Robe - Leaderboard - 27 Aug25 - Jan26
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The Netherlands - HOF has appointed Podiumtechniek as a distribution partner in the Netherlands. Podiumtechniek specialises in custom-made stage technology solutions.
Bob Ages, co-founder of Podiumtechniek, comments: “We believe that with creativity there are no limits to what is possible on stage and at events and that there is a solution to everything - either with regular products or with tailor made solutions - and often a combination of both. HOF is one of the rare companies that offers both and we are glad to have the HOF products in our portfolio now and a manufacturer in our network that can design and deliver custom made solutions.”
Edwin Duivelaar, export & sales manager at HOF, adds: “With Podiumtechniek we share the same philosophy which is that no project is impossible and the crazier the idea the better. We are impressed by the creativity of Po

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Alienating Audiences - Expensive ticket prices risk alienating audiences and exposing theatre workers to “further vulnerability”, BECTU head Philippa Childs has warned. The union boss was addressing recent uproar caused by the West End production of Cock increasing its top-priced seats to £400, before reducing them to £175 following a social media backlash. Childs described the “steep rise” in ticket prices as “deeply concerning for a sector that is trying to get back to pre-pandemic audience levels”.
“When faced with soaring ticket rates amid the ever-increasing cost-of-living crisis, audiences will have little choice but to cut back on the expense of going to the theatre, leaving productions out of pocket and exposing workers to further vulnerability,” she said.
The BECTU head also argued that increased ticket prices were not being reflected
ISE 2026 - Banner - Oct 2025

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UK - IPS has added over 30km of power cabling and 300 distribution units to its hire stock. This significant stock increase has already been hard at work supporting both IPS productions onsite, as well as meeting the needs of IPS’ range of trade hire customers.
Over the last few months, IPS have been working hard to increase hire stocks all the hardware needed for the distribution of temporary power at events. Close working relationships with suppliers have been essential whilst battling supply restrictions and varying lead times along with all the other pressures associated with coronavirus, along with tireless work from Joe Martin who leads the IPS service department.
“It really has been a non-stop few months for me and the team, but despite all the obstacles, we are pleased to now have an expanded and upgraded range of fully tested cabling and power distributio

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UK - Bristol-based event supplier Enlightened has recently invested in a stock of Ayrton Perseo Profile IP65-rated fixtures to service its busy schedule.
Enlightened specialises in full production services, supported dry hire, design, and delivery of permanent installations, as well as sales, skilled repairs and maintenance to a diverse range of clients and venues.
“Corporate and private parties and events, large outdoor events in winter, festivals in the summer, installation, sales - basically, we do everything for everyone!” says head of hire and production, Dave Thorpe. “Bristol is a good hub for small to medium companies to which, along with many small companies and theatres all over the country, we cross hire equipment. We therefore make a point of only investing in the very latest in top quality entertainment technology.”
Enlightened’s diverse fie

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USA - The DALI Alliance is strengthening its focus on the DALI-2 product certification programme, including D4i, after ending registration of DALI version-1 control gear.
DALI-2 certification builds confidence in the interoperability of DALI-based devices from different manufacturers. As a standardised platform, DALI-2 mitigates concerns around proprietary technologies and vendor lock-in, and enables futureproof luminaire and system designs for sustainable lighting.
Driven by the DALI Alliance and building on the requirements of the international IEC 62386 standard, DALI-2 certification requires rigorous product testing. The test results are independently verified by the DALI Alliance. In contrast, DALI version-1 testing was less detailed and relied on self-declaration, without requiring third-party verification of test results.
DALI-2 certification is now avai

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USA - Fulcrum Acoustic and Belgian amplifier manufacturer Apex have announced an exclusive distribution partnership that will see Apex CloudPower installation amplifiers introduced to the US.
CloudPower is a family of four-channel Class-D amplifiers with integral DSP. Available in four models ranging from 350W to 3000W per channel, CloudPower amplifiers can be monitored and controlled remotely from any device without the need for a site visit.
Stephen Siegel, Fulcrum Acoustic president, welcomed the new relationship. “I've known [Apex MD] Paul van Hees for many years,” he says. “When Paul sent us a CloudPower amplifier for evaluation, we immediately saw the potential for these amplifiers in the USA. The combination of pristine audio performance with the ability to control amplifiers remotely makes CloudPower a compelling solution for many applications.”

