Czech Republic - Robe moving lights made a major contribution at the 2017 Colours Of Ostrava (COO) festival with nearly 100 fixtures utilised to light the ArcelorMittal Stage in a stylish and flexible production design created by Kamil Kruzik. The lights were supplied by oneAVteam, the largest audio visual rental group in Central Europe. Three companies cooperated on this project – AV Media, RentalPRO and Yventech.
The annual four-day international multi-genre festival is staged on the site of the former ironworks at Dolní Vítkovice, Ostrava, Czech Republic. The site was inaugurated in 1830 and was a major hub of metal production activity in the area until 1998. It now provides an impressive and highly charismatic backdrop to the event with its unique industrial architecture. The lively festival includes some 20 performance stages with over 350 live music acts, plus disc

Denmark - Two years ago, it all started; the concept for Watermusic was developed by Kevin Finnan from dance and theatre company, Motionhouse. One year ago, lighting designer Phil Supple was brought to the team, and early September it all culminated in a three-night breathtaking show on the industrial harbour of Randers as one of 12 Full Moon projects in the official programme for the European Capital of Culture - Aarhus 2017.
Watermusic consisted of a stunning choreographed piece involving dancers, musicians, a 300-voice choir, aerialists - even aquatic jetpacks, boats and much more. Sound, AV and lighting were supplied by Nordic Rental; their package included multiple SGM IP65-rated LED luminaires: 120 P-5 wash lights, six P-1 wash lights and 25 G-Spot moving heads.
In association with Randers EgnsTeater, the show had international touch from the

UK - Lighting and rigging dry hire specialist Nexus has launched a new brand identity as part of its wider business growth plans.
The company, which earlier in the year secured private investment from motor finance giants Evolution Funding, has introduced the new corporate identity to represent their position in the market and their vision for the future.
Tom Agar, Nexus managing director, explained: “This year has been a rollercoaster, with lots of exciting developments. We’ve invested nearly £1m in new stock over the last six months, including significant new purchases from Martin Professional, SGM, Robe, MA, ETC, and INDU.
“We’re securing contracts from all over the globe and a shift in our business model means we are now buying everything in quantity to ensure we have enough stock to service even the most onerous demands.
“We felt it was time

Canada - Walk into Ste-Famille Church in Boucherville, Quebec and you are not only entering a house of worship, but taking a transformative journey through time. Founded by the first bishop of Nouvelle France over three centuries ago, the church is one of the oldest in North America, its tradition reflected in its distinctive architecture and the richly coloured original frescoes that adorn its walls and ceiling, as well as the dome over its semi-circular apse.
As part of a recent revitalisation project, sponsored by the Conseil du Patrimoine du Québec, the church’s architectural flourishes and stunning frescoes now glow with a new radiance, thanks to a carefully planned all-LED lighting design by Philippe Péquignot that features a collection of Chauvet Professional fixtures, supplied by Montreal’s XYZ Technologie Culturelle.
“Our mission was to showcase the ch

USA - The North American leg of Queen + Alan Lambert’s current world tour got some additional wattage from a large complement of Claypaky Scenius Unico, Mythos and Sharpy Wash fixtures. Upstaging, Inc. supplied the lights for the tour.
The Queen + Adam Lambert Tour 2017-2018 will play a total of 62 dates worldwide. The North American leg kicked off in Arizona in June and wrapped in Texas in August. The tour will hit continental Europe, the UK and Ireland in the fall and Oceania next year.
For their latest outing lighting designer Rob Sinclair created the kind of big look that Queen fans have come to expect from the band. “It’s a pretty big show; Queen shows kind of need to be,” he says. “We wanted to do something with a large kinetic overhead centrepiece.
“The real challenge of lighting Queen + Adam Lambert is always having a bigger look up your slee

UK - A.C. Entertainment Technologies Ltd. (AC-ET) has been appointed as the UK-exclusive distributor for the LSC Lighting Systems range of control, dimming & distribution products - a selection of which will be showcased on the company's stand (E30b) at PLASA 2017, Olympia, London, 17-19 September.
AC-ET's UK sales & purchasing director, Jonathan Walters, commented: "We are delighted to add LSC to our portfolio of control, dimming & distro brands. LSC is synonymous with producing innovative and high-quality products, and its impressive line-up further strengthens the choice of solutions we can give our customers access to - all under one roof."
PLASA will see the launch of LSC’s new Unity cabinet dimmer and power distribution system. Already specified into one of the worlds’ biggest installations, Unity offers a next generation, complete solution to con

