UK - JLS headlined the charity concert for The Mall at Cribbs Causeway's Christmas lights switch on in Bristol earlier this month. The UK's hottest boy band was the main feature of the launch of The Mall's ninth Winter Wonderland. The event raised over £20,000 for Bristol Children's Hospital charity, Wallace & Gromit's Grand Appeal.

After switching the Christmas lights on, JLS treated an expectant crowd of over 10,000 people to several of their smash hit singles, including an exclusive performance of their new single Hottest Girl in the World which is set to be the lead single on their fourth Album Evolution.

Technical entertainment specialists, Stage Electrics, were contracted by The Mall at Cribbs Causeway to supply the fully equipped tunnel stage wi

UK - West Midlands based technical solutions provider Central Presentations Ltd. (CPL) delivered full technical production - including lighting, sound, cameras / PPU, AV and staging - to the high profile 2012 Gastech Conference & Exhibition at ExCeL in London.

CPL was working directly for Swindon based Live Communications and event organiser's dmg :: events on the exhibition, which is a premier event on the gas industry calendar.

The project involved three artics worth of equipment from CPL and 50 crew deployed over the get-in/out and set-up periods as well as during the show itself.

CPL Project Managers Nick Diacre and Jimmy Smith worked closely with Andy Staley from Live Communications to deliver a slick, efficient production package encompassing all technical disciplines.

This included designing the two main spaces - the main Auditorium for plenary sessions as well as a

USA - Few RF (Radio Frequency) environments are more complex and challenging than a modern American Sports Stadium, where the air is literally saturated with wireless traffic of all kinds, from life safety and security, to sophisticated team communication and anti-terrorism systems, to the latest in state-of-the-art ticketing and concession wireless systems.

So when Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver needed to add wireless lighting control into this heady mix, it opted for LumenRadio. The project was a new effect lighting system retrofit, designed by ME Engineers of Denver to accent Sports Authority's new sponsorship of the stadium.

The lighting concept was successfully implemented with the help of George Lacey Sales (GLS) of Denver. Two distinct lighting elements operate independently within the stadium. First, a colour wash, visible to downtown Denver and Intersta

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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

Denmark - On Saturday, 10 November, lighting designer Kasper Lange turned to a large Martin MAC rig that included Martin Professional's new MAC Viper Profile for the 2012 Danish Music Awards at Forum in Copenhagen.

The event, broadcast live on Danish station TV2, honored Denmark's top musical names of the year with performances from Nephew, Outlandish and many others beneath a mix of Martin LED and HID sources.

The lighting setup, which also included 150 compact MAC 101s used as audience lighting, along with other MAC luminaires, was one of the first shows in Denmark to use Martin's new 1000 W MAC Viper, which Kasper integrated as background light for the presenter podium.

"We needed a small and powerful lamp that could cut through the massive audience light. The problem with such a small and powerful lamp is that the rest of the production tends to look less impressive

USA - Mojo Barriers US office broke its company record, supplying 800m of its aluminium stage barriers to Made in America Festival, Philadelphia, 1 -2 September 2012.

The US crowd barricade specialists provided its largest single rental to date with the length of barriers supplied totalling over the height of eight Statues of Liberties. Its team designed and installed a bespoke configuration to keep the 100,000 festival goers safe as they enjoyed acts including headliners JAY Z and Pearl Jam.

Barriers were provided across all four stages and other sensitive areas throughout the festival site which was located in the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, a busy downtown location. The main stage was located in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

J.B Dolphin, Mojo Barriers US president, says, "We extended our crowd control barriers from the main stage across the street and into

Canada - Xantech has announced that Product Solutions Group will be the Canadian distributor of all Xantech products starting immediately.

Product Solutions Group and Product Solutions West are among Canada's leading distributors of custom installation products and have been distributing Xantech's associated CORE Brands lines including ELAN and Sunfirefor more than a decade, and began distributing Nilesproducts in 2012. According to Jim Peebles of Product Solutions West, the Product Solutions West warehouse in Calgary, Alberta and the Product Solutions Group warehouse in Guelph, Ontario will provide fast, localized support service to all Canadian Xantech dealers.

According to Paul Starkey, CORE Brands senior vice president of marketing, "Product Solutions Group and Product Solutions West have both exhibited an incredible dedication to providing dealers with the best produ

Norway - Wireless Solution Sweden AB is getting high praise on a regular basis from the Den Norske Opera and Ballett, also known as the Oslo Opera House, located in Norway's capital city. The venue is home to the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet and is considered one of the landmark modern buildings in Oslo. The technical crew currently has a total of 24 W-DMX BlackBox FLEX-1 G4 Transceiver units that they use on a regular basis for a rigorous schedule. The hall rotates operas, ballets, concerts and other special performances and W-DMX is used to solve a myriad of challenges.

