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14 March 2016

The new company, SGM A/S, which replaces the former SGM Technology for Lighting spa, will be headquartered in Aabyhøj, near Aarhus, Denmark, and will concentrate exclusively on developing LED solutions, while continuing to support SGM's current catalogue of discharge lighting.

For Peter Johansen, the man who originally founded Martin Professional, and who joined SGM in late 2010 as R&D director, the buyout provides the opportunity to spearhead his own company again, dedicated to LED development in the entertainment and architectural segments.

For RCF Group, by divesting themselves of the lighting interest they purchased in April 2009, the company can focus on its core audio brand, and build on

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14 March 2016

PLASA Focus: Leeds 2012 looks forward to welcoming a record number of visitors to the fourth annual PLASA Focus event at the Royal Armouries in Leeds, on Tuesday 17 and Wednesday 18 April - as PLASA Events confirm that visitor registration to date is already up 100% on 2011. Building on the success of the two-day educational programme from previous years, PLASA Events is delighted to announce the launch of the new PLASA Focus Professional Development Programme: a series of free seminars and demonstrations delivered by some of the industry's leading experts.

Events manager Sophie Atkinson confirmed, "As promised, we are bringing a broad choice of sessions to Leeds, including a look at some exciting regional pr

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14 March 2016

According to Nielsen, the company that tracks TV viewing figures, the football game was the most watched show in US history. However, TV network NBC and the National Football League (NFL) apologised on behalf of rapper M.I.A, who appeared as a featured artist during Madonna's set. The British hip hop musician raised her middle finger whilst facing the camera during the performance. The picture was temporarily scrambled, but it came too l

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14 March 2016

The monumental Grande Galerie de l'Evolution, opened in 1889, is the centrepiece of the many buildings and sites making up the expansive French national museum of natural history. Its spacious central hall features a magnificent glass canopy above an equally impressive interior. The building houses an extensive collection of artefacts dating all the way back to Louis XIII who became King of France in 1610.

Pierre de Cazenove, head of operations and planning for exhibits at the museum, and his staff have developed a new energy saving lighting concept in collaboration with LumenRadio's French distributor AVAB Transtechnik.

An ETC Unison Mosaic controller was selected for

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14 March 2016

The appointment of Vaktvesenet AS as an international partner gives live event and venue clients across Norway access to Mojo's products and expertise.

Frank Klaveness, operations manager Vaktvesenet said, "The partnership officially began on 1 January this year and was the result of strong demand from the local Norwegian market. We are very pleased to be working with Mojo Barriers, and bringing their products and experience to events in the region.

"Mojo is already well known in Norway as the leading stage barrier and crowd control company and many acts tour with their own systems, which we will now be able to supplement with additional barriers.

"To enable maximum market reach we have formulated our own partnership with gl

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14 March 2016

Mark White, ETC's regional Manager for UK and Ireland, joined actress Linda Marlowe on stage at the Theatre Royal Stratford East to present the award to Hudson, for his lighting of Burlesque at Jermyn Street and both Ragtime and Hired Man at the Landor.

The Off West End Theatre Awards were launched in 2010 to recognise and celebrate the excellence, innovation and ingenuity of independent theatres across London. The awards help raise the profile and status of independent theatres in London by giving them greater power to promote their work individually and collectively and to reward the new talent that they nurture.

ETC also sponsored the award for best sound designer, which was awarded to Neil Alexander for Snake in The Grass at The Print Room.

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14 March 2016

PALME Middle East exhibition director Richard Brook brings the added experience of having piloted last year's inaugural Middle East EVENT Show. Attracting professionals from both the corporate (MICE) and concert staging sectors, organisers, Informa Exhibitions, will this year run the two events side by side at DICEC - and Brook believes this will create "an enormous synergy".

However, he adds, "While the live event market contributes millions of dollars to the local economy, the AV integration sector is also enjoying a period of growth right across the GCC." This has enabled Informa to place heavy focus on Install-ME, the long-running vertical show that operates under the PALME Middle

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14 March 2016

Both numbers are the highest ever achieved by ISE, with the exhibitor total representing a 15% jump on 2011, while the attendee increase was just over 17%. The show also broke new ground in other areas, say the organisers, with net floor space exceeding 30,000sq.m, and the number of people registering for ISE's conference, education and pre-show event programme passing the 2,000 mark for the first time.

