UK - AC-ET's sister company, A.C. Special Projects Ltd. (ACSP), will be on hand during PLASA Focus: Leeds to discuss how they can provide bespoke lighting, audio and AV installations to the entertainment and architectural sectors.

"ACSP's team of highly experienced project managers can handle all aspects of a project from the initial design concept through to the finished installation - assisting designers and architects with the specification, project supply, installation, commissioning and programming, or any part thereof, delivering clients' projects on time and on budget," says the company.

Acting as single supplier, the company has access to the full range of over 200 leading technology brands available from AC-ET.

"Whether for education and drama; performance venues including theatres, live music, nightclubs and bars; or architectural applications in ret

UK - Martin Audio has appointed James King as its new Director of Marketing. He will take up his new position just as the company unveils its latest innovation at this year's Prolight+Sound Show in Frankfurt, arriving as the loudspeaker manufacturer's groundbreaking technology starts to enjoy unprecedented sales success.

King states that he immediately recognised the opportunity to capitalise on this. I am impressed with the ambition, innovation and heritage of Martin Audio, and am excited at the prospect at being able to hone this into a clear competitive advantage that will deliver further market share gains worldwide, he said.

"The industry is full of passion and I look forward to immersing myself in the world of pro audio, to help deliver the insights necessary for Martin Audio to best serve its customers and strengthen its brand position.

Welcoming him to the compa

UK - Trade AV specialist PSCo Rental has announced the appointment of Rebecca Brophy to rental manager with a key focus on motivating and developing the rental team, and driving the customer service elements of the business. Working closely with PSCo Group CEO, Stuart Holmes, Brophy will play a vital role in the development and expansion of the team through training, defining and tracking KPI's, objective measurement and accountability.

Commenting on the appointment, Stuart Holmes said, "We are always looking to enhance the perception of PSCo Rental as the place to go for friendly, informative and helpful advice on the latest and most innovative displays. Our customers appreciate an open and honest approach and we want to show that as part of our integral customer service. Rebecca is a perfect fit to ensure our Rental Team receives the right communications, training, motiva

World - PR Lighting has announced some strategic personnel changes as it strives to consolidate its expansion across the globe.

The experience and dedication of both Anna Zhang and Mary Ma have been recognised - with the former promoted to the important role of sales manager (for the Americas) and the latter to sales assistant supervisor.

Both are long-serving and loyal members of the successful sales team. Anna has been working with PR Lighting for the past seven years, developing through the ranks, first as sales assistant and sales supervisor, before being confirmed as sales manager.

Confirming the new appointment, sales director Ernie Armas said, "Anna's career development has been impressive over such a short amount of time; she is also the first to have reached the key position of overseeing sales in the most important territory, after starting in an entry level r

France - Inaugurated in 1995 as two seasonal events, for the fourth year the Winter X Games moved outside the US to the skiing and snowboarding haven of Tignes in the French Alps recently, where more than 125 athletes from all over the globe competed. In addition to X Games Tignes, 2013 is also the first year that the event has gone truly global, with other events taking place in Aspen (USA), Foz De Iguaçu (Brazil), Barcelona (Spain), Munich (Germany) and Los Angeles (USA).

Brought in to assist with the sophisticated audio signal distribution was experienced rental company, Gilles Bouvard Events and Entertainment (GB4D) - who are specialists at big event productions of this nature (working in extreme conditions). Bouvard has long been an advocate of Optocore's optical fibre network solutions, and once again a large deployment of the German company's interfaces ensured suc

Germany - Well-known for its power management systems, Furman introduce a new sequencer to the European market with even more features and security. As a slim, 1U 16A package it will slide neatly into the top of any 19" rack for both power distribution and switching.

SmartSequencing technology allows large and complex professional A/V systems to be safely powered on and off at the touch of a button or turn of a key, even by non-technical personnel. If you'd rather lock-out this level of control then a series of security covers will lock out the button and sequencing functions and you can simply take the keys with you.

Multiple units can be daisy-chained on runs of over 300m with bi-directional communication between units for sequencing on and off large-scale, complex systems. As is standard with most Furman products, CN-3600 SE incorporates Furman's trademarked power cond

Germany - At ProLight+Sound, Audio-Technica is showing its new AT2020USB+ cardioid condenser microphone - the successor to its popular, easy-to-use AT2020USB model. Equipped with a USB output, the microphone is designed for digitally capturing music or any acoustic audio source employing users' favourite recording software. The AT2020USB+ offers studio-quality articulation and intelligibility suitable for home studio recording, field recording, podcasting and voiceover use.

