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Columbia - Teatro ABC de Bogota has added Claypaky Axcor Spot and Beam 300 fixtures to its rig to light musical and theatrical performances. Audio Concept de Colombia, S.A., Claypaky’s exclusive distributor in the region, advised on the purchase and provided technical support and service following the installation.
Teatro ABC opened in 2016 in northern Bogota as a multi-faceted cultural space; an extensive remodel in 2018 extended seating to almost 1,000 people and upgraded the technology deployed for a wide range of productions.
Lighting designer Dario Rodriguez, whose credits include working with Madonna, Metallica, U2’s 360 Tour and Cirque du Soleil, believed that Claypaky fixtures would optimise the flexible lighting design the venue requires.
“We went for a brand that could give us local support and new technology,” he says. “Claypaky’s Axcor li

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UK - With today’s temperatures hitting around 104F in some areas of the UK - making it the hottest July day on record - St Ives-based Le Mark Group has come up with an inventive way for its production and warehouse operatives to keep cool: Utility kilts.
Stuart Gibbons, Le Mark’s MD comments: “It’s tough for our production team in this heat. I had seen utility kilts being worn by riggers and technicians in Las Vegas, Dubai and Scotland (of course), but thick woollen tartan can be hot. I was happy to offer these ‘supper cool’ and very well ventilated tough cotton utility kilts to all those operatives that wanted them - free of charge, of course!”
Gibbons continues: “Anything we can do to make life a little more comfortable for our production team, we are happy to offer.”
(LSi Online)

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Singapore - AVL Direct has been appointed for rental sales channels for dBTechnologies, part of the RCF Group, while Loud Technologies Asia continues with installation channels and service centre support.
Long-term dBTechnologies partner Loud Technologies Asia continues to service the installation and SI channels and officially takes on the service centre role for Singapore, while AVL Direct under the helm of Colin Oliveiro has been appointed to service the rental sales channels.
VIO, DVA and other touring boxes require very specialised expertise and a company familiar with the unique needs of the touring market and AVL Direct ticks all the boxes, says the company.
“We are happy to partner with a manufacturer that values long term relationships and considers the perception of the customers in the long term,” says Colin Quek, managing director for Loud Technol

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UAE - German wireless LED lighting specialist Astera has appointed NMK Electronics to distribute its products in the GCC region. The company was founded in 1987 to focus on the professional audio, video and lighting industry. From modest beginnings in Sharjah, UEA, it has grown into a leading distributor of professional AV products and musical instruments throughout the Middle East and is now headquartered in Dubai.
Astera’s range of entertainment and architainment LED lighting has been used to illuminate numerous high profile and world-class events.
“Having simple and powerful control of complex lighting programmes and effects coupled with the portability of Astera means that lighting designers can focus on being creative without worrying about potential limitations like cables and rigging,” stated Darren Caithness, lighting business manager - NMK Electronics. <

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South Africa - As live production stages get bigger, heavier and more complicated with equipment suspended above the audience, safety is imperative. Ilan Bahar from Eilon Ron StageMaster recently visited South Africa, and in conjunction with local distributor DWR Distribution, presented load cell demonstrations to a variety of rental companies in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban.
Eilon, a family business, was established over 40 years ago and their safety monitoring systems are used in diverse applications including entertainment stages, aerospace with sales to NASA, wind turbines and shipment weighing to mention a few.
“The Eilon Ron StageMaster concept is very simple,” said Ilan Bahar. “When you hang equipment above people, you have to know the load of every point because there are limitations, such as the limitations of a roof. You have to make sure that yo

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Europe – TSL Lighting Design director, Anthony ‘Turbo’ Hall, has set off on a mammoth 22,000-mile return road trip from Kent to Ulan Ude in Russia to raise money for the technical entertainment charity, Backup.
Turbo set off on Friday 19 July in Poppy - a wholly unsuitable 1000cc Perodua Kanari – with his teammate Abby 'Henri' Cooper. Over the next 12 or so weeks, they will drive through 22 countries.
The car joins a fleet of vehicles as part of the world-famous Mongol Rally. Turbo and Henri have named their intrepid team the Nomadic Numpties, which is certain to be eye-catching as they race through eastern Europe and into lesser travelled terrains towards deepest Russia.
“I’ve known about the Mongol Rally for many years and it's always something I’ve dreamed of doing,” says Turbo. “When the chance arose to enter, we jumped at it. It’s an unsu

