Norway - Second Warehouse is introducing SMS messaging and a built-in search assistant as it continues to refine the online pro AV cross-rental platform. The SMS feature will offer another communication channel to customers, whose email requests might be halted by spam filters. The search assistant, named ‘Ask Sam’ after inventory manager Sam Nesbitt, would enable users to gain the manager’s direct assistance if the platform’s search utility fails to return all requested items. Second Warehouse founder Stuart Kerrison comments: “SMS support is being introduced to make sure that even if you miss the email, you won’t miss the deal. Email is the principle way that we communicate with our users, but it’s really important that Second Warehouse users don’t miss the opportunity to make money because of an overenthusiastic spam filter. That said, we pass
Malaysia - CAST BlackTrax has appointed Acoustic & Lighting System (A&L) as its South East Asia distributor. A&L serves the local market as well as Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand through a network of nine offices and 200+ staff. It already represents Avolites, Claypaky, disguise and Luminex among others. Andrew Gordon, BlackTrax director of business development, comments: “BlackTrax has already executed over 9,000 events around the world, but we continue to look for strategic opportunities to grow the business, and the South East Asia market represents a considerable market potential. A&L is the ideal team to help us establish a strong presence in the region. Their extensive experience, technical expertise and commitment to customer support represent what we strive for in a partnership.” Eugene Yeo, general manager of Acoustic & Lighti
South Africa - DWR Distribution has announced details for its annual Vectorworks Training presented by Francois van der Merwe in September at DWR Distribution in Johannesburg. Basic training will be held on 17 September and will cover the fundamentals of Vectorworks, Layouts, Palettes, Basic Tools, Classes and Layers. The cost for this one-day training session is R850. Intermediate Training will be held on 18 & 19 September, with a focus Preferences, Basic Spotlight, Basic Renderworks and Intermediate Tools. The cost is R1 700.00. Advanced Users are invited for training on the 20-21 September. The course will cover Working Planes, Advanced Modelling and Advanced Renderworks. The cost is R1 700. Training will be held every day from 9am to 5pm and will be hosted at DWR Distribution, Block C, Unit1, Kimbult Industrial Park, 9 Zeiss Road, Laserpark, Honeyd
UK - On 6 July, Roger Waters performed at Barclaycard BST in Hyde Park London. Water’s show is like BST itself, centred upon a huge widescreen presentation, but there the similarities end. “BST sees the entire stage enclosure, backwall, sides and wings totally covered with LED video; right up to roof height 94 linear metres of it,” explains Alex Leinster of Video Design who provide all the video hardware and infrastructure. “But Waters’ show needs a much flatter screen, so we were asked to move the entire backwall section downstage as a far as possible.” No simple task, Water’s show was the first night in a run of three, with the Cure headlining the very next night. “What Jeremy Lloyd of Wonderworks conceived as the solution to the BST festival set-up was flawless,” explained Waters’ video director Richard Turner. “We got pretty much just what we
USA - Atlona has announced that D&H Distributing Company has become its first manufacturer’s representative to focus exclusively on IT professionals tasked with managing AV systems over the network. Based in Harrisburg, PA, D&H Distributing Company will represent Atlona on a national basis, with an emphasis on marketing Atlona’s AV over IP solutions to its small-to-medium-size business (SMB) customers. Pete Hurley, sales director for D&H Distributing Company’s SMB PROAV Division, comments, “Atlona’s inclusion in the projects calling for Cisco, Intel, commercial displays, integration projectors, screens and mounts provide an important differentiator from competitive IT distributors that lack a strong AV over IP partner. “Cat 6 cable drives virtually everything today across the AV ecosystem, and IT resellers are the first professionals working beh
