Michael Forever - Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green and Motown veteran Smokey Robinson are set to perform at a tribute concert in honour of Michael Jackson. More acts will be added to the bill nearer the time. The event coincides with the trial of the Dr Conrad Murray, charged over the singer's death. The gig takes place at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium on 8 October.

While the concert has raised the doubts of Randy and Jermaine Jackson, it has the full support of the star's mother and other siblings. British acts Leona Lewis, Craig David and JLS have also been lined up to perform at the gig. Several of Jackson's brothers will also perform, along with 3T, which consists of Tito Jackson's three sons. "We're delighted that such exciting and globally recognised acts have joined the line-up to pay tribute to a music legend," said Chris Hunt, president of concert promoter Glob

PLASA 2011 sees a new industry presence in the form of Ten Thousand Things, a Hong Kong based distribution company for lighting accessories and technology. The company forms the sales arm of the newly created Alderamin Group (Stand1-E32), provider of comprehensive project solutions.

Borrowing a phrase found in Chinese literature referring to material reality, Ten Thousand Things offers sales and support for a wide range of lighting products.

"We offer our own growing range of consumable items - lamps, power and data cables, gaffer tape, gels, connecters - basically all the everyday lighting industry essentials," says Alderamin Group co-owner, Simon Fraser."Our Ten Thousand Things branded range is complemented by three internationally respected franchises. We are the distributor for City Theatrical and Green Hippo in Hong Kong and Macau, and we also sell Artistic Licenc

Artistic Licence Engineering has announced Multi-Play, a lighting show record-playback unit with "outstanding memory capacity and Ethernet protocol versatility".

The time-saving offered by such a device is in great demand, as demonstrated by the popularity of the company's sister product, Two-Play - a dedicated Art-Net controller capable of recording up to two universes.

Now, Multi-Play takes the concept to a much bigger and broader arena. The disk-based product allows the user to record up to 12 universes from any lighting console running Art-Net. For flexibility, playback is supported through multiple protocols, including Art-Net, ShowNet, KiNet and ACN Lite (E1.31).

"The ability to record from an Art-Net device but then playback to pretty much anything is a unique feature," enthuses Artistic Licence Engineering MD, Simon Hobday."We anticipate that Multi-

SES Entertainment Services on Stand number 1-J11, are running a competition at this year's PLASA show, with one lucky winner walking away with a holiday in Sunny Florida.

For every order placed on the stand this year, an entry will be placed into the competition to win a two week stay in a five-bed luxury villa in Kissimmee, Florida in 2012.

Just 10 minutes drive from the Gates of the Walt Disney resort in Orlando, Florida, the home sleeps up to 10 people and has a very large pool. Just off the highway 192, you will be in the heart of all the major attractions within a few minutes drive. The home benefits from four bathrooms, full air conditioning and a games room. Dates for the stay are subject to availability (Summer dates are still available) and the prize does not include flights or car hire. The value for entry is subject to a minimum spend of £250.00, but multiple entries

Batmink Distribution, one of the largest UK distributors of professional audio, lighting and effects equipment, will introduce a number of new products at PLASA 2011. New brands on show include Visage Lighting, Vector Audio, Pro-Flite Flightcases, Pro-Stage Portable Staging and Lumaform LED Illuminated Furniture.

Of particular interest is the Visage LED Multipar RGBAW - a new PAR unit that delivers a truly impressive light output from 18 x 8w LEDs. 12 x RGBW and 6 x RGBA 4 in 1 LEDs produce full spectrum colour mixing and control is achieved through DMX, auto programs, sound to light or master slave functions. The black multipar housing is more robust than conventional PARcan bodies and completes this tough, powerful unit.

Another brand making its PLASA debut is Lumaform. Offering a range of LED illuminated furniture in a variety of styles; Lumaform is at the cutting edge of this exc

SGM's CC-4 is a four-bank high-powered multiple LED washlight with an enviable power output. With its IP65 rating it is designed for architectural use.

Each of the four chassis contains 44 of the LZ4 RGB Cool White Emitter LED's and thanks to its new light engine it can deliver 21,000 lumens - providing more than three and a half times that of SGM's original Palco 5 LED, which was designed for the same purpose.

The CC-4 offers CTC and white balance control. Power consumption is just 4 x 400W and the lamp life is rated at 50,000 hours.

Housed in a black slim aluminium chassis lenses are interchangeable (via the Narrow, Medium and Wide lens kit) and the fixture boasts eight or 17 DMX channels. Set up is via an OLED graphic five-button display.

