Details
USA - Illuminarium Experiences opened its first Illuminarium in Atlanta, Georgia, with its debut spectacle, Wild: A Safari Experience. The immersive 8,000sq.ft entertainment complex on the Atlanta BeltLine will showcase the beauty and splendour of Africa’s most exotic animals in their natural habitats.
Through a convergence of technologies, Illuminarium’s immersive venues ‘will transport millions of visitors to places that they previously could only dream of experiencing’. By enabling audiences to see, hear, feel, smell and even personally affect an experience, Illuminarium places the guest ‘inside’ the narrative using techniques from traditional motion picture production and virtual reality combined with interactive features that facilitate the experience of the

Details
Germany - Plans for this year’s Digital Signage Summit Europe, taking place on 29-30 September at the Hilton Munich Airport, have been revealed.
The theme of DSS Europe 2021 is The New Agenda. The rules of digital signage have changed, and the pandemic has had a marked effect on how displays are deployed within retail, DOOH, transport and other sectors. DSS Europe will cover the significant technological innovations that are having a positive effect, will showcase the development of sustainable solutions (eliminating waste and re-using resources) and will reveal market insights and investor news.
In a new development for 2021, the Innovation Stage, sponsored by Red Bull, will host sessions from a range of start-ups and innovators ‘with inspiring and unconventional solutions for digital signage’.
Conference chair Florian Rotberg, managing director of

Details
Turning Point - Most COVID safety measures will remain in theatres from next week, including a "strong recommendation" for the continued use of face masks, the Society of London Theatre and UK Theatre have announced. As the government confirms that Step 4 of the reopening roadmap will go ahead on 19 July, SOLT and UK Theatre said that, despite key measures such as social distancing being relaxed, theatres in England will maintain many of the mitigations brought in to limit the spread of COVID-19. These include face coverings, enhanced cleaning and restricted stage-door interactions.
UK Theatre president Fiona Allan said the body was "relieved" at the news of full reopening, describing it as a "turning point on the road to recovery", while SOLT and UK Theatre chief executive Julian Bird stressed the importance of preserving audience confidence as theatregoers return.
"
featured content

Indochine X PixMob Fan Immersion

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's - 40 thousand LED pixels on a ceiling!!! Indochine's whirlwind tour transports fans to another level of the live experience - immersing them from floor to ceiling with PixMob's X4 wristbands, and an LED ceiling made entirely of its NOVA Minis! With the vision of Indochine's creative team, PixMob used its LED fan-technology to turn attendees and venues into an ocean of effects, and a starry sky of LED magic. Très très cool!

Read more about the Indochine tour in the latest issue of LSi

Details
Europe - Prolights' LED spotlight range EclDisplay has won a Build Back Better gold award. The recently released fixture is the latest innovation in the architectural range by the Italian manufacturer.
The Build Back Better initiative, an industry plan to help accelerate innovation, technology and change in the built environment, has recognised the EclDisplay as an innovative product in its category. The awards were judged by a team of experienced and impartial practitioners, who assessed the products and projects which exhibited true innovation and unique points of difference.
The EclDisplay range of LED spotlights offers multiple control options, sources, colours, lenses, and accessories, with over 7,000 possible fixture configurations.
The judges praised the attention to detail, the precision engineering, and the huge range of options. “In terms of museum us

Details
India - Boutique audio enterprise, Audio Academy in Bangalore added the compact Audient ASP4816 mixing desk to its setup last year. The facility offers professional audio education programmes as well as providing commercial recording, music production, sound design and Foley services, and the compact mixing desk has settled in very well.
“We were looking for a console that would serve as both a teaching tool as well as a highly functioning mixer for professional studio bookings,” explains studio manager Gautham Pattani. Part of a hybrid setup in the studio, the analogue desk’s array of connectivity options means it can work easily with the outboard gear and send audio straight to their Pro Tools DAW.
“Our multi-monitor setup helps reveal every detail in the recording and mixing process. Dedicated hardware controllers, industry standard converters, high quality

Details
USA - Nearly 750 Martin Audio components have been specified and fitted as part of a complete AV integration at the new $700m Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia.
The 510,000sq.ft Cordish Companies development is set in the City’s Stadium District. The audio-visual design and implementation was managed by ECI (Entertainment Consulting International) as are all the entertainment complexes and sports arenas within the estate of their parent company.
Audio-visual requirements in the multi-zone space, incorporating a collection of sports bars and diverse restaurants, were specified by consultants, Las Vegas-based Coherent Design, with integration company, Metinteractive, providing the successful bid for the fit-out.
At the business end, the work was overseen by Dan Defendorf, Director of A/V & Corporate Music Programmer for 130 or so Cordish Companies propert

Details
Canada - Montreal-based SoftBox Integration - a specialist in integration, custom LED manufacture and AV equipment rental - is the latest company to invest in Robe’s Transferable Engine LED luminaire, the Forte (see LSi July 2021 for a review of the fixture) .
The company works across all sectors and creative communities, supplying equipment for television productions, sporting events, corporates, theatre and the performing arts, immersive experiences and is a market leader in Quebec.
This latest investment was driven by strategic “business development” explains CEO Michèle Pelletier.
The decision to purchase these, the first Robe products for SoftBox Integration, followed extensive comparati

