UK - Announcing an unprecedented line-up of new, cutting-edge, entertainment lighting innovations at the PLASA Show this year, Elation Professional can be found on Stand C40. The company's bumper line-up includes the new Fuze Series of dynamic LED wash lights, the ZCL Series of high-output LED effects, and the DTW Series of variable white LED lights.

Visitors can also find the new seven-colour Platinum Seven LED wash luminaire, plus the TVL CYC RGBW cyc wash fixture, the Sniper Pro (an upgrade of the PLASA Award-winning Sniper 2R with three times the power) and the Protron 3K Color, a high-power 40,000 lumen LED colour strobe.

Elation's line of creative high-res LED display panels, the EVHD Series, comes in three pixel pitches (2.8mm, 3.9mm and 5.9mm). EVHD modules are curveable, to meet a wider range of creative applications and feature a fanless design with complete fron

UK - Ayrton has built a deserved reputation as a maker of original, eye-catching and well-engineered lighting effects - and has introduced a multitude of new products in 2016, many of which can be seen for the first time in London at PLASA. You can see them on stand L30, where the French innovator can be found alongside UK distributor Ambersphere Solutions.

Drawing attention are MagicPanel-FX - an exciting new multi-function luminaire with 5 x 5 array of squared lenses on its front face producing a variety of 2D and 3D effects, which builds on the creative potential of its predecessors in the MagicPanel family - and MagicBurst, which is not only Ayrton's first strobe but the industry's first high-power graphic LED strobe, offering continuous rotation on both axes. Its 384 x 384mm squared face has 3,840 high-output white LEDs grouped into an 8 x 8 matrix - great for arrays. Wit

UK - PLASA Gold Sponsor, Chauvet Professional, has chosen PLASA 2016 launch its new Ovation E-260WW IP ellipsoidal, which has taken the 750W HPL output of the Ovation E-260WW (which is currently the brightest LED ellipsoidal on the market) and has housed it in an IP65 rated housing.

The company is also featuring one of its most versatile fixtures, the Rogue R1 FX-B, which has five individually controllably heads, each with infinite rotation of both pan and tilt, and its new Maverick series which launched in April of this year. Maverick is Chauvet Professional's latest power-packed series of tour grade moving head fixtures featuring the MK2 Wash, MK2 Spot, and MK1 Hybrid.

"We are thrilled to be returning to PLASA as a Gold Sponsor this year," said Michael Brooksbank General Manager of Chauvet Europe. "The response to a number of our latest fixtures, including the Maverick s

UK - Chroma-Q's Color Force II range makes its European debut at PLASA 2016 this week (Stand F20).

Nominated for the PLASA Awards for Innovation, and using the very latest fully homogenised optics, the Color Force II fixtures' output is a single, clean and pure beam of light, delivering a superior colour blend with no unsightly colour mixing shadows. The homogenised optics and improved Chroma-Q technology provide even higher quality saturates and pastels, and a purer white - all from a single source. In addition, the models deliver at least 50% more output than their predecessors.

Other features shared include exceptional colour consistency fixture-to-fixture and batch-to-batch, theatrical grade dimming, and ultra-quiet operation.

Also on display at PLASA are highlights from the Chroma-Q range of white LED solutions, including the recently launched, award-winning Space

UK - The ProLights ArenaCOB4 IP65 LED blinder family were a key element of Paul Normandale's stunning design for Coldplay's recent Head Full of Dreams tour. These fixtures, along with many others, are featured on the ProLights stand at PLASA (Stand D30), presented by exclusive UK dealer A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET).

In addition to a selection of architectural and theatrical fixtures taken from the extensive ProLights range, other products at PLASA to note include:

The new StudioCOB PLUS - even brighter than the incredibly popular StudioCOB, but keeping the same core values, the new StudioCOB PLUS is also IP65 rated making it the ultimate workhorse LED Par.

The Luma1500 is the ideal replacement for a 1200W discharge moving profile. With a 6500K, 440W white LED source delivering a staggering 26,000 Lumens, a full CMY colour system, and a massive 5 to 50* Zoom

UK - Throughout PLASA London, the WL Bar, situated on Stand G40, will showcase a visual spectacle unlike any other...

With the help of Christie projectors and d3 Technologies media servers, White Light will showcase the very latest interactive lighting and visual technology, all tracked by a BlackTrax real-time motion tracking system.