"ISE is now clearly established as the best-attended event of its kind anywhere in the world," comments Mike Blackman, managing director, Integrated Systems Events. "To be able to post record numbers in every key ar

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14 March 2016

The settings for the product demonstrations were EVI Audio's 600sq.m demo hall and the presentation room. Aaron Chisena (product manager, Electro-Voice Mobile Audio) and Markus Schmittinger (product marketing manager, Electro-Voice) introduced guests to the new ZXA1-Sub, a 12-inch powered subwoofer from Electro-Voice. When paired with the ZXA-1 eight-inch two-way powered loudspeaker this subwoofer forms a compact PA that is at the same time light an

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14 March 2016

To provide a punchy yet versatile background to proceedings, the set design for the World Cup broadcasts replaced a conventional printed, brightly lit backdrop with a 20m wide rear-projection screen lit using four Christie L2K1500 15,000 lumenprojectors soft-edge blended together to create a 180 degree digital canvasthat wrapped around the rostra that housed the presenters and pundit team.

"The Christie projectors provided a lot of punch and incredibly vibrant colours, really bringing the background to life and ensuring that Stuart Gain, the lighting designer, didn't have to com

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14 March 2016

Create a lighting design with wysiwyg R28, then make a video using R28's Cue List and Camera Path features. Be as creative as you want, just make your video two minutes and use R28's features only. You get to be the lighting designer, the producer and the director for this challenge, says the company.

Entries will be voted upon by two groups: CAST's pick (a small panel chosen by CAST) and the People's Choice (where your peers and friends can Twitter their vote for you to CAST). Winners will be notified in advance and announced at Prolight + Sound 2012 in Frankfurt.

For a full list of rules and details, visit www.cast-soft.com

(Jim Evans)

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14 March 2016

The band certainly approved of what they were hearing from their side of the glass, and Audient's Steve Flower was at the controls to enable visitors to experience the sound and features of the console first hand. "It was an intense few hours, as there was a constant stream of people coming to listen. I'm very pleased the console is so intuitive and rewarding to use," he says.

The one day event took place in Studio 2 and the live room at the new SAE studio facility near Shoreditch, welcoming industry dignitaries including engineers, producers and studio owners, as well as SAE students and representatives from the education sector wher

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14 March 2016

As part of its programme of corporate social responsibility, DB is supporting St Francis Orphanage through financial donations to the charity Inter Care - Medical Care for Africa, which collects returned patient medicines from GP practices in the UK. After a screening process, suitable medicines are then sent to health units in Africa. The children at the orphanage are among those that benefit from these medicines.

David Bulley, managing director of DB Systems, said, "We are fortunate to be in a country where if we fall ill there is medication available to help us recover. Unfortunately, this is not the case for many people in other parts of the world. Inter Care does an incredible job of providing medication to Africa and I'

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14 March 2016

The latest Kroc Centre, recently opened in North Philadelphia, is one of the largest facilities of its kind on the East Coast. Its 130,000sq.ft includes a world-class aquatics centre, fitness centre, worship and performing arts facilities, café and culinary education centre, as well as a wide range of programmes for kids, adults and senior citizens.

Powerful sound was a big part of the plan for the facility, explains RTS Unified Communications' Joe Zamborsky. RTS specified a selection of Community Professional Loudspeakers for the project, including R-Series, WET-Series and CLOUD6 in-ceiling systems to cover th

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14 March 2016

Dodd Technologies of Pendleton, IN used the Platinum Beams and Elation ELAR 108 PARs to create a dazzling lighting design that transformed Georgia Street into "a magical Super Bowl Village experience" for the many visitors that descended on the city for the big game.

All in all, over 600 Elation Fixtures were used in Super Bowl and Super Bowl related events over the weekend. In addition to the Platinum Beam 5Rs and ELARs, these included the ELED Tri 56, the Design Wash LED 60, the Platinum Wash LED Zoom, the TVL3000, the Flex Tape and the EPV 762MH moving head video panel.

"This was a very exciting weekend," said Eric Loader, director of sales for Elation Professional who was in Indianapolis duri

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14 March 2016

Dirty Rigger's product manager Steve Marshall says, "For more than 60 years Hollywood Lighting Services has been dedicated to providing the customer with exceptional service and superior equipment, for us to be working with them in the US is a great step forward."

As well as distributing the range, Hollywood Lights has also worked with the Dirty Rigger design and production team to specifically tailor the gloves for the US market. Enhancing the gloves to work better under the various environments they're subjected to and making subtle but hugely effective changes to their design.