Details
Germany - Located on the banks of the Danube in central southern Germany, the city of Ulm is an economic centre for eastern Baden-Württemberg and western Bavaria. Recently a new audio system was installed at Congress Centrum Ulm (CCU), the main city centre venue for corporate events and entertainment, with a Yamaha solution chosen for mixing and control.
Attached to the Maritim Hotel, Congress Centrum Ulm (CCU) features two main auditoriums, Einstein Saal and the smaller Kepler Saal, both with adjacent foyers, plus the outdoor Gartensaal. Einstein Saal can host gatherings of up to 1,500 people, with Einsteinfoyer able to accommodate a similar number for stand-up receptions.
The upgrade to the audio system took place during a short pause in Germany’s COVID-19 lockdown, which made straightforward installation and programming of the system a priority. Karlsruhe-based f

Details
UAE - Creative Technology Middle East (CTME) has recently delivered a complete L-Acoustics touring system at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi ahead of their first large live event.
CTME is an Approved Calibration Centre (ACC) and certified partner integrations (CPI) for L-Acoustics.
CTME worked closely with L-Acoustics during the modelling of the system based on CAD drawings supplied by the arena. As the venue will be hosting a wide range of events, the design had to consider multiple configurations to suit various productions from indoor concerts to sporting events and much more.
Craig Harvey, CT’s systems integration project manager, explains, “CT delivered the L-Acoustics system on behalf of the arena, verified, tested, installed and calibrated the equipment, making sure the system was responding as per the design.”
As part of the L-Acoustics system,

Details
UK - Responding to post-pandemic staffing demands and a need for improved entry level training for crew, a collective of industry professionals established Event Crew Training and has released its first course - Event Crew Essentials.
Identifying that post-pandemic there would be a need to recruit a large volume of new and inexperienced crew and sharing a view that the existing training was not fit for purpose, the collective saw the period of stagnation created by COVID-19 as an opportunity to create an online portal that not only provides the required training but gives trainees knowledge that will enable them to feel comfortable in their new working environment.
The Event Crew Training portal is designed to be a benchmark for entry level crew and technicians looking to start a career in the events industry. Its initial offering covers a range of topics, incl

Details
UK - PLASA Show 2021 is on track to welcome thousands of industry professionals to Olympia London in September, with 70% of the exhibitor space already reserved.
The entertainment technology industry event, taking place on 5-7 September, has recorded a 53% increase in visitor registrations in the first three weeks compared to the same period in 2019 - the year when the show was lauded as “the busiest in years” - and registration has continued to climb following the UK prime minister’s announcement that the remaining lockdown restrictions are to be lifted from 19 July.
The organisers have also recorded a greater number of top-tier professionals and company owners requesting to attend, raising the prospects for the event to be a valuable hub for business and networking.

Visitors with buying power
The visitor profile at P

Details
USA - With fewer hands-on-deck in the newsroom, manufacturers have also had to pivot their R&D approach to support newscasters’ evolving needs for remote control. Broadcasters are seeking solutions that are quick and easy to implement, to simplify and expedite remote command and control over production capabilities and create seamless workflows.
In response to its customers changing requirements, TSL Products’ Flex Control Network continues to be adopted by broadcasters and station groups across the U.S. to streamline operation in the modern-day newsroom.
At the beginning of the COVID pandemic, senior technology management at one of North America’s leading television station groups identified a pressing requirement to replace “weak link” news playout systems across multiple stations with more streamlined control room workflows. The station’s MOS Rundown

Details
USA - Studio 9 at Porches Inn in North Adams, Massachusetts was originally conceived as a dining and event venue. However, with installation of Meyer Sound Constellation active acoustics in 2019, it was transformed into an intimate live performance and recording space. With the addition of the Spacemap Go spatial sound design and live mixing tool earlier this year, Studio 9 has fully evolved into ‘a one-of-a-kind laboratory for musical innovation’.
The principal partner in Studio 9 venture is FreshGrass Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to preserving, supporting and creating innovative grassroots music. Studio 9 is already proving a valuable adjunct to the FreshGrass Festivals - staged at nearby MASS MoCA since 2011 and now also in Bentonville, Arkansas - in developing and promoting new generations of roots music artists.
“There is a shared vision and a shared e

Details
USA - Last month, Kyle Bell was tasked with lighting shows by the multi-platinum band Warrant and their fellow metal-mashers, Firehouse at the Lava Cantina-The Colony live music venue in Dallas.
“It was a last-minute type of thing,” said Bell. “I had very little time to programme. I did create some scenes, but most of the two shows were busked. Good thing for me that I was a long-time fan of both bands. That helped with the FX part of my show, which was very important.”
Familiarity with the two bands wasn’t the only thing Bell had going for him on that hot summer evening. He could also rely on the intuitive, user-friendly features of his ChamSys QuickQ 20.
“I have been working on ChamSys consoles since 2012, so I know I can count on them,” he said. “For this project, the QuickQ 20 was the perfect choice, because the FOH footprint at this venue is

