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UAE - The first half of 2015 was a busy one for Protec - the Middle East's largest event equipment rental company - another sign that the region's events industry is as prominent and dynamic as ever.

While Protec's core business is corporate events it also provides production for rock and roll events, and the year kicked off with #DBXNYE, Dubai's biggest New Year's Eve party, which featured Pharrell Williams, Busta Rhymes, Paul Oakenfold and others. Protec supplied the audio, an L-Acoustics K2 system with a DiGiCo SD5 desk; lighting which included many Clay Paky and Vari-Lite fixtures ran on a GrandMA2 Full desk; video, which was displayed on 150sq.m of Protec's Mambo 9mm LED screen; plus staging, rigging and the company's EHD Mark 2 concert roof system.

Another spectacular even

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USA - Named by Variety as "the rarest jewel in the crown of the festival-going experience", the Telluride Film Festival in Colorado will once again showcase a complete Meyer Sound 7.1 cinema sound system in its Werner Herzog Theatre.

Custom designed for the Herzog, the Meyer Sound system is anchored by Acheron screen channel loudspeakers featuring a sonic linearity and accuracy that defines CEO John Meyer's philosophy of sound reproduction. Scheduled for 4-7 September, the 2015 festival will be the fifth year that the two renowned Bay Area organizations have partnered to create the best venue for film.

"Part of the Telluride magic is that we offer extraordinarily special film experiences on all fronts-from the initial curation, to the visual projection, to the experience of sound," says Julie Huntsinger, Telluride Film Festival executive director. &q

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USA - It's easy to see why, the Pacific Amphitheatre became an instant favourite among touring artists when it opened in 1983 with a concert by Barry Manilow. Located on the Orange County fairgrounds, the 8,000-capacity venue combines beautiful southern California scenery and gentle Pacific breezes with excellent acoustics. For one month this summer, the setting at this legendary venue sparkled even more brightly, thanks to a collection of Next NXT-1 panels from Chauvet Professional.

Ray Woodbury of RK Diversified Entertainment (Los Angeles) used the moving LED panels to create a captivating lighting display over mid-stage for the Toyota Summer Concert Series during the Orange County Fair. Woodbury flew 16 Next NXT-1 panels on overhead truss for each of the 24 concerts in the series. "They were the workhorse of our rig," he said. "Of course they were also much mor

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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 - Utopium Lighting lit up 10 stages at this year's BoomTown Fair, which took place at Matterley Estate in Hampshire from 13-16 August 2015.

This is the fifth year running that Utopium has been called upon to supply its lighting and rigging for the creatively themed BoomTown Fair, which is well known for its imaginatively themed cityscape. Utopium provided festival lighting and rigging to 10 stages, including the expanded Lion's Den stage, The Town Centre, The Old Mines, The Jolly Dodger, Crazy Calamities Saloon and The Hidden Woods, as well as providing lighting for all the woodland areas.

Utopium provided a range of its LED fixtures to support the organiser's ethos of reducing energy use to minimise the festivals carbon footprint. This year the Lion's Den stage was re-located to a larger area and Utopium were called upon to supply all the lighting control, dimming, distrib

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UK - The WOMAD Festival at Malmesbury in Wiltshire is succinctly described by Britannia Row Productions' crew chief for the event, Colin Pink: "The WOMAD Festival is just a wonderful, four day 'family' festival, with an eclectic mix of music from around the globe and great food. Britrow provided the audio equipment and crew for all six of the main stages, including the Taste The World Stage, which featured cookery demonstrations and the best crew food in the South West!"

Two of the stages served by Britannia Row deliver a fair illustration of the diversity on offer. The big Open Air Stage featured a miscellany of acts from the Molotov Jukebox to Atomic Bomb! and Mahmoud Ahmed, attracting the biggest audiences of the weekend and served by a sizeable L'Acoustic K1 system. At the helm was FoH engineer Richard Sharrat: "Having both the Midas H3000 and the SSL Live at

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UK - Soundscapes at the National Gallery, London - exhibiting until 6 September 2015 - showcases the sonic interpretation by contemporary sound artists, composers and musicians of six individual artworks of their choice from within the National Gallery.