Lighting technician Audun Bull-Hanssen explains, "W-DMX G4 has worked great so far and with no problems. We have 24 W-DMX F-1 G4 units and we use the system on almost every show since they're so flexible. The performances are all very different and change constantly so it is very practical to use W-

UK - Artistic Licence Engineering provided a small but powerful presence at LuxLive 2012, with a stand jam-packed with new technology. Exhibiting for the first time at this London based show, the company's impressive display attracted high numbers of visitors who were both knowledgeable and focused.

dVnet, the company's new digital video-to-network converter, was officially launched at the show. Pre-recorded and live web-cam imagery played out in spectacular style across a wall of Luminous Textile panels, the new LED product from Philips.

"dVnet can render video to a media wall in less than ten mouse clicks, a feature that we took great delight in demonstrating," reports technical director, Wayne Howell.

Designed for architectural or retail applications that require versatile yet simple programming, dVnet is the billed as ideal complement to many types of display m

China - Trussing manufacturer MILOS recently staged a very successful product seminar and safety awareness workshop at its facility in Guangzhou, China, which was well attended by companies and individuals from Hong Kong, Macau, Thailand and Indonesia as well as mainland China.

The two day event - the fourth that Milos has undertaken in China - was modelled on the workshops that Milos regularly runs in Europe.

It was open for any interested parties to apply for places, and was attended by a wide selection of entertainment industry professionals including riggers, project supervisors, rental companies and designers.

The workshop illustrated "the high quality of Milos' trussing, roofing and staging products and emphasised the benefits of using the best products and always following safe working practices".

The Workshop was led by MILOS China's Chief Engineer Marek

USA - PLASA Focus's latest addition to the North American regional event series landed in Stamford, CT last week, impressing attendees with a wealth of new product launches, crowded seminars and a bustling show floor.

Over 600 visitors, dealers, distributors, and manufacturers gathered on the show floor and in the seminars and saw over 50 exhibitors and 100 new products making their regional debut at Focus Stamford including Clay Paky's new Sharpy Wash 330, A.Leda Wash K20, A.Leda Wash K10, A.Leda Wash K5; Elation's new Energy Saving DMX moving heads; Look Solution's TINY S Fog generator; and Robert Juliat's latest LED profiles TIBO and ZEP, to name but a few. A full report will appear in the November edition of Lighting&Sound America.

The Professional Development Programme was a big hit, packing out rooms that included such diverse sessions as Architecture and The A

UK - Double BRIT Award winner Ed Sheeran's differrent style of music is winning fans around the globe. His current tour has seen him on the move since the end of 2011, with sell out dates in Australia, the United States and across Europe, confirming his popularity. For Front of House engineer Chris Marsh, who has been with him since the tour began relies on a DiGiCo SD11i digital mixing console.

"I'm a big DiGiCo fan and I've been using their flagship SD7 for a long time," says Marsh. "When I started working with Ed, I had just finished working with Diana Ross, where I was using an SD7. I wanted to continue using it because I love everything about it: the EQ; the way all the dynamics work, etc. I also really like the SD range's onboard effects, which are really useful. But it would be overkill to take a desk that big out with a solo artist such as Ed."

Mars

Mexico - Long time Adamson rental company 'Audio Systems Del Norte' has expanded their existing Adamson inventory of Y-Axis, SpekTrix, T21 Subs, and M Series with a 32-box E15 rig. Audio Systems has been providing high calibre tours in Mexico for more than 20 years and employs 60 full time employees. In addition to their audio department, this full service company has a staging, trussing, video and lighting departments, and also offer installation consultancy and services. The system was sold by Showco, Adamson's exclusive distributor for Mexico.

Adamson's application engineer, Ewan McDonald travelled to Audio Systems the week before their first tour on the E15's, for a two-day intensive training course covering all aspects of the new E15 system. Topics included 3D simulation in Adamson's new Blueprint AV software suite, design principles of the E15, preset management, and align

Variety Celebration - The Royal Variety Performance has marked its 100th anniversary with a show in front of The Queen at London's Royal Albert Hall. Host David Walliams arrived on stage as James Bond, complete with jet pack. Girls Aloud, One Direction, 2012 Britain's Got Talent winners Ashleigh Butler and dog Pudsey, and Sir Bruce Forsyth were among the British artists. Kylie Minogue, Alicia Keys, Neil Diamond and Andrea Bocelli were among the international stars.

The sold-out performance is due to be broadcast on ITV1 on 3 December at 19:30 GMT. All proceeds are donated to The Entertainment Artistes' Benevolent Fund (EABF), which cares for entertainers throughout the UK who need help.

Theatre News - The Mousetrap has celebrated going into its 60th year on stage with a gala performance featuring stars including Hugh Bonneville and Miranda Hart. The Agatha

UK - The biggest display yet of SGM's LT-100 3D pixel tubes has appeared at Wonderland Norwich, a new nightclub in Norwich. Operation manager Lucy Herlihy and general manager Charlene Nicholson at No Saints, owners of the club, confirm that the lightshow is generating overwhelming response.

The 1870-capacity venue follows the theme of earlier Wonderlands where SGM is also heavily represented - an escapist venue loosely based on the 'Alice' theme, with references to the Mad Hatter's Tea Party and the White Rabbit. With a mandate to surprise, it commissioned the sensational SGM centrepiece, made up of 220 x 1-metre long pixel tubes, suspended over the main dance floor.

