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Hong Kong - With the 2008 Olympic Games to be held in Beijing next summer, a series of sporting events entitled Good Luck Beijing began in July of this year to mark the final, year-long countdown to the Games. One of the most high profile events was the HKSAR 10th Invitation Cup Eventing Competition in Hong Kong and Lighthouse Technologies and the leading LED media design company Demiurge Unit took part.

Held at the equestrian venues in Shatin and the Beas River Country Club on 11 and 13 August, the event was divided into two classes for international competitors and Hong Kong riders to compete in dressage, cross-country and jumping. It was also part of the celebrations to mark the passing of a decade since the establishment of Hong Kong being a Special Administrative Region of China.

Featured prominently at this high profile event was the Multimedia Information Systems

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UK - Best known in the sports and corporate hospitality world, Arena Structures strapped on a guitar and turned its amps up to 11 for a stroll into rock and pop territory this August. The company provided over 40 structures for the V Festival site at Hylands Park in Chelmsford.

Providing everything from crew catering structures to the spectacularly themed Virgin hospitality area, project manager Mark Shelley installed a wide range of structures across the large site. They were a welcome shelter to crew, artists, audience and guests alike, as one of the rainiest festival seasons in recent memory drew to a damp close.

(Jim Evans)

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UK - ISCE's new certification course for the design and installation of induction loop systems is intended to overcome the growing problem of badly designed and poorly installed Induction loop systems, many of which are not set up or commissioned correctly in accordance with the requisite standards.

The problem, which has been brought to the attention of the local authorities, RNID, and raised in Parliament (motion by Tom Levitt MP, Labour, 2 July 2007), stems from unqualified persons designing and fitting induction loops using, seemingly low cost, equipment now available from electrical wholesalers, online stores and even stationery supplier catalogues.

To ensure that a system is installed professionally, meets the recommendations of BS 7594, as well as the requirements IEC/EN 60118-4 and the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA), all installers should be trained and competent.

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UK - When George Michael made a triumphant return to the world's arena stages in 2006, little did audiences know that an even bigger event was just around the corner. Using no less than four DiGiCo consoles, Michael performed the very first gigs at the new Wembley Stadium on 9 and 10 June 2007, in the process ushering in a new (and long awaited) era for live music in the UK capital's most infamous and controversial venue.

As with the arena tour, two DiGiCo D5 Lives were used for front of house sound and Michael's monitors, with a D5T on band monitors. But for the first Wembley show a third D5 was added to perform perhaps the most high profile task of all - mixing the sound for a live television broadcast.

Ruadhri Cushan and Niall Flynn were the engineers given the onerous task, but the D5 ensured that their lives were as straightforward as possible - despite neither of the tea

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USA - FiberPlex has announced that its LightViper audio transport system was recently deployed for the live stage production of Primerica's 2007 Convention in Atlanta, GA. The corporate event drew 60,000 participants and was held in Atlanta's largest venue, the Georgia Dome, home to the NFL's Atlanta Falcons. The "plug n' play" LightViper fiber optic audio system was deployed by Syntonic Design Group.

Tom Clark, Syntonic's managing director and project manager for the Primerica show, commented on his firm's first experience using the LightViper: "We used the LightViper for the first time. I wanted to specifically replace the unwieldy copper snakes we usually take to big shows like this one. Not only did the system save us significant labour costs, set-up time and shipping expense - it performed perfectly.

"It really is a 'plug n' play' copper snake replacem

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Dubai - Locally-based company 3db, set up in 2001 by well-known monitor engineer Eddie Mulrainey and lighting professional Mike Snape, has invested in a Martin Audio W8LM system for its rental fleet.

3db entered into a joint venture partnership with Wigwam Hire in October 2004 - and set out to provide a turnkey solution to the corporate market (with the incorporation of a lighting and video division and shortly some Litedeck staging).

The company already had conventional loudspeakers in its inventory, but needed a proprietary compact line array system to make them competitive. "I was fortunate in being able to hear the W8LM system which Wigwam used as side-hangs on the George Michael tour," said Mulrainey. "That's what swung it for us. It came out top on all the specs and when I listed to the LM's they sounded fantastic."

Supplied by Wigwam, the order com

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UK/USA - Mojo Barriers were called in to supply the crowd management barriers for the main stages at both UK sites of the V Festival - Hylands Park, Chelmsford, and Weston Park, Staffordshire. At the same time, it worked in Baltimore's Pimlico Racecourse for the US version of the event.

