UK - The Theatres Trust announces the full programme of events on its TheatreStage at PLASA London from 5 - 8 October at ExCel London. A total of 21 presentations will be held on the TheatreStage - running over all four days of the PLASA London show.

TheatreStage provides a focus on the show floor for visitors and the theatre industry to network and learn about projects, initiatives, campaigns and organisations connected to the theatre sector.

New initiatives launched from TheatreStage this year include The Backstage Heritage Collection, and the ALD / Lightmongers' Award for Lighting Design 2014. The Theatres Trust will also launch its new Workshop Programme to support theatres developing capital projects and other key issues, and announce plans for next year's Theatres Trust Co

USA - Twelve of Robe's new BMFL Spot luminaires - launched worldwide on 2 September - were utilized by lighting designer Preston Hoffman of Pulse Lighting for a stunning installation that illuminated Boston City Hall, transforming it into a bold and vibrant backdrop for the 2014 Boston Calling Music Festival.

The Festival's two main stages were built in the City Hall Plaza in front of the City Hall building at 90 degrees to one another.

Hoffman, well known for his work as a rock 'n' roll lighting designer, was commissioned by festival organisers Crash Line Productions to make the building rock for the occasion!

Hoffman started using Robe a couple of years ago after encountering their fixtures on a festival in Germany, and now uses Robe products for many of his larger projects. This one had extra resonance because it was his first chance to illuminate a landmark in his home c

UK - Clear-Com has appointed Damien Egan to the role of regional sales manager for UK, Ireland and Israel, effective immediately. Reporting to Nicki Fisher, Director of EMEA Sales, Damien will be responsible for defining and supporting Clear-Com's sales strategy across these regions, working closely with reseller partners to grow the Clear-Com business.

Damien joins Clear-Com from Solid State Logic where he held the role of international distribution manager for seven years, managing worldwide distributors of SSL's range of analogue and digital professional audio products. Prior to this he spent over nine years working across various areas of the audio industry including engineering, production, manufacturing and sales.

Nicki Fisher, director of EMEA Sales, Clear-Com, said, "Damien's extensive experience within the audio industry and his knowledge of the region make him t

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

UK - VDC Trading, specialist distributor of Van Damme cable, assemblies and connectors has appointed Jodie Verley to the role of sales manager. Jodie's background for the last 16 years has been in electronics distribution, where over the last 12 years she has worked her way from material planner, account manager, field account manager to sales manager.

Jodie is enthusiastic, and passionate about ensuring our customers have an exceptional service experience. She says: "We have a great product and it's my job to ensure our sales team deliver the service and product."

(Jim Evans)

Belgium - Barco has announced the launch of the RLM-W14 - a three-chip DLP projector offering Active Stereo 3D, WUXGA (1,920 x 1,200) resolution, and a brightness level of 14,500 center lumens.

This is the first three-chip DLP Barco projector that's equipped with HDBaseT technology to provide video over a single Cat 5 cable. The RLM-W14 is designed for fixed installation in small- to medium-sized venues; but its rugged chassis, extended warping and blending functionalities, and optional rental frame make it equally suited for the rental and staging market as well. The new projector will be commercially available from October 2014 onwards.

"With the launch of our new RLM-W14 projector, we're not only expanding the brightness spectrum of our three-chip DLP RLM family - now ranging from 6,000 up to 14,500 lumens - but we're also meeting customer demands for brighter projecto

UK - Holotronica Ltd has announced the official launch of Holo-Gauze, a ground-breaking 3D display solution that aims "to revolutionise the 3D projection market". More affordable than traditional Pepper's Ghost systems and easier to transport, Holo-Gauze comprises a metallic highly transparent gauze and is designed to be used with 3D polarised projection systems and can also achieve believable 2D hologram effects, says the company.

The brainchild of audiovisual artist and composer Stuart Warren-Hill, founder of Hexstatic and co-founder of the Big Chill festival in the early 90s, Holo-Gauze was developed when Stuart required a new type of portable holographic 3D display to tour his new 3D Blu-ray and CD project, Holotronica. He needed it to be easy to tour and more affordable than Peppers Ghost holographic solutions - it costs £350 per metre.

"It is often s

UK - From 5-8 October, faces old and new will be at PLASA London, welcoming visitors to the d&b audiotechnik stand nestled in the heart of the Audio Village, on stand number D80, where else?

d&b GB has chosen PLASA to launch the company's latest product offering, the Y-Series, a system providing flexible and configurable solutions for small to medium sized sound reinforcement requirements. Selected products from the Y-Series will be at the stand, along with the d&b team who will be on hand to explain why Y is something to be excited about.

At stand D40, SSE Audio Group will also be exhibiting d&b products. Here, visitors will be able to see the component parts of The d&b workflow: the d&b ArrayCalc simulation software, the R1 Remote control software and the d&b amplifiers, namely the D80.

As part of the Professional Development Programme, Oran Burns of d&b GB's Education and

UK - Manchester-based creative multimedia agency Tadah! mixed with the stars recently after being commissioned to make the official promotional film for the switching on of the Blackpool Illuminations for VisitBlackpool.