The AT2020USB+ features a built-in headphone jack with volume control that allows users to directly monitor their microphone signal in real time, and a built-in high-output internal headphone amplifier that delivers superior clarity. The microphone also offers a mix control that can blend the microphone's signal with pre-recorded audio (perfect for DJ/karaoke use). The unit's cardioid pickup pattern delivers

Germany - At ProLight+ Sound this week, Allen & Heath will unveil Qu-16, a brand new compact digital mixer with a professional feature set and an entry-level price tag, packaged in a stylish 19" rack size. Inheriting technology from the acclaimed GLD and iLive digital mixing systems, Qu-16 features total recall of settings (including 17 motorised faders and digitally controlled preamps), an intuitive Touchscreen, Qu-Drive integrated multi-track recorder, dSNAKE for remote I/O and personal monitoring, multi-channel USB streaming to Mac, Qu-Pad control app, and iLive's renowned FX library to deliver class-leading audio quality.

Qu-16 features 16 mic/line inputs, 3 stereo inputs, 4 FX engines with dedicated stereo returns, 14 mixes (including LR, 10 aux mixes, plus 2 dedicated FX busses), 12 mix processing channels, patchable AES digital output with a further 2-channel ALT out

UK - Watched by an estimated 1m viewers per week, the new series of Sky One's Got To Dance has once again packed a prime-time punch.

Designed for use on-screen, Le Mark's Harmony gloss black dance floor has been selected as the dancing surface for the semi-finalists' pre-recorded 'Killer Move' video clip.

The smooth finish of the floor allows for a controlled glide whilst retaining the perfect element of grip. An exceptional level of dancing comfort for performers and a stunning high-gloss visual-effect for the viewers at home.

Le Mark's Sharon Marshall said, "Keeping up with the fast paced performances and such varied dancing styles is no easy task for any dance floor. The robust yet forgiving nature of our Harmony Dance Floor is a key reason why it's one of our best sellers around the globe."

(Jim Evans)

Germany - ProLight+Sound 2013 sees console manufacturer DiGiCo significantly raise the sonic capabilities of its SD9 and SD11 digital mixing consoles.

"In 2012, to celebrate 40 years of console manufacturing, we unleashed some more Stealth Digital Processing FPGA power to our SD Range of consoles," says DiGiCo managing director James Gordon. "This saw the SD9 become Supercharged, increasing facilities and processing power at no additional cost to new or existing customers."

To mark this significant achievement, DiGiCo also created a special package, which includes 72 mic inputs with two stage racks, known as the 'Rack Pack'. This package offered a complete system at an incredible price, and future proofing like no other console can achieve.

"For 2013 DiGiCo has gone further," Gordon continues, "increasing the SD9 and SD11's sonic possibilit

UK - With a range from 6.5° to 50° the Sharpy Wash is designed by the Clay Paky optical lab to be the flip-side to the Sharpy coin. The 330W lamp equals the output of a 1000W luminaire and weighing in at only 18.5 Kg it is the ideal tourable unit.

Ambersphere Solutions' MD, Glyn O'Donoghue is in no doubt about the level of interest generated by this little weapon, "As Clay Paky's exclusive distributor we know that one of their strengths is that they consult with real lighting designers to specify the feature set of their new fixtures; the Sharpy, and now the Sharpy Wash, are the result of that policy. We have been showing one prototype for a few weeks and have been blown away by the reaction from LDs and rental companies alike. It seems like the Sharpy Wash fills a void for rental companies as they have been placing orders without waiting for designers to specify th

UK - Kerrang! has announced that the Relentless Kerrang! Awards 2013 is moving to the new location of Troxy in East London, taking place on 13 June. The awards is celebrating its 20th anniversary and voting has gone live today via www.kerrang.com and in Kerrang! Magazine. The Relentless Kerrang! Awards will be hosted by Mark Hoppus (ex Blink 182) and Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian.

