UK - The BBC's double-header weekend of Proms In The Park and BBC Radio 2 Live in Hyde Park (Festival In a Day) could have been renamed Four Seasons in a Day, given the extreme climatic changes (and fitting name of the Proms headline act).

The extreme high winds and driving rain had blighted the opening day, headlined by Frankie Valli's band, who were joined by the BBC Concert Orchestra and a line-up including ABC, All Saints, Rick Astley, The Feeling and others. As the following day made way for bright sunshine, Status Quo and Madness got the evening party going and were perfect curtain-raisers for the headline act, Elton John.

But such changeable weather conditions in a noise sensitive environment is precisely the scenario that Martin Audio's award-winning MLA Multi-cellul

UK / USA - VER has announced the expansion of its lighting division with the opening of a full-support lighting department in their London branch. The expansion includes the appointment of David March as head of lighting for VER UK and sister company Aurora, along with the engagement of Craig Hancock, Tim Massey, Ben Taylor and Joe Marter as senior lighting project managers.

March's appointment emphasizes VER's commitment to their wide range of clients and continual investment in expertise, equipment and leading edge innovation. With nearly 30 years of experience working with production lighting, March joins a highly skilled team of technical and project management professionals at the company's London headquarters.

Susan Tesh, executive director of VER's global lighting division states, "We have been successfully servicing our international lighting clients from our Londo

The Netherlands - Longstanding director of business development for Ampco Flashlight Group and director of sales and marketing for XLNT CyberMotion Marc van der Wel is stepping down from both positions in order to pursue a new career challenge.

Van der Wel will be joining broadcast and media solutions provider NEP The Netherlands (part of NEP Group Inc.) as director of sales. His new role will commence on 1 October.

"We are all saddened by Marc's departure, but we wish him the very best as he moves on to new opportunities," says CEO of Ampco Flashlight Group and XLNT Advanced Technologies Dick van Berkum. "Marc has worked tirelessly to establish our rental, technology and sales distribution divisions as the leading providers of entertainment technology solutions for some of the biggest productions and acts in the industry in concert touring, theatrical, broadcast and event

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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

UK - Turbosound has introduced two further models to its Flashline Monitors range. Designed primarily as stage monitors, the Flashline Monitors also accommodate a wide range of portable speech and music sound reinforcement applications.

The two new models, the TFX122M-AN and TFX152M-AN offer "quality musical reproduction at an affordable entry level price point. The two new models join the existing four in the range; the TFM122M and TFM152M switchable passive/bi-amp loudspeakers, and the TFM122M-AN and TFM152M-AN powered loudspeakers.

The new monitors feature 1,100 Watts of peak power from a highly portable lightweight integrated class-D amplifier. Specifically the TFX122M-AN features a carbon fibre loaded 12" ferrite low frequency driver with a titanium dome 1" compression driver. The larger TFX152M-AN features a carbon fibre loaded 15" ferrite low frequency driver with t

World - Bose Professional has begun global demonstration events of its new ShowMatch DeltaQ array loudspeakers.

The compact and versatile ShowMatch loudspeaker features DeltaQ next-generation array technology, offering the ability to build traditional (J-Array or Constant Curvature) and DeltaQ array configurations, allowing both portable/rental and installed applications to deploy selectable coverage control.

ShowMatch arrays are capable of generating a maximum SPL of up to 145 dB (peak), or when SPL is less critical, they offer the ability to achieve full coverage with fewer modules for significant weight, height and cost savings.

DeltaQ originates from the ability to change directivity or "Q" for each array module. When combined in an array, acoustic energy is highly focused and can be matched to audience areas more accurately. This is an advancement from traditional

USA - On 21 October, 2016, Nashville-based LED video manufacturer PixelFLEX will launch an Augmented Reality LED video experience at the LDI Conference and Tradeshow inside the Las Vegas Convention Centre.