UK - Chroma-Q will demonstrate its Color Force II fixture range designed for shows and events requiring the highest level of technical and artistic performance - as well as other award-winning lighting solutions - at PLASA 2017.
At LDI last November, the brand's Color Force II won both the 'Best Debuting Conventional Lighting Fixture' and the ESTA Members' 'Product Choice Equipment' awards. This after receiving a special commendation at last year's PLASA Awards for Innovation.
Since launching initially in North America, Color Force II has been widely adopted by leading US rental houses and used on several high profile productions and events. Its extremely powerful output, pixel control, homogenised colour mixing and ability to produce both strong saturated colours and delicate pastels has made it a firm favourite for high profile concerts, theatrical productions and c

Canada - The Joanne World Tour is the fifth headlining tour by Lady Gaga, in support of her fifth studio album, Joanne. When the curtain was raised for the opening show in Vancouver last month, the audience was awed by a spectacular set and visual concept masterminded by production and lighting designer, Seven Design Works’ LeRoy Bennett.
The inventory comprises over 500 GLP fixtures. This includes 294 of the new JDC1 hybrid strobes, 147 of the award-winning X4 Bar 20 and 38 GT1 hybrids - all of which play a major role in a tour de force that pushes the boundaries of arena-style production to the limits.
The design is based around a massive back wall, measuring 21m x 3.5m and weighing 12 tonnes, which houses all the JDC1’s and X4 Bar 20 battens, while the GT-1’s are partly flown in the air above the stage and in a row on the floor at front of the stage.

Germany - When one of Germany’s top lighting designers for broadcast, Thomas Gerdon, needed a multi-purpose luminaire to fulfil a number of roles for a major product presentation in TV show format, he looked no further than Elation’s hybrid Platinum FLX luminaire.
“It was a quick decision to choose the FLX for the job,” says Gerdon, who has called the luminaire one of the best hybrids on the market and is well familiar with its multi-functional abilities. “I have used them on several television programmes over the past two years, like Verstehen Sie Spass, and they have worked out perfectly. For this show, I needed a strong beam light but also a multi-faceted light that could be used to produce different effects for transitions to video and for guest entrances.”
The exclusive product presentation took place at the Ballhausforum conference centre in U

Europe - This year, the World Ballet celebrated its 10-year anniversary, which was marked with a spectacular show that challenged and animated the audience with new and well-known elements from both classic and modern displays from the world of ballet, opera and classical music.
Lighting onstage was invisible to most of the audience during the show. It is a known issue in ballet that lighting is often intended to show three-dimensional bodies moving in complex ways through space clearly and unobtrusively but without intruding too much on the audience’ consciousness.
Lighting designer Martin Holst deployed SGM Q-7 and P-5 flood and wash LED luminaires for the six shows. He set out to create a simple, safe and visually clean looking expression ensuring no “interference” in the scenery.
It was made simple by collecting the lamps with MX pipe rings into a cir

USA - Everyday, millions of people around the world get on cycles, pedal diligently, and go nowhere. They aren’t complaining though. Indoor cycling (or spinning), where participants in group sessions pedal stationary bikes with flywheels under the watchful eye of a trainer, has taken off like a rocket, passing running and swimming as a fitness activity in the US, according to a recent Nielsen Survey. A key reason why cycling centres are powering their way into the hearts of so many people is because they offer immersive multi-sensory experiences that make it fun to stay fit.
Platinum Sound Light and Video is using a customised audio, music and lighting system to create this type of engaging atmosphere at an international indoor cycling chain. Colour changing Iluminarc Logic Tri-4, circular RGB fixtures controlled with a Logic 4x36 DMX unit, are providing the chain with the

USA – The Mayweather vs. McGregor fight on 26 August was the latest, much-ballyhooed spectacle at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena. Dubbed “The Money Fight,” it featured UFC star Conor McGregor making his pro boxing debut against undefeated boxing legend Floyd Mayweather.
But while the packed house was focused on the fight in the arena, ETC was focused on the lights in the arena. ETC’s line of architectural products – Unison Paradigm, Echo and Mosaic – covers every inch of the T-Mobile Arena, everywhere from the luxury suites to the back of house hallways, from the Hyde Lounge nightclub to the concession stands, and even the external lighting showing the arena off to the world.
With electrical design provided by ME Engineers and system integration by 4Wall Las Vegas, the capabilities of ETC’s architectural line are on display throughout the T-Mobile. VIPs have

