor RGB LED fixtures were chosen by lighting designer Reinhard Traxler to put a splash of colour on an outdoor reflection pond that is centrally located in, and the visual focus of, the area. ArcSouce RGBW LED fixtures from Robe were used to paint the facade of the building in a warm welcoming tone and to highlight the ORF logo and other decorative elements used in the show.

The lighting fixtures are all located on the outside of the building and the control of the fixtures is located inside the building and co

USA - Liberty AV Solutions, a division of WESCO Distribution has acquired Middleton, Wisconsin-based Intelix, a manufacturer of AV components and software. The move follows a successful conclusion to negotiations between Intelix and WESCO Distribution - Liberty's parent company - to acquire Intelix outright for an undisclosed sum. Liberty joined WESCO in 2006 as part of WESCO's acquisition of Communications Supply Corporation, of which Liberty is a subsidiary.

Liberty is an audio/visual (AV) supplier of solutions-based products ranging from bulk wire and cable to equipment enclosures and mounts to power distribution products and more.

"Intelix has built a fine reputation among AV professionals over the last decade," John Dace, who leads the Liberty operation within WESCO, remarked following news of the WESCO acquisition. "The company will enable the analogue-to-

UK - Blitz reports that it will be relocating its Oldham operation back to Manchester, where it was based until five years ago. From 8 June 2011 Blitz will be in residence at Trafford Park.

Managing director Paul Hutton comments, "We have been looking to relocate back to Manchester for some time, and with our lease at the Oldham facility coming to an end, this has proved to be the ideal opportunity. Blitz is proud to be the sole onsite supplier of AV services at Manchester Central, a preferred supplier at The Point (Lancashire County Cricket Club) and Event City. This new location will position us within minutes of all these prestigious venues."

The full address of the new Manchester office is: Blitz Communications Ltd, 5 Littler's Point, Second Avenue, Trafford Park, Manchester M17 1LT. Telephone: 0161 855 2790.

(Jim Evans)

UK - SFL Group has carried out the first UK install of the L-Acoustics KARAi modular WST line source system for permanent installation at Jesus House, a 2,000 capacity church in North London owned by the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG).

SFL Group chose the system because, according to technical director Mark Payne, "It presents a significant saving for the customer as the boxes don't have fixed touring rigging, which isn't necessary in a fixed installation. As an installation product it looks really neat; I'm very pleased with it and so is the customer, it sounds absolutely phenomenal.

"Being a bi-amped product, KARAi works really well for this installation because it has loads of high frequency headroom, so even when the box is pushed hard it maintains a high degree of clarity. Jesus House is within the contemporary worship/gospel tradition, so their music i

Ireland - Belfast and Dublin based lighting and rigging rental specialist, Production Services Ireland (PSI) supplied lighting equipment and crew to Katherine Jenkins' two arena shows in Ireland, at Dublin's O2 and Belfast's Odyssey Arena.

That weekend and the preceding week were exceptionally hectic for the company, which also - unexpectedly and at very short notice - was asked to provide and install rigging and trussing to facilitate lighting of the church for Irish politician Garret Fitzgerald's state funeral.

The same weekend as the Jenkins shows, PSI supplied lighting design and equipment for the first Clan Wars cage fight to be staged in Belfast's Ulster Hall, and a few days before that, lit the Northern Ireland Tourism Awards event.

PSI was asked to supply the Katherine Jenkins shows by Neil MacDonald of UK based production company, Clockwork Productions. With

Italy - Having used RCF's TT+ Touring & Theatre series successfully in the past, production on Vasco Rossi's 2011 tour has stepped up to RCF's TTL55-A three-way active line array system for the main PA rig, with the TTL33-A for the reinforcement systems and TT45SMA cabinets for the stage monitors.

Rossi's stage manager Diego Spagnoli comments, "I've always believed in placing my trust in people who have earned it. This year seemed like the right time to let people know that we need to be proud of our Italian heritage - Italian industry has scaled incredible heights, and I feel honoured to be able to bring my support to this project."

