Business

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Business and Industrial Trade Fairs Ltd has announced that the third International Amusement Facilities and Equipment Exhibition (China Amusement Expo 2000), scheduled to take place in May, will now take place from June 28 - July 1 at the China World Trade Centre. The postponement by the organiser is a strategic response to the recent policy of the State Council of the People's republic of China in extending the Labour Holiday on May 1 until May 3.

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Lighting designer Ken Billington has recently used the award-winning Selecon Pacific on his latest Broadway triumph - Noel Coward's Waiting in the Wings. Billington used the 90 degree Pacifics on the show, and commented: "As well as everyone else working on the show, I was blown away by the Pacific's performance." Popular for its cost-effective, safe and reliable qualities, the Selecon Pacific recently won the Entech 2000 Innovation in Lighting award in Sydney, Australia, and is gracing venues all over the world including City Recital Hall, Sydney; The Promenade Shopping Centre, Singapore (architectural version) and in the UK, the Blackpool Grand Theatre.

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XtraMusic has launched a new website and a promotional CD, furthering its commitment to customer care and support. The new website features not only general company information, but also FAQs, satellite requirements and compatibility along with a news section. Additionally, customers can sign up to XtraMusic via the secure online ordering system. The promotional CD is available free of charge from XtraMusic's head office and features samples from all 80 channels of the company's 24-hour service.

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ARX USA has recently supplied NASA with 12 Ambience 1 70V compact loudspeakers for installation at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. The Ambience 1s are being used to monitor the communications between Houston, the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the orbiting Space Shuttles and - most importantly - the astronauts during 'EVAs' (Extra Vehicle Activities) or space-walks.

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Tickets for West End and touring shows are now available from the White Light web site. In addition to information about the company and its products and services, the site can also be used to arrange tickets for shows currently running in the West End and on tour in the UK. The site has always listed the shows running in the West End and those listings now link to the ticket sales system run by Ticketlinks, a company formed by former Modelbox manager Peter Byard. Ticketlinks' system allows direct booking of practically any performing arts event in the UK (including theatre, cinema and concert productions), as well as a comprehensive database that includes information about the cast and creative teams of every show that can be searched by show name, show type, venue or area.

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E/T/C UK Ltd is planning a large scale demo of its new Rotating Double Scrollers which will be held on the 3rd May 2000. (Time and venue still to be confirmed). The PIGI 7kW Xenon Rotating Double Scroller is the latest of the PIGI projectors and is fitted with two scrolling films, a programmable 360 degree rotating head and programmable lens mount and rear foot. The demo is aimed at conference producers, lighting designers, set designers, event designers, rock and roll promoters, party planners . . . indeed anyone who needs new ideas for scenic projection and would like to fill large areas of set with bright exciting imagery. If you are interested in attending the demonstration of the equipment, then please e-mail Ross Ashton at info@projecting.co.uk or call +44 20 8893 8232 and full details will be sent by return.

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Colin Jones, one time director of Chameleon Lighting Ltd, and freelance lighting designer, has announced plans to launch a web design service, called rather originally 'Colin Jones Design', particularly aimed at entertainment-based business on the web. Jones has 26 years' experience in lighting rental and design and plans to "focus his design talents on website design". The new service is launched on April 1st.

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LCS (Level Control Systems) of Los Angeles has appointed Sound Dept as its exclusive UK distributor. The appointment adds to the company's product portfolio which currently consists of the EAW, Crest, Community, Ashly and Sound Advance ranges. LCS was founded in 1991 and specialises in audio control hardware and software solutions for the live theatre and themed entertainment industries worldwide.

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AC Lighting Ltd has updated, re-vamped and re-launched its website. The new site introduces a new design and expands the wealth of information available for visitors.

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Several heats have now taken place in the technical studios at Melton Mowbray College. So far 10 students have come forward to battle it out and win a place in the Finals. Heats will continue through April, May and June. Tony Anagnostopplos, a student from the Performing Arts Degree Course at De Montfort University, commented: "I soon picked up the capabilities of the Masterpiece 218 and was quickly applying theatre techniques of fading between scenes. I particularly like the colours variants of the Stagecolor 300, they create real atmosphere."The finals have been arranged to take place on Monday July 17th at 7.30pm. Professionals from the industry are currently being approached to form a panel of judges who will decide upon a winner - the student who most creatively uses a range of Pulsar Intelligent luminaires to light a piece of theatre.