"It's been a thrilling year for the music Kerrang! loves," says editor James McMahon. "Whether on a global scale, or at a grass roots level, rock has thrived in the twelve months that have passed since the last time we all got together in a room and acted like lawless barbarians. It's for this reason that our awards exist. To bestow praise and reward on music which matters, which so rarely gets acclaim from outside its own

USA - Bose Professional builds on its proprietary PowerMatch amplifier technology platform with three additional models of configurable professional power amplifiers. Based on decades of research across multiple industries, Bose engineers optimized audio performance with a robust Class-D amplifier and power supply design that together are capable of maintaining top performance even with unexpected variations in AC line voltage, rack temperature, and output load conditions, says the company.

Configurable through the use of QuadBridge technology, each amplifier is capable of combining 2 or 4 output channels, creating flexible options to drive different power levels and loudspeaker impedances.

"Building off customer feedback we've received during our first 18 months with the PM8500, we developed three new models with different channel and power levels-all leveraging the same

Germany - Eastern Acoustic Works (EAW) has announced that they have appointed Mega Audio, GmbH, as their German distributor effective immediately. EAW president Jeff Rocha made the announcement.

"Mega Audio gives EAW a strong partner in the highly-demanding German market," Rocha said. "Our product line can compete with anybody's, and Germans, known both for a love of music and for an appreciation of advanced technology, deserve to hear it for themselves. Mega gives us the strength to be certain we are heard."

Mega Audio GmbH, a leading professional audio equipment distributor, was founded in the year 1989 in Bingen, Germany, and originally focused on high end recording studio equipment. Over time, the company expanded into other aspects of pro audio, including broadcast, cinema, installation and integration, concert touring and "musical instrument"

UK - InfoComm International this week stages University Days in the UK for the first time. University Days will be held at the QEII Conference Centre in London on Tuesday, 16 April and at Leeds Metropolitan University on Thursday, 18 April. Both events will feature a full day of education sessions and manufacturer training, plus lunch and a closing cocktail reception.

Programme highlights include The Reality of Radio Frequency Access Changes to AV Users, to be presented by Tuomo Toinen of Shure Distribution; GUI Design, Workflow and the User Experience, from AMX's Jonathan Mangnall; AV Systems Commissioning Best Practices, from Frank Sheehan of Visual Acuity; and From A Wobbly Castle To The Moon, an overview of AV services supplied to the London Olympics and Paralympics Ceremonies, led by Scott Burgess of Creative Technology.

Chris Lavelle, regional

France - ACS France has announced the Shotover K1 from Shotover as the latest addition to its aerial filming equipment range.

"Adding the Shotover K1 to its portfolio, ACS France brings a new innovative offer in equipment that consistently produces unique and inspiring images, be it aerial filming (Gyron SuperG2, Flying Cam), flying cameras on wire (Cablecam and Skycam) or tracking cameras with the PFC Ultimate Arm," said Luc Poullain, CEO of ACS France. "All this high level technology increases ACS France's palette of products, allowing ACS France to offer economic solutions for complex shoots."

"At last, 4k has the stability it deserves with Shotover K1," said Aerial director of photography Jim Swanson. "Cineflex-type stability with a choice of cameras and lenses. I can't wait to work with it."

"Aerial cinematography is one of t

USA - ProSight Specialty Insurance, a global specialty insurance carrier in the film and live events industry, has announced that it is partnering with PLASA, the global leader in developing technical standards for the entertainment industries. The organisations have collaborated to advance PLASA's Technical Standards Programme to increase safety throughout entertainment production. Together ProSight and PLASA are ensuring that every professional in the business has access to all PLASA Technical Standards by making them available to anyone free of charge.

According to Lori Rubinstein, executive director of PLASA, North America, "Our alliance with ProSight will have a significant impact on the entertainment industry by allowing all those involved in the creation of entertainment events free access to standards that will make their lives safer and easier. We are thrilled that

Europe - Events crewing firm Gallowglass is expanding its European operations with the opening of two offices - in Paris and Monaco.

The company established its first French base in Nice in 2006 and has become a regular presence along the Cote d'Azur, particularly at the Cannes Palais des Festivals, Nice Acropolis and Grimaldi Forum Monaco.

Gallowglass managing director Nick Grecian said: "The fact that we undertake jobs right across mainland Europe, and consistently in France and Spain made it essential to have local bases, and we opened in Barcelona and Nice at the same time. Since 2005, our Cote d'Azur activity has enjoyed solid growth so it was a natural progression to establish a permanent presence in Monaco as well."