USA - As a full-service production company with the ability to design an immersive attendee experience, Cornerstone AV prides itself on allowing their imagination to be the driving force behind their designs. Known for developing the ideal technological backbone for any event, Cornerstone was once again brought on board to create the production design behind the annual Young Living Essential Oils National Conference.
With the production moving outdoors this year to the Rice-Eccles Stadium at the University of Utah, the design team wanted to maintain that sense of audience immersion so they developed a complete LED video experience with the assistance of production partner Elite Multimedia.
“This event is normally held each year at the Vivint Centre, but since it was currently being remodelled, the producers decided to move the event outdoors to Rice-Eccles Stadium,

USA - Everyday life came to a halt in the US for a few moments on 21 August, as people stopped whatever they were doing and forgot about whatever cares were on their minds to marvel at the first solar eclipse to be visible across the entire lower 48 states in 99 years.
Over half of the country’s population (about 165m people) witnessed the event, according to news reports. Few of these eclipse gazers had as much fun for as long a time as the 10,000 or so who turned out for Bowman, South Carolina’s Solar Eclipse Festival.
Held at the city’s new outdoor concert facility Yonder Field, the festival kicked off in the morning with an inflatable animal race and similar events, followed by some safe eclipse watching, and capped off with a concert headlined by former Kid Rock turntablist turned iconic rock star Uncle Kracker. Pumping up the action on stage and captivating

South Africa - Johannesburg based MGG Productions created a futuristic look and feel for the 2017 Discovery Sport Industry Awards held at Sandton Convention Centre’s Pavilion venue. A huge claw-like Prolyte H40 structure, designed by Francois van der Merwe, formed a dome over the stage area and a Robe retinue with control on grandMA2 lite, completed the look while sound was mixed on a DiGiCo S21. The show attracted and acknowledge sport professionals in South Africa.
“The client wanted something different,” said DJ Carstens, project manager at the event. “Instead of a usual set, we created an industrial expression. Francois van der Merwe came up with the design.”
Lighting incorporated 12 Robe Squares. “The Squares were bright, and they were really great,” commented Francois van der Merwe. “The rig also included Robe Spiiders which I enjoyed. In additio

UK - A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET) will showcase a selection of the very latest technology solutions available from its wide portfolio of over 200 leading brands in its large exhibition zone (stand E30) - at PLASA 2017.
Staff from AC-ET's Lighting, Audio, Rigging, and Video sales divisions will be on hand to discuss the wide choice of brands available - many of which are exclusive in the UK - and how the reseller can act as a single source supplier for customers' needs. They will also explain the full range of services offered, including product specification, supply, repairs & servicing, and an 'out of hours' rush delivery.
In addition, AC-ET's in-house Tourflex Cabling bespoke assembly service will showcase its high quality cabling products for all sectors of the entertainment world. Choose from a huge range of power, data, video, and audio cable &

UK - Mike Elliott has joined Anne Minors and Bob Essert to become a director of Sound Space Vision, the theatre planning and acoustics consultancy formed from Anne Minors Performance Consultants and Sound Space Design.
Mike has been with the company since 2008 and has project managed a number of completed venues through construction including the ACCA Centre for the University of Sussex and The Light in Euston. He is currently leading the SSV team on the refurbishment of Fairfield Halls in Croydon and a new space for Nevill Holt Opera.
Mike originally studied theatre design at Nottingham Trent University and also holds a Masters degree in theatre consultancy from the University of Warwick. His background is in set and costume design, prop making and exhibition design, having previously worked with the Society of British Theatre Designers on their series of exhibition

UK - Eaton is expanding its award-winning Zero 88 FLX range with two powerful, all-new lighting control consoles designed for applications where space, time, ease of use and flexibility are key factors.
FLX S24 and FLX S48 are affordable, easy to use and fun. They control 48 and 96 fixtures respectively to bring the power, simplicity and cost-efficiency for which Zero 88 are renowned.
Recognising that programming time continues to become ever-tighter and more precious, Zero 88 has streamlined key elements of FLX S to assist with all the prep work, getting the user ready to operate even quicker.
RigSync, nominated for a PLASA Innovation Award, keeps FLX S fully synchronised with the lighting rig, without any need for the user to understand DMX or even think about patching.
Guidancehelps the user through key features of the console, allowing them to learn a