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USA - Established in 2017, the Getty Music Sing! Worship Conference was designed not only to be a live event, but an experience that stays with you 365 days a year. Founder Keith Getty took inspiration from Martin Luther’s teachings and congregationally led musical style, and initially created the musical worship conference to celebrate 500 years of Luther’s work.
With in-person attendance and online livestream viewing opportunities, conference registration granted participants unlimited access to talks, worship services and concerts. As miking a diverse arena event proved to be an unusual challenge, an appropriate solution was needed, leading Getty Music engineer Dan Myers to reach out to music retailer Sweetwater. To complement the large event space, range of speakers, and variety in musical genres performing, an array of microphones from DPA Microphones was selected f

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Italy - The 66th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest was held by the EBU at the PalaOlimpico in Turin, attracting a TV audience of 200m and - for the first time in three years - there was an almost full audience at the venue.
RAI RadioTelevisione Italiana, as host broadcaster, took the lead in setting up the stage, which this year revolved around The Sun Within designed by Francesca Montinaro, an ambitious new stage concept based on the light of a kinetic sun. The multilevel stage set-up was complemented by spectacular waterfalls, large LED video walls and - as always - an impressive array of lights ready to set the competing artists' shows on fire.
Claypaky was there with over 400 lights, including 120 Sharpy X Frame, 64 Xtylos, 25 Mini Xtylos, 42 Arolla Profile HP, 25 Stormy CC and 144 Sharpy Wash units. Particularly prominent among them all were the new Cl

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USA - Main Light has recently added Chauvet Professional’s Color STRIKE M LED strobe/wash luminaires to their offerings. These new units are already in stock in Main Light’s three shops in Wilmington, DE, Nashville and Las Vegas.
“We have taken delivery of a significant inventory of the Chauvet Color STRIKE M units across all three of our locations,” says Main Light CEO Randy Mullican. “This equipment decision is in line with Main Light's commitment to being aware of, and responsive to, the needs of the wider industry we support as a dry hire company. In fact, we have even more of the units on order as we are seeing a high demand for them from our clients.”
Chauvet’s Color STRIKE M, using RGB and white LEDs, is an IP65 rated motorised strobe/wash with two ultra-bright, white light tube elements surrounded by a colour-mixing and pixel-mappable face.

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Europe - HOF has announced Treti as a new distribution partner for Italy. Treti has more than 40 years of experience in live events, trade shows, theatres and the film industry, and disposes of a distribution and service network throughout Italy.
Daniele Melis, managing director at Treti, comments: “We always carefully research the products that we choose to distribute in order to ensure we fully satisfy our customer needs. Therefore, it came as a natural choice to add the HOF brand and their trussing portfolio to our range of products.”
Edwin Duivelaar, export & sales manager at HOF, adds: “We are delighted to enlarge our European footprint with a very well established and recognized partner for the Italian market and look forward to a very successful cooperation and partnership with Treti.”

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UK - Since its formation in 1982, the Baldwin Boxall brand has become a steadfast symbol of reliability and quality. Celebrating 40 years the company has announced the introduction of a seven-year warranty on all its own manufactured products purchased on or after 17 May 2022. The news was revealed to all at Firex in May.
The announcement is seen as proof of Baldwin Boxall’s confidence in their products and sends a strong message to anyone considering their options when choosing life safety communication systems.
Commenting on the introduction, Nick Baldwin, sales & marketing director at Baldwin Boxall, stated, “We are delighted to be making this announcement which, I feel sure, will provide further reassurance to customers and users of our systems. We are often made aware of systems installed 15 years or more ago, which are still fully functioning and in dail

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UK - The People’s Property Portfolio (PPP) is a community benefit society with a mission centred on urban regeneration. Determined to create real community spaces in a way that is social and authentic, the society aims to secure buildings through community ownership to help develop social enterprise and support cultural activity. The society recently launched its work in Bradford, marking the occasion with an event at Assembly Bradford, a creative workspace for freelancers, remote workers, small businesses and creative organisations.
To complement the presentation of its vision inside the building, PPP engaged arts company The Brick Box and artist Fabric Lenny to create an eye-catching and dynamic live artwork on the Assembly’s exterior frontage. The Brick Box producer Harry Jelley consulted with Bradford-based Pro Audio Systems (PAS) over the best way to achieve the art

