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UAE - "The presence of so many of the region's events industry professionals at our One year in Dubai party reflects the level of success EFM has already achieved in the Middle East," said Mike Llewellyn, the company's Managing Director, at the event.

Dylan Owen, regional director of EFM in the Middle East, together with general manager, Chris Lumb have undergone a busy 12 months, since the Dubai office's opening in April 2008, building the business and gaining increasing respect from a wide network of contacts across the GCC region. Together with the EFM international management team, they welcomed fellow events professionals to the poolside iKandy Bar at Dubai's Shangri-La hotel for an evening reception to celebrate a successful first year.

During the last 12

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Italy - With an ultimate retail floor space of 26,500sq.m, Italy's Mondovicino outlet village, retail park and shopping centre will be the biggest of its kind in the country. And with Yamaha audio equipment bringing the best audio quality to shoppers, it is certain to offer the ultimate retail experience.

Located near the town of Mondovì, in the province of Cuneo, north west Italy, the first phase of Mondovicino - with about 60 stores - has opened, with the rest of the development progressively opening in the near future.

Sound designer Adriano Zigante and his company Alto Gradimento won the contract to design and install the audio system at the complex. Zigante specified a comprehensive Yamaha system, which will deliver high quality audio via a highly flexible, multi-zone system.

The indoor shopping centre forms the first completed phase of the development and features fou

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UK - Classical vocal group Blake and soprano Natasha Marsh recently brought together their musical talents for a special four week tour of the UK, performing popular classical works, their own hit material and pop arrangements. The tour, universally praised as a captivating and emotional show, ran from 22 March 22 - 9 April.

Lighting and production design was by Mark Cunniffe, who used Martin MAC III Profile, MAC 700 Profile and MAC 700 Wash luminaires to light the memorable series of shows. Known for his detailed attention to artistic requirements, Cunniffe's wealth of experience includes working with artists such as Elton John, Eric Clapton, Rod Stewart and Stevie Wonder.

"Steven Howard and Jodi Mitzman from the TCB Group requested a show that contained projected imagery together with lighting to provide an operatic and theatrical mood not normally associated with this

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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

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UK - Percussion combo Noise Ensemble are touring with 30 SGM Idea 250 moving lights. These have been newly purchased for the tour by Snap To Black, the tour's supplier of lighting, AV, crew and production management. The purchase was made through SGM's UK distributor Lightfactor Sales.

Lighting has always been an essential element of the show and part of the original concept since its inception at Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2004. The latest tour's design is again created by Ben M Rogers - who has been involved with Noise Ensemble since Edinburgh - and is based on bringing edgy, moody multilayered drama to the performance.

For this tour however, Rogers wanted to up the production values and create a new setting and ambiance via the meticulous and well thought-out lighting. The intention with the new moving lights - a substantial rig for a theatre tour of this scale - was also

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USA - Nominations have opened for the second annual ESTA Rock Our World Awards, which recognise groundbreaking achievement by ESTA Members in new products, product applications, or projects. These awards were created to acknowledge the genius of both the creator of technology and the designer or integrator who applies the technology in a real world environment.

Contestants for the 2008 awards showcased a wide variety of new products and product applications from the simplest problem solver to complex uses of technology that extended the boundaries of the entertainment technology field. Project nominations showcased everything from theatrical productions to special events to permanent installations and highlighted the collaborative nature of our industry.

Nominations may be made by anyone in the industry, but an ESTA Member must be involved as the designer, manufacturer,

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Switzerland - Barix announces that Acutron Electroacustica of Portugal has completed the installation of a Barix Audio over IP zoned audio solution for the Colombo shopping mall in Lisbon. The solution provides Colombo, one of the largest shopping malls in Europe, with a point-to-multipoint solution to deliver voice, audio and control signals to more than 30 locations.

The complete Barix Audio over IP solution features Instreamer 100 encoding and Exstreamer 100 decoding devices for voice and audio distribution as well as Barionet and IO12 devices for control and system monitoring. The entire system is controlled using Acutron software for signal distribution to any zone from the central server and local operator terminals.

According to Antonio J. de Oliveira, co-Founder and head engineer of Acutron Electroacustica, the Barix solution provided a flexible, multi-zone entertainme

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Canada - Ross Video has announced the appointment of Alan Bunting, as regional sales manager for Central Europe. He will be based in the UK and will report to Sharon Quigley, manager, international sales - EAIME. He will be responsible for managing Ross Video sales in Central Europe with a strong focus on supporting the distribution channels in Central Europe.

"Alan is a great addition to the Ross Video Europe sales team," said Sharon Quigley. "His enthusiasm and experience in the broadcast industry will have an immediate impact for Ross Video. "

"I am looking forward to working with the Ross Video team and distribution channels," said Alan Bunting. "Ross Video is always growing and developing broadcast technologies for the market and I look forward to expanding their presence in Central Europe."

