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14 March 2016

MixWave president Hirokazu Saika comments: "We decided to name our company MixWave because we are striving to find companies that are making waves in the industry." The company currently represents TC Electronics, Ashley, API Audio, Furman, Sonic Studio, A Designs, Doremi, Buzzaudio, Dynaudioacoustics and Weiss.

Paul Roberts, director of sales for Symetrix noted: "MixWave is a fresh new distributor in Japan with great people that have a lot of experience in the industry. We are excited to be aligned with MixWave and their aggressive approach to promoting the brands they distribute."

(Jim Evans)

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14 March 2016

Established in 2001, the company has rapidly grown to become one of the biggest rental companies in the south of France, offering a wide range of sound, lighting, video and staging equipment. SLS proprietor Léon van Empel comments: "It's not just about spending money. It's also about making sure we stay up-to-date with what's going on in the market so that when we do spend the money, we spend it wisely on products that will both satisfy our clients and offer us a good return on our investment. That is one of the reasons why we opted for InnovaSon consoles rather than any other b

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14 March 2016

One of South Africa's most renown lighting designers, Denis Hutchinson was nominated as both the consultant and the LD for the theatre. "The intention of being both consultant and LD was two-fold," said Hutchinson. "Firstly, I had to see to the completion of the theatre and be on hand for trouble-shooting. The second motive was purely selfish; I chose the new toys for the theatre and I wanted to be the first to play with them."

With Hutchinson being very particular about what equipment he wanted, he finally selected DWR Distribution, who supplied the automated lighting and control, Prosound, T&A Ligh

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14 March 2016

Now sponsored by Kickers, the UMA covers the broad umbrella of urban music forms, a spectrum extending from Gospel, Neo Soul to HipHop, and more. This year's awards were presented again by Radio 1 DJ Ras Kwame and neo-soul heavyweight Terri Walker, and featured numerous live performances from established as well as up-and-coming artists, UB40, Nate James and Keisha White amongst others.

This year, PSL took on responsibility for design and implementa

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14 March 2016

Hailing originally from a retail background, Tomlinson spent 12 years at Roland, latterly as product manager for the RSS division, part of the successful Sound Snake launch.

(Jim Evans)

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14 March 2016

In response to the ever-changing demands of the entertainment industry, Tomcat has announced that in 2008 the workshops will feature a new and improved curriculum. For the first time, participants will be able to choose their focus: Rigging & Truss or Chain Motors & Truss - with beginning and advanced training in that area of focus: all in one workshop.

Tomcat also reports that these workshops will be offered twice in 2008. Both of these sessions will be offered 20-23 February as well as 4-7 June, 2008 in Midland, Texas.

(Jim Evans)

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14 March 2016

Robert van Hees, owner of SLR, knew that he could easily satisfy his customers' demands, but for SLR the most important issue would be smart lighting control. Van Hees felt the best solution would be to use VisualDMX lighting control software triggered with the Frontier interface.

When Visual Productions provided the on-site programming of the Frontier, the U-Bar staff were so taken with the easy user interface and opportunities offered by VisualDMX that they chose to finalise

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14 March 2016

Research by the Samaritans has indicated that a third of UK workforce cannot sleep at night through anxiety, and a staggering three-quarters cannot switch off when they leave the office at the end of the day. This problem can be particularly relevant in the live events industry, where there are constant pressures to keep to increasingly tight deadlines and budgets.

SPS hopes to raise awareness of Stress Down Day in the industry to prevent any more people falling into those frightening statistics. Robin Coles, managing director at SPS commented: "I have been a Samaritan listening volunteer for s

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14 March 2016

Other new DJ mixers on offer from FX are the Vestax PMC-08 Pro Digital Mixer and the Pioneer DJM909 and DJM800 DJ mixers, plus Allen & Heath's XONE:92 DJ mixer with six dual stereo channels, two offering mic inputs, totalling 10 stereo and two microphone inputs and a full range of connectors; this allows connection to four turntables, two mics, CD and MD players, drum machines and samplers.