UK - Nominations for PLASA’s Gottelier Award are now open. The award, named after late lighting designer and industry commentator Tony Gottelier, launched in 2007 to recognise product developers who have made significant and sustained contributions to the advancement of entertainment, presentation or installation technology. Previous recipients include Wayne Howell (Artistic Licence), Anne Valentino (ETC), David Cunningham (Entertec), Pasquale Quadri (Claypaky), Jim Bornhorst (Vari-Lite), John Meyer (Meyer Sound), Terry Clarke (Klark Teknik, MC2 Audio), Fred Foster (ETC), Alex Cooper (Midas & Klark Teknik), John Stadius (DiGiCo / Soundtracs) and Tony Andrews (Funktion-One). Anyone in the industry can nominate individuals as well as development teams by emailing
UK - Devon-based S+H Technical Support has launched a new HD video banner designed for all types of live events, as well as conferences, exhibitions and other applications requiring plug-and-play digital signage. S+H’s Terry Murtha comments: “Whether it’s indicating the way to a plenary session or a breakout room, directing delegates to different seminars or providing fun and entertaining branding and content in specific areas of an event space - like hallways and corridors - or highlighting an area of an exhibition stand, this is a really fast and simple way to get noticed or to issue clear directions” enthuses Terry. The standard S+H Video Banner offers a 2.5 mm pitch and 224 x 756 pixels per panel in a .622 mm wide by 1980 mm high format. The 6.7 mm deep modules can be butted up together and are housed in robust aluminium panels for protection and easy trans
UK - The Nevill Holt Opera House, located in a converted 17th century stable block of the Nevill Holt Estate in Leicestershire, was officially inaugurated on 14 June for the start of Nevill Holt Opera’s (NHO) annual season. Over the last six years, NHO, backed by the David Ross Foundation (DRF), has built an opera company to support emerging British opera talent and local children and students from DRF academies. NHO’s summer opera season was previously housed in a temporary tented structure within the stable block which hid the interior of the historic structure. The limitations of the tent prompted the idea of a new permanent structure to keep out the noise of rain and wind; deliver excellent acoustics for young voices; improve the audience-performer relationship whilst preserving the intimacy of the existing space; optimise the technical equipping of the stage
UK - Live production specialist Vis-a-Vis Video is delivering video content for N.E.R.D.’s UK summer appearances, with Catalyst V6 and a series of UltraStudio Mini HD from Blackmagic Design. The solution is supporting the hip hop act throughout its appearances at festivals including Lovebox in London’s Gunnersbury Park as well as at the Leeds and Reading Festival. The software allows live operators to enhance an artist’s onstage performance by extracting images and elements from live camera signals and graphics, creating multiple outputs to LED screens or projectors on stage and throughout a venue, immersing the crowd within the live performance. Catalyst’s capture elements are built around Blackmagic hardware and for N.E.R.D’s summer schedule, Stuart has built a compact media server rack, featuring a series of UltraStudio HD Mini capture and playback devices
Canada - Solotech has announced David Brazeau’s appointment as director, research and development (R&D). In this role, Brazeau will lead a team of audio, lighting and video technology solution consultants and specialists. This team will support other Solotech professionals, contribute to the delivery of various complex projects and help select equipment from suppliers, in keeping with the company’s overall technology strategy. During more than 21 years as a Solotech employee, David has developed a diversified expertise, first, as a shop technician, then as a production technician on international stages while touring with André Rieu and Céline Dion. He went on to make a name for himself as an audio project manager for various Solotech clients, including Britney Spears and Michael Bublé. Until recently, he was a technical advisor in the audio department.
