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14 March 2016

The venue, the largest amphitheatre in the Middle East, played centre stage for a special concert by the Oscar-winning Greek composer Vangelis. A&O Technology implemented a spectacular light show by the late esteemed lighting architect Gert Hof for the special concert.

A&O was responsible as general contractor for the lighting and pyrotechnics including the provision of electrical power, control and programming for the light show. Only 10 days had been assigned to put together a multimedia show in which at times over 350 high-powered searchlights, a variety of lighting systems, fireworks and video projection were employed simultaneously.

The central section of the giant screen erected on the seaward side of the amphitheatre formed a g

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14 March 2016

Their brief included the provision of the band's backline which was sourced from John Henry Enterprises, and specialist video which came via Bluman Associates. All necessary rigging was also supplied by Entec.

Entec's project manager Noreen O'Riordan worked closely with Mayday's LA-based production manager Jeffrey Soon to ensure that all their needs were met, and brought Simon Tutchener on-board as their overall production and site manager.

Tutchener started work on the gig about two weeks in advance. The challenges were all the usual ones of a large one-off - a pressurised time frame, the logistics of remote co-ordination .... and only one cha

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14 March 2016

The installation in the 18,000-seater stadium was performed by the Clermont-Ferrand branch of Manganelli, supported by EVI Audio France. "Those responsible for the stadium wanted a sound reinforcement system with the highest intelligibility level possible," explains Jean Marandet, the French Electro-Voice distributor's product & service manager.

The greatest challenge was the need to obtain high sound pressure levels and at the same time even coverage with a 100-V system.

In the case of the Parc des Sports Marcel Michelin, simulations and calculations reveale

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14 March 2016

A to V's Mark Whitehead advised on process, content ratios and resolution, whilst all content - celebrating the history of the School of Art, which dates back to 1853 - was supplied by final year photography student, David Black.

(Jim Evans)

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14 March 2016

They took the opportunity at the Leeds, UK based show which ran over 17-18 April to present a selection of Roland products including the VC-30HD multi-input video converter and encoder, the VR-3, and A4 sized compact 'all in one' audio mixer and video switcher and two USB audio interfaces. The UA-55, which provides four inputs and four outputs and the UA-1010, provides 10 inputs and ten outputs.

(Jim Evans)

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14 March 2016

"I couldn't wait to get my hands on the new system," says Simon Honywill, who took the opportunity to mix Chris Rea's sound through the MLA Compact on the closing dates of the recent European and UK tour.

Honywill, who had largely been responsible for driving RG Jones' investment in the MLA platform, instigated a seamless PA switch, ably assisted by system engineer Mark Edwards in time for the last two tour dates - at the Pavilions in his home town of Plymouth, and HMV Apollo Hammersmith, where the system had been formally launched last month.

Whilst the system performed admirably in Plymou

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14 March 2016

DiGiCo's vice president of sales Ian Staddon was joined by engineer Dave Bracey, known for his work as Front of House engineer for artists such as Robbie Williams, Massive Attack and Bjork, with whom he is currently touring.

The pair presented a mixture of technical theory and hands on practice, with the seminars covering DiGiCo's entire range of products, from the flagship SD7 to UB MADI, the latest offering from the company's Solutions division. The sessions were rounded off with a Mixing Master Class from Bracey, where he demonstrated why the SD7 is his console of choice and emphasising the use and value of features such as snapshots when using digital consoles.

As a finale to the event, all the atte

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14 March 2016

The Metropolitan Opera has a reputation for carefully selecting gear to add to its equipment roster. Only the highest quality, most reliable products will meet its strict requirements.

"The Met liked a number of features of the Alpha Profile 700," reports Brian Dowd, vice president of sales at A.C.T Lighting. "Among the attributes that most appealed to them were the fixture's compact size, even optical field, quiet and precise shutters, smooth dimming curve and silent movement."

(Jim Evans)

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14 March 2016

Held at the Dubai World Trade Centre, the full-day event opens at 11am with an address by George Katodrytis, RIBA, Associate Professor of Architecture, College of Architecture, Art and Design, American University of Sharjah.

It will then go on to discuss a series of topics including: New Technologies and Products in Lighting Design (with Ivar Krasinski, design director, STR-EDGE), followed by The Development of Standardisations for Lighting: Abu Dhabi's Sustainable Lighting Policy (with Martin Valentine, Municipality of Abu Dhabi City). This will lead into a debate session a debate session which asks: Are LEDs for Everybody in the Lighting Profession? (moderated by George Katodrytis a

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14 March 2016

For their Legend, their latest spectacular production, Circus Zapashny - in cooperation with Imlight - they decided to add the XR3000 Spot CMY and XR3000 Beam moving heads as a major upgrade of their light rig.

Legend is staged in the Luzhniki sports arena, Moscow. In 2002, the arena experienced a major reconstruction andtoday it can seat 11,500 people.

(Jim Evans)

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14 March 2016

The theatre will be operated by Nimax which already runs five others in London, including the Apollo and Lyric. Nimax chief executive Nica Burns said, "Our new theatre won't compete with those already in London. It will be a different - very intimate - space, in a great location, where cutting edge shows can be performed." The London Astoria most recently occupied the site before it closed in 2009 when it

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14 March 2016

Over the past year PLASA has embraced a completely different governance structure, expanded its portfolio of events in North America, and introduced a range of new services and benefits. Members at the AGM will also learn more about PLASA's proposed global strategy and the crucial role played by the respective Regional Boards and Governing Body in the planning process.