Jon Sheldon, the National Gallery's senior AV engineer, specified TiMax SoundHub matrix server systems to provide playback, scheduling, signal distribution, dsp and spatialisation across the multiple zones of distributed Bowes & Wilkins loudspeakers. Out Board's Dave Haydon provided TiMax design, programming and commissioning support prior to the installation and also on-site, including spatial mix sessions with musician/producer Jamie xx and composer Nico Muhly's sound designer Jethro Cooke.

These two exhibits fully exploited the object-based TiMax 3D audio capabilities to help render their sonic interpretation of the a

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Azerbaijan - The European Games made its debut this year. Held in the brand new, 68,000-capacity Olympic Stadium in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku and organised by the European Olympic Committee, its opening and closing ceremonies were on a scale akin to already established sporting spectaculars. An experienced team was assembled to deliver sound requirements, with DiGiCo SD7s and SD11s being their consoles of choice.

In charge of audio design and delivery for both live and broadcast was Scott Willsallen. "There's a bit of a travelling family for most big sporting events," he says. "It's a group of people who are very experienced in their own roles and at working together. I'm lucky enough to be part of it.

"These events are primarily about the television pictures. However, as they take place in the round, the audience is in the background of most camera s

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UK - J&C Joel is expanding its work with sports venues following the successful completion of a number of projects across the UK.

While the majority of J&C Joel's clients can be found in the world of entertainment - from West End productions to TV shows, right through to school productions - the company can also turn its hand to projects in community spaces such as sports halls and conference centres, installing drapes and tracks for varied uses.

Most recently J&C Joel's expertise has been applied to Serco Leisure's Lilleshall National Sports and Conferencing Centre (Lilleshall NSC) in Shropshire and Queens Sports Club in Halifax.

Lilleshall NSC is a residential training centre often used by the Great British Gymnastics team. The centre, which offers a range of sporting facilities for hire, is used by both professionals and the general public.

To enable the main sports hal

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Sweden - Robe's news team met the Larssons at a special 10th anniversary edition of Let's Dance in Sweden, where they were busy in Magazin (warehouse) 7 at the Frihamnen container port and ferry terminal in Stockholm, a frenetic site specific location that has provided a gritty and visceral juxtaposition to the glamour and glitter of the hit ballroom dancing TV series.

Maverick LD Pelle Larson's lighting design included 24 x Robe Pointe moving lights installed in prominent positions around the dancefloor and amidst the orchestra.

Pelle is a well-known and respected industry figure in Sweden and in addition to a host of top LE TV shows, including Let's Dance for national channel STV4 since the series began and many other TV productions, he has also been active as a touring and concert designer.

He likes to keep the business of his company, LD Sweden, literally '

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South Africa - Reflecting the growing focus on broadcast and entertainment technology across the continent, Mediatech Africa 2015 increased its visitor numbers by around 7% over 2013.

This year, the event attracted over 7400 key players from 20 African countries, with over 50% of respondents to visitor surveys at the event reporting they make buying decisions for their organisations, and over 26% saying they influence buying decisions. Crucially, nearly 1,000 of the organisations represented have a technology spend of over R1 million a year, and 94 of them have a spend exceeding R50 million annually, say the organisers.

"Mediatech Africa presents the only opportunity for major players in these niche sectors to view and assess the latest broadcast and entertainment technologies on home ground," says Simon Robinson, publisher and managing editor at Mediatech Africa eve

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Germany / UK - Absen Optoelectronic Co., Ltd., a global manufacturer of LED displays, has expanded its ever widening European market presence by entering into a relationship with one of the UK's major rental houses, Adlib.