The company has worked at the UK festival for many years, but, as always, V Festival production manager Tony Wheeler of Nine Yards Ltd, alongside promoters Metropolis and SJM, decided to take a long, hard look at other products available for the 2007 events.

Following the review, Mojo was delighted to be invited back to provide barriers for the festivals' most demanding areas, the main stages, where organisers needed complete confidence in the ability of the barrier to handle the large crowd pressures.

Mojo Barriers' US service was the choice for the festival's twin event in Baltimore, USA. T

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UK - Power Logistics supplied all of the power and site lighting to the V Festival in Hylands Park, with a team of 15 installing 25km of cabling and distro to carry the power from 103 generators around the Essex site. In the region of 70,000 litres of fuel were used to power everything from cash point machines up to the main stage's PA, lighting and screens.

More than 6km of festoon lighting lit temporary roadways and footpaths for the 70,000 music fans and the production team that transformed Hylands Park into a festival town for the weekend of music. Power Logistics used shatterproof light bulbs on the festoon, minimising the environmental impact to the park.

Managing director Pete Wills commented: "This year's festival has grown and the layout has been changed from previous years. Once again, Maztech created a well-managed festival behind the scenes and the fans certai

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USA - Diana Ross, on tour in support of her latest release, I Love You, performed a limited series of US dates before embarking on a European arena tour earlier this year. During the brief US jaunt, Thunder Audio supplied a powerful Meyer Sound loudspeaker system for her performances at the Chicago Theatre in Chicago and the Palace of Auburn Hills located just outside of Ross's hometown of Detroit.

The self-powered Meyer Sound system was centered on two arrays of 12 Milo high-power curvilinear array loudspeakers each, along with six UPA-1P compact wide coverage loudspeakers for front-fill.

FOH engineer E. Kevin Jones mixed the shows on Thunder's Midas H3000 console, while Michael Droke handled the monitor mixes on a second H3000. "The MILO really does sound great," says Droke. "We've specified it on Diana's rider for the US dates, and we'll be carrying a

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UK - Directed by Ed Curtis and designed by Bob Bailey with lighting from James Whiteside the touring production of Never Forget uses a wide variety of LEDs. For lighting control a grandMA full-size, a grandMA light, a grandMA video media server and an MA NSP are utilised.

Amongst others the lighting rig features Clay Paky Alpha Wash Halos, Vari*Lite VL 1000, VL2000 spots and VL2000 washes, Rainbow Scrollers and Robert Juliat Super Korrigans.

On the LED front there are Thomas PixelLine 1044 battens and a ChromaQ Color Web 250 flexible LED mesh grid installed in the show. Because of the full integration of grandMA video, the media server could be controlled as a fixture. The PixelLine battens are controlled directly from the console so that effects can be created quickly by using the grandMA effects.

White Light supplied the lighting equipment for the show. Andy Greenwo

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UK - Now in his 12th year as Elton John's monitor engineer, Alan Richardson has spent a number of those with a Yamaha PM1D as his mixing console of choice. Summer 2007 saw the flamboyant pianist playing selected dates across Europe and the UK, with Richardson reporting that the PM1D is key to the task.

"I really like the versatility of the console," he says from Glasgow's SECC. "It has loads of ins and outs, a lot of features and the recall is essential. I means I don't have to tour with the desk - I just pick one up in whatever country we're in, insert my card and there are all my settings! Plus it's very easy to use."

The venues on the European tour have been wide ranging, which has kept the sound team on its toes. "One day recently we were playing in a tent, then a few days later to 150,000 people in a square in St Petersburg," Richardson conti

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UK - Stage Electrics reports that its new L-Acoustics stock has been "flying off the hire shelves" since the company signed a UK dealership agreement with the French manufacturer.

The new hire stock includes 24 of the new 12XT loudspeakers and 10 of the LA4 amplified controllers. There are also plans to take delivery of LA8 amplified controllers once they are released. Stage Electrics has also added to its existing stock of 115 XT-HiQ with an additional 12 cabinets.

Chris Vass, Stage Electrics' audio project manager, comments: "The new L-Acoustics equipment is versatile, easy to use, looks the business, and offers great sound. L-Acoustics is a proven manufacturer and well thought of. We had been planning an upgrade for some time and their new range fits extremely well into our current stock profile.

"The new equipment has been constantly in demand since d

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UK - Matrix Display has been awarded a contract to supply interactive whiteboards to Scotland's third largest council. The £1.5m deal with Dumfries and Galloway is, to date, the largest interactive whiteboard project delivered to any UK local authority, says the company.