Other features include: Simple menu structure; upgradeable software (via DMX); IP65 rated; standard Neutrik powerCON connectors and standard

Martin Professional's ultra-compact MAC 101 LED moving head wash is available in three white light versions that expand its use to applications where high quality, pure white light is needed.

The new variants incorporate cold and/or warm LEDs instead of RGB for a better white light quality and greater output. Ideal for highlighting skin tones, textiles, or set pieces, the MAC 101 white light variants are already finding use in touring applications as a front light, main light, blinder or beam effect. They look great on camera in TV studios and are ideal white light fixtures for car shows, showrooms, fashion shows, corporate events or any exhibition environment.

MAC 101 CT™: Incorporating both cold and warm white LEDs, the MAC 101 CT allows for easy changes in color temperature from crisp cold looks to warm shades, and features simple intensity control. Each MAC

GDS is to launch the highly anticipated LiteWare G3 at this year's PLASA show and will exhibit a number of other new products.

GDS will exhibit its "most exciting product range to date" at PLASA 2011. A recent teaser-ad campaign for the new LiteWare G3 has caused quite a stir within the industry.

PLASA will see GDS showcase all seven of its i brands: LiteWare the original Wireless battery uplighter incorporating LiteWare G3, HO and UL, the SMConsole, CueSystem TCPIP programmable ethernet based cue light systems, MOBAL tester the original and award winning automated Socapex tester, the BluesSystem utilising BlueBeam and Dome and MainsSystem.

In addition to this GDS will show its new ARCSystem a retro-fit, fully dimmable LED auditorium house light system that replaces incandescent fittings for any size of venue using a control system that can integrate with any type and siz

PLASA 2011 will mark the official debut of the newest control desk in ETC's award winning Eos line - Gio.

Gio is designed to fill the mid range position in the Eos family, sitting between the Eos and Ion. It will offer the power of full Eos functionality, in a tidy footprint. Features include integrated, articulating multi touch displays, helpful backlit buttons and unique tactile response direct selects and encoders.

The look of the desk itself is elegantly polished and minimalist. ETC is set to release further in depth information in early September, as part of the international product reveal. Initial response from ETC's CUE end user conference attendees - who were the first to have a sneak preview in July - confirms that it will be a popular draw at the PLASA stand.

ETC is also showing for the first time at PLASA its new ultra bright, high colour, energy efficient Selador Desir

UK - Avolites will present the production launch of the Sapphire Touch and the expansive Titan Range at PLASA 2011. The Sapphire Touch has undergone significant aesthetic enhancements and employs the newest technology available. It combines twin multi-touch screens with 45 motorized touch-sensitive faders and an optical trackball with Z axis ring; affording designers faster control of complex fixtures, says the company. In addition, ideal for designers on the move, the Titan Mobile lightweight console brings all the Avolites experience and quality to an affordable level and has been used on tour with the likes of Fat Boy Slim and Groove Armada. "These latest innovations incorporate Avolites fully integrated Titan Operating System," say Avolites. "Titan is packed with the latest features and programming tools. This enables the user to achieve every element of their d

USA - The Platinum Beam 5R from Elation uses the new, advanced MSD Platinum 5R lamp from Philips, an innovation that allows manufacturers to design fixtures that are much more compact and energy efficient. Although it looks like a traditional ACL effect, with a concentrated "searchlight" type beam that's comparable to much higher wattage fixtures in brightness, the Platinum Beam 5R's ultra-efficient lamp runs on only 189 watts.

"Back in the Seventies, ACL effects became very popular at rock concerts. They produced powerful, tight beacon-like beams that resembled the lights of an aircraft on a landing strip," said Eric Loader, director of sales for Elation Professional. "But the Platinum Beam 5R certainly isn't your father's ACL light. Already seen and used on TV shows, concerts, stadiums and festivals, this small but powerful moving head can be used in a

Denmark - Following the energy-efficient formula, first implemented at Roskilde in 2009, the low consumption of GLP's impression LED range was again in harmony with the 'Green Footsteps' programme of Denmark's largest music festival - on a vastly increased scale.

Production substantially ramped up the number of GLP LED fixtures, so that this year the main Orange stage boasted no fewer than 174 impression 90 units and 48 impression XL, presenting the house and incoming LD's with a vast colour palette from which to set up their cues.

