USA - Orders close 8 September for 2011 Behind the Scenes Holiday Cards. After that date, a limited number of card packs and electronic cards will be available online, as well as for sale at the LDI show in Orlando, FL. Personalised cards will no longer be available.

The 2011 cards were created by an impressive line-up of all-star designers - Andrew Hefter (perennial favourite, back with his popular 2008 design), Seth Jackson (many tours, including Don Henley and Jason Mraz), Derek McLane (this year's Follies, How to Succeed and Anything Goes revivals, and more), and Jim Youmans (Broadway's Gypsy with Patti LuPone and Swinging on a Star, among others).

Until the 8 September deadline, three ordering options are offered, including personalised cards with a company logo and custom message (minimum 250 cards), card packs of 10 with a standard gre

Canada - International art collective Workspace Unlimited has selected Barco's RLM-W6 DLP projectors to showcase its interactive exhibit in which art and architecture converge to create a surreal, immersive experience. Opening at the Musée d'art contemporain in Montreal (MACM), Canada, the exhibit RealTime UnReal utilises the projectors - supplied by Montreal-based SC Media Technologies - to merge a visitor's experience of virtual and physical spaces.

"We're excited to use Barco projectors in our challenging Hybrid Space projects, because they enable us to reveal the work's full potential in passive 3D projection," explained Thomas Soetens of Workspace Unlimited.

Barco was an early supporter of the internationally renowned collective's endeavours, sponsoring its inaugural exhibit of RealTime UnReal at the Museum of the Moving Image last January in New York. &q

Estonia - Dating from 1865, The Vanemuine Theatre in Tartu is one of the oldest and prestigious theatre of all the Baltic republics.

Through the local agent E&T, a variety of LDR double optic condenser profiles , Fresnel , PC and Cyclorama's have been chosen, installed and successfully used in the theatre.

"The Vanemuine theatre was looking to replace and improve the existing lighting stage inventory," says Fabiano Besio. "The installation proved to be successful and I'm proud to know that LDR fits and exceeds the theatre needs - A special thankyou goes to Olev Luhaäär from E&T that assisted the theatre during the installation and provided valuable local assistance."

Fabiano Besio adds, "In a time whenpeople confuse and forget the basic concepts of light I still believe in my motto 'Proper light in the proper place and here comes magic'. Surprising

USA - The Entertainment Technician Certification Programme (ETCP) has awarded 19 International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local One members with its Entertainment Electrician Certification. Among those newly certified, is the first female ETCP Certified Technician in the New York Local.

"We are extremely proud to add some of Broadway's finest stage electricians to the list of ETCP Certified Technicians," said chairman of the Local's Board of Trustees, Paul F. Dean, Jr. who helped organise a four-day training course prior to the exam administration. "Our members who are ETCP Certified also include technicians from Lincoln Centre, The Metropolitan Opera House and various television studios who work throughout Local One's jurisdiction which includes Manhattan, the Bronx, Staten Island, and Westchester and Putnam Counties."

Each of these Ent

South Korea - The Presbyterian Church of Joy in Mohyun Dong Iksan City, South Korea has recently installed a completely new sound system, consisting of a number of Kling & Freitag self powered systems.

The biggest challenge for Kusan Acoustic Co, the Kling & Freitag distributor in South Korea, was the transformation of the main hall in order to optimise the reverberation time.

In total,seven Line 212-9 - SP are covering the whole auditory area with about 2500 seats. The coverageof the Line 212 is adapted for reaching the whole church up to the last seat and including the balcony. For the bass restitution, two SW 215E - SP subwoofers were hidden invisibly in the stage.

"The system shows its efficiency by its very precise sound on all seats, everywhere the visitors can perceive the perfect sound quality. All technicians are very satisfied and they are surprised by the per

Marking the British console company's third completely new console design in a year, Cadac Holdings is launching its new flagship digital live production console, the CDC Eight, at PLASA 2011.

Specified for high end sound touring and fixed installation applications, the circa £45K console boasts a "high agility" user interface, accessed via two 24 inch 16:10 high definition LCD touch screens; a further centre located 6-inch LCD touch screen accesses the system control and automation. Combined with a far less menu dependent operating system than other digital consoles, the CDC Eight is promoted as "exceptionally smart, nimble and intuitive in operation".

