UK - Speaker applications are now open for PLASA Focus Leeds, which returns to the city’s Royal Armouries museum from 13-14 May 2025. Renowned for its welcoming and vibrant atmosphere, the ever-popular PLASA Focus Leeds trade show attracts over 2,000 professionals each year and showcases more than 150 leading brands from across the lighting, sound, AV, rigging, staging and production industries.

Speaking as part of the event’s seminar programme is a unique opportunity to connect with a broad audience, as the sessions draw over 600 industry attendees across two theatres during the show’s two days. 

“Your insights could have an impact far beyond the UK, reaching professionals eager to learn and innovate,” say the show’s organisers. “This i

Denmark - Allround Lyd & Lys (Light & Sound) based in Struer, Denmark, purchased Robe iForte LTX Follow Spots ahead of its busy 2024 festival season, so – in conjunction with its existing RoboSpot systems – going forward, it could offer “outstanding follow spotting facilities with dynamic festival stage lighting packages”.

Head of lighting, Martin Breinholt, and his team designed a quick-to-rig festival production lighting setup based on Robe LEDBeam 350s and Esprites for over-stage lighting, with the fixtures installed in pre-rigged trussing sections. These were deployed on a string of festivals around the country throughout summer.

Denmark’s music festival scene is one of the most vibrant and prolific, starting in mid-May and running until the end of September.

Eight units of each fixture type were rigged to a standard run

Iceland - Located in downtown Akureyri, Hof Cultural Centre is at the heart of the northern Icelandic music and performing arts scene and provides visitor services across the entire north-east corner of the country. Architecturally, the circular building also provides one of the town’s landmarks. Inspired by the Icelandic igneous rocks, Hof Cultural Centre attracts tourists all year round.

Owned by the Municipality of Akureyri, and with operation of the Centre in the hands of Akureyri Culture Company, one of the key features is its new Martin Audio sound reinforcement upgrade in the main auditorium, provided by Reykjavik-based Atendi –the manufacturer’s territory distributor.

According to Atendi project manager, Gunnar Gunnarson, his company bid successfully on a public tender put out in December 2023 and were duly awarded the contract in Septe

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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

France - UK-based tech provider SLX was awarded the tender for supplying broadcast lighting and rigging across a range of venues at the Paris Games this past summer, and chose Obsidian Netron data distribution devices as the backbone of its data management strategy.

“We needed a system that was rock solid and could keep us going in case of critical failure,” stated Russell Payne, managing director at SLX. “We were looking for something that we could use not only for the Games but something that could go into our business for the long run. Stability was important, but also availability and return on investment.”

While evaluating available signal distribution products, SLX technicians and engineers took some Netron devices to the SLX facility in Bristol for extensive testing. “We ran them through their paces, stressing them with large amounts

Singapore - Stage 4, a busy rental company based in Singapore, has joined the growing list of Singaporean rental companies to use Ayrton products, and is the first in Singapore to invest in Rivale Profiles.

The company explained its decision to add Rivale Profile to its stock. “We chose Rivale Profile for our inventory so that we can cater for the wide range of lifestyle and conference related events that we work on. We had been using other brands for around 15 years and we needed to replenish our moving heads.

“We had heard lots of positive news from the industry about Ayrton and also from many of the programmers in Singapore, and had seen the fixtures in action in venues. Initially we’d had a concern about the heat given off by the fixtures, but this was quickly dispelled when we were shown the excellent heat management system of these units,

Australia - The Unity high-performance power switching and dimming system from LSC Control Systems is delivering a secure and reliable solution to one of Australia’s leading performing arts centres, the Canberra Theatre Centre (CTC).

CTC’s technical director James Tighe explains: “Our previous system was at the end of its life, and we were seeing intermittent faults, which were becoming less intermittent. Random dimming curves, channels powering up without control, and an increasing number of failing modules meant we were no longer able to reliably support performances to the expected standard.”

The search for a dependable replacement was also driven by the need for a system capable of supporting and powering a range of moving, LED, and incandescent lighting fixtures. “The existing system wasn’t capable of hot-powering circuits,” contin

USA - Adamson Systems Engineering invites audio professionals, engineers, and enthusiasts to an exclusive demonstration event at NAMM 2025. This special showcase will unveil the VGt and VGs, the first offerings in Adamson’s Vergence Group, and is set to take place on 22 January at the City National Grove of Anaheim. Attendees will enjoy an immersive experience featuring Adamson’s latest advancements in audio technology.

The flagship VGt line array system and the VGs powered subwoofer represent ‘a leap forward in professional audio’. The VGt has already been featured on major world tours and festivals. The VGs powered subwoofer complements the VGt, delivering powerful low-frequency performance through a lightweight, portable design. Together, they form a fully integrated system powered by Adamson's proprietary ArrayIntelligence software, designed to s

Spain - Naostage will showcase the interactive future of AV technology at ISE 2025. In partnership with fellow French companies Groupe Novelty and XD motion – with which it is sharing its booth – as well as several other key industry partners, the tracking pioneer invites ISE attendees to discover the power of real-time tracking through an immersive media show, hands-on demonstrations, and live dance performances.