FX has also added the Pioneer DVJ-1000 Pro DVD turntable with the same operation and layout as the CDJ-1

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14 March 2016

On the back of the success of PLASA07, many companies have increased their stand size and several have doubled their space, setting PLASA08 on course to be the major industry event of next year. The success of the 2007 show has also been a catalyst for drawing back former exhibitors and generating strong levels of interest from new exhibitors, impressed with the professionalism and energy of the event.

The show management team has identified a range of new initiatives to develop and strengthen visitor attendance and is also focusing on a number of key areas for further development.

"One of the key messages that came across very powerfully from

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14 March 2016

It is hoped to raise the remaining $10,000 by New Year's Eve. In announcing the ETC $50,000 Challenge Grant, CEO Fred Foster said, "Our industry runs on the flexibility, skills, and artistry of people who dedicate themselves to creating the magic of the theatre. Sadly, this means that many times an illness or crisis can catch one of us without the support of full benefits and insurance."

(Jim Evans)

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14 March 2016

During his 18-year career in pro audio, Saint Martin has gained experience in contracting, sales management and international distribution. Prior to his recent appointment at Meyer Sound, Saint Martin served as international sales director for QSC Audio.

"I have known Mauricio for many years and his reputation in the pro audio market is impeccable," says Mike Cooper, Meyer Sound's International sales director. "We are very fortunate to have someone with his abilities and experience join our team."

(Jim Evans)

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14 March 2016

Hawker has over twenty five years experience working within the events, broadcast TV and corporate communication industries. Prior to joining Element Labs, he held senior commercial and technical positions at Blitz Communications and Creative Technology (London). Over the course of his career, he has played a key role in the success of many high-profile projects, including the Athens 2004 Olympic opening and closing ceremonies, where he acted as video and projection consultant for Jack Morton Public Events.

Claas Ernst, European managing director for Element Labs commented: "We are enormously proud to have Andr

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14 March 2016

The winning band will also have one of their tracks remixed by UNKLE's Aidan Lavelle, and receive four VIP tickets to the new ZooThousand festival taking place in July amongst the beautiful natural surroundings of Port Lympne Wild Animal Park near Ashford, Kent. This year's Unsigned Heroes runners-up wi

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14 March 2016

The imposed "holiday" was not a present from Santa, but instead was due to a power failure in the Zaltbommel area caused by one of the world's most formidable war machines, an Apache Helicopter. Just after 7pm on Tuesday evening The Royal Netherlands Air Force Apache helicopter touched power cables crossing the River Waal, part of the Rhine, causing a loss of power to over 50,000 households and many local businesses, including Duran Audio's factory.

Gerrit Duran, founder and President of Duran Audio, commented: "I was at home on Wednesday evening when I heard a strange low frequency sound. I went outside to investigate and to my amazement I saw an Apache helicopter with its search lights activated looking for a clear sp

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14 March 2016

The annual tourism gala - sponsored by China's National Tourism Administration and the People's Government of Guangdong province - is a massive week-long festival offering a series of events and conventions in cities all around the province and attracting huge numbers of foreign visitors. However, la pièce de résistance was undoubtedly the grand opening ceremony which began with the depiction of the epic Legend of the Ship of the Blue Ocean and terminated with a spectacular fireworks display. Performances from popula

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14 March 2016

Taking place on the eve of the 80th Anniversary of the British Racing Drivers' Club, the Awards celebrate the achievements of the international racing season. Over 400 people gathered in The Savoy's Lancaster Ballroom for the star-studded event, which was packed with motor racing's finest heroes from past and present.

The Richard Seaman Trophy is awarded to the winner of the Club's Gold Star points scoring system. Lewis Hamilton's 2007 F1 achievements led him to top the Club's Gold Star table by a margin of 34 points at the end of his maiden season.