The CDC Eight features a high I/O count for a desk at this price point, offering 128 input channels - expandable to 256 - and a standard 48 outputs. Two frame sizes offer 16 or 32 faders. Built upon the compa

Singapore - An intrinsic part of Singapore's government strategy to focus on the arts, the School of The Arts (SOTA) is the first of its kind in the nation - a specialist high school offering the International Baccalaureate but dedicated to training in the visual and performing arts. Opened to students last year, this July sees the official inauguration of its prestigious new performance spaces, two theatres and a 700-seater concert hall, designed by Arup.

Arup's acoustician Tan Suan Wee drew on his own live sound background when designing the sound reinforcement system for the elegant concert hall. Two systems were able to meet the precise specification, which demanded much in terms of scalability, portability, directional control, clarity and musicality, and, of course, budget. For this high-profile concert venue, the choice came down to a Nexo Geo S12 line array design, with

Mackie is to launch its new HDA High-Definition Arrayable Powered Loudspeaker at PLASA 2011, a new model in the popular HD Series. With the addition of the HDA, Mackie now offers a full range of high-definition loudspeakers including the ultra-compact HD1221, the HD1521 two-way and HD1531 three-way loudspeakers, and the 15" HD1501 and 18" HD1801 subwoofers.

Designed in collaboration with the EAW acoustical design team, the HDA is promoted as "a professional, powerful and extremely flexible compact line array". Configurable with up to four per side, the HDA can handle anything from mid-size houses of worship to large clubs in a cost-effective design.

"The HDA is another example of what Mackie does best: delivering high-end pro audio technology to the masses," said Ben Olswang, Mackie brand product manager. "Thanks to the integration of EAW's design e

Prolight Concepts is launching its LEDJ Quad range of fixtures, including battens, pars and unique luminaires at PLASA 2011. Heading up this range is the Q Colour, featuring 18 RGBW multi-chip LEDs, rated at 8 watts each, to create both saturated and pastel hues along with bright white. Refined optics provide a more uniform field and help eliminate multi coloured shadows. The robust housing features barn doors and a unique L bracket to offer improved functionality and flexibility. Q colour has multiple operating modes including 4 or 6 channel DMX, stand alone, master/slave, sound active and static colour selection. Internal functions and programmes can be controlled from the three-button menu with LED display.

In addition, Prolight is exhibiting the half metre LEDJ Colour Storm Quad, featuring 8 x 8W RGBW LEDs, designed to follow on from the success of the Colour Storm and Colour Storm

The Bluebox RDM Controller from W-DMX is a PC-based DMX and RDM controller for controlling large rigs of RDM enabled products. It allows users to search for any RDM enabled product in a DMX/RDM Network, automatically patch and control the fixture, receive status updates and configure settings such as fixture mode, lamp on/off and more.

BlueBox works with the W-DMX G4 range and will automatically search for and find any G4 transmitters and RDM enabled G4 receivers. Signal strength and wireless channels are displayed, plus configuration options such as signal power, transmitter/receiver pairing and compatibility modes.

Also on show will be the W-DMX ProBox F-2500, the company's top of the line, two-universe transmitter/receiver and single universe Repeater, all in a single 19" rack unit. The unit comes with ample connectors on the front and the back, and has built in support of Et

Sound Technology will premiere AKG's new flagship DMS 700 V2 digital wireless microphone system at PLASA 2011. With 512-bit encryption, ultra-low latency and the new DPT700 bodypack, DMS700 V2 offers artists and engineers "absolute confidence in performance with a reliable, easy-to- use wireless component".

The DMS 700 V2 improves the link quality and increases the working range of the transmitters and receivers to allow for more freedom in arranging anything from lecture halls in universities to houses of worship and live performances on tour to broadcast operations, says the company.

Already compatible with the future-proof Channel 38, DMS700 v2 is now available pre-loaded with UK-specific frequency presets. In addition, DMS700 v2 is now also available with a hand-held transmitter featuring AKG's premium D7 dynamic capsule delivering open sound across all frequencies akin

With the promise that "now you can just use your guitar cable for your in-ear signals", Ohrwurm Showtechnik is launching its IN Ear 1 system at PLASA 2011.

The system consists of a 19" main station and a beltpack with a headphone amplifier. The two devices are connected with a high flexible CAT6 cable and the complete transfer of the guitar signal to the amplifier and the stereo monitor signal to the belt pack is done with this cable.