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Selecon UK Ltd has added Stage Electrics to its UK dealer network. Stage Electrics has branches in Bristol, Birmingham, Exeter, Plymouth and the NEC in Birmingham, plus sister companies, Theatre Vision, Cardiff and Theatre Direct in Cambridge. It also recently announced the establishment of a London office at the premises of DHA Lighting. The appointment of Stage Electrics means that Selecon now has over 25 dealers across the UK.

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Pink Floyd's Roger Waters and David Gilmour reunited on msn.co.uk to promote the re-release of Is There Anybody Out There?: Pink Floyd The Wall. The two, who have barely spoken to each other in 20 years, paid tribute to each other in online chats with their fans around the world last week. In total, 75,000 people joined the chats live and over 1 million people have been back to the site to read the transcripts since. msn.co.uk has become well known for its online chats and webcasts. In December, Paul McCartney's return to the Cavern was webcast live with a record-breaking audience logging on.

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The first week in April sees the opening of an ambitious new project by The Almeida Theatre Company who are in the process of converting the derelict Gainsborough Studios in North London. The Studios, home to many a famous Hitchcock movie, are due for total demolition later in the year, but not before the Almeida completes an exciting 22 week programme.The two storey high building has undergone radical internal restructuring to create a theatre- sized hall hosting as its first production, Shakespeare's Richard II, set to be performed from 30th March. This production will then be joined in repertoire, on June 1st , by Coriolanus, both plays starring Ralph Fiennes in the title roles. To accommodate three tiers of seating, the mid-floor of the Studios has been removed and, at the same time, a temporary lighting grid has been installed above the stage by Summit Steel. The show's design makes

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When Bluetones tour LD Mark 'Video' was looking for a way to colour change the white belisha beacons that were a feature of the set for the group's performance at Shepherds Bush Empire, he turned to tour lighting supplier Brian Leitch of Art of Darkness for an answer. He, in turn, called in Tony Kingsley of Ambient Lighting to demonstrate the AVR Colourmaster. Following the demo, AOD subsequently purchased a number of CM50 heads for the tour which were then mounted to the globes projecting upwards from the base with the 40 degree lamp providing full coverage. The fact that the AVR central colour changer motor control accepts DMX meant that programming into the show was easy. A new 150W discharge lamp version has just been released and the higher light output compared with the MR16 units increases the range of potential applications for the AVR system.

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Sutton Coldfield College secured the first Spirit 324 Live mixer from the Birmingham branch of LMC Audio Systems, having attended one of the successful Spirit 324 workshops hosted by LMC at the Live! Show. The desk will be principally used as a training tool for students attending the Theatre Technicians Course. However, as the hub of the theatre's sound system, it will handle a diverse range of activities and will also be interfacing via MIDI with the lighting desk enabling one operator to control an entire show from the FOH position.

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The London Hippodrome has recently installed a new Pulsar control system. The state-of-the-art console features four new Masterpiece 216s and is capable of controlling the vast 1,500 channel Clay Paky and generic lighting rig. Each Masterpiece has a specific section of the lighting linked to it making programming extremely logical and structured. A MIDI keyboard and MIDI enabled PC communicate with the Masterpieces to synchronise powerful lightshows that can be programmed and recalled instantly for any occasion. The rig houses seven huge motorised satellites, each with six moving petal arms. The control of these has been integrated into the new system via five Masterpiece Replay Units. The complex articulation of the moving rig is accessed through a Touch Screen PC, that commands and mimics the massive structure.

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PLASA Publishing has learnt that Canford Audio founder Iain Elliott is to acquire the business of the long-established UK pro audio distribution, installation and manufacturing company Audio Systems Components (ASC). Elliott left Canford at the end of last year and said at the time that he was looking for a fresh challenge. The industry, though, has not yet seen the back of Len Lewis, ASC's founder, who will continue to work alongside Elliott for a while, bringing to a conclusion current contracts before gently easing into the back seat.