Details
UK - Digital agency Dept has partnered with Extended Reality (xR) pioneers disguise and games developer Epic Games to launch an xR experience helping brands better understand how the metaverse can transform the way people play, shop, interact and consume media.
Hosted by Isabel Perry, director of technology at marketing technology agency Byte (part of Dept), and held on disguise's xR stage in London, the real-time xR experience took exclusive attendees on a journey through the metaverse to show marketers how xR can create ‘truly spectacular live brand experiences and ultra-efficient production capabilities’. Dept co-hosted the event with disguise.
Perry took viewers on a journey, opening the experience in a seemingly simple Zoom call which soon transformed into a fantastical xR world featuring stunning interstellar spaces, waterfalls, gravity-defying cars, a fash

Details
UK - Final year students at Wakefield’s Backstage Academy, the versatile skillset learnt studying over the pandemic has strengthened their resilience and eagerness to reinvigorate the sector. The experience of adapting through adversity has set them up for the best chance of success upon entering the industry; driven to cater to the UK’s pent-up demand for live events post-pandemic, says the academy.
Offering degrees, short courses and bespoke training in live events, the South-Kirby-based institution held an end of year showcase of student talent last week. The campus’ Final Major Project Series saw the culmination of third year students honing their skillsets and the coming together of the craft they learnt over the pandemic and three years of study.
For Backstage Academy’s Live Events Production course leader, Johnny Goodwin, this year’s projects are signi

Details
USA - Clear-Com’s new Station-IC Virtual Desktop Client, a Mac- and Windows-based software application, is now available for the LQ Series of IP interface devices as well as Clear-Com’s Eclipse Digital intercom Matrix. Full integration with the wide variety of LQ interfaces offers channel-based routing which allows Station-IC to connect to Clear-Com’s Encore Partyline systems, TW Partyline, HelixNet, Two-Way radios, SIP telephone lines, GPIO signalling and to any other intercom, or audio, system via four-wire.
Station-IC allows LQ users to assign up to 24 Channels with individual talk and listen keys and level control as well as optional Call signal, LQ Network Control Events and Remote Mic Kill keys for the individual channel.
Stations-IC's Flexible application window can be scaled to the Desktop while the Compact Mode allows users to access their most importa

Details
Belgium - Although Antwerp’s Olympisch Stadion was built as the main location of 1920’s Summer Olympics, it remains one of the city’s landmarks today, thanks to its status as the home base for local football team, K.Beerschot V.A. When the stadium’s management came to a point where they could no longer continue with their outdated sound system, they called on audio experts PFL and Face Projects to assist.
“PFL – one of our preferred dealers – came to us for advice on their design and budget in reference to renewing the stadium’s existing sound system, which was about 25 years old at the time,” said Steven Kemland, manager at Face Projects. “Beerschot wanted to have an installation to improve quality of speech and to be able to play a good ambient sound; the latter of which was not really possible with the old system.
“From the first design we wer

Details
Europe - An illuminated trail of 105 x Astera AX3 ‘beacons’ fitted with custom firmware from the manufacturer was set up along a 58-kilometre stretch of the Danish / German border as part of Genforeningen 2020, a series of events celebrating the centenary of the reunification of Southern Jutland with the kingdom of Denmark. This took place following a referendum in 1920.
The event was captured on film and camera by various drones, aircraft and ground-based photographers, videographers and members of the public along the way, whose images were hash-tagged and posted on social media raising awareness and excitement of the event.
Technical production and rental specialist All Stage ApS, based in Varde was approached by the Barbara Simonsen Theatre in Aarhus to assist in the realisation of this ambitious and fun lighting installation project. The border of beacons was

Details
The Netherlands - Zodiac The Musical is a new musical produced by Peet Nieuwenhuijsen, directed by William Spaaij and staged at the Koepelgevangenis, a former prison in Breda, which provides the backdrop to this entertaining piece set in 2031 and focussed on a number of human, political and environmental issues.
Lighting designer Marc Heinz was among a team working under the technical production umbrella of Unlimited Productions – also based in Breda – helping to deliver this new work.
He and technical production manager Michiel van der Zijde – representing Unlimited Productions together with Jeffrey Kranen and Luc Huisman – also designed the set, and Marc specified 32 of Robe’s recently launched new T2 Profile fixture for the project, together with 50 x Robe Spiider LED wash beams and assorted other lighting fixtures.
Marc and his assistant de

Details
USA - As the Times Square ball drop is for New Year’s Eve, and The Tournament of Roses Parade for New Year’s Day, the Boston Pops 4th July Spectacular has become an indelible part of Independence Day celebrations across the USA. Even a temporary change of venue couldn’t diminish the power of this association.
Although it was moved 130 miles from its traditional home at the Hatch Memorial Shell on the banks of the Charles River to the Koussevitzky Music Shed in Tanglewood this year as a safety precaution against COVID, the nationally televised concert was as rousing as ever, as it helped millions across the country celebrate the American spirit past, present, and future.
Contributing to the experience for those in attendance at Tanglewood, and the millions more watching on television and via livestream was a lighting design by Michael Berger, anchored by over 270
Page 488 of 3465

Latest Issue. . .