The power supply of the beltpack comes from the main station, meaning that batteries are not required. The company says that "all known problems of wireless systems are now a thing of the past".

Two stereo channels are mixed in two separate channels at the Main Station. Channel 1 is an input for microphone levels and Channel 2 is a stereo input for line levels from the monitor desk. The second channel can be switched to mono i

Renkus-Heinz will show its latest products at PLASA 2011 on the POLARaudio stand (1-F2) - and visitors will have an opportunity to hear the "ground-breaking" IC Live digital beam steering system live in the Technologies for Worship Pavilion, where the system will be in use for lectures throughout the day.

Heading the list on the stand is the unique IC2 (IC Squared) - the first ever high powered, medium format digitally steerable loudspeaker system. Designed for theatre and club installations and integrating digital beam steering with high power output, built in amplification and RHAON network control, it opens up, says Renkus-Heinz, "a totally new product sector in pro audio, for venues looking for the ultimate in quality and control".

IC² is designed to set a new benchmark in live sound loudspeaker design by combining the control and flexibility of Iconyx digita

Kabuki manufacturer Magnet Schultz Ltd promises that "event staging companies and theatrical effects specialists are in for a delight at this year's PLASA show". The designers of the popular Electro Kabuki drape release mechanism, used worldwide by many high-profile event organisers and live performing arts troupes, are launching an updated system, the Electro Kabuki 2 (EK2). EK2 features 2-channel firing, controlled test firing functionality, full system integrity monitoring for absolute confidence, DMX control and more resilient construction.

Like its predecessor, the EK2 system is designed expressly to deliver a guaranteed faultless drop of a drape, curtain, screen, or any other object like a dummy or mannequin deployed within a show or event. A major new control feature of the enhanced EK2 solution is an intrinsic 2-channel firing system. This allows a double drop via a s

USA - PLASA has announced the launch of the Entertainment Industry Safety Initiative website, now live at www.safetyinentertainment.org. The site is designed to raise awareness of safety in the live event production industry among companies and individuals by providing information and resources regarding safe work practices, record keeping, accident reporting, and more. The site currently focuses on codes and regulations in the United States, but will be expanded to cover other countries in the future.

The website was created by PLASA after meeting with representatives from across the industry, including a variety of trade and professional associations, employers, venues, and labour unions last March at USITT. At the meeting, there was unanimous agreement among the attendees that there is a need and a desire for a central location where information can be easily found to help fa

UK - The Society of Television Lighting and Design (STLD) stand at PLASA 2011 (1-F60) not only features the world's first LED luminaire shoot-out - with 23 top brands taking part - but a unique opportunity for visitors to experiment live and in a private environment with cutting edge LED equipment in the STLD's 'Hands-On' sessions.

The stand's central section is a practical hands-on 'mini TV studio', where competing LED washes, soft lights, key lights and moving lights can be explored in pre-booked one hour sessions, away from the bustle of exhibitor stands.

Visitors will be able to try their hand at lighting the two mini TV studio setups, and view the results through two HD broadcast cameras, with a Lighting Director and Electrician on hand to offer guidance.

These sessions will alternate with case study seminars where you can learn from expert presentations on a variety of

Europe - 2012 marks the 25th anniversary of Yamaha's digital mixers. To celebrate the occasion, Yamaha Commercial Audio Europe is running a photo competition with 25 prizes to be won, including an LS9-32 digital mixing console.

Yamaha is inviting European residents to help celebrate the anniversary by sharing (or taking) photographs of Yamaha digital consoles in the most interesting and entertaining settings over the past 25 years. Photographs do not need to be perfectly composed or works of art, what we are looking for is innovative photos of consoles 'in action' which capture the moment.

The competition runs from 1 September until 31 December 2011, with a celebrity judge choosing the winning photographs in January. The winning photographer will receive a Yamaha LS9-32digital mixing console; 23 runners-up will win a Yamaha POCKETRAK digital recorder.

A special 25th prize wi

UK - Glasgow-based DiMaggios Group owns several establishments across the country, and when the time came for two of their leading restaurants to be completely refitted, they turned to Tannoy to satisfy their audio requirements.

The man responsible for the installation of Tannoy products was Bryce Keachie, audio consultant with Keachie Electronics, who has been involved in a number of projects with the restaurant chain.