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Well-being - Professional musicians will be able to access a face-to-face counselling service as part of a range of services designed to support their mental health. The ISM Members Fund, a sister charity of industry membership body the Incorporated Society of Musicians, will now offer counselling over telephone and in person, including cognitive behavioural therapy.
ISM chief executive Deborah Annetts said: “Looking after your mental health is just as important as your physical health - and we know first-hand from our members the challenges out there for everyday musicians. The music sector has a high level of self-employed workers and in the largely unregulated gig economy, where short-term contracts or freelance work is prevalent, there are high levels of stress and anxiety.”
She said she hoped the new service would help musicians “take control” of their wel

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USA - The Empire State Building has gifted the Audio Engineering Society with one of the 32 elements from its Alford antenna array, which overlooked Manhattan from high above for more than half a century. This piece of FM broadcast history will be on display at AES New York 2019, the 147th Audio Engineering Society International Pro Audio Convention at the Jacob K. Javits Centre in October.
“The Alford Antenna is an important part of what made broadcasting as we know it today possible, and the Empire State Building is excited to share this special piece of history with the Audio Engineering Society,” says Anthony E. Malkin, chairman and CEO of Empire State Realty Trust.
Since its opening in 1931, the Empire State Building has been on the cusp of innovation. When the Alford master FM antenna was installed around the 102nd-floor observation deck of the Empire State

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UK - The MJR Group has partnered with venues in Leeds and Southampton to develop and deliver their live events programmes and operations.
The Warehouse in Leeds will benefit from investment in its production infrastructure, with new staging, audio and lighting systems. The venue, which is marking its 40th anniversary this year, has been a regular venue on the touring circuit in the past, hosting the likes of U2, Oasis, Soft Cell, The Stone Roses and Pulp.
Over in Southampton, Switch, a 1,500-capacity former cinema theatre, has previously welcomed an international string of club and party bands and artists, hosting the likes of Stormzy, DJ EZ, Paul Woolford and Andy C. The MJR Group is planning to introduce live music events at the venue, which is already being refurbished, including new staging, lighting and screens throughout. An internal re-design will turn the club

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UK - Event industry entrepreneur David Walley has acquired Star Events, provider of stages, support structures, rigging and design services.
Star Events has been supplying equipment and services to the events industry for 40 years, working on high-profile events such as British Summer Time Hyde Park, Download Festival, and the visit of Pope Benedict XVI. The company has also worked for artists including Adele, Spice Girls and the Royal Windsor Horse Show.
Walley’s portfolio of event businesses includes event management agency Mobile Promotions, brand partnership agency BluePeg and staffing business Beautiful Minds. He was also managing director of De Boer and has led the Freeman Company in the UK. He comments: “Star is one of the great names of the UK events industry. They have an inspiring legacy and are both trusted and innovative. We are looking forward to int

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UK - Suffolk-based technical event management company W1 Productions has invested in Harman’s JBL VTX A8 compact line array system.
Based on JBL Professional's flagship VTX A-Series loudspeaker technology, the system forms part of a turnkey package including Crown I-Tech HD tour-grade amplifiers, comprehensive accessories pack, and dedicated system configuration and control software. The order was placed by W1 Productions’ owner Stuart Turvill with Sound Technology, the Harman Professional distributors for the UK and Ireland.
W1 Productions is a full-service production house originally established in London’s Wardour Street (The Swiss Centre) in 2000 to service music TV and rock ‘n’ roll touring. Since those early days W1 has moved further east geographically and further into corporate in terms of workload, now servicing a mix of corporate, music and dry hire

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Italy - AMG International has recently purchased 150 Sharpy Plus units, Claypaky's new hybrid lights.
Alex Vinciguerra, general manager of AMG International, reports: “Our initial requirements were to add a high performance light to our range, one which was suitably versatile for our events. In order to choose the equipment which suited our needs best, we carried out a series of comparative tests and asked lighting designers and operators for their opinions. Claypaky's Sharpy Plus was the only one that really had all the features we were looking for, including power, versatility and low weight.”
The Claypaky Sharpy Plus is a fully-fledged hybrid light, with two independent operating modes, weighing only 23kg (50.71lb). In beam mode, its aerial effects stand out thanks to the unit’s extraordinary light output. In spot mode, its light is diffused more evenly allow