CAST technicians will be on hand to discuss the technology and demonstrate the capabilities of the BlackTrax technology. To date, BlackTrax has already been used in over 4,000 shows globally.

(Jim Evans)

UK - In an exciting panel debate chaired by composer and sound designer, Donato Wharton, which includes award winning sound designer, Paul Arditti and stage lighting designer, James Farncombe, Investigating the Intangible will explore how sound and lighting designers work together to create the complex environments that theatre shows inhabit, how they communicate with one another and how they often compromise in the pursuit of a truly great performance.

Both Paul and James have a long and successful history collaboration spanning almost a decade at the Old Vic and beyond.

Join us in the PLASA Lighting and Staging theatre at 12:00 to see our panel in action in a panel jointly presented by the Association of Lighting Designers and the Association of Sound Designers.

(LSi Online)

UK - Developed by Soulsound, PLASA's first foray into the world of interactive visualisation has been an immersive experience for everyone who has gone along to the installation on the upper gallery at London Olympia. Headline sponsor NRG Lighting Community (Next Robe Generation) with participation from: Funktion-One, University of Derby, d&b, KLANG, preeVue, Limbic Productions and Barco; additional sponsors: ZEROdb Live, Genius Bros, J&C Joel, Sound Directions and tvONE.

The interactive zone features a maze of exciting and thought-provoking experiments in audio, lighting and visual wonders. Simple, entertaining and educational each experiment proves a concept, or demonstrates a principle to wow the user with a little bit of science.

There's virtual reality and prisms, experiments on perception and even a 'Brain Transfer Machine'!

The experiments end with 'Lens through

UK - This year's prestigious Gottelier Award was won by Anne Valentino, Senior Controls Product Manager at ETC.

Named in memory of Tony Gottelier, the renowned industry innovator and commentator who passed away in 2006, the annual Gottelier Award aims to recognise those product developers who have made significant long-term contributions to the advancement of entertainment, presentation or installation technology - whether in audio, lighting, rigging, staging, or any other related field.

The competition was tough, with this year's nominees being Chris Cronin, founder of Total Solutions Group (TSG), Artistic Licence founder Wayne Howell, Dr Christian Heil founder of L-Acoustics, Masaaki 'Mick' Okabayashi, head of Yamaha's digital mixing console development team, Yvan Péard, co-founder of Ayrton, The Strand Lighting R&D team, 1960s-1980s, led by Marin Moore and later

UK - For the first time, Momentum Circuits have introduced audio & lighting application circuit board manufacturing to the PLASA Show to reflect their expertise and experience gained within these sectors.

Managing director, Keith Wrigley told LSi: "LED lighting PCB applications represents over 70% of our business turnover and the experience we have with thermal management of high power LED devices and specialist materials is directly applicable to the PLASA audience and co-exhibitors."

Audio application circuit board d K6s also require the very highest quality, connectivity and aesthetic appearance to match the aspirational nature of high-end equipment, and Momentum have a growing number of pro-audio and control system customers including other PLASA exhibitors who encouraged Momentum to attend the show.

"The results so far have been hugely encouraging and we have alre

UK - Celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, ETC is a world leader in professional lighting technology, and is once again displaying its latest innovations at the PLASA Show. On stand J40, visitors can find the new ColorSource Linear, a batten-style addition to the budget-friendly ColorSource range, in which a proportionate recipe of red, green, blue, with a twist of lime and an extra dash of red provide an extra richness of colour to its LED luminaires. With no difficult setup and round-the-clock support from ETC, it's ideal for any small or medium venue, say ETC.

Visitors can also see the rest of ETC's ColorSource family, including the ColorSource Spot and PAR luminaires; the ColorSource consoles, which provide hands-on control with the ability to run effects, mix LED colours, control moving lights and play back cues; the ColorSource Relay, which wirelessly switches powe

UK - It's always nice to meet up with Martin Hawthorn, Managing Director of recently re-branded Hawthorn as it usually means an informal chat over a cup of coffee and some of his wife Lynn's excellent baking. This time was no different and gave us an opportunity to talk about recent developments within the business.

A recent re-brand was part of a consolidation of Hawthorn's business interests following the purchase of Anagram Production Services and Rex Howard Drapes, both now firmly under the new banner of Hawthorn and has allowed them to simplify the company structure ahead of their 30th anniversary in the events industry, in February of 2017.