UK - The Knight of Illumination (KOI) Awards 2018 shortlist for Television has been announced. The category’s judging panel, chaired by lighting designer Stuart Gain and comprising outside broadcast director Stephen Neal, The New Statesman television critic Rachel Cooke, art director Jane Shepherd, and lighting director John O'Brien, has picked the nominees based on their creative work in the sector. The KOI Awards 2018 Television shortlist is as follows:
Drama, sponsored by Philips Strand Lighting: Martin Kempton for Upstart Crow Anna Valdez-Hanks for Endeavour: Quartet Chris Ramage for Emmerdale
Light Entertainment, sponsored by SLX: Martin Hawkins for Mrs Brown's Boys Dave Davey for The Voice Final Max Conwell, Rob Bradley and Gurdip Mahal for
UK - When it opened in 2017, Printworks London made clear its commitment to host world-class electronic music events, with a central part of that promise revolving around delivering supreme lighting, sound and video systems. Testament to this vow is demonstrated by the kit list in the venue’s new 3000-capacity live room. With audio gear comprising an extensive d&b audiotechnik J and V-Series system, quality sound delivery is assured. And when it comes to the visual system, Printworks London speed-dialled the UK creative Digital Insanity. With a portfolio bulging with examples of triumphant creative partnerships with dance events and nights – including the United Kingdom’s biggest weekenders and its globally-recognised superclubs – Digital Insanity was well placed to craft a visual set up worthy of Printworks London and, most importantly, its vast flock of e
Australia - For the opening and closing ceremonies of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games, The Electric Canvas, an award-winning Australian company specialising in large-scale projections, managed the AV projection via Modulo Pi’s high-end media server Modulo Kinetic. The 21st Commonwealth Games took place in April at the Carrara stadium in Queensland. Produced by Jack Morton Worldwide, the opening and closing ceremonies were spectacular shows with 4,000 volunteer performers. Combining theatre, dance, and music, the shows were created to reflect the Gold Coast culture, embodying its spirit and its energy. After winning the tender, The Electric Canvas prepared the event over six months. To achieve such a large-scale video projection in the stadium, they chose 20 x Christie Boxer projectors, as well as Modulo Kinetic, a powerful media server with advanced features f
Europe - Audiovisual and Integrated Experience Association (AVIXA) has appointed Peter Schädel as European marketing manager. Peter Schädel is a marketing and industry expert, having previously worked for Meyer Sound Germany for over 10 years as marketing manager. With his sound expertise, he will be in charge of establishing and expanding the marketing activities of AVIXA in Europe. "I am very happy about my new challenge. While AVIXA has been a fixture in the US for decades, there is still a great potential for growth in Europe. It is therefore important to further raise awareness and communicate the benefits of membership." said Schädel. (Jim Evans)
UK - A group of industry representatives will cycle from Chippenham to London Olympia on Saturday 15 September to increase awareness of mental health within the entertainment and events industries. All donations will go to Backup, the technical entertainment charity which helps industry members and their families get back on their feet during times of hardship. Starting at 7am, the cyclists will traverse 100 miles across the North Wessex Downs towards London in time for the PLASA Show. So far, eight cyclists have signed up to the challenge, including Peter Heath and Shane McGreevy of PLASA, John McEvoy and Bryan Raven of Whitelight, and Ben Tredwell of Autograph. This bike ride is part on an on-going collaboration between PLASA and PSA to support the mental health of all those working within lighting, AV, live sound, rigging and staging. This collaboration continues
Switzerland - Geneva-based event production company Skynight SA chose six pieces of the ARX Systems ISO Balancer VC as part of an extensive AV setup at the Montreux Jazz Festival in July. Supplied to Skynight by Tonspur AG, the Swiss distributor for ARX Systems, the ISO Balancer VC’s were used primarily for straightforward volume adjustment. Eddy Broquet from Tonspur comments: “At certain places within the festival there are some TV screens with a live feed from the concert. Yvan Barone (Skynight project manager for the Montreux Jazz Festival) was looking for something of high quality that was easy to use to adjust the audio volume in these areas. As it can be the waiter of the bar in charge of the volume he really wanted to avoid putting in a small mixing console. As Skynight already use the ARX USB-DI they asked if ARX had a product that might fit their demand and the
USA - If Hollywood film makers were looking for an ideal natural backdrop for a 4th of July fireworks display, they would do well to travel about 400 miles east to Tempe Town Lake. The glistening water and the wide-open dome of a desert sky add a compelling and powerful dimension to the pyrotechnics that are launched from the waterway’s graceful Mill Avenue Bridges every year. It’s a scene that other venues would be hard pressed to match. But the same environment that provides such a dramatic setting also poses special challenges for anyone trying to set up a stage for this Independence Day event. John Garberson of Creative BackStage, who has been involved in Tempe’s 4th of July fireworks festival’s stage show for 18 years, knows how to handle the setting’s natural elements. He convinced the festival’s organizers to switch from a motorized roof to a Stageline to