Located in Room N103, PixelFLEX will showcase a myriad of new products which include the AR-LED, the LumiFLEX LED basketball floor, plus ultra-high resolution 2.6mm and 1.25mm LED video technology all brought together to create an earth-shattering experience. Open to all attendees at LDI, PixelFLEX will hold a complete technology demonstration at the beginning of every hour taking visitors to an Augmented Reality Rave, complete with a DJ and a true 3D LED visual experience.

"We are very excited about the LDI Conference and Tradeshow as it will give us an ideal opportunity to unveil our latest LED technology to a wide variety of our clients and production partners," said

USA - Powersoft continues its Xperience the Power roadshow series with two Los Angeles-based events demonstrating its M-Force linear motor technology, along with several of its other industry-leading power amplification technologies. The events, which coincide with the 141st AES Convention taking place at the end of this month, are open to industry professionals on a first-come, first-served basis (http://roadshow.powersoft.it/).

The sessions will be held on 28 and 29 September at the Mayan Theatre, just a short walk from Los Angeles Convention centre. They will provide industry professionals with an opportunity to experience Powersoft's M-Force, while providing an overview of the company's M Series, K Series, X Series, Ottocanali and Duecanali.

A presentation on Powersoft's cutting edge M-Force moving magnet linear motor will be given by Powersoft co-founder Claudio Lastr

UK - Artistic Licence, inventor of the Art-Net ethernet lighting control protocol, is celebrating a win for Art-Net 4 at the 2016 PLASA Awards for Innovation ceremony.

The judges noted that Art-Net continually evolves to support the back-bone of production technology, incorporating complementary protocols with full backwards compatibility.

Wayne Howell, CEO of Artistic Licence and the inventor of Art-Net, comments, "I released the first version of Art-Net over 15 years ago in response to a pressing industry need. It's been very gratifying to see such widespread adoption of the technology, and I'm delighted that PLASA has now given official recognition to the important role that Art-Net plays within the industry."

(Jim Evans)

UK - "The Clay Paky lights at PLASA 2016 were captivating and successful," said Pio Nahum, Clay Paky CEO, when he got back from the London show, which has returned to Olympia. The industry met the stylish revival of the show very warmly with the participation of numerous visitors and skilled professionals from all over the world.

Clay Paky presented its products at their best, at a large booth in the Ambersphere village, through a demo-show programmed by lighting designer Alex Mildenhall, operator on TV show X-Factor.

The Clay Paky Scenius Profile won the PLASA Award for Innovation. The judges said "This product's innovation reaches from the lamp and reflector all the way through the optical path."

The Scenius Profile was not the only acclaimed product at the Clay Paky booth. Visitors and the award judges themselves showed great interest in the Shar-Bar, a movin

UK - Robe's high impact London themed stand - complete with genuine vintage London bus - was right at the core of the 2016 PLASA exhibition in London where it caught the eyes of visitors and provided a lively and invigorating environment to showcase the latest technology from the Czech lighting manufacturer.

The just launched Spiider LED wash beam luminaire was the visual centrepiece of the stand, with 42 Spiiders arranged on a scenic 'super-web' web at the heart of a spectacular lightshow that ran every hour.

Just launched globally on the internet via the trending 'Spiiders all over the web' video three days before the show, it was the hot product of the expo!

The super-web was neatly concealed behind drapes that transformed the stand into a theatrical space to show off Robe's other highlighted products which included the new Halo pixel ring, the all-LED DL series and

Japan - The final live show by Kyosuke Himuro, one of Japan's most successful pop singers, was an emotional experience for 50,000 Japanese pop fans, being the very last time that they would see the singer/songwriter on stage. Thanks to L-Acoustics KS28 subwoofers, the sold-out Tokyo Dome show was a fitting end to a distinguished live career.

The series of shows billed as Kyosuke Himuro Last Gigs concluded at the Tokyo Dome, with the main audio system supplied by Japanese rental companies Hibino Sound and Tokyo Sanko, who supplied a K1 systems with the new L-Acoustics KS28 subwoofers for the tour.