Stand 6L900 will centre on an impressive immersive showcase, featuring a 6m × 4m LED wall and 6m × 6m LED floor provided by Groupe Novelty (via its Spanish subsidiary, Novelty Spain). Leveraging Naostage’s tracking platform, K System, to create interactions between guests and the LED video content, a looped five-minute AV show will transform the space into an interactive celebration of the immersive potential offered by the combination of r

Spain - Hive is set to debut its most powerful media engine yet, the Beeblade Nexus, at ISE 2025. Alongside Nexus, Hive will unveil version 1.2 of its intuitive software, introduce the Nucleus chassis to European audiences, and headline the Panasonic Interactive Immersive Experience. Attendees can meet Hive’s leadership team and new members at stand 5E880 in Hall 5 to explore their innovations for live entertainment and fixed installations.

The Beeblade Nexus is the newest addition to Hive’s Beeblade family, delivering ‘exceptional performance’ in a compact, scalable SDM format. The Nexus introduces a daughter board system with optical fibre Ethernet interfaces, supporting 10, 25 and 100 Gigabit connectivity, enabling ultra-high bandwidth uncompressed streams via SMPTE 2110 and NDI. With an 8K60 2.1 HDMI output, Nexus quadruples the pixel count of it

Europe - Astera has announced Agata Birn as the company’s new head of sales. Agata Birn brings over 12 years of experience in international business development and distribution strategy. With a track record of handling motion picture equipment, including four years as international sales and business development manager at DoPchoice, Birn is positioned to help strengthen Astera’s international relationships and streamline the customer experience.

Chief sales officer Sebastian Bückle commented: “Agata’s extensive expertise and dynamic approach make her an outstanding addition to our team. Her leadership will undoubtedly help us serve the film and event communities.”

In her new role, Birn will oversee Astera’s global sales strategy, while delivering exceptional service to its existing partners, clients and customers. She will also focus o

UK - PRG UK has appointed Phil McMichael as UK sales & business development director, with Miles Hillyard promoted to commercial director as the company continues to focus on growth.

McMichael has over 20 years of experience in the event industry, working with high-profile clients and growing their accounts. As sales director at Blitz, he focused on corporate accounts and agencies including Boeing, Temenos and Karla Otto. He then co-formed JLLive that later merged with JLLighting and JLUSA to form JLGroup, where he worked with the likes of Pico+, 2Heads & Disney.

“I’m thrilled to take up my new role at PRG UK, forming part of the leadership team and supporting both our strategic development plans and growth ambitions across all sectors of the live event, sports, television, theatre and music industries,” says McMichael. “With a backgr

USA - Media server technology company tvONE has appointed Jonathan Begleiter to the position of director of sales North Central and South America, and Alex Jerome as director of marketing.

Begleiter is promoted to the director of sales (NCSA) following 13 years at tvONE, most recently as SE regional sales manager. He brings more than 35 years’ experience in the AV industry, working within successful distributors and manufacturers, and offers considerable commercial and residential integration experience.

“I have proven results attaining revenue in my SE regional roles and a track record of providing superior customer support,” says Begleiter, who is based in Florida. “I’ve showcased this through all aspects of the design and implementation of projects, working with integration channel partners, consultant specifiers, and in end user system

Cambridge Blues - One of the oldest and most prestigious folk festivals in England has been cancelled, for what would have been its 60th anniversary. Organisers of Cambridge Folk Festival said they would use the resources from this year's event to explore new opportunities ahead of its return in 2026.

The annual four-day folk and roots music festival, organised by Cambridge City Council, first began in 1965 and has been hosted on the grounds of Cherry Hinton Hall. Labour councillor for the area, Robert Dryden, said the festival had lost money in 2024, but the cancellation came as a "big shock" that would "disappoint lots of people". The decision to cancel a folk festival in its 60th anniversary year has been described as "surprising" and "disappointing" by fans and musicians.

Singer-songwriter Fran Lusty, who played at the festival for the f

France - More top names from across the lighting industry have joined the line-up of speakers set to present at Showlight 2025, which visits Dijon, France, this 19-22 May.
With topics drawing from innovations in mixed and multimedia lighting, the illumination of spaces from the smallest venue to the wide open sky, and the subject of climate change and sustainability initiatives, the second batch of names and topics revealed includes . . .

Lighting ‘Cine-Theatre’
Nick Schlieper, one of Australia’s most highly awarded designers, will examine the considerable challenges posed by lighting Cine-Theatre, a style of production which utilises live feed video combined with pre-recorded footage with which the performers constantly interact. The term was coined by a critic, writing about a ground-breaking production of The Picture Of Do

USA - The 2025 NAMM Show will take place at the Anaheim Convention Centre this week as planned, with events beginning on Tuesday, 21 January running through to 25 January.