(Jim Evans)

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USA - "I think we were always attracted to that sort of infinite sound that you can create," Julian Hamilton says, trying to define the motivating force behind his and musical partner Kim Moyes' fascination with electronica. "There are only so many sounds you can make with a violin or piano. With synthesizers and samplers, you can create totally new worlds."

As The Presets, Hamilton and Moyes are Australia's techno dance duo extraordinaire. Currently touring in support of the album Apocalypso, the pair have made the transition from studio to stage with the help of Shure SCL5 earphones and UHF-R wireless systems.

"When we write our music - especially for this last record - it's a very computer-based thing," Hamilton says. "The music takes on a whole life of itself, and after it hits the stage, it does step up in terms of energy. It's a r

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Russia - Moscow is introducing 450 tonnes of the latest stage and lighting technology to the huge Olimpiyski Arena for this year's Eurovision Song Contest. 2,000sq.m of LED walls will bathe the two semi-finals on 12 and 14 May and the final, on 16 May, in an extraordinary display of light and colour. And for audio transmission, host broadcaster Channel One's partner is Sennheiser.

Since Dima Bilan and his rendition of Believe won last year's competition, Moscow has been preparing for the world's biggest live music show. The Olympic Arena can hold a crowd of 80,000 but as the stage of the 54th Song Contest is so vast - 1,000sq.m - there will only be space for an audience of around 20,000.

When the artists' first rehearsals start on 3 May, Sennheiser's RF expert Klaus Willemsen will have already been on site for a week - the wireless microphone and monitor equipment was

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Australia - LSC Lighting Systems has released the e24V3 Touring dimmer that offers the user a complete dimming and distribution solution. The new e24V3 comes complete with 24 channels of both dimming and HotPower distribution enabling the user to power up to 3000W per channel of lighting, video and special FX all from the one box, says the company.

Retaining all of the smarts of its predecessors, including CCT (current control technology), PTFD (pulse transformer fired dimming) and full LSCnet networking capabilities for both remote monitoring and remote recall of any of the 80 memories, the e24V3 can power a vast array of items directly and even has an in-built fully opto-isolated five-way DMX splitter, making it a real one box-one solution.

For added flexibility, e24V3 can also be fitted with the industry's two most popular wireless DMX systems, W-DMX from Wireless Solutions

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UK - When the producers of the Thriller Live musical arrived at the Lyric Theatre in London, they found themselves faced with the difficult challenge of isolating a wireless radio frequency within the heart of London's theatre district. After much deliberation, the company turned to Shure and the Joint Frequency Management Group (JFMG) to provide the solution.

"The issue we have in such a densely populated area is isolating RF channels that are not already in use," explained Chris Whybrow, the production's sound designer. "We basically needed to make sure we weren't stepping on anyone's toes."

The iconic venue is located in London's West End, surrounded by numerous theatre, musical, and comedy productions. The crowded nature of the area made isolating RF for on-stage instruments and vocal artists very difficult. Following a full assessment of his req

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USA - Mackie has launched HD Series High-Definition Powered Loudspeakers, creating a new category: High-Definition Live Sound. The HD1521 2-way and HD1531 3-way represent the pinnacle of Class-D amplifier technology, delivering up to 1800W of peak system power, says the company.

Mackie created the 'active' electronics game long ago, incorporating precision crossovers, transducer time alignment and phase correction circuitry right in the box, creating "a perfectly tuned system". HD Series loudspeakers take this further with the implementation of patented acoustic correction processing that counters the inherent physical attributes that can make typical loudspeakers sound honky or washed out.

"Our new HD Series loudspeakers are on the cutting edge of loudspeaker technology," said Greg Young, Mackie brand product manager. "They offer more watts per dolla

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Mexico - In a precursor to his current world tour, Sir Elton John played a series of benefit dates in South America and Mexico beneath a Martin MAC rig in support of Buchanan's Forever, a charitable organization that raises money for local community enrichment programmes.

Three intimate shows took place in late January in Caracas, Venezuela; Bogota, Colombia; and Mexico City. Buchanan's Forever, which also featured renowned Latin American musicians, selected Elton John to headline the cause-related musical experience (Jon Bon Jovi headlined the first edition of Buchanan's Forever last year).

The benefit shows followed a series of tour style shows that the artist performed in South America. Unlike the touring shows, which were full Elton John and band performances, the private Buchanan's shows were solo performances - Elton John and his piano.

Lighting designer for Elton John

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Lithuania - When White Light and theatre owner ATG announced the phased replacement of the Strand 500-series lighting consoles across ATG's UK venues with ETC's Eos and Ion consoles, the intention was that the 'retiring' lighting consoles would return to White Light to join the company's rental stock and to provide service support and spare parts for the many 500-series consoles still providing good service in venues around the UK.

One of those consoles has now embarked on a whole new chapter of its life - travelling from Milton Keynes to Lithuania where it has joined the Bohemieciai, a new opera company that is part of the Lithuanian Philharmonic Orchestra in Vilnius.