Launched in May of this year, Tadah! has already won a clutch of work on behalf of a wide range of national clients, including a number of well known 'blue chip' brands. The project in Blackpool was delivered together with Bark Media, a video and audio production company based in Manchester.

Over 18,000 people attended the iconic switching-on of the resort's illuminations by comedian Peter Kay and as ever there were a host of pop stars and celebrities on hand to add some extra spice to the evening's festivities including Little Mix, Pixie Lott, George Ezra and Union J.

Tadah! director Dave Gilbank oversaw the evening's proceedings and commented: "We wer

Namibia - The Ohlthaver & List Group of companies - with 13 subsidiaries including Namibia Breweries (home of Windhoek Lager), Namibia Dairies and Pick & Pay Namibia - was voted 'Best Company to Work for' three consecutive years in Namibia and twice in the whole of Southern Africa.

This remarkable achievement is largely attributed to O&L's active employee engagement programme which culminates annually in a gala dinner where employees who excel at living the company's values are rewarded. dB Audio Namibia supported Sindana Communications' vision of a township inspired theme for the 2014 Awards gala on 15 August.

dB Audio Namibia supplied eight Robe Robin Pointes, eight Robe Robin 600 LED Wash and six Robe Robin 300 LED Wash fixtures all controlled by an Avolites Pearl Expert. Also included in the lighting rig were LDR Tono Fresnels, a Canto MSR2000 Follow Spot, ETC Source fours

The Netherlands - One of the longest-established cinema chains in the Netherlands, JT Cinemas has spent the last few years investing in new sites and upgrading its existing venues to offer Dutch audiences the best possible experience. Working closely with leading cinema solutions provider dcinex, JT has chosen Alcons Audio systems for the cutting edge Dolby Atmos installation at its Kerkrade site.

JT distinguishes itself from its competitors by having the highest quality cinema technology in its venues. When Dolby approached dcinex to see if any of the company's clients were interested in Dolby Atmos, JT was the obvious choice. Once JT was on board, Alcons pro-ribbon loudspeakers were the ideal choice to help deliver the required audio quality.

"We believe that innovation drives cinema business and, of course, with digital technology there's been a lot more innovation tha

France - It's not often that an institution over 13 centuries old receives a lighting upgrade but such is the case with the Abbey of Saint Wandrille in Normandy, France, a Benedictine monastery founded in the year 648 that has installed Elation TVL 3000 II dynamic white light LED luminaires in the Abbey's church.

An important part of the Abbey, which has produced 30 saints over the centuries, is an old 13th century barn that was carefully transported to the grounds by monks nearly 50 years ago to serve as the monastery's church. The 48m long by 16m wide structure is 14m high and built of oak, a large wooden building for its age. The Abbey sought to improve the church's indoor lighting with more state-of-the-art illumination but as silence plays a central role in the Benedictine tradition, absolute silence was a must.

"There could be NO noise, absolutely! The fixtures had

UK - Lighting designer Jon Clark has specified Showline's SL BAR 640 luminaires on account of their "impressive" range of colours and clean aesthetic for Benedict Andrew's production of A Streetcar Named Desire at The Young Vic, starring Gillian Anderson.

The 1947 Tennessee Williams classic is currently being staged in the round. Clark's lighting design consists of deliberate, uniform systems, which are used to continually re-inform the performance space and the entire room.

"The SL BAR 640 luminaires are rigged in two parallel lines on an exposed grid above the main playing space, embedded in a uniformly hung, 88 Par Can toplight," says Clark. "Often the aesthetic attributes of a unit are almost as significant in an exposed rig as the light it throws, and that was the case with the design of the SL BAR 640 luminaires. Their clean, ordered round

Australia - Sound Workshop in Canberra, Australia has chosen the new self-powered MJF-210 stage monitor from Meyer Sound. Built for the demanding needs of today's live productions, the MJF-210 is the lightest stage monitor in the Meyer Sound product line.

"The problem has been finding something that delivers the same audio performance, reliability, acceptance and ease of use that all our other Meyer products provide. As soon as we heard the new MJF-210, we knew that our search was over and that it was time to invest. From what I've heard from other Meyer-related sources around we're not the only ones to recognise the potential of this product either, but we're very pleased to put these amazing new monitors into our rental inventory," says Sound Workshops MD, Tony Brighton.

A self-powered system with a low-profile design and an impressive power-to-size ratio, the MJF-

Sweden - This September LumenRadio adds ACME to their growing CRMXchip family. ACME, one of the largest enterprises known worldwide for its specialization in the field of lighting, will now include CRMXchip as a standard feature for their existing and future professional product line.

LumenRadio has been working very closely with ACME during the last couple of months to include the CRMXchip in some of ACME's current bestselling products, such as XP-1000SZ/WZ, XP-16R Spot and Beam, as well as CM-600Z.

"We are very pleased to be in an OEM partnership with LumenRadio. ACME always strives to be in the technology forefront and CRMXchip will help us with just that. With a wireless receiver as a standard feature, our customers will now benefit from having wireless DMX control integrated tightly into the fixture. Also, we are proud knowing our customers get the most reliable wire

UK - PLASA Rigging Conference 2014's line-up has been completed with the announcement of Pushing the Limit - a session that will tackle the misunderstandings surrounding factors of safety in the industry. It is the final piece of the jigsaw for a conference that promises to deliver a lively day of expert insight on Monday 6 October.