As previously reported, there had been fears the wildfires in Northern Los Angeles might cause a postponement.

“We have been in constant contact with our partners and city officials all week, and Anaheim is still unaffected by the wildfires in northern Los Angeles,” said John Mlynczak, president and CEO of NAMM, at the weekend.

“We have confirmed that the air quality is safe, that traffic between LAX and Anaheim will not impact relief efforts, and that our hotel rooms will not displace any evacuees. We want to be sure that we can gather for a safe, successful NAMM Show while also supporting the ongoing relief efforts.”

Mlynczak continued: “The 2025 NAMM Sh

UK - Lang UK has confirmed that it is now an official rental and sales partner of AV Stumpfl’s Pixera media server system.

Lang UK’s managing director Anika Lauth says of the partnership: “Our whole team is excited to start this journey with AV Stumpfl’s Pixera system. Pixera servers are powerful, versatile and future proof, making them an excellent fit within our portfolio.”

Craig Harrower, managing director of AV Stumpfl says: "With their in-depth market expertise and well-established regional network, Lang UK is an outstanding partner for the UK. Their logistical excellence ensures the fast and reliable delivery of our products. We are confident that this collaboration will enhance our service quality and strengthen our presence in the UK market.”

Lang UK was originally formed in 2017 in Hemel Hempstead, relocating in 2021 to a

The Netherlands - A new installation of Robe T11 Profiles in the 200-capacity Small Hall at the Theater de Bussel in Oosterhout, southern Netherlands is helping to save electricity and enhance the scope of lighting shows and events there, explained the venue’s head of technical, Evelyn van ‘t Hof.

The 32 x T11s are the first Robes in the house, and they are replacing a larger number of ‘conventional’ profiles and PC luminaires.

The new fixtures are part of a general drive to reduce energy consumption, an initiative shaping new investments in all venues across the Netherlands.

Adaptability was also a key consideration here, as the programme encompasses theatre productions, musicals, symposiums, parties and assorted other performance genres.

Evelyn has been working at this busy producing and receiving house since 2008. The 450-c

UK - “I enjoy being the wild card. I enjoy being the outsider and being different," rapper Sainté declared in a recent interview.

He kicked off his Still Local tour at the All Points East festival supported by a powerful, fast-moving Elliot Baines lighting design that effortlessly balanced grit and grace.

Representing a city-street basketball court with custom-made controllable ‘streetlamps’, a brick-and-fence facia, and a graffiti wall backdrop, the distinctive set evoked powerful images of an urban landscape. Baines, owner of Spiralstage Lighting, intensified this mood with a bold lighting design that featured ample amounts of atmospherics.

Helping Baines achieve these evocative looks were 24 Color Strike M motorised strobe-blinders and an equal number of Maverick Storm 4 Profiles. Part of the house rig, the Chauvet

Europe/USA - DPA Microphones has unveiled MicroLock, its new compact microphone connector, which builds on the strengths of the MicroDot connector currently deployed with the brand’s microphones.

MicroLock has a newly developed locking mechanism and compact design compatible with a variety of wireless systems. A dependable microphone connector with flexibility, reliability and durability, MicroLock will be showcased at the 2025 NAMM Show (Booth 18206) and ISE 2025 (Stand 7P600).

“Innovation and advancements in materials and miniaturisation, coupled with valuable market feedback, have enabled us to develop MicroLock,” says Helga Volha Somava, product management director, DPA Microphones.

“This new connector embodies DPA’s commitment to superior performance, providing an uncompromising solution for those who demand the best from their

USA - Electrotec Audio has announced that its new Stage One wireless portable SKAA/Bluetooth pro/consumer speaker will be featured with an active display during the 2025 NAMM Show (booth #18313) this week.

“Getting every spec met, and even exceeded in many cases, as well as having the cabinets built here in America has been an immeasurable process, but we have succeeded in each and every facet of our design goals and we can’t wait to show Stage One to industry professionals during the 2025 NAMM Show,” said Rikki Farr, Electrotec Audio CEO and co-founder.

“I never thought it possible due to our incredible initial and in-process design and production goals to have a speaker that surpassed these objectives once complete, but we did it,” Farr continued. “We have been hosting audio pros and experts at our Fountain Valley headquarters the past

USA - Audient has announced the launch of iD48, the eight-channel 24in / 32out USB-C audio interface, previewing at this year’s NAMM show.

Audient’s Andrew Allen says: “Since we launched the iD Desktop Interface Range, our customers have been shouting for us to deliver an 8-channel iD audio interface, so we are extremely excited to announce that it is finally here. iD48 is the ultimate Audient interface, building on the core feature set that has made the iD range so popular, delivering astonishing audio performance alongside an incredibly intuitive user experience – but this time with more than enough I/O to handle any session.”

iD48 is designed with producers and engineers in mind, delivering standard features for the working pro. With Audient console mic preamps, advanced 32-bit ESS converter technology as well as the all-new Switchable A

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