(Jim Evans)

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14 March 2016

Showcasing for the first time will be Martin's new MAC III AirFX moving head along with two new lighting controllers in the M-series, the M2GO and M2PC.

Several other products will also be on display at Martin booth 707 including the award-winning MAC Aura and popular MAC 101™ moving heads, as well as Martin's high-performance EC-10 LED display panel and Jem K1 Hazer.

The new MAC III AirFX is a highly versatile beam, effects and wash luminaire in one and is the latest high-performance 1500-watt moving head in Martin's popular MAC III family. Capable of projecting a dense, hard-edge beam with stunning mid-air aerial effects, the MAC III AirFX's unique optical system allows it to adjust from a

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14 March 2016

In August, Ahlstrand created a new design for the American band's latest outing, a tour that saw them hit many of the same cities as the previous tour. "That's why we needed to change the design," Ahlstrand explains, who first started working with the band in late 2008. "We wanted to keep the look fresh so we incorporated some new looks using some new gear like the MAC III Performance."

Central to set designer Jordan Coopersmith's setup is a larger-than-life set piece of the band's logo, a 56' wide x 18' tall Death Bat. "There is a lot of pyro throughout the show and the Death Bat also catches fire in every way you could possibly i

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14 March 2016

The DLX Spot was entered into the 'Lighting' category by Robe's French distributor, Paris-based Axente.

The Awards were judged by an independent panel of industry experts, including lighting designers, technical and creative directors and representatives from top rental companies - who closely examined each nominated product, before conferring and making their final decisions.

(Jim Evans)

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14 March 2016

The premier stage application was a huge LED screen, comprising 1,326 Barco 6 mm ILite 6 BK LED boxes and covering 273 m2. The show also used eight super-bright, 20,000 lumens FLM HD20 projectors. HD images were shot on a second supporting screen, coordinating with the programmes. Working in close cooperation with audio-video technology companies such as Raysee, CTV Technology, Garwin, HPCL, Really AV, Huelead and Bright, Barco was able to deliver a fully integrated installation for the show.

In addition, the show used a large number of high-definition video display sources, and these HD signals (HD/SDI and DVI) were generated by Barco's

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14 March 2016

Originally opened in 1930, the fully refurbished 800-capacity Hall was reopened in 2010 having fallen into disuse for nearly 30 years. The venue now hosts a busy rota of live music, as well as a vast range of events from conferences and parties to vintage fashion events.

"We chose iLive for several reasons," explains Dan Turner, events operations manager at Islington Assembly Hall. "Firstly, it sounds great and much better than many other digital desks out there. Allen & Heath clearly spent a lot of time getting the preamps right. It is also an incredibly versatile system in the way it works, and pretty much any input or output can be configured

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14 March 2016

The Anniversary Halls, now in full daily use, is a spectacular modern building housing a major new set of facilities for sport and the arts including a 320-seat auditorium for drama, music and dance productions. Consultancy firm Theatre Projects were called in to design the theatre systems for the main auditorium, for which TPC consultant John Riddell specified an EM Acoustics PA system.

The brief was to create a versatile space that can serve multiple uses efficiently, while being simple enough to be transformed and operated by just a couple of key staff members at the school. The auditorium

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14 March 2016

The awards ceremony, hosted this year by BBC 6 Music's Stuart Maconie & BBC 5 Live's Danny Baker promises to be an entertaining show honouring the hard work of companies represented in the 30 award categories as well as a great opportunity to network in a relaxed atmosphere with some of the best in the industry.

Sponsoring the awards is also a fun and easy way to support the live production industry that ShowTex is an integral part of, says the company. The drape, tracks, and motion systems specialist supplied custom manufactured stage curtains and one of a kind flameproof fabric constructions over the past year for performances of Take That, Iron Maiden, Prince, Sting, Batman Live, designs by Es Devlin a

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14 March 2016

The main fundraising event for these charities, By Design Day focuses attention on the various ways that individuals can support the two organisations that are dedicated solely to helping entertainment technology professionals in need. Many make personal donations, some hold collections at their places of work and often designers support the day by voluntarily giving a day's royalties to one or both of these charities. Light Relief assists those involved in the UK lighting industry while Behind the Scenes aids professionals based in the US and Canada working in any area of the entertainment technology industry.

By Design Day 2012 has the full backing of a host of award-winning design