"Hibino had to deliver every breath of Kyosuke Himuro's performance perfectly, as it was an experience which none of the audience would ever have again," says Takayuki Ozaki, managing director of L-Acoustics Japanese distributor Bestec Audio, who had introduced KS28 to Akitsugu Ke

France - Europ Groupe, the largest AV rental company in the French centre region, keeps impressing clients and attendance at high profile corporate events thanks to the 2.97mm pixel pitch Absen A2 Pro LED display.

Created in 1989, and operating in France, Italy and Belgium, Europ Groupe's main focus is on event staging, with additional activities also in the integration market.

The company has been making good use of 54sqm of its 6mm pitch outdoor A6T LED panels over the last two years, and when the time came to upgrade their indoor panel inventory, they turned to Absen.

Richard Lamy, Europ Groupe associate and event services manager, confirms that Absen became an obvious choice instantly: "We were very satisfied with the A6T outdoor solution, and the Absen team has been great at helping us from day one, so we naturally turned to them when it was time to renew our flee

Peru - Light4Brands, the exclusive dealer of Airstar lighting solutions in Peru, deployed several lighting balloons for the 20th edition of the Festival de Cine de Lima, which took place at the Gran Teatro Nacional del Peru from 5-13 August 2016.

For the fourth time in a row, Light4Brands (L4B) was selected to manage the lighting for the festival red carpet. The Airstar lighting inventory was made up of two 90cm wide Crystal balloons, flanked on both corners of the theatre building and a pair of three-metre-high air ventilated Towair cylinder towers, placed on the top of the stairs to welcome the lucky few during the show nights. To complete the lighting of the event, an impressive three-metre-wide, helium inflated, Lunix LED balloon was anchored and proudly displayed the event logo 15 metres high.

The Lima Film Festival is the most important cinema event in the country an

USA - Country music star Hank Williams Jr. is wrapping up his co-headlining tour with Chris Stapleton with a lighting package provided by Bandit Lites.

Lighting designer Bart Burnham shared the vision for the production came from a collaboration between tour manager Charlie Sanderson, production manager Billy Kline and stage manager Jimmy Davis. "The concept was to create a more intimate setting for Hank's acoustic set, use lighting fixtures to spell HANK and to project Hank logo's onto the backdrop and traveller curtain, which would be closed during the intro track and acoustic set," said Burnham.

On the downstage truss, Martin MAC Auras provided a wash for the band and audience warmers during the introduction and acoustic numbers while GLP Impression X4s were used as band specials and as a wash look for Hank's acoustic sets.

VL 3000s featuring custom gobos focused on

Germany - As a long-term customer of GLP, last year Black Box Music exchanged all their old GLP impression 90 and 120RZ fixtures for the current impression X4 series.

Earlier this year, they purchased their first 40 X4 Bar 20 battens for the successful Sarah Connor Muttersprache tour - since when the Berlin-based company has invested in a further 165 GLP impression X4 Bar 20 and 84 GT-1.

The GT-1 promises to offer the best of three worlds: spot, beam and wash in one unit, with a zoom ratio of 22:1. With its auto sensing power supply it is also made further suitable for touring by its low weight, of just 25kg.

These are features appreciated by the professionals of Black Box Music, who have been using both the GT-1 discharge lamp as well as the X4 Bars on the current Rammstein tour.

Alongside equipment rental, the focus of the Berlin company is the planning and imple

USA - Ground-breaking products call for an innovative marketing approach, which is precisely what Roland delivered with its 909 Day Celebration. A nonstop 24-hour straight live streamed marathon with feeds from around the world, the widely anticipated event, saw the unveiling of 30 new Roland and Boss products, including synthesizers, digital keyboards, DJ mixers, percussion video switchers, amplifiers and effects.

Part music festival and part product intro event, the 909 Day Celebration featured performances by a wide range of artists like Linda Perry, Smallpools, Echosmith, Mike Garson, Saint Motel, DJ Pierre and more.