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Germany - TSL Production, a full-service event agency has purchased Elation Professional’s new Smarty MAX high-output hybrid moving head, the first to do so worldwide. The company, from Pulheim near Cologne, has ample experience with Elation products with the new Smarty MAX joining TSL Elation inventory of Artiste DaVinci, SixPar 100 IP and DARTZ 360 fixtures.
Frank Schmitz, owner of TSL Production, spoke of the decision to add the Smarty MAX to their inventory. “We sought an all-round moving light for multiple purposes and after numerous tests and shootouts the decision fell on the Smarty MAX. The compact design and application as a spot, beam or wash impressed us. We were convinced of the unit’s CMY colour mixing as well as the fact that you can superimpose different prisms and still have enough output.
“With its numerous features and enormous light output,

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UK - A recent prosecution at Westminster Magistrates’ Court is a stark reminder of just what is at stake when work at height is not properly planned and supervised, says the Ladder Association.
The court heard that a railway maintenance worker suffered significant injuries including a broken collarbone, 11 broken ribs and a punctured lung after falling 4.3m from a ladder while cutting back vegetation. Following the accident, the victim spent 13 days in intensive care during which time he underwent two major operations and now has metal plates pinning his clavicle and ribs. He has been unable to return to his former occupation.
The maintenance contractor pleaded guilty to an offence under the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and was fined £500,000, with £9,896.19 in costs.
The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) investigation found that the site inspection had been i

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UK - The Manchester Central exhibition and conference complex has extended its partnership with technical event production specialist Blitz to be its in-house partner for AV services.
The agreement contracts Blitz, which has worked with Central for 11 years, until 2022.
Carol Gibbs, director of venues for Blitz, comments: “We are thrilled to be selected as Manchester Central’s in-house AV partner for another three years. The venue is a landmark in the city and beyond, and with so many meeting space options to play with, it’s an AV supplier’s dream. We look forward to creating many extraordinary and memorable experiences for both the venue and their clients.”
Sarah Bickerton, director of events at Manchester Central, adds: “We’ve built up a really strong working relationship with the Blitz team and are looking forward to continuing to wor

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World - MA Lighting has continued to follow its strategy against product piracy at recent tradeshows around the globe.
The German lighting console manufacturer carried out similar action in 2018, when it joined forces with Avolites to block infringing companies from exhibiting counterfeit products.
“Copying our products is a crime and will be punished with all legal consequences,” MA has warned in a statement.
The manufacturer recently took action at Prolight+Sound Guangzhou, GET Show, Sound Check Exhibition and Palm Expo India, where counterfeit consoles were removed from the showfloors, while offending stands were shut by officials.
At Prolight+Sound Guangzhou, MA Lighting was supported by show organisers who cooperated with the removal

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USA - It has been an action-packed summer for Bandit Lites with tours and festivals rolling out at a breakneck speed. To keep up with the demand, Bandit has added further GLP fixtures to its touring inventory including JDC1 Strobes, KNV Cubes and X4 Bar 20s.
The X4 Bar 20 is out a large number of Bandit tours in including Garth Brooks with Dave Butzler, Widespread Panic with Paul Hoffman, Jason Aldean with Nick Whitehouse and most recently on Robb Jibson’s design for Chevelle.
The award-winning JDC1 Strobes can be seen on several Bandit systems, including Nick Whitehouse’s rig for Carrie Underwood’s Cry Pretty 360 Tour along, John Lucksinger’s design for ZZ Top’s 50th anniversary tour and Chris Lisle’s Chris Young design.
“When I saw the preview of the JDC1 a few years ago at LDI I knew it would be a hit,” says Jake Tickle, Bandit Lites directo

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UK - Rental and support company Illuminate Lighting has become one of the first in the UK to take delivery of the new LumiNode from Luminex, supplied by exclusive UK distributor A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET).
Jonathan Pask, Illuminate Lighting’s managing director, comments: “I chose to invest in the new LumiNodes because they are the latest generation from Luminex which build on the features and reliability of the previous generation. I have every faith that the new features in the LumiNodes will become invaluable on our future projects.”
Within days of the LumiNodes arriving at Illuminate Lighting, they were sent straight out as part of a control system for a high-profile event. Jonathan’s experience with Luminex gave him confidence that the brand new LumiNodes would perform without a worry.
Jonathan continues: “We use Luminex products as the