UK - Doughty Engineering is set to unveil a new version of its popular Space Saver this month. The Space Saver Omega will make its debut on the company's stand at IBC in Amsterdam on the 15 September and on 17 September at PLASA London.
Mark Chorley, design engineer at Doughty said: "We introduced the original Space Saver this time last year – a really simple concept that we designed after considering how cumbersome a clamp can be to store and transport. The idea that it can be folded down and therefore easier to store and transport, has really been a huge benefit to our customers. But we always see room for improvement – we've made a few tweaks to make the item even more user friendly. It's all under wraps – a little bit cloak and dagger at the moment – but we're confident our customers won't be disappointed."
Doughty will also release a face-lifted Grip Head

UK - Robert Juliat will be exhibiting at the 40th PLASA show at London’s Olympia on Stand K38 alongside its exclusive UK distributor, Ambersphere Solutions.
The company’s latest followspot releases will be officially launched at the show: Oz and Alice are 600W LED models offering a cool white source for long and short-throw applications respectively. They are the first professional LED followspots able to deliver a high output comparable with that of 1200W discharge followspots, and offer the same high-quality functionality and characteristics as all Robert Juliat’s Compact followspots.
Oz and Alice’s compact dimensions and silent operation are coupled with the benefits of no heat, smooth electronic dimming - locally or remotely via DMX – and no lamp-change for less maintenance.
The significantly increased output of Oz and Alice takes RJ’s LED follow

UK - GLP arrives at this year’s PLASA Show riding the crest of a wave. The burgeoning UK operation, now under the stewardship of the experienced Simon Barrett and David Stewart, will be presenting a portfolio of LED and hybrid solutions. These have captured the imagination of designers worldwide over the past year, and their attributes can be seen in regular interactive lightshows choreographed by leading LD (and 2017 KOI nominated LD) Tom Campbell, who has been using quantities of GLP’s X4 Bars on tour with Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, while GLP products will also feature heavily on singer-songwriter Nick Mulvey’s upcoming tour.
As for the PLASA lightshows, these will be presented every 30 minutes from an overhead rig through haze, to ensure the strength and integrity of the beams is fully appreciated. Not only that but it will be possible to trigger each prod

UK - Ten 47 officially launches its Powerline QC connector to the market PLASA 2017. Having won an award for innovation at last year’s show and after extensive field trials, the two-piece Single Pole 500 amp connector will be shipping from stock in early October.
Building on the proven original Powerline connector series with familiar safety features such as mechanical keying, colour coded insulators and IP2X finger proof contacts, the Ten 47 " QC " range offers many enhancements over existing designs. New innovations include improved insulator strength, retained louvre band (IP protected), centred contact alignment, low connector mating forces and environmental sealing to IP68.
In addition, the proprietary sandwich contact retention system within a two piece insulator body allows replaceable front ends and eliminates the need for a "Cotter/dowel pin" common on simi

UK - Ayrton continues its 15th anniversary celebrations with the launch of new products at the 40th PLASA London show where it will exhibit on Stand K32 alongside its exclusive UK distributor, Ambersphere Solutions.
Ghibli, Ayrton’s first LED spotlight delivers an impressive 23,000 lumen output which makes it powerful enough for large scale arenas, and features a 7:1 zoom with a 8.5° - 57° beam spread. An optional High CRI Mode can be implemented for situations demanding even higher quality light output. Ghibli also features CMY colour mixing, variable CTO, and a complete effect section including two gobo wheels, a prism, an animation wheel, two frosts, and a rotating framing system that allows a full wipe, all in a most competitively priced package.
MiniPanel-FX is a new addition to Ayrton’s FX-Zoom range. Small in dimensions but mighty in output, with a zoom sp

UK - Elation Professional has added two world premiere product launches to its list of innovative product offerings at the upcoming PLASA show in London.
Showing at Stand H40 for the first time anywhere, Elation will be debuting the Artiste Dali, a full-featured moving head with state-of-the-art LED / Laser Phosphor light engine and the second luminaire in Elation’s Artiste series.
The second world premiere product is the new Dartz 360, a full colour-mixing LED beam/spot fixture with gobos and effects that gives all new projection possibilities from a narrow-beam luminaire. Both luminaires have been nominated for a PLASA Award for Innovation.
The new Artiste Dali’s features include eFly wireless DMX, CMY+CTO variable color mixing, color wheel, rotating and static gobos, prisms, animation, zoom and frost. Combined with the powerful new LED/Laser Phosphor engi

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