After having demoed several A3 Pro panels at official UK distributor PSCo's HQ in Reading, UK, Adlib's Andy Dockerty and Ian Tomlinson decided upon the purchase of 250 Absen A3 Pro panels, launched at ISE 2015 in Amsterdam back in February.

"After seeing the Absen LED panels at a trade show we were naturally curious about obtaining some LED panels for our own inventory," comments Tomlinson. "We were really impressed by the A3 Pro, and decided to place an order.

"Although the quality of the product is second to none, we were convinced by the exceptional after sales care and service offered here in the UK for Absen customers. We have a gr

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UK - Blackout continued its longstanding relationship with Somerset House, supplying rigging and drapes for this year's Summer Series and Film4 Summer Screen events during July and August.

Blackout worked alongside production manager Jon Howes, within a team of contractors, who year on year collaborate with the venue's management and sponsors. The team work to facilitate both events and aid Somerset House's transformation into a concert setting and then an open air cinema.

This is the eleventh year running Blackout has worked on the Summer Series concerts, supporting promoters Metropolis Music. This year the concert featured performances from Passenger, George Ezra and Jessie J and attracted crowds of up to 3,000 people.

Blackout provided all of the stage rigging as well as two truss wings, which flanked either side of the stage, to hang the PA systems and branding, negating

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USA - Lighting designer Herrick Goldman recently designed Evita at the Cape Rep Theatre on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and turned to Elation Professional's Platinum Profile 35 Pro moving head light to create the compelling mood lighting. Herrick and his associate Susan Nicholson designed both the lighting and the projections for the production, which is directed by William Roudebush with scenery by James Dardenne.

Using four Elation Platinum Profile 35 Pro fixtures amongst a plot of LED lights and conventional sources, it was Herrick's task to carve out a black and white world that was later colorized by the presence and strength of will of Eva Peron, in stark contrast to the character of Che and the various political elements that she was constantly beset by.

Herrick relied heavily on the Elation fixtures to define areas of the relatively small stage and make the world of

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South Africa - Lighting designer Peter Rieck is the owner of one of MA Lighting's new dot2 XL-F consoles. Peter, an industry professional for 15 years and one of the country's leading television lighting specialists recently launched a new company, Rieck's, headed by himself. Having been an MA user for the last seven or so years, the first thing the new venture did was purchase its own dot2.

"It made complete sense" he stated, "It's small and light enough to easily fit in my car or go on the plane, and powerful enough to run the majority of the shows on which I am currently working." Having his own console means he can always have his control platform of choice. Peter was delighted that MA's small and highly versatile dot2 was also within a reasonable price range. The console was supplied via MA's South African distributor, DWR Distribution.

"It's the

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UK - Colour Sound Experiment continued its frenetic 2015 summer festival season supplying lighting to 12 major stages, 24 smaller performance areas and eight bars at the 2015 Secret Garden Party (SGP) event staged in Abbots Ripton near Huntingdon UK.

This tightly planned and executed operation - which this year battled with inclement weather for the first time in the festival's recent history - involved the supply of nearly 500 moving lights, 228 high powered Dragon LED PARs and a mix of other kit, including LED screens for the Main stage and other areas.

Colour Sound's crew of 22 was chiefed by James Hinde and Alex Ryan. James co-ordinated the get-in and set up of all the operated stages, while Alex looked after all the other areas, and together with Woody (Stuart Wood), oversaw the whole operation during the show days.

Colour Sound regular Jon Rickets was working as techni

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The Netherlands - At 25m wide and 10m high, lighting the Nederlandse Reisopera (Dutch Touring Opera)'s cyclorama for a touring production of Orphée et Eurydice was always going to be a tall order. With a limited budget, they needed to be in and out of the venue in a day. With the help of 40 ETC Source Four LED Series 2 Lustr fixtures with CYC adapters, and some clever rigging choices by chief lighting technician Richard ten Hof, they succeeded.