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UK - Five years on from the original 14 teams and £7,000 raised, Kartfest 2019, the charity fundraiser organised by Backup, raised £28,300 with 34 teams taking part in the event.
With a diverse mix of manufactures, rental companies, agencies and end-clients arriving at Daytona at Surrey’s Sandown Park each year, Kartfest has become a must attend annual event for the entertainment technology industry.
The 2019 headline sponsor was Chauvet, with further support from Autograph, Creative Technology, The Technical Department, IPS, JPP bars and Heli-Teli as production partners.
“We have really established this day as a date for all of the industry to come together and meet up, race and raise an amazing amount of money for Backup and subsequently the industry,” says Kartfest organiser and Backup trustee Lee Dennison. “And the support from our sponsor and prod

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UK - ETC has appointed multi-disciplinary controls systems and lighting design firm 3LR Lighting as a representative organisation in the UK.
The company will act as an ‘additional resource’ to ETC’s dealer network, with the aim to promote ETC’s architectural products, which include the recently-acquired ArcSystem, BluesSystem and CueSystem ranges from GDS.
The Somerset-based business is helmed by a team that features former GDS MD Matthew Lloyd in the role of director of global business. “He brings over 30 years of experience in the industry with a thorough knowledge of the architectural market place and its future direction. His previous experience of successfully developing the ArcSystem, BluesSystem and CueSystem sales path provides a strong foundation for progressing ETC’s architectural business in the UK,” says ETC in a statement.
Lloyd comments

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Park Life - Bob Dylan and Neil Young co-headlined a UK gig for the first time in London's Hyde Park last weekend. "I've never played in daylight before," joked Young, who went on stage first, adding: "It's great to see everybody."
The event, which was originally billed as part of the Barclaycard presents BST series, went ahead as a solo concert without any sponsorship. That's after he refused to perform at a festival bearing the name of what he called "a fossil fuel-funding entity".
Young and Dylan had played on-stage together previously in 1992 - alongside George Harrison and Eric Clapton - at a New York gig to mark 30 years of the American's music, and before that at The Band's last-ever gig in 1976, which was captured on film by Martin Scorsese in The Last Waltz. Whispers murmured around Hype Park that it could happen again during Dylan's set, but it was not

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Russia - EM Acoustics has sealed an exclusive distribution agreement for Russia with AV equipment supplier Hi-Tech Media.
The Moscow company was founded in 2011 and focused on the congress, conferencing and public address markets but has since expanded into the AV market and is positioned among the leading suppliers, representing over 40 brands and working closely with over 600 dealers throughout Russia and CIS.
“We are proud to start our collaboration with EM Acoustics,” says Pavel Shemiakin, professional audio systems brand manager at Hi-Tech Media. “Their systems sound amazing! Incredibly accurate, responsive, and natural with excellent dynamics and great headroom. With EM Acoustics, we can supply our partners with high-performance line array elements that are capable of covering five-digit capacity venues. In addition to their excellent line array solutions,

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Poland - Ayrton has appointed Lunatec as its new exclusive distributor for Poland.
Warsaw-based Lunatec was formed by CEO Michał Bisikiewicz and sales manager Adrian Gediga last December with the sole purpose of distributing the full range of Ayrton products in Poland. Bisikiewicz has over 20 years of experience in the sales and lighting equipment rental in Poland, particularly in broadcast, while Gediga brings an equal pedigree from 20 years of experience in Germany, where he worked for Ayrton’s former German distributor, VisionStage.
Linnea Ljungmark, international sales for Ayrton, comments: “The fact that Lunatec was founded to distribute Ayrton says it all. We have the moving lights and they have the local network and energy to strongly move forward - a perfect match.”
Bisikiewicz adds: “Ayrton has always been a stand-out company and its presence at

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Germany - Full service events provider Prisma has recently invested in the Prolights Gallery Eclipse range of LED ellipsoidals.
Bielefeld-based Prisma has been providing light, sound and media technology equipment to a range of events for more than 20 years. In late 2018, the company decided to invest in energy efficient LED technology zoom profile luminaires, choosing 120 Prolights Gallery Eclipse fixtures as the right fit due to the lights’ pleasing aesthetic features and zoom flexibility along with high CRI output.
Prisma's owner, Walter Helms, comments: "The Prolights Gallery Eclipse units were the obvious choice because of the combination of elegant design, high build quality, extremely clean cut-off of the four barn doors, not to mention the outstanding light output being comparable to a 650W halogen profiler. The small mini-profile spot light allows for great
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