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R&W Sound Engineering has recently installed a complete audio system into the new London lounge bar, Mono. As customers would be unlikely to benefit from the advantages of a stereo image R&W specified a mono sound system, designed to be operated by staff with basic technical experience, is used for background music, DJ sets and live music sessions.Involved in the project from the outset, R&W's recommendation of a mono audio system, led to the name and theme of the members-only bar. The audio system's main source is a Marantz CC38/Pro 5-disc CD player, which feeds the system via a Cloud SX133 two-zone mixer and ARX EQ30 graphic equaliser. A separate Mackie 1402-VLz Pro mixer, connected via a recessed wall socket to the main system is used for live events. An ARX Microdrive three-channel amplifier drives four ARX Micromax loudspeakers and a hidden ARX sub-woofer.

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Sibelius Hall, the new concert hall in Lahti, Finland, opened its doors in March. Designed as the permanent home for the Lahti Symphony Orchestra, the Hall consists of three elements - the concert/congress hall, the Forest Hall and a renovated former carpentry factory. Artec Consultants of New York provided the theatre planning, acoustics consulting services and sound and communication system design for the venue. The concert/congress hall design includes a moving acoustic canopy, acoustic control curtains and acoustic banners. We will carry more on this in a future issue of L&SI.

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Theatre Projects Consultants has been commissioned by the Singapore Tourism board and the National Art Council in Singapore to advise on the planning, design and construction of a new theatre in Singapore's Chinatown. Currently referred to as the Village Theatre, the new venue will occupy a one-block site on South Bridge Street in the heart of Chinatown. David Staples of TPC is leading the team preparing the brief for the Theatre and determining the size, form and type of theatre to be constructed on the site. DP Architects of Singapore have been appointed as the architects for the projects. They are also working with TPC on the Esplanade - Singapore's major new arts centre.

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TMB Associates is about to move its London operations to a 12,000sq.ft facility in Brentford's dockland. Paul Hartley, general manager of TMB UK told PLASA Publishing: "Over the past couple of years our sales have really grown in the British, European and World markets. The new building has lots of room for extra stock and more people, to help us better serve both our existing and new customers." As most of the industry knows, TMB Associates is a distributor of entertainment lighting equipment, supplies and services, not to mention socks, and has been serving the professional lighting industry for 17 years. The new UK office will be open for business on April 3 at 2 Commerce Road, Brentford, Middlesex TW8 8LR. Tel: +44 (0) 20 8560 9652 Fax: +44 (0) 20 8560 1064

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The Entertainment Laser Association (ELA) has introduced two new membership categories - nightclubs and laser jockeys. These are both aimed at encouraging participation in the organisation from the expanding club market - currently enjoying a renaissance in active laser use. The existing members of ELA - which includes all the UK's major entertainment laser rental and sales companies - reap many benefits. These include use of the organisation's comprehensive risk assessment document, legal updates, newsletters and literature, promotion via the ELA web site and lists of ELA approved companies and crew. The organisation is also engaged in an on-going programme of research and development into the safe and professional use of lasers in the entertainment industry.

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The Barco Group is closing the 1999 financial year with a group turnover of 28.6 billion BEF, compared with 26.436 billion BEF for 1998. This represents an 8% increase. Within this, Barco Projection Systems saw its turnover increase by almost 5%. This was probably limited by only partial recuperation of the loss in market share, especially in the USA, after the fire in the projectors factory in Kuurne in February 1998. During the course of 1999 however, Barco started to catch up with the introduction of the ELM projector based on the DLP technology of Texas Instruments. The year was also marked by some important structural changes within Barco Projection Systems with the business structured into five divisions.

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Lite Structures' success in set building continues with its construction of the Michael Flatley Feet of Flames scenic elements. In collaboration with Brilliant Stages, who built the main stage and lifts, the set incorporates multi-level LiteDeck platforms and stairways together with a pair of 8m tall sliding doors as the central feature. These doors have an opening width of 13m which allow the whole cast to pass through together, yet take only 30 minutes to assemble during the hectic get in period.
  1. ILMC Breaks Conference Records
  2. Lara Croft Speaks out With Help from Sennheiser
  3. APRS and PLASA in Talks
  4. TPC to work on Theatre Royal, Gibraltar
  5. Virtuoso's European Touring Debut
  6. Deal with Unitek Doubles Screenco's rental capacity
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