Pushing the Limit will be presented by Abigail Mathews, who co-founded Momentum Engineering in 2005. Abigail has been involved a wide range of projects from small, bespoke architectural jobs to multi-million pound mixed use development schemes. In recent years she has specialised in the sports, venue and entertainment sectors, and has worked closely with production teams and specialist rigging contractors on the engineering and delivery of a variety of temporary structures and events.

The session will break down the confusion that can

UK - As the deadline for entries approaches, nominations for the PLASA Awards for Innovation are rolling in. Examples of all the nominated products will be exhibited at the PLASA Show's Innovation Gallery at the centre of the PLASA show (ExCeL London, 5-8 October), forming a focal point for visitors to the exhibition keen to view the latest technologies.

The products will be judged against one another on the strength of their innovation alone. All nominees will have the opportunity to make a 5-minute presentation, during the show, to a team of independent expert judges, who will have eight awards of equal standing at their disposal - plus the option to give a 'Gold' Award to one or more products which they feel reach a particularly high standard of Innovation.

The judges are tasked with making their decisions based on the PLASA Awards criteria for Innovation. The winners will

UK - The Delta Sound Group (formed of Delta Sound UK, Delta Sound Dubai, Delta Sound Qatar and Sound By Design) has announced the launch of its recently rebranded and re-designed company website.

The new website illustrates the considerable range of projects and events delivered by the Delta Sound Group, and reflects the company's global reach as one of the leading audio and event communications suppliers throughout the Middle East as well as the UK and Europe.

"We wanted the website to be a visual representation of the size, scale and breadth of the services we supply," comments Emma Gallagher director of Delta Sound (UK). "The company has been trading since 1988 and since then has been involved in some of the world's most high profile and exciting live events. It is therefore vital that our online branding truly reflects this. 2014 has been an exciting time of

South Korea - With a spectacular September opening ceremony in Incheon, South Korea, the Asian Games officially opened its doors on 10,000 athletes from 45 nations, who will be competing in familiar events like basketball and athletics, as well as less well-known disciplines like Wushu, Sepak Takraw and Dragon Boat Rowing.

Second only in scale to the Olympics in the world of sport, the competition already has a winner in the competition for audio and IP-networking - German audio and video specialist Lawo.

Approximately 110 IP-based Lawo Commentary Control Units (LCU) will ensure smooth broadcasting of the commentators' audio, from the opening ceremony through the athletic competitions and large soccer stadium, to the judo competition in the smaller sports halls. In addition, 10 Lawo mc2 consoles are being used to handle the sound mix - eight mc2-56 consoles in the different ve

UK - PLASA London 2014 has added a host of new sessions to its Professional Development Programme. The latest additions are spread across the programme's two venues - the Audio and AV Theatre and the Lighting and Stage Theatre - and include contributions from Martin Professional, d&b audiotechnik, Rockart Design, the Association of Sound Designers, Total Training and :entertaining sustainability.

The Professional Development Programme is part of PLASA London 2014, which takes place at ExCeL London from 5 - 8 October. Since launching in 2010, it has welcomed more than 300 speakers and thousands of attendees. The programme's aim is to test theory, inspire debate and showcase expert insight from the different areas of the entertainment technology industry.

Rockart Design's session, Making the Eurovision Set Come to Life, will see Nicoline L. Refsing reveal the creative pro

UK / Italy - D.T.S. has appointed Qeytek as its exclusive partner in the UK, as a part of the D.T.S. expansion plan, with a focus on premium customer service throughout the UK.

Cally Bacchus, owner and director of Qeytek comments, "With the innovative release of the popular Jack moving light and the continuation of product releases including Raptor, Nick Nrg line, Max and Wonder, we have a fantastic portfolio of product to offer the market.

D.T.S. has a full production and assembly line, quality control, R & D department, all based at their headquarters in Misano Adriatico, Italy. Its products are used around the world, including events such as the Sochi Olympic Winter Games 2014.

I've been equally impressed with the evolution of the popular FOS, Delta and Scena LED luminaires. It is clear this company is on the rise.

"Service and support is very important, and t

UK - Ambersphere Solutions has been appointed the exclusive UK distributor for the Ayrton range of LED Luminaires and creative LED imaging solutions. The appointment enables Ambersphere Solutions to extend its sales, service, support and training facilities to cover Ayrton products in the UK.

The Ayrton collection of LED lighting solutions offers lighting designers creative lighting tools built to withstand the tough demands of touring and installations. The innovative range includes indoor and outdoor fixtures, static and moving yoke fixtures including the signature Magicpanel range.

Ambersphere Solutions is the exclusive UK distributor for Clay Paky, MA Lighting and Robert Juliat. "Ayrton offer a high quality range of modular creative LED products which perfectly complement the existing Ambersphere product range," says Ambersphere managing director Glyn O'Donoghue.

Latest Issue. . .