The company's Paris office has been four years in the planning but has quickly filled its order book with jobs such as Google Arts at the Mus&ea

UK - Suppliers to the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games can now champion their involvement in the sporting spectacular, after a landmark deal reached by the Government, British Olympic Association (BOA) and International Olympic Committee (IOC). The new Scheme - the first of its kind - provides eligible suppliers recognition for the part they played in the success of the London 2012 Games.

Le Mark have been awarded a specific licence due to the incredible contribution they played in the opening ceremonies and in recognition of the work and services provided and can now legally promote this worldwide.

With the licence now approved "Supplier of custom printed floor (Ceremonies) to the London 2012 Games." Le Mark are able to promote their work at trade shows both in the UK and internationally, apply for industry awards for their London 2012 work and use the

UK - Entertainment industry training centre Backstage Academy has announced a new two-year BA Visual Production course, which will launch at its Wakefield facility in January 2014 (subject to validation).

Developed in conjunction with a range of industry partners including d3 and Fix8, the course is the first of its kind dedicated to the emerging convergence of visuals and lighting. It's designed to meet the demand for skilled visual professionals that can take a project through from the concept and design stage to the final application, using the right tools for the job.

Based on a workflow developed by d3, the course will teach students the personal skills needed to work successfully in the visual production industry worldwide, equip them with the ability to interpret a client's creative scope, supply a design response, understand how far technology can be stretched to meet

Finland - Genelec is reaffirming its environmentally conscious philosophy by dedicating itself to a renewed long-term green initiative, which will see the introduction of new products and revised, more energy-efficient versions of the existing product line, in addition to other company policies.

Genelec management has always strived to adhere to efficient manufacturing and shipping methods, and in fact the very concept of active monitors is at its core more energy-efficient than passive monitor/amplifier combination setups. Environmental consciousness is also a large part of the culture of Genelec's homeland Finland, with the country commonly ranking among the world's greenest.

Will Eggleston, Genelec marketing director, stated: "We believe people do care about the future of the planet, and Genelec has given serious thought about how we can more substantially participate

UK - Yorkshire-based Stage One has received the Queen's Award for Enterprise. Given annually to outstanding British companies, this award is made specifically for continuous innovation. Stage One excels in the field of event and stage spectaculars - not least the realisation of Thomas Heatherwick's design for the Olympic Flame at the 2012 London Olympics.

Stage One employs over one hundred people; designers, developers, electrical and mechanical engineers, motion control experts and materials technologists.

Founded over 20 years ago, Stage One output is varied, from the British Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo, to the staging system that enabled Lord Lloyd Webber's Really Useful Group to tour Phantom of the Operathrough the sports arenas of Taipei. The common denominator recognised by this Queen's Award is continuous innovation throughout that whole body of work over

UK - Software provider Stardraw.com has announced a significant enhancement to their most sophisticated design/documentation product yet, the award-winning Stardraw Design 7 software package. The upgrade follows a period of intense beta testing by a select group of Stardraw Design 7 'Power Users'.

The principal object of the beta was to test a new version of SD7 with optimized memory handling for a noticeably faster, smoother and better overall experience, particularly when working with very large project files. The new version offers all the same features and functionality as before but a huge amount of low-level work has been carried out with the result that file operations are faster, file sizes are generally smaller and overall memory usage is significantly reduced.

Rob Robinson, CEO at Stardraw.com, commented, "As always happens with software, Power Users emerge that

Juno Awards - Carly Rae Jepsen has won three Junos at the annual Canadian music awards, including album of the year, pop album of the year and single of the year for her hit Call Me Maybe. The 27-year-old's album Kiss beat Justin Bieber and Celine Dion. Bieber took home his fourth Juno in the fan choice category with Mumford & Sons winning best international album. k.d. Lang was inducted into the Canadian music hall of fame. Leonard Cohen, who started his music career in the 1960s, won two Junos for songwriter of the year for the album Old Ideas and artist of the year.

Opera Awards - Tenor Jonas Kaufmann has won best male singer and the readers' award at the inaugural International Opera awards. Known as the "new king of tenors", Kaufmann debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in New York in 2006. The reader's award was voted for by readers of

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