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Spain - Holoplot took the prize for medium sized stand in the ISE 2022 Stand Design Awards, organised by Exhibitor magazine.
Every stand on the ISE show floor at FiraI Barcelona, Gran Via was automatically entered in the free competition and judged on site by an international panel of designers and exhibition-industry experts. Finalists selected in each of the four size-based categories were notified on the show floor, and the winners were announced at an awards ceremony.
Other winners included Luhkee, Vestel and Sony

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UK - The Roadie Games will take place alongside this year’s Kartfest, charity Backup has announced. Described as a “fun-filled addition” to the main event, the Roadie Games will include tests of strength, endurance and industry skills such as a Socapex Tug of War, Radio Mic Challenge, Followspot Small Bore competition, and Lamp and Spoon race.
The Games will run alongside the annual industry karting day with drivers and non-drivers encouraged to enter. New entrants specifically for this event are also welcome.
Teams, companies and sponsors are invited to register their interest in taking part at kartfest@backuptech.com

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UK - After an unavoidable two-year hiatus, PLASA Focus Leeds made a triumphant return to the Royal Armouries from 10-11 May for the 12th edition of this much-loved industry event. With visitor levels exceeding expectations, the strong sense of industry unity on the show floor could not be ignored. Following the successful return of PLASA Show to London Olympia in September 2021, PLASA Focus Leeds provided the first opportunity for the industry in the north of the UK to reconvene for what remains a key social and business event for the sector.
Taking place across two days and with its usual capped stand size format, the enduringly popular show once again provided a relaxed and convivial atmosphere for networking, business, product presentations and demos. Visitors returned in large numbers to get hands-on with the latest tech, and to meet face-to-face with industr

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Review Programme - Arts Council England’s future is to be considered as part of a government review into all arm’s length bodies, which could see some bodies scrapped and significant savings demanded from those that remain. The newly launched Reviews of Public Bodies programme, run by the Cabinet Office, will examine the operations of all arm’s length bodies in England and assess whether "they should be abolished or retained", as well as whether money allocated to them is spent effectively. Savings of at least 5% per organisation should be identified as part of the review process.
The department will lead reviews in charge of each public body, meaning the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport will be asked to review the public bodies it sponsors, including the Arts Council, the BFI, the National Lottery Community Fund and Historic England.
At pr

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UK - During last week’s PLASA Focus Leeds, Entec UVC SafeClean presented its research on creating COVID-free environments and busted some of the myths surrounding pathogen eradication.
Entec UVC SafeClean specialises in environmental germicidal disinfection, effective against COVID-19 variants as well as all other viruses. During the seminar at the Bury Theatre, Entec Group chairman Nick Pendleton presented scientific research on creating COVID-safe environments. He opened up by asking the audience several questions relating to their own personal COVID experience, and some 80% stated they expected COVID disruptions to continue, and almost as many said they had been involved in an event affected by COVID. “I was very surprised to receive such a strong view that the risk and problem had not gone away,” reflects Pendleton.
Aided by a portable Goldensea UVAIR 216 ul

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USA - The Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences (CRAS), a leading institution for audio engineering education, has announced that RØDE US product specialist and CRAS graduate Ryan White recently participated in an event at the CRAS Gilbert, Ariz. campus. White worked alongside CRAS students during the day, demoing and introducing the students to a number of RØDE instrument microphones during instrument clinics. In the evening, White hosted an AES event for the CRAS student chapter.
“It’s always a pleasure to have Ryan join us at his alma mater to host such amazing events for our students,” said David Kohr, CRAS AES faculty advisor. “His events are always the perfect mix of fun and education. Over the years, Ryan has shown us that he has a way of bringing the students in and educating them in a fun and exciting way and this event was no different. We always

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Germany - In 2018, Cameo celebrated its debut in the NicLen rental park with the Zenit Series. Since then, the dry hire provider has been adding Cameo products to its line-up year after year. Now, in addition to the Zenit W600 and W300 outdoor wash lights and the Opus Series moving heads, the dry hire range also includes the F Series Fresnel fixtures.
With investments in OTOS H5 beam spot wash moving heads, NicLen has also recently added Cameo’s new IP65 hybrid highlight to its inventory – the first supplier worldwide to do so. In addition to the OTOS H5, NicLen has completed its portfolio of Cameo F Series products with the F1 Fresnel spotlights and the F2 FC, and it also offers the new Zenit W600 SMD, an even brighter version of the successful Zenit outdoor wash lights.
With the OTOS H5, Cameo is directly addressing the needs of professional lighting designers a