"We do all of DiMaggios Group's audio, and have done for the past eight or nine years," said Keachie. "The group own a chain of restaurants under different brands, and we have worked across a number of their establishments. When the project came up for Amarone in Edinburgh and Barolo Grill in Glasgow, we knew that we needed the most up to do date audio solutions available."

Both restaurants are situated in very different surroundings, and

LAMP is to launch a new environmentally friendly LED display at PLASA 2011. The Sharpe product features a super slim cabinet, ideal for most outdoor and indoor rental applications, says the company.

With an innovative mechanical design, Sharpe is just 50mm deep and weighs 7.5Kg. Promising easy rental installation, the product's IP65 protection guarantees its solid performance through both indoor and harsh outdoor environments. A fanless quiet design, 16 bit color processing and 2000Hz refresh rate to meet the highest broadcasting standards are among its features.

PLASA 2011 2-Q4

South Africa / UK - Two South African Roadies Association (SARA) female members; Itumeleng Motswaledi from White City, Soweto and Mmaphefo Kefilwe from Naturena - Johannesburg South will be attending PLASA 2011 (Earls Court, London 11 - 14 September 2011).

The PLASA Show is the leading show-piece of new technology within the entertainment, live event, corporate, architectural and installation industries. This international event delivers the latest in new technology, hundreds of breaking-product launches, unrivalled networking opportunities and an acclaimed educational programme; making it a very important event on SARA'S annual calendar.

The purpose of the visit provides the ability to attend industry educational seminars, meet with cutting-edge equipment manufactures, acquire strategic assistance for the South African Roadies Association and also in turn create future opport

Steinigke Showtechnic's new ML-56 QCL Eurolite's unique feature is a color temperature range that, the company says, "introduces a new color variety within LED spots".

An unusual alignment of the 4in1 LEDs accounts for this, according to the company, the key to the wide color palette being an unconventional assembly of the 18 multichip diodes. Besides RGB, 12 of the chips feature an additional white LED, while the remaining six are arranged as RGB and amber. Thanks to the interaction of these white and amber hues, the basic colors can gradually be reproduced warmer or colder. The design also allows a deep, luscious red - often a problem - to be created.

The amber LEDs also allow the creation of an orange which, says Steinigke, could not be created by other LED spot luminaires. "Although this orange might not be as powerful as the other colors, due to the restricted num

Le Mark Group will be launching more new products at PLASA 2011 including its new UK and European partnership Pro Tapes & Specialities catalogue. These new items will include products from the Shuretape Arts & Entertainment range, linking with Le Mark's own premium Magtape high performance tapes.

Performance Flooring will feature Manero Classic and the Ultra-Light portable sprung tour floor, as used by Flawless and now available for sale or rental. The company's complete stage safety range of products, combining 'on and back stage' safety accessories, combining anti-slip, photo luminous and cable management, will also be on show.

Le Mark Group, based at Houghton Hill Industries, has been shortlisted for a 2011 East of England International Trade Award. These International Trade Awards, sponsored by Santander Corporate Banking, are the only UK wide business awards to exclusively recog

With the introduction of its latest model, the SL50, Stageline launches a new range of mobile stages, the Light Series. The Light Series adds new, cost-effective and light-weight mobile stage solutions to Stageline's product range.

The Stageline SL50 portable stage measures 6.1m by 4.9m (20' by 16') and features a fibreglass roof, light and sound rigging, full banner capability and an option of two roof heights. It can be towed by a SUV or pickup and sets up in 30 minutes.

The reduced trailer dimensions make it very easy to park in tight locations. With the new SL50, the company says, owning a Stageline mobile stage is within everyone's reach and delivers a fast return on investment.

Sinolight will launch two new LED display products at PLASA 2011, the Diamond 4 modular high resolution screen and the Slim Line P11 indoor/outdoor SMD LED display, aimed at the digital signage market.

Diamond 4 is aimed at high quality applications and includes several proprietary technologies, including a cast aluminium module design, combined with four fast locks to make connection easier and faster. With no fans and cooling via an efficient heat sink, the unit is stated to be noise-free, suiting it to prestigious areas such as meeting rooms, studios, concert halls and other indoor applications. Image quality attributes, the company adds, include high contrast and a high refresh rate, aided by an innovative LED lamp design in a 45 degree configuration combined with high pixel density.

The Slim Line P11, says Sinolight, is designed to satisfy the requirement for super slim and ultr

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