Matrix Scottish area manager Adrian Robertson comments: "This is a fantastic opportunity for us and will enable Matrix to make its mark north of the border and prove we can deliver large-scale bespoke installations.

"The first phase - comprising 550 whiteboards - has already been delivered and we're now looking at linking all schools in Scotland to the Glow digital network, which is a major priority for all Scottish local authorities."

Matrix has, for the past two years, been named audiovisual reseller of the year and has again been nominated for the 2007 awards. The Scottish operation's

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USA - From 31 August, Stage Technologies' US office will be closer to the heart of Las Vegas. Recent projects such as the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Carnegie Hall, the San Francisco Opera and a large number of new US contracts have resulted in Stage Technologies' American operations quickly outgrowing its current office and workshop facilities.

The company has experienced rapid expansion over recent years and believes that the new 8000sq.ft premises will provide its engineers with better facilities and allow it to respond and deliver a high quality service to its clients.

The new office is located within close proximity to major interstates 15 and 215 and is within six miles of McCarran International Airport. The full address is: Stage Technologies Inc, 6651 Schuster Street, Las Vegas, Nevada 89118, USA

(Jim Evans)

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UK - Blitz, part of the Blitz Charter Group, was commissioned for the second consecutive year by fashion footwear label Lacoste to provide AV design, equipment and support to showcase its Spring/Summer 2008 shoe collection which was launched at the Science Museum in London.

Following a successful partnership with Lacoste in 2006, Blitz says it was delighted to have the opportunity to showcase its technical abilities once again in providing a total AV solution at the event.

The Science Museum's impressive 26 x 9m IMAX screen provided the backdrop for the Lacoste images. Blitz combined the use of theEncore and Watchout systems with four new Panasonic HD DW10000 projectors and added LED Par 90 lights to powerfully project Lacoste's images throughout the event.

Andy Simister, president of Lacoste Footwear comments: "The entire team at Blitz contributed to the phenomenal suc

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Brazil - Sao Paulo's Teatro Abril provided the venue for the sixth production of the hit musical Miss Saigon to open this year, as the show started its first ever run in South America last month. Sound design is by Peter Grubb of Melbourne-based theatre sound engineering company, System Sound, with a Cadac J-Type Live Production Console at the heart of the sound system, supplied by local rental company Loudness.

The 1500-capacity Teatro Abril, regarded as one of the city's most beautiful theatres, is the premier venue for large-scale international productions, performed in Portuguese and featuring Brazilian casts. Destroyed by fire in 1969, the theatre was restored to its former glory and reopened in 2001. The venue provided the sound team with a straightforward load-in and set-up, presenting few challenges thanks to the good acoustics.

For Peter Grubb of System Sound,

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UK - When Jedi Lighting & Sound were asked to install two new Essex nightclubs recently, they enlisted Futurelight distributors Fut-Euro - not only to meet their beam effect requirements, but also for their creative LED lighting.

Set up last year by Darren Jackson, the Wisbech-based Fut-Euro has quickly become a one-stop shop for lighting designers and architects looking for imaginative ideas in a wide number of applications.

Said Jedi managing director Andrew Baldwin, "What we aim for first is reliability and value for money. If we need something specific Darren can usually find it - but any new kit we are offered we will strip and pull apart before we have the confidence to use it."

Jedi first specified the Futurelight effects - notably the PHS-220 pro moving head with 48 pre-programmed scenes for stand alone operation and EVO-7 effects projector at Tony and Inge

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UK - Four decades after Cliveden in Buckinghamshire had its most infamous encounter with rock 'n' roll, August 2007 saw the music return with a vengeance as the National Trust-owned property hosted the two day Cliveden Rocks festival.

It was in May 1965 that the Beatles famously spent two days at Cliveden while filming scenes for the film Help!, so it was appropriate that the second day of the festival featured tribute act The Bandit Beatles.

A family-orientated festival featuring tribute bands The Strolling Bones, ZU2, the Bandit Beatles and The Magic of Abba, ending with a spectacular firework finale, Cliveden Rocks saw Star Events Group provide a Morbit stage for the bands to play on.

"This is the first rock / pop event that Cliveden has hosted," says the National Trust's Richard Jordan-Baker. "But I have worked with Star Events Group many times in t

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USA - Elation Professional has chosen Eric Proces of Madison, Wisconsin, as the winner of the Elation Education Experience. Proces won judges over with his "excellent use of Elation Lighting products and interesting proposal that ensured a multi-purpose use of space". The runners up were Andrew Prince of Como, Mississippi and James Keeley of Wausau, Wisconsin, both of whom also submitted impressive entries.