Willy Gubellini's Bologna based Nuovo Service Rental Company has worked alongside many top musicians over the years. This summer they will deliver Vasco's music to audiences via some 120 TTL 55-A array lines, 60 TTS 56-A subwoofers, and

UK - Black Light has helped one of the UK's most successful 'stand-up scientists' blow away audiences at the 2011 Edinburgh International Science Festival. As a finale to Dr. Bunhead's Pyromania shows at the Usher Hall, Black Light created a pyrotechnic spectacular which, almost literally, brought the house down.

Dr. Bunhead (who also goes by the off-stage name of Tom Pringle) is a well-known science communicator who has performed over 1,600 shows around the world. He specialises in using dramatic experiments, flashes and bangs to bring science to life. For his two show contribution to the International Science Festival, Tom needed to produce an even bigger spectacle than usual and turned to Black Light's technical manager Craig Collin for help.

"Impeccably professional, Craig's pyro performance exceeded what I hoped to achieve," says Pringle. "I was trul

Germany - When this year's European Song Contest took place last month in Düsseldorf, it was only the second time the event had been held in Germany since the contest began.

Again representing her country was Hannover-born Lena, who won the event in Oslo last year with the song Satellite. In the meantime the artiste has continued to promote her new album Good News with a series of nine recent concerts in Germany's major cities.

Also along for the ride was lighting designer Jerry Appelt, who has previously designed for events like Echo, The Eurovision Song Contest 2011 itself - and musicians such as Sarah Connor, Rosenstolz, Scooter and Ronan Keating.

Jerry Appelt realised from the beginning that the incoming show needed a lighting concept that has a lot of video and fast-moving content to meet the expectations of a predominantly young audience. "The MTV G

USA - Sound Media, a full service sound and lighting company based in Hollywood, Florida, has selected the Turbosound Flex Array as its flagship loudspeaker system. Founder and president Lennox Foster based his decision on the sound quality, efficiency and flexibility of the TFA-600H.

"My degree is in electrical engineering, so I am very analytical in choosing my equipment," he notes. "When we auditioned speakers for this purchase, the vocal clarity of the Flex Array really caught our attention. It provides great intelligibility, and really highlights the subtleties of music at any volume. Combined with the other design factors of the cabinet, it was the clear choice for us."

Corporate and worship events comprise the majority of Sound Media's business, along with a steady stream of music concerts. With venues ranging from hotel ballrooms and churches to gol

UK - Brighton Electric recording studio is launching a series of master classes under the banner 'Learn How the Professionals Really Do It'.

The studio, which is part of a complex that also offers extensive rehearsal facilities and related services for musicians is currently working with Mumford & Sons, White Lies, Sigur Ros, Noisettes, The Cure and many more.

The master classes are in fact intensive week-long modules featuring daily theory and practical sessions led by top producers, pro audio engineers, session musicians and technicians.

The schedule includes: Drums In The Studio (25-29 July), Studio Engineering (1-5 August), Live Engineering (8-12 August) and Record Production (15-19 August). Booking details are available at www.brightonelectric.co.uk.

All the modules are based around teaching the best techniques to achieve professional results through practical hands

Finland - Viiking Musiikki Oy has been appointed the exclusive distributor of Kling & Freitag for Finland.

The company, headed by Juha Jäppinen, has been using K&F products including CA1215 and Access for some years. At the end of April, a Sequenza 10 system, a SCENA 15 and other K&F products were delivered which are used for demonstration and renting purposes.

Upcoming events where the new equipment will be used include the Kuopio Vine Festival which will feature 22 bands. This will be followed in July by the Ilosaarirock Festival with Kate Nash (UK), The Exploited (UK), Kolmoslava , Rentolava and others.

Viiking Musiikki Oy was founded in 1994 and as well as sales and leasing of professional equipment also manufacturesin high quality custom-made flight cases.