"PLASA is a good show for us to reach a multitude of different sectors and we catch up with an amazing number of people over the 3 days of the show," says Martin. "Our approach to exhibiting is a little different. We don't have an

UK - Sponsored by Velta, the 2016 PLASA Awards for Innovation took place in the Apex Room at the end of an extremely busy Monday at this year's PLASA Show. Hosted by PLASA's new managing director Peter Heath and presented by PLASA Chairman Ed Pagett, the awards aim to recognise and reward outstanding new product ideas.

The Awards garner a huge amount of respect because they are independently and impartially judged by an invited team of industry experts.

To win an Award for Innovation, a nominated product had to satisfy the chairman of judges that it met the criteria for Innovation by clearly showing that it demonstrates a new style of thinking; improves technical practice; introduces new technology, new materials or new techniques; includes patents or unique intellectual property; offers a new commercial advantage, or improves safety.

The judges awarded all eight troph

USA - A towering abstract structure called Vessel was revealed at a ceremony in New York's Hudson Yards.

Providing the gathered crowd with a better view of the proceedings and adding visual impact to special exhibitions at the reveal event were two large LED video walls created by Image Production Services, using Chauvet Professional PVP and MVP tiles.

Vessel seems destined to become a universally recognized landmark once it opens officially in 2018. Fanning out from a relatively small base, the reflective glossy copper-coloured edifice will become wider and wider as it stretches out 15 stories high.

Visitors will be able to walk into and up the structure's 2,500 steps to enjoy breathtaking views of the Hudson River. But that treat lies two years in the future. For now, invited guests at the A-list reveal event were happy to see very realistic renditions of V

UK - Lighting and video content design ceremony Knight of Illumination Awards (KOI) announced the winners of the 9th edition during a prestigious ceremony at London's Eventim Apollo, Hammersmith on Sunday 18 September.

The well-attended ceremony saw almost 500 professionals come together to celebrate the achievements of lighting and video designers working on shows across the UK.

The event was hosted by Australian actor, television presenter and comedian Mark Little. The winners have been revealed as:

THEATRE

The ETC Award for Dance: Michael Hulls for Conceal | Reveal, Russell Maliphant Company, Sadler's Wells

The Hawthorn Award for Musicals: Mark Henderson for Sunset Boulevard, English National Opera

The Robert Juliat Award for Opera: Joachim Klein for Saul, Glyndebourne Festival

The Elation Professional Award for Plays: Jan

USA - From the first serve to the final championship match, tennis fans were able to enjoy coverage worldwide from the 2016 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre in Flushing Meadows, NY. While the commentators and analysts, as well as interview subjects, were discussing every volley and ace they were lit by the television lighting design firm Ferri Lighting Design & Associates (FLDA), led by sr. designer and founder, Bruce Ferri.

Since 1997 Ferri has been lighting the commentators at the US Open and continually advancing the technology used at the event. This year FLDA also brought their expertise to re-lighting the USTA's permanent Press Room at the tennis centre.

For the press interview room, FLDA brought in a completely new lighting system to address the current needs of the USTA. "The room had a pipe with tungsten Fresnels for the interview area,"

USA - People who go to a moe. concert thinking they know what to expect, have probably never been to a moe. concert before. The quintet from upstate New York epitomizes the freewheeling improvisational unpredictability of jam band music, as it reels off 10-minute riffs with casual ease and seamlessly moves from song to song with nary a break in between. No two moe. performances are ever alike, which is why so many dedicated fans (aka "moe.rons") have been to 30...40...50... or more of the group's concerts.

A show by band that's original enough to incorporate a xylophone into its tunes requires a lightshow that's unique, varied and very flexible. This is exactly what Justin Casey of Pulse Lighting has been serving up on the current US moe. tour with help from 12 Chauvet Professional Rogue R1 FX-B fixtures, supplied by Main Light Industries.

Casey positions the 360° rota

UK / USA - VER has announced the expansion of its lighting division with the opening of a full-support lighting department in their London branch. The expansion includes the appointment of David March as head of lighting for VER UK and sister company Aurora, along with the engagement of Craig Hancock, Tim Massey, Ben Taylor and Joe Marter as senior lighting project managers.

March's appointment emphasizes VER's commitment to their wide range of clients and continual investment in expertise, equipment and leading edge innovation. With nearly 30 years of experience working with production lighting, March joins a highly skilled team of technical and project management professionals at the company's London headquarters.

Susan Tesh, executive director of VER's global lighting division states, "We have been successfully servicing our international lighting clients from our Londo

USA - On 21 October, 2016, Nashville-based LED video manufacturer PixelFLEX will launch an Augmented Reality LED video experience at the LDI Conference and Tradeshow inside the Las Vegas Convention Centre.