The effect produces a ceiling of dancing lights in ever changing combinations while colour chases are sent in waves or bars across tubes, designed into a giant rectangle and offering a 2 x 170° viewing angle.

UK - SIS LIVE, Europe's largest outside broadcaster and uplink provider, has installed a large Optocore fibre ring on a 2 Gbit network, and BroaMan Repeat48 SDI-to fibre converter at the new MediaCityUK in Salford. This major broadcast project was successfully conducted by the SIS LIVE projects and integration division, under Dave Gill.

SIS has now fully occupied three floors of the Blue Tower within the MediaCityUK complex. The eighth and ninth floors house new broadcast facilities including a master control room, production galleries, studios, voice-over booths, edit suites and data control centres. Optocore's contract required the infrastructural design and installation of seven presentation galleries, two small TV studios, two edit suites, seven VO booths, new central MCR/CAR, new satellite dish farm, IT CAR and new Text Room data centre. SIS LIVE also installed an IT infras

UK - Restaurant chain McDonald's has introduced digital play elements into more than 150 of its key outletss - using gesture-control technology from Paradigm AV.

This is designed to "enhance the Happy Meal experience, and to increase kids' interaction with their favourite Happy Meal characters".

Tasked with delivering this solution in restaurants with high family footfall, integrated marketing agency, The Marketing Store, contacted Bedford-based Paradigm AV.

And by using the company's advance gesture-controlled technology they were able to create and develop the Happy Meal Digital Play concept - a series of movement-activated, interactive floor media games, linked to each Happy Meal promotion.

Paradigm first began working with McDonald's UK in 2010, trialling ceiling mounted projectors to create this digital floor play, with the content, projected onto the

UK - Entertainment lighting specialist White Light was tapped to provide lighting for a special brand experience event - the internal launch of Everything Everywhere, the company that runs T-Mobile and Orange in the UK. With the event, known as EE Live, the digital communications company invited employees from across the UK to the NEC Birmingham for an introduction to the branding and vision of the new mobile and broadband provider.

In the spirit of innovative technologies, the event was an interactive experience, immersing employees in all things 4G - and uniting them under the look, feel, and vision of the new EE brand.

Richard Saunders, project manager at White Light, oversaw the event planning and completion. The event, produced by WRG, was a major undertaking, incorporating several experience zones spread across two halls at the NEC Birmingham - Hall 2 (for the employee b

Switzerland - The Umwelt Arena is a large-scale futuristic structure designed by René Schmid Architects and completed this summer.

The building shows an expressive synergy among external form, construction techniques, ecologic materials and purpose, that's providing a suitable venue for discussion of sustainability issues from multiple standpoints - social, economic, energetic, ecologic.

The Umwelt Arena features a specially shaped array of photovoltaic panels, covering its hood as an envelope.

The multi-faceted shape of the arena displays a crystal-like appearance.

The environmental impact has been kept as low as possible during the construction of the building; also the Arena runs CO2 neutral, thanks to the photovoltaic panels and to its 'thermo-active' structure, including two large water storage tanks accumulating heat and cold under the foundation.

That's why

Denmark - The name says it all. Xtreme Mandehørm - event organizers call it Xtreme Man-stench in English - is a gruelling, male-only 12K cross-country obstacle course. The race can be run in five different cities across Denmark and is more than just a test of one's manhood: once the race is over participants are in for a night of revelling.

D.A.S. Audio systems were set up in the Nørresundby Sports Centre to help make Aalborg's post-race Oktoberfest-inspired celebration - complete with delicious food, free-flowing beer, boxing and a comedy act by famous Danish comedian Frank Hvam-the perfect way for the roughly 1200 participants to top off the day's challenge.

Event organisers, wanting to take this year's Xtreme Mandehørm to a whole new level, required a complete professional light and sound system for the post-race celebration. Local company Pladebiksen S

UK - Lighting designer Yenz Nyholm used his Avolites Tiger Touch to help reignite the memories of Level 42 fans when the band performed at London's Iconic Royal Albert Hall. The concert marked a quarter of a century since the band launched its seminal album Running in the Family.

Nyholm created a dynamic, clubby, retro feeling lighting and video set, which relied heavily on the use of old footage and promo videos from the 1980s. He programmed both the lighting and the video through his Avolites' Tiger Touch 6.1, which now features enhancements and updates that have advanced the console's capability considerably.

This update is very much to Nyholm's liking who says he is extremely impressed by a number of the new features. "The best thing for me is the cue stacking. You can display your cue list and each individual cue's parameters on the screens, but better still y

Australia - The City Recital Hall Angel Place is a purpose built concert venue situated in the heart of Sydney with the capacity for 1230 guests seated over three tiers of raked seating.

This world class concert venue acoustically designed for fine music and spoken word, has an elegant beauty, intimate layout and professional technical services creating a perfect combination for annual general meetings, conferences, meetings and special events.

The time had come to replace their lighting console with a more technically advanced model especially as the venue recently acquired some moving lights.

After a thorough research of the market, technical manager Cally Bartley found herself drawn to the ETC range of lighting control consoles.

"I was interested in the Eos and Ion consoles but I was told there was a new console coming out that sits between them and would be ideal,

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