(Jim Evans)

UK - After discussion amongst the Tallescope Working Party - which comprises representatives from SOLT, TMA and a range of UK theatre industry organisations, members of the HSE and the manufacturers of the Tallescope, Aluminium Access Products - the ABTT, on behalf of the industry, has announced:

"Tallescopes have long been and remain one of the methods for Working at Height in Theatres. However as stated and illustrated in the ABTT Code of Practice on Selection of Equipment for Work at Height in Theatres, Tallescopes should not be regarded as the default or first choice tool for working at height. Employers should always refer to the hierarchy for the selection of equipment for work at height outlined in the Work at Height Regulations 2005 before considering means for work at height. However it is recognised that in some circumstances the Tallescope will be the most approp

UK - Clay Paky's Sharpy spotlights have been used at the 2011 NME awards, appearing in front of some of the best-known names of the indie rock scene. The event was held at London's Brixton Academy, where lighting designer Tim Routledge created the looks for a show that included performances by The Foo Fighters, PJ Harvey and My Chemical Romance.

Besides lighting the show for the benefit of the live audience, Routledge also had the responsibility of making sure everything was lit to standard for broadcast on Channel 4 television.

Richard Martin Lighting supported the main lighting suppliers Lite Alternative by providing 20 of their most recent and popular purchase, the Clay Paky Sharpy.

Commenting on his choice of equipment, Routledge said: "The NME awards are a challenge. Turnaround time is short, and a restricted budget meant I was looking for something that could crea

Turkey - An Istanbul branch of the Nomads club has opened in Istanbul, installed with an L-Acoustics coaxial sound system.

Nomads Istanbul follows the concept of the original Amsterdam venue, serving up a combination of European and Eastern culture in both its style and cuisine, with interior decorations and tableware sourced from Morocco and Egypt.

Attention to detail didn't end with the interior decor. The Su Entertainment Group also deemed technical design to be a crucial factor in the new club's success. The group thereby handed responsibility for sound and light system design and installation to L-Acoustics' Turkish distributor, Elit Light&Sound Technologies. Elit has installed a system of four L-Acoustics 12XTi and seven 8XTi coaxial loudspeakers and four SB18 subwoofers around the club, powered by three LA4 amplified controllers.

"At Elit Light&Sound Technologies

South Africa - Mediatech Africa 2011 - Africa's biennial trade exhibition showcasing broadcast, film and production and related industries, has announced Gearhouse SA (Pty) Ltd as the expo's official technical sponsor. Gearhouse will be handling the lighting, audio, trussing, audio visual, LED and draping for the expo.

The decision by Gearhouse to become the technical sponsor for Mediatech Africa is to showcase the latest solutions and service offerings targeted at the live event industry who naturally gravitate to Mediatech Africa.

"In addition to providing the latest technical support and solutions at the expo, we'll be raising awareness of Gearhouse Splitbeam," says Gearhouse's Robyn D'Alessandro. "Splitbeam is a new company which offers variety of smaller applications and their stockholding is specifically geared towards the Theatre market".

D'Alessan

USA - Elation Professional has entered into an agreement with Production Exchange to establish a sub-portal on the company's interactive website that will allow customers to locate and rent Elation lighting and video products online.

The new Production Exchange portal offers a convenient way for customers to search for specific Elation products and find out within minutes who has them available for rent. Up-to-the-minute information is made possible, because the portal is seamlessly integrated into the rental management software of a network of Elation dealers throughout the nation, says the company.

Eric Loader, director of sales for Elation Professional comments, "We decided to establish our Production Exchange portal because we were getting so many calls from customers asking, 'Do you know who has this or that product for rent?'. Now designers and installers will be ab

China - Babyface Beijing has undergone a major refurbishment including the replacement of the sound system, which is now APG throughout.

New owner Mr Dai was very clear about what he wanted to achieve: "I want this club to stand out from the crowd," he said. "And for that, I have to have the best sound system and the best lighting system available." He turned to local audio experts and APG distributors BVCAM to help him with his choice of equipment.