USA - Luke Bryan has created 20 No. 1 singles, sold over 12m albums, and is one of the most popular touring artists today. Routinely playing to sold-out houses around the world, the artist and his design team at Align Design Group are often challenged to give each tour its own unique look and feel. In planning for the 2018 What Makes You Country Tour, lead designer Justin Kitchenman wanted to create a more free-flowing visual experience, so he called the Nashville-based production provider Elite Multimedia Productions who supplied the lighting, LED video and IMAG video technology behind the design. “During our tour design discussions, we are always aware of what we have done in the past and we really try to give each tour a different visual representation,” began Kitchenman. “Over the past few years, one of our biggest production elements has been moving
USA - ADJ Products has announced the distribution of a wide range of ArKaos products, included several software titles, media servers, for the U.S. and Mexico. ADJ Products has been successfully offering ArKaos Grand VJ2, Grand VJ XT and LED Master software titles for the past several years. Now that ADJ Products has entered into a distribution agreement with ArKaos, the company can offer a wider range of ArKaos products to the entire ADJ Products dealer network in the United States and Mexico including a full suite of software titles and media servers. “With the tremendous growth of the AV Series and Design Series video panel systems, we knew we needed to expand our media server and software options as well, said Alfred Gonzales, national sales manager of ADJ USA. “ArKaos was the natural partner because they are known around the world as a first-class media softwa
UK - London's hit new immersive experience, SOMNAI, is tripping out visitors with its dreamlike visuals mapped onto a perspective bending dome at the heart of the production using Avolites Ai's Autoblend feature. SOMNAI is the latest project from dotdotdot, in collaboration with a host of video content and AV specialists including long-time Ai expert, GaiaNova. The British 360° dome mapping specialist acted as the production's dome system integrator. "We knew that Avolites' Ai Infinity R6 media server was the right choice for this project, loaded with v10 software and its essential Autoblend feature," says Ben Stern from GaiaNova. "Autoblend is a complete game-changer in how you map domes. It simplifies the entire process and the results are amazing. It's so good that trying to do it any other way is unthinkable - I wouldn't map a dome using anything els
USA - Operating out of 11 offices across the US, The Sextant Group is a leading firm of technology consultants, providing innovative solutions to a wide range of client needs. Over the past few years, they have embraced the advantages of Alcons Audio loudspeakers for an increasing number of high profile projects. The Sextant Group’s Joe Hammett is one of its senior systems designers. “I first learned of Alcons in late 2014,” he says. “The following year a co-worker recommended that I take a look at them, because we had a project where we needed to recess multiple subwoofers in a small space. I visited the company’s booth at InfoComm 2015, listened to the loudspeakers there and was immediately impressed. Then the real research began.” He continues, “On many of my projects there is a fine balance between room aesthetics and the size of the loudspeakers requ
Europe - The PLASA Awards for Innovation are now open for entries. Product manufacturers and developers are invited to enter the annual awards by 17 August (Friday). Successfully nominated products will feature on the Innovation Gallery throughout the PLASA Show (16-18 September, London Olympia), with winners announced at a special ceremony on 17 September (Monday). Entries will be judged by an independent panel of industry experts, with up to eight awards, including the possibility of Gold Award, set to be given to products and solutions that demonstrate a new style of thinking, improve technical practice and safety, introduce new technology, materials or techniques, or offer new commercial advantages. The PLASA Award for Sustainability may be presented to a solution that achieves significant power reduction, has a positive impact on the environment or makes an effective us
Canada - Solotech’s Toronto-based Integration Division has announced the appointment of Keith Danby as senior business developer. Danby will be in charge of growing Solotech’s integration business and market share in Southern Ontario and the Greater Toronto Area, developing new and existing business accounts in the corporate, government and institutional segments. Regional sales manager Rob Poretti comments: "Keith brings many years of lighting industry, sales and marketing experience to our group of professionals. We welcome him on board and look forward to expanding our industry-recognised level of service even further.” (Jim Evans)
USA - Professional Wireless Systems has announced the appointment of David Belawski to the role of technical project manager. Belawski will be responsible for coordinating all aspects of client projects including managing communications between clients and Professional Wireless Systems team members to ensure a successful event or installation. Prior to joining Professional Wireless Systems, Belawski spent 11 years working for the University of Central Florida (UCF) Athletics department, first as assistant director of video production and for the last six years as the director of production services. In that role, he managed four full-time staff members and more than 30 freelancers and student interns while being responsible for the maintenance of all hardware assets, including sound systems, the centralised video control room, and LED video boards. “The experience Da