Located in Room N103, PixelFLEX will showcase a myriad of new products which include the AR-LED, the LumiFLEX LED basketball floor, plus ultra-high resolution 2.6mm and 1.25mm LED video technology all brought together to create an earth-shattering experience. Open to all attendees at LDI, PixelFLEX will hold a complete technology demonstration at the beginning of every hour taking visitors to an Augmented Reality Rave, complete with a DJ and a true 3D LED visual experience.

"We are very excited about the LDI Conference and Tradeshow as it will give us an ideal opportunity to unveil our latest LED technology to a wide variety of our clients and production partners," said

UK - Artistic Licence, inventor of the Art-Net ethernet lighting control protocol, is celebrating a win for Art-Net 4 at the 2016 PLASA Awards for Innovation ceremony.

The judges noted that Art-Net continually evolves to support the back-bone of production technology, incorporating complementary protocols with full backwards compatibility.

Wayne Howell, CEO of Artistic Licence and the inventor of Art-Net, comments, "I released the first version of Art-Net over 15 years ago in response to a pressing industry need. It's been very gratifying to see such widespread adoption of the technology, and I'm delighted that PLASA has now given official recognition to the important role that Art-Net plays within the industry."

(Jim Evans)

UK - "The Clay Paky lights at PLASA 2016 were captivating and successful," said Pio Nahum, Clay Paky CEO, when he got back from the London show, which has returned to Olympia. The industry met the stylish revival of the show very warmly with the participation of numerous visitors and skilled professionals from all over the world.

Clay Paky presented its products at their best, at a large booth in the Ambersphere village, through a demo-show programmed by lighting designer Alex Mildenhall, operator on TV show X-Factor.

The Clay Paky Scenius Profile won the PLASA Award for Innovation. The judges said "This product's innovation reaches from the lamp and reflector all the way through the optical path."

The Scenius Profile was not the only acclaimed product at the Clay Paky booth. Visitors and the award judges themselves showed great interest in the Shar-Bar, a movin

UK - Robe's high impact London themed stand - complete with genuine vintage London bus - was right at the core of the 2016 PLASA exhibition in London where it caught the eyes of visitors and provided a lively and invigorating environment to showcase the latest technology from the Czech lighting manufacturer.

The just launched Spiider LED wash beam luminaire was the visual centrepiece of the stand, with 42 Spiiders arranged on a scenic 'super-web' web at the heart of a spectacular lightshow that ran every hour.

Just launched globally on the internet via the trending 'Spiiders all over the web' video three days before the show, it was the hot product of the expo!

The super-web was neatly concealed behind drapes that transformed the stand into a theatrical space to show off Robe's other highlighted products which included the new Halo pixel ring, the all-LED DL series and

Peru - Light4Brands, the exclusive dealer of Airstar lighting solutions in Peru, deployed several lighting balloons for the 20th edition of the Festival de Cine de Lima, which took place at the Gran Teatro Nacional del Peru from 5-13 August 2016.

For the fourth time in a row, Light4Brands (L4B) was selected to manage the lighting for the festival red carpet. The Airstar lighting inventory was made up of two 90cm wide Crystal balloons, flanked on both corners of the theatre building and a pair of three-metre-high air ventilated Towair cylinder towers, placed on the top of the stairs to welcome the lucky few during the show nights. To complete the lighting of the event, an impressive three-metre-wide, helium inflated, Lunix LED balloon was anchored and proudly displayed the event logo 15 metres high.

The Lima Film Festival is the most important cinema event in the country an

USA - Country music star Hank Williams Jr. is wrapping up his co-headlining tour with Chris Stapleton with a lighting package provided by Bandit Lites.

Lighting designer Bart Burnham shared the vision for the production came from a collaboration between tour manager Charlie Sanderson, production manager Billy Kline and stage manager Jimmy Davis. "The concept was to create a more intimate setting for Hank's acoustic set, use lighting fixtures to spell HANK and to project Hank logo's onto the backdrop and traveller curtain, which would be closed during the intro track and acoustic set," said Burnham.

On the downstage truss, Martin MAC Auras provided a wash for the band and audience warmers during the introduction and acoustic numbers while GLP Impression X4s were used as band specials and as a wash look for Hank's acoustic sets.

VL 3000s featuring custom gobos focused on

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