The opera, held across the Netherlands on 12 dates throughout May and in the first week of June, tells the story of Orpheus, a mythical musician, poet and prophet in ancient Greek religion, who is said to have been able to charm all living things and even stones with his music.

Ten Hof first came across the new Source Four LED fixtures a year and a half ago, when he was working with Dutch dealer Lightco. "I was amazed

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UK - Theatre and acoustics consultancy Charcoalblue, which opened its Bristol Studio in May this year, carried out acoustic testing at the city's St George's concert hall recently in preparation for a £5.5m redevelopment, with some surprising results.

The hall was built as a church in 1823 and designed by Sir Robert Smirke, architect of the British Museum. It would have been built to suit a congregation who needed to clearly hear the spoken word, but the clarity the room provides brings an unexpected benefit to 21st century concertgoers.

Ian Stickland, team leader for Charcoalblue, said he and his colleagues were initially surprised by their acoustic measurements. "Looking at the objective results of our reverberation time measurements, without knowing which room it was, we would not have rated the results very highly. However, digging deeper, we find that the clari

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USA - Lighting and visuals designer Fenton Williams and co-LD / programmer Aaron Stinebrink again collaborated to produce the production design - incorporating lighting, set and video - for the current Dave Matthews Band (DMB) US summer tour.

For the first time, they specified Robe's BMFL Spot fixtures, 22 of which are being supplied by the tour's lighting vendor, Theatrical Media Services (TMS) from Omaha, Nebraska.

The band is well known for their long annual summer tours and sets featuring involved improvisations of their songs - always played differently - accompanied by eye-catching visuals and lightshows, an aesthetic that has been carefully crafted by Fenton since he started working with the band in the early 1990s.

Fenton and Aaron developed the design together, often drawing on architecture and art for inspiration as they build a visual stage concept.

This is the

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UK - Matthew Griffiths is to step down as PLASA CEO. A statement from PLASA reads: Over the past few months it has become clear to the boards and executive management of PLASA that a fundamental redesign of our business model and structures are necessary due to the increasingly difficult trading conditions currently being experienced. For the organisation to remain of service & benefit to the membership we represent, it is imperative that our expenditure can be funded by an affordable and sustainable income. To that end, the PLASA Governing Body has decided that there needs to be complete review of its businesses.

In light of the above and after 17 years as PLASA's chief executive officer, Matthew Griffiths has decided that now is the right time to step aside which would help kick start and facilitate a fresh set of ideas and approaches needed for the next chapter in PLASA's dev

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UK - The latest AniMotion live painting, digital art and music show is presented by Aurora Nova at George Herriot's School as part of the 2015 Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

The power of original painting created in real-time and projected onto stunning architecture accompanied by live music is a special collaboration between projection artist Ross Ashton, virtuoso percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie and acclaimed visual artist and painter Maria Rud.

The location for this magical outdoor experience - Venue 316 of the Fringe Festival - is the quadrangle at George Herriot's School. The high impact art is being projected onto the side wall, of the beautiful 17th century chapel - which becomes part of the world renowned Festival, famous for showcasing new, innovative and thought-provoking works.

Says Ross, "We are extremely excited to be performing at the Fringe and exceptionally

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Italy - Renzo Arbore sits on the chair in front of Fabio Fazio as it is announced that he will be the special guest in the final show of Che Fuori tempo che fa (Fazio's talk show). The transmission will be devoted to Quelli della note, one of the most popular late night variety programmes in the history of Italian television, which went on air 30 years ago.

Renzo Arbore has always loved jazz and Neapolitan music classics. For the release of ... e pensare che dovevo fare il dentista... (...and to think I was supposed to become a dentist...), he is leading his Orchestra Italiana, with his voice, clarinet and boundless charm, on a new summer tour that culminates on 7 September in Milan.

Gazebo Giallo (Arbore's management company) turned to Paco Toscano to interpret the atmospheres of Arbore's music with lights. "I joined the production team that organize

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