The E3 contest was designed to help students learn the process of creating a functional and entertaining lighting design. Each entrant designed lighting for a multi-purpose Youth Ministry room by using Elation's Compu Ware Live 3D software. To make the contest more realistic and challenging, entrants had to follow a strict budget and had only a limited amount of power available.

Thanks to their winning entries, Proces, Prince, and Keeley will be attending the upco

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The Netherlands - Located in the basement of the five star Kurhaus hotel in Scheveningen, lively bar Crazy Pianos' evening entertainment is provided by pairs of pianists who play requests from classical to rock'n'roll, get the audience to sing along and generally clown around.

The entertainment might be light-hearted, but the business of Crazy Pianos audio system is very serious indeed. A Yamaha DME24N and DM1000 console are at the heart of a flexible system which is designed to give the club's clientele the best possible audio experience.

The system was designed by Jeroen ten Brinke of Audio Design International and installed by More Stage Services. With Crazy Pianos manager Bjorn being a serious audiophile, updating the venue's eight year old sound system had to be done to the highest possible specification.

"When Crazy Pianos installed the first system, eight years a

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Germany - For the fourth consecutive year, rental company Pave used HK Audio to reinforce Nuremberg's Rock im Park festival.

The Alterna Stage of this festival - which together with its associated Rock am Ring is the biggest German rock and pop festival attracting 100.000 visitors annually - was completely set up with a HK Audio Cohedra system.

Bands playing on the Alterna Stage this year included The White Stripes, Machine Head, Type O Negative, Mia, Wir Sind Helden and Jan Delay. For so many different styles, a multilateral sound system was required. Wolfgang Geisler, CEO of Pave, comments: "The Cohedra has mat everything demanded of it. The feedback we received from the many FOH engineers was generally excellent."

Wolfgang Geisler is also using the same sound system at the Klassik Open Air in Nuremberg which attracts about 70,000 visitors every year. "We wi

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Argentina - A remarkable opening and closing ceremony framed the Pan American Games 2007 in Rio de Janeiro, a multi-sport event, held every four years between competitors from all nations of the Americas. German event engineering company Procon furnished the shows with an MA system including four grandMA full-size, 18 MA NSPs and seven MA 2PortNodes onPC. Lighting designer David Grill used the system to control 742 Martin MAC 2000 Wash fixtures, 122 Clay Paky Alpha Spots, 51 ZAP 4.5kW BigLites and 32 SpaceCannon Ireos 7kW - altogether 52 DMX universes.

grandMA programmer and lighting director Paul J. Sonnleitner reports: "Procon, and especially head of system Daniel Steffe, created a remarkably sophisticated network that allowed the lighting team to reliably control such an incredible number of DMX fixtures over the distances required at Maracana in Rio.

"There were

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Spain - Two popular live entertainment venues in Catalonia are so delighted with their recently-fitted QSC line array systems that both report they are planning major expansions which will see them adopt further QSC systems.

Located 100km south of Barcelona, in the heart of Tarragona, the Sala Highland Irish Bar is in the process of doubling in size. Meanwhile, in the Barcelona suburb of Hospitalet del Llobregat, popular indie rock venue Sala Mandra will shortly relocate to an expanded facility further down the street, which will not only give them an enlarged performance space, but allow them to have their own recording studio upstairs.

Packed with memorabilia in a converted Tarragona cinema, and already staging a package of entertainment ranging from club nights to sport (via the drop down projection screen), Highland owner Iñaki Iuain was unhappy with the existing sound sy

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UK - The Scissor Sisters 2007 Ta-Dah Tour featuring dates at London's 02 and Manchester's MEN arenas played to packed houses, and featured stage set and trussing rig from Litestructures. This was the second slice of Litestructures action for the Scissors, following last year's tour.

Working to a concept by designer Marc Brickman, overseen by Scissor Sisters production manager, Litestructures provided both the custom staging and the trussing. The set, measuring 15m wide, 12m deep and 10m high, took just five weeks to design and build, from concept to completion.

A total of 64 Litedeck modules, including a custom curved section at the leading edge of the stage created the trademark shape of the Scissors' legs as functioning walkways. For greater toughness and greater translucence, Litestructures specified Macrolon deck surfaces, with underlit flash effects lighting to pro

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