BVCAM organised a demo for Mr Dai at their dedicated APG demo room in Shenzhen that turned out to be extremely convincing. BVCAM's Danny Huen explained that Mr Dai understands audio and has listened to many brands over the years, so he was interested to have his opinion on APG. "Actually, he found APG to have a pure sound that set it apart from other brands, so he put our proposal on his list for considerat

The Netherlands / USA - Dutch loudspeaker manufacturer Alcons Audio has announced the formation of Alcons Audio USA, which sees the company take its first significant steps towards penetrating the US market.

Alcons Audio USA will be headed by David Rahn, most recently national sales manager at Renkus Heinz, and Pauline Ortiz y Pino, business development specialist, and will be based in Dana Point, California.

"We are very excited to be joining Alcons Audio," says Rahn. "What intrigued me most about this opportunity was not only the reputation that Alcons Audio has developed in such a short time, but the technology behind the Alcons Audio loudspeaker systems. First and foremost, their proprietary Pro-Ribbon technology leaves no question as to the superior performance and capability of their products."

"We are honoured to have been chosen to join the A

UK - Nick Gray of London- based creative lighting design practice, Renegade, has designed the lighting for the current Kasabian tour, which saw the UK indie rockers play several warm-up shows ahead of headline slots at leading UK festivals, Rockness in Inverness and the Isle of Wight, as well as Rock Werchter in Belgium.

Renegade has worked with the band for the last four years, each time developing a different and strong visual theme for their live performances.

Gray's design is based around two trussing arches which move into three different positions during the show, starting in a position flat to the stage. These are automated via a Kinesys system which is supplied by the tour's lighting contractor Neg Earth. The show is operated on the road by Paul Kell (PK) working for Renegade.

The starting point for this design - key elements of which will also be condensed into a fl

UK - Two of the UK's best known entertainment technology providers have reached their 40th anniversaries in 2011.

Northern Light and White Light, based in Edinburgh and London respectively, were both formed in 1971 - the same year in which the UK and Ireland switched to decimal currency - and are planning a joint celebration to mark 40 successful years of serving the technical requirements of the entertainment industry.

Bryan Raven, managing director of White Light, said: "Where better to hold a celebration of our 40th anniversaries than during the ABTT Theatre Show? The whole industry turns out for this annual event and it's an ideal opportunity to buy them a drink to celebrate our birthdays."

Colin Cuthbert, managing director of Northern Light, added: "Make mine a double, Bryan."

The companies are trying to fit in with the whole social whirl of this i

UK - One of London's most colourful events, the Baishakhi Mela, enjoyed its 14th successful year in early May, as 100,000 people convened in and around Brick Lane in Tower Hamlets to welcome the Bengali New Year. Working closely with the local council and Metropolitan Police, AP Security helped to ensure that the family event was enjoyed by all.

"The Mela takes place over a wide area, covering Allen Gardens, Weavers Fields, Brick Lane and the surrounding streets. It's a complicated set up, including a parade, live music, DJs, a fun fair and many stalls, with thousands of people thronging the area," says Sammie Martins, AP's operations manager for the event.

"Our responsibilities include phased road closures, crowd management, keeping local residents happy and ensuring that everyone enjoys a safe day, so the planning is meticulous, as it is with every job we're i

UK - The Point at Lancashire County Cricket Club recently teamed up with one of their preferred AV partners, Blitz Communications, to bring a complimentary training course for professional event organisers to the North West for the first time.

The day was dedicated to introducing a range of bespoke Blitz products and new technologies that assist organisers in making their events more cost effective, sustainable, interactive and innovative, and at the same time creating opportunities to generate additional revenue.

Commenting on the masterclass, sales manager at The Point Peter Ash said, " We have appointed Blitz as one of our preferred partners of choice for our event staging and were delighted to be able to host this technology masterclass on their behalf."

Hosted by ITV weather presenter and news features reporter, Emma Jesson, the masterclass was introduced by B

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