There was a major demand on the inventory of Danish based rental company, Comtech, who also supplied the lighting systems for other stages. This included new generation GLP products such as the impression Spot One - with 24 designed into the rig on the Odeon stage alongside 56 impression 90's, while a further 36 impression 90s lit up the Pavilion st

Ukraine - Each year, Swedish cosmetics giant Oriflame holds a directors meeting for its leading team from the Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus. This year, 6000 people gathered at Kiev's International Exhibition Centre where Eurovision 2008 winner Dima Bilan performed beneath a large Martin rig.

Despite the large size of the venue, set designer Nik Vishnevetski and lighting designer Dimitri Pruidze's sought to create a comfortable atmosphere and as Pruidze has worked with Bilan before, the Russian star was confident the design would meet his standards.

For the main stage rig, Pruidze chose MAC 2000 series fixtures while a 12 m high by 26 m long truss housed MAC III Profiles and MAC 2000 Wash XBs for powerful beam effects and position washes. The front truss also held MAC 2000 Profiles for gobo projection onto set pieces along with MAC 2000 Washes to front wash up to 100 performers

Australia - Vivid Sydney is a festival of light, music and ideas that includes large-scale light installations and projections through to music performances and the holding of conferences and seminars on ideas and creativity. First held in 2009, Vivid Sydney has become Sydney's major winter festival which lights up different parts of the city after 6pm, including the Sydney Opera House, Circular Quay and The Rocks.

From light 'graffiti' on the Museum of Contemporary Art to live fire shows, more than 200,000 visitors experienced the festival this year.

One of the most popular of the light sculptures that were part of the Festival was Immersion designed by Martin Bevz and Kathryn Clifton. Consisting of LED tubes in a semi-circle, the sculpture invited the viewer to 'play' with them by reflecting their movement through the installation via a live video relay of still and dynamic

USA - Turning their temporary theatre into a classroom for an afternoon, the Royal Shakespeare Company invited guests to learn about the development of their Lightlock technology for moving light fixtures and discover how it can be used in their own projects at New York's Park Avenue Armory.

Presented by the head of lighting for the RSC, Vince Herbert, the discussion covered the evolution of theatre lighting design from Shakespeare's times up to the present day and how designers have overcome the technological challenges presented by each step forward in lighting science. Attendees, covering the spectrum from designers, consultants, to users and programmers, were able to see Lightlock in action as well as tour the company's portable version of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre.

The RSC Lightlock's revolutionary technology offers designers never before available flexibility in the

UK - Three grandMA2 light consoles were specified by lighting and visual control specialists FIX8 as the most flexible, reliable and expedient solution to run the production lighting and video at the 2011 iTunes Festival.

The month-long, high profile event was staged at London's Roundhouse venue in Camden Town, featuring 62 international artists over 31 days including Coldplay, the Foo Fighters, Adele, Linkin' Park, Paul Simon and many, many more. The action was broadcast on TV and radio and streamed live on the internet.

The three grandMA2 consoles were networked together. One ran lights, one ran video/visuals and the third was used as a programming facility running MA Lighting's visualiser software grandMA 3D, and also as a 'hot' backup. MA Lighting UK's office supplied technical and on-site service and support to the FIX8 crew who were led by Neil Trenell and Jamie Baker.

Serbia - The fast growing Exit festival is staged at the Petrovardin Fortress in Novi Sad on the banks of the River Danube in Serbia, and this year saw over 100 Robe moving lights used extensively to light two of the largest stages.

An impressive line-up of international artists included Jamiroquai, Nick Cave, Pulp, James Zabiela, Fedde le Grand, Underworld, Marco Cariola, Beirut, Laibach were enjoyed by over 100,000 people over four days, with the Festival welcoming its two millionth visitor over the weekend. Some performances were also broadcast live on national television, adding an extra pressure to the production lighting and visuals teams.

Lighting, audio and scenic LED screen for Exit 2011 was supplied by locally based Studio Berar. They have been supplying cutting edge production equipment to the festival since it started in 2000, and have also been using Robe products

UK / Belgium - ArKaos has chosen PLASA 2011 to launch its radical new network protocol, Kling-Net.

Kling-Net has been designed to allow the distribution of real-time video data to remote display devices, such as LEDs or LED panels, over Ethernet.

"Many basic and first time users are afraid of using LED lighting because of the complexity of networking and control issues," says ArKaos CEO, Marco Hinic. "Traditionally, using and networking LED lighting has required a high level of technical knowledge which has been a deterent for many. We wanted to remove all this complexity and replace it with a simple to use protocol which automatically takes care of the magic numbers for the user."