A.C. Lighting's UK sales director, Phil Capstick, presented the award to Lewis Hamilton along with BRDC President Damon Hill. Once on stage,

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14 March 2016

Peavey supplied a Delta Blues 210 guitar amplifier from their Classic Series of guitar amplifiers; a Max bass amplifier from the compact and affordable Max range; four PVi 100 microphones which are specially designed for musicians on the move; and a number of guitar accessories such as leads and stands. The band, who had never played together before, had three days to rehearse and get used to each other and their new gear before they faced their eager public.

According to a military spokesman,

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14 March 2016

The event - attended by General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces - was staged in the Zayed Sports City Stadium.

The show was a collaboration between HQ's artistic director Katie Veira and creative producer Daz Jamieson, the police and His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who played a very hands-on role in the event.

The Sheikh and the police had several specific ideas which were taken by HQ Creative, added to with their own input and integrated into the show's storyboard.

Lasting 90 minutes, the brief opening speeches were followed by poetry reading, a special choreographed candle 'shaping' parade with hundreds of can

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14 March 2016

The new EAW Europe, which officially opens its doors on 2 January 2007, is based in Wickford, Essex, UK, and is headed by Sean Martin, the company's veteran European sales manager. He is directing a team of six full-time, experienced professionals who will work in support of the EAW brand and its European customer base.

The new operation offers the complete inventory of EAW products on the European continent in order to dramatically shorten delivery times. An expansive inventory of repair and replacement parts are kept on hand as well, with an EAW Product Service Centre also instituted in Wickford, in very close proximity to the offices of EAW Europe.

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14 March 2016

"This year carried on the great spirit of the first two parties very well in that it gave everybody in the production community a chance to meet up and have some fun in a relaxed and social atmosphere. A lot of people thoroughly enjoyed the event and had big smiles on their faces," said Bryan Grant at Britannia Row.

The event saw around 900 friends and clients from each of the companies enjoy flamboyant Burlesque Music and Entertainment in a classic and Western themed venue.

Entertainment was supplied by Lost Vagueness who provided the main focal points in party areas including a Golden Nugget casino, Gaol and a Pamper Parlour. Other en

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14 March 2016

They went on to appear in every Morecambe and Wise show, returning to Rex Howard for maintenance and storage in between shows.

Rex Howard Drapes is now a trading division of Hawthorn, and the company report that these unique tabs are going to be used again in a Morecambe and Wise Christmas Memories TV tribute special, to be shown this Christmas. The gold drapes have been fully cleaned and serviced ready for the show by Hawthorn's in-house specialist maintenance team.

Mike Watling, general manager of Rex Howard Drapes said: "These gold tabs are part of TV history. It's been a real pleasure for the whole team to be involved in getting this special piece of TV memorabilia ship shape for the Christmas TV s

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14 March 2016

The Centre was opened by the University's vice-chancellor, Dr Ruth Farwell, and Patrick Jordan, managing director of Mojo Barriers, in the company of many distinguished guests from the security, crowd management and close protection industries.

The Mojo Barriers Education & Training Centre is the world's only centre for training staff indoors on using pressure sensing equipment with the Barrier Load Measuring System (BLMS).

The launch featured a full demonstration of the BLMS, lead by Patrick Jordan and Warren Tucker, who provides technological support for the Centre, enabling guests to witness the benefits of the system at first hand. Mojo Barriers has donated the BLMS to Bucking

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14 March 2016

On 25 September 2007 the Wyvern, a busy receiving venue, reopened after nearly a year in the dark following the discovery of asbestos in the auditorium roof (see Lighting&Sound International magazine November 2007). Stage Electrics was contracted by Swindon Borough Council to design, install and supply technical infrastructure and equipment to the venue.

The Wyvern Theatre is a truly multifunctional venue hosting everything from Shakespeare to ballet, live music to comedy and conferences to cinema. With a reasonably small team of staf