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Europe - Bose Professional has announced that hospitality operator Accor has selected Bose Professional as an official global supplier for integrated sound system solutions. All the group’s growing portfolio of properties will incorporate the Bose audio experience.
Bose Professional offers a wide range of solutions specifically designed to enable bespoke audio systems that installed in hotels around the world such as Sofitel Arc de Triomphe in Paris, Le Louis Versailles Château Hotel – MGallery in Versailles and Hôtel Novotel Megève Mont-Blanc in Megève.
“Bose Professional is a world-leading brand and most recognisable in the professional audio space,” stated Manuel Garrido, corporate category manager at Accor. “We are so delighted to offer our franchise partners access to such an impressive range of solutions, providing a variety of features to meet thei

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APAC - Pixotope has announced partnerships with several key broadcast companies in South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, Japan, The Philippines, India, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand and Singapore. Following key staff appointments, the deals follow a number of successful virtual production collaborations using Pixotope in the region.
Together with Pixotope, new distributors TechTwist Corporation, Elevate Broadcast, DB Productions, Great Wheel, Starlight, Bright Media, DongHwa, Mitomo, Kadinche, Jadason, Getop and StageFor will facilitate the adoption of Pixotope’s virtual technology in new regions and broadcast sectors.
Dennis Breckenridge, CEO of Elevate Broadcast, notes, “Pixotope has not only technical superiority but a business model enabling the adoption of virtual technologies into many new markets. We feel that the ease of use, open standard support for plugin

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UK - Robe UK has joined the albert initiative, a BAFTA-owned and industry run organisation dedicated to raising awareness and empowering professionals and companies working in film, television, commercial and other screen-based media productions to operate as sustainably as possible.
One of their aims is to build an accredited network of equipment suppliers, and as a lighting supplier to many rental companies active in these sectors, Robe UK appreciates the value of the albert Initiative’s work as a broader part of the entertainment technology industry.
BAFTA highlights two key responsibilities in helping to reverse climate change, firstly making changes to its own working practices and Awards ceremonies – it hosts the high-profile annual BAFTA Awards celebrating the best British and international contributions to film – and to support and inspire all screen in

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Europe - Manufacturer of innovative 3D audio technology Holoplot has announced its partnership with Creative Technology, adding Holoplot products to Creative Technology’s audio portfolio. This partnership marks the arrival of Holoplot’s audio performance capabilities in the UK.
Consisting of Modul 96 and Modul 80-S, Holoplot’s X1 product line is a new category of sound system, granting users a previously impossible level of control over sound. Holoplot technology provides a broad range of practical and creative capabilities - whether solving challenging acoustics in complex environments or adding authenticity and depth to immersive spaces.
The synergy between Holoplot and Creative Technology was underlined at Creative Technology’s conneCT Open Day in December 2021 - where the company invited a diverse group of designers, creatives, and users from various indust

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Ireland - Dublin-based Magic Kite has grown over the years to become one of the largest audio suppliers on the island. Along with sister company Just Lite, it is a one-stop shop for all technical aspects of a production including lighting, screens and professional audio equipment, delivering productions for international touring artists, festivals and stadium concerts of all sizes.
Magic Kite constantly upgrades its equipment to suit the many levels and specifications, and VDC has been instrumental in equipping the company with the kit required.
Recent provision includes a fully custom designed 48-channel line system, including a 48ch split, upstage looms, satellite boxes, a variety of 24 and 12 pair Veam to Veams, upstage socapex looms, 16a and 32a cables for mains distribution, and panel work.
VDC has also helped Magic Kite carry out a complete overhaul of it
  1. Entedi joins HOF distribution network
  2. NewTek names first Nordic distributor
  3. Claypaky launches sustainability initiative
  4. The Week in Light & Sound
  5. Shure Audio Institute tackles integrated systems
  6. 5 Star Cases addresses mental health stigma
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