Kling-Net uses a Media Server to do all the work to make operation simplicity itself. It adds a layer of 'intelligence' to even the most simple LED device and enabling it to ta

UK - Pharos Architectural Controls has announced the new Pharos Touch Panel Controller. The TPC is an advanced, standalone, solid state lighting controller with an integrated 4.3" customisable touch screen, 512 channels of eDMX output and vast interfacing potential all over a single PoE network connection.

Programmed in Pharos Designer, the TPC has the same advanced playback and show control engine as the popular and award winning Pharos Lighting Playback Controllers. Over an Ethernet network it can interface with other Pharos controllers, button panels and remote devices. The companion Interface Editor application allows you to build themed user interface pages, creating and organising multiple pages of buttons, sliders and colour pickers to suit the installation and customer needs.

The wall-mounting design features a magnetic overlay within the plated bezel to produce a

UK - When Know1 Production, specialists in the integration of lighting and video for live performance, were asked to design DJ Kissy Sell Out's Wild Romance tour, it was to White Light that they turned to provide the show's touring lighting rig - featuring a core of 16 Martin MAC 101 moving LED fixtures.

From the brief from Kissy Sell Out, Know1's Matthew Pitman and Cy Dodimead realised they needed a design that was "pretty adaptable but quite technically advanced". To achieve this, they designed a pixel-mapped video screen background formed from Martin LC video panels, surrounded by vertical booms loaded with MAC 101s. The show was controlled from a Martin M1 console and Maxedia Compact media server, the system configured so that the lights could be operated manually or switched to mimic the video screen.

"Both Cy and I have grown up working with White L

South Africa - When Clover recently hosted their annual conference and gala dinner at Sun City, they called in the services of Techrig to provide the full technical package.

Acclaimed designer Michael Gill was responsible for the set design for the gala event held in the Ballroom, with manufacturing by Just Sets. Robert Grobler from Techrig, along with Dennis Hutchinson, was responsible for the lighting design. "It was a big set that had to be lit properly and with a slick line-up, it had to be perfect," commented Grobler. Performances by George Meiring, Vicky Sampson, Jay and Lianie, Yollandi Nortjie, Flip A Coin, Dozi and Nianell, further complemented with stunning decor, ensured an evening that did not disappoint.

"We had to work around limitations of weight and availability of points to rig," said Grobler. "Height was another problem so a mother gr

UK - Lighting and visuals rental company Colour Sound Experiment (CSE) has taken delivery of the first batch of its new bespoke designed LED screen product - BT12. The 12 mm pitch screen is very bright, light and watertight - IP65 rated.

Colour Sound's Steve Marley explains that with an increasing number of lighting designs now incorporating scenic and ambient video visuals as integrated elements, it made sense - both creative and commercial - to be able to offer an 'in-house' product to fulfil this criteria. "The industry has been talking about 'convergence' between the two mediums of lighting and video for some years, and this is now happening everywhere, so we are in a position to offer a proactive solution." he confirms.

Having the kit in rental stock also enables CSE to offer the most cost-efficient packages to their clients, and it is also a perfect complement

UK - Bluman Associates delivered projections onto the giant Lovell Telescope at the first ever Live from Jodrell Bank festival in Cheshire - Transmission 001.

Working with production company Ear to the Ground and event production manager Charlie Canavan, Transmission 001 featured headliners, The Flaming Lips and took place in the shadow of the towering Lovell Telescope.

The giant dish, which has been probing deep space for over 50 years in search of alien life, became an epic interstellar projection screen and backdrop to a unique performance by the cult band.

Canavan comments: "This gig was always going to be remembered for the projection and I was charged with making sure that it was for all the right reasons. Unusually the projection played a starring role in the overall creative concept of the event rather than being something that complements i

UK - Barco and AV distributor RGB Communications report that Barco's RLM-W6 projector is now supporting the activities of Autism Independent UK. The UK's leading charity for training and information for people with autism will use the projector to add visual power to its training courses.

It is estimated that 110 in every 1,000 people worldwide has been diagnosed with autism. Charity organisation Autism Independent UK is a non-medical advice and information centre for professionals, caregivers and parents who are working with and caring for people with autism. As part of its activities, the charity organizes various training courses and workshops throughout the year.

"Our training courses attract a constantly growing number of attendees. To make the presentations perfectly visible to every trainee in the room, we really needed a powerful yet small projector," says Ke

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