The PLASA Members' Lunch will be followed by a very special guest speaker in the form of Iron Maiden front man, Bruce Dickinson. Well known as the lead singer of one of

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14 March 2016

"Our exhibitors really appreciated the opportunity to meet customers, talk to them in a relaxed environment and find out exactly what their needs were," said Phil Haldane, Black Light's head of company development. "All of the show visitors I spoke to said that they were impressed by the range of products on demonstration. They also really liked the chance to get information at first hand. In general, what was so great about the Open Day was that everyone could meet their friends and colleagues, make new contacts and share advi

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14 March 2016

"We are delighted to have TSD onboard as part of the Robe family," says Robe's regional sales manager for Latin America, Guillermo Traverso. "We took our time to find the right company and people," he adds, "and the TSD Group's expertise and commitment to the brand, plus their renowned after-sales service and support are all qualities that fit perfectly with us. We expect that they will be great success."

TSD sales manager Sandra Gallasso comments, "We have wanted to work with Robe for some time, and now all the circumsta

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14 March 2016

The property boasts a spectacular first-floor atrium area with a seven-storey high ceiling from which an illuminated pendant structure is suspended above diners. Prolyte Group's special projects division, Litestructures, was approached by building contractor John Sisk & Sons to manufacture, build and commission this feature as part of the overall project.

The striking luminous pendant, based on a design developed by GIA Lighting, comprises a series of aluminium frames, linked together by braces at the upper frame, assembled in a concentric orientation. Braces link the outer and inner sectio

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14 March 2016

Presented by Miguel Lourtie of Meyer Sound with technical support from Pro Audio Systems, the event was attended by around 40 delegates from many backgrounds, all of whom took part in the very interactive event. Designed to highlight the key fundamentals of modern sound system deployment, the event focused on practical solutions for optimising audio as well as providing a refresher course in some key principles of acoustics and applicable physics.

A Meyer Sound Mina system with 500-HP subwoofers plus MAPP Online and various other Meyer Sound, Midas and Sennheiser products from Pro Audio System's inventory were used for the event.

Miguel Lourtie said, "It was a pleasure and delight to find such a professional setup and a huge crowd. I'm looking forward to doing another semi

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14 March 2016

"When you go into a show like this you need to appeal to the NBA, the client and the artists," says Howard of Otis Howard Design in St. Petersberg, Florida. "They wanted a dynamic halftime show - something on a par with the NFL. There's always the challenge of making a show like this look big, and the 2012 show was the biggest they'd ever done. We had to come up with a lot of bells and whistles."

Howard had seen Sharpys in action and was looking for an opportunity to use them. "They seemed like the right tool for the applicati

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14 March 2016

The diversity of the events planned for the new church called for a versatile sound reinforcement system. The task of specifying and installing the system was therefore entrusted to Creative Audio Visual Solutions, a company with considerable experience and expertise in the provision of solutions specifically for c

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14 March 2016

Taking place in early April, the Evening of Inspiration tour showcased some of the world's leading performers of Islamic cultural entertainment with famous names including Outlandish, Zain Bhikha, Junaid Jamshed, Native Deen and comedian Preacher Moss.

"Having purchased both an iLive-T80 and a T112 system last year, we felt that they were perfect for the tour," says project manager Johnny Palmer. "The show was in a variety format, which meant considerable desk architecture changes were needed between each performance and iLive was the perfect choice for this. Also, the RJ45-based control meant that at some venues we were able to patch into existing network infrastructure, which worked great."

All proceeds were donated to Islamic R

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14 March 2016

The AV team at Lumina Motion was tasked with creating an exciting and memorable product launch for Nokia's new Lumia 800 smartphone, and succeeded by working with Stampede to utilize "the best technology, share industry know-how and ensure patient attention to every technical detail".

According to Lumina Motion owner Gonzalo de la Barra: "We at Lumina Motion know that when you're producing a live event, everything has to be perfect. Stampede knows this too, which is why they recommended the eight Christie Full HD projectors and Geffen Fiber Optic cables to produce over 10,000 square feet of HD video display with precis

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14 March 2016

Other features common to both fixtures include 50,000 hours LED life (6,800-7500K), seven dichroic colour filters (plus white); seven rotating gobos and seven fixed gobos (all easily interchangeable); DMX controllable focus; 5-100% linearly adjustable iris and macros; electronic strobe (0-20 fps); 540° (pan) and 270° (tilt), with auto position correction; and 14 channels (short mode), 18 (standard) and 22 (extended mode). The LED Spot weighs 14.5kg and the LED Beam 14.2kg. Both fixtures are shipping now.

(Jim Evans)

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14 March 2016

The Theatre of Nations was established in 1987 under the name of Theatre of Friendship of Nations and in 1991 was renamed the State Theatre of Nations.

Its intensive production activities include developing and producing a variety of theatre projects, organising international and national festivals, presenting the best Russian and international productions, representing many different genres and styles. The theatre also stages its own productions, with the ultimate goal of becoming the centre for nurturing a new generation of theatre practitioners.

The State Theatre of Nations' historical building had been occupied since 1885 by

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14 March 2016

During the choir's rendition of Spirit of the Living God the congregation were showered by thousands of white rose petals, scattered from the Whispering Gallery in the dome of the Cathedral.

Organisers of the service were delighted with the effect and the collective gasp of surprise from 2000 worshipers was described as "breath-taking; a moment to remember for years".

(Jim Evans)

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14 March 2016

But the folks behind the Anaheim Ducks are working to change that perception with The Rinks, a fast-growing chain of ice and inline hockey venues in southern California designed to promote the game in a kid- and teen-friendly environment.

"Particularly in Southern California, hockey's always been a pretty underrated sport," says Jason Voorhees of Costa Mesa-based Cantara Design, the company behind the audio systems at The Rinks. "It's gotten a bad rap as a rough game, and in the past, many of the available places to play have been rather run down and neglected."

The Ducks have been working to combat that image, purchasing and renovating older rinks to create cle