Lighting these performances for the event, which was marketed under the banner The Future Redefined, was an appropriately cutting-edge collection of Chauvet Professional gear, including Rogue R1 FX-Bs, Rogue RH1 Hybrids, Rogue R2 Washes, Rogue R1 Washes an

Sint Maarten - APG has announced the appointment of Genesis Music Group as a new Uniline partner in the Caribbean island of Sint Maarten. Genesis Music Group joins a network of committed pro AV companies who are able to offer differentiating solutions while answering the most stringent expectations. With this new addition, APG can now count on a network of 26 partners worldwide.

Commenting on the agreement, Genesis Music Group CEO and chief engineer Bertaux Fleming, aka M. Rude, enthused, "We are extremely proud to become a Uniline partner. I was introduced to the brand in 2010 during a trip to Paris, and when I heard the APG system I was immediately sold. I was stunned by the sound quality that was coming out from these small boxes."

M. Rude praised in particular the professionalism and great relationship developed with the APG team. "Performance wasn't our only criteria,

UK - Kew the Music is a programme of music events that takes place over six nights at the historic Royal Botanical Gardens in Kew, south-west London. This year's event witnessed headliners The Corrs, Simply Red, Will Young, Jools Holland, Bjorn Again and Gypsy Kings play to over 40,000 people during the week.

Kew wished to deliver the greenest, most fuel-efficient event possible and promoters Kilimanjaro Live engaged Cardiff-based 11th Hour Events to meet their stringent demands. At the main stage itself, 11th Hour provided power for: lighting, sound, video screens and working lights. In addition, the company supplied power to the backstage area, artist facilities, concessions, caterers, hospitality areas and toilets as well exit/safety lighting.

Architectural lighting of the trees in the gardens completed a comprehensive installation. Meeting the environmental demands of

USA - Bandit Lites recently added more gear to its ever-growing inventory, with the newest addition being the GLP X4 Atom.

The GLP X4 Atom boasts a compact body, bright output and a motorized 9:1 ratio zoom for a 3.5 to 34 beam angle. Its interlocking system allows the fixture to be built into various configurations, meaning it can be used for all of Bandit's various lighting applications including corporate events, touring and special events.

One such example is the Atoms use at events for Blackberry Farms, a luxury resort in the foothills of the Smokey Mountains. As the exclusive event producer for the culinary and wine haven, Bandit strives to ensure that every production detail is executed impeccably, and when the new Bramble Hall amphitheatre event centre needed a fixture to solve a zoom and spotlight problem, the GLP X4 Atom proved the be the solution.

"Mary Cele

USA - To keep time-pressured travellers fully informed, the La Crosse Regional Airport in Wisconsin recently deployed a Carousel digital signage network from Tightrope Media Systems consisting of more than 50 custom displays strategically situated throughout the passenger terminal, including check-in and baggage claim areas.

The network is an integral part of a $14.2m infrastructure upgrade; importantly, Carousel Digital Signage Software also drives airport revenue generation through advertising initiatives.

The varied digital signage displays-including a large, welcoming video wall and two interactive touchscreen kiosks-give travellers just-in-time information about flights, arrivals, departures, gates, security, television, digital marketing and local ads, as well as news, weather and other real-time data feeds. The flexibility of Carousel network, in conjunction with Br

UK - Colour Sound Experiment supplied lighting, rigging and Kinesys automation to two high profile arenas at the 2016 Creamfields dance music extravaganza staged in Daresbury, Cheshire, UK.

The festival was memorable for many reasons including the new Steel Yard venue -an awesome 50m wide by 100m long space offering up to 26m of headroom with a capacity of around 9,000, designed and built especially for Creamfields by Acorn Structures.

"We were very excited to be asked by the event's technical producers LarMac LIVE to supply lighting and rigging for Steel Yard," says Colour Sound's H (Haydn Cruickshank). "It's always interesting and invigorating to work in new spaces, you have to think out of the box and everyone - all the individuals and companies - involved in creating the amazing Steel Yard vibes worked very hard and as a tight team to deliver a great experience for the

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