The donation was instigated by lighting designer Peter Mumford, who has lit several shows for the company and decided to try to improve their equipment stock in time for his next show, the musical Sweeney To

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UK - Pearce Hire provided power distribution, lighting and audio services to a series of events at the National Memorial Arboretum (NMA) in April for client JA Productions including the high profile launch of its Future Foundations Appeal attended by patron HRH Prince William.

The Future Foundations Appeal aims to raise £8 million which will be used to expand the site's education facility, Veterans Pavilion and central space where major memorial services can be held. These developments are part of an ongoing process to establish a living and lasting UK memorial arboretum. Based in Staffordshire, it will commemorate those who have given their lives in service of their country and society, offering a haven of peace, contemplation and hope.

Owing to the sensitive nature of the event, it was essential that there were no technical faults. Pearce Hire worked to its usual high

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USA - Audinate, Inc., announced that its Dante audio networking solution was used during the world premiere of the new Star Trek movie at the Sydney Opera House. The 150 million dollar Paramount Pictures film debuted with the stars in attendance last month at the red carpet event.

For the event, Audinate collaborated with Dolby and d&b audiotechnik to deliver a truly impressive audio video experience. The Sydney Opera House was transformed using Dante to impeccably transport digital audio from the media servers to over eighty speakers across the Concert Hall. Over 1500 people enjoyed Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound at the highest audio quality through the full showing of the movie.

Surround sound from the digital cinema projectors was transported via Dante through a complex network of Cisco switches and amps. The audio network reached all areas of the Concert Hall using fiber

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Ireland - HSBC has moved its Ireland headquarters to Dublin's Grand Canal Square - the new commercial heart of the city - and its AV systems were supplied by Electrosonic.

Completed in October and with a project value of in excess of £750,000, the new base contains 11 meeting rooms and two boardrooms, alongside a building-wide digital signage and employee information network.

A scaled installation, the AV systems have been specified according to the complexity required - the internal meeting rooms are equipped with high definition video conferencing, PC and laptop display, as well as DVD and tape replay with full remote control, whilst the main boardrooms support full video and audio conferencing.

For private conferences, the boardrooms offer multi-point microphone audio conferencing, and a dual, wide rear projection screen on which blended images can be displayed. For

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UK - Britannia Row Productions has purchased a third Midas XL8 Live Performance System. The purchase comes as one of the company's systems continues its world tour with Oasis, with a further two spec'd for Depeche Mode's Tour of the Universe which begins in Israel in May.

"Oasis went into rehearsals for their world tour last summer and will have had a Midas XL8 out on tour on monitors for nearly 15 months by the time they finish in October 2009," says Britannia Row's Mike Lowe. "That console, specified by their monitor engineer Nahuel Gutierrez, is now on the South American leg of the tour.

"Another Midas XL8 went into in SIR studios in New York with engineer Sarne Thorogood for Depeche Mode monitor rehearsals. Anthony King, the band's front of house engineer, also specified a Midas XL8, and as the Depeche Mode World tour will go into 2010, we purcha

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UK/France - Christie reports that it has been appointed by XDC for the third year running as the supplier of digital cinema projection solutions at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival, 13-24 May 2009. This includes the opening 3-D screening of Up, the new Pixar/Disney animated comedy adventure.

XDC has specified a Christie CP2000-SB projector to deliver the long-awaited 3-D presentation of Up, which takes audiences on an immersive journey into a lost world. Enhancing this inaugural screening, the CP2000-SB's in-built Christie Brilliant3D innovative technology "maximizes brightness and its single lens system reduces operating costs, without compromising on quality".

France is spearheading the digital cinema revolution in Europe with over 392 screens in 113 commercial theatres going digital as of early March 2009. Out of these 80 have been equipped with a 3-D s

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UK - A meeting aimed at covering the concepts of audibility and inaudibility is being organised by the Measurement & Instrumentation Committee of the Institute of Acoustics in London.

Did you hear that? - concepts of audibility and inaudibility on 23 June will look at where threshold levels are either suggested or legislated. It will also cover what may be subjectively audible to one listener may not be to another.

Other areas covered in the meeting will include: What in practice should those quantified thresholds be, how can they be measured and are they enforceable? Likewise, in some instances it may be prudent to ensure inaudibility, what should these maximums of audibility be? How can they be measured and could they be directed to one segment of the public?

Did you hear that?, being held at the Royal Society, London is a one day meeting, with papers from In

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UK - It didn't take a great deal of persuasion for the Scenic Solutions team at Stage One to head north to The Scotch Whisky Experience. Working for production company, the Continuum Group, Stage One was invited to the Edinburgh based attraction to provide all of the scenic and exhibition elements for the Experience's new Dark Ride installation.

Craig Hatto, projects director, Continnuum Group, said, "Stage One was the ideal choice. They undertook and immediately understood the inherent complexities in creating an experiential ride, taking immediate ownership of the set elements and integrating with the other specialist contractors. The team were courteous and sensitive to both the client and other contractors needs and with everything combined they made a complex and potentially high risk project appear to be a walk in the park."

Covering a 220m2 area, the ei

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