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UK - Avolites is spearheading an alliance between major lighting console and media server manufacturers to combat the growing threat of counterfeiting.
“We have a unique opportunity to join forces with our genuine rivals to form a united front against forgers who are reverse engineering our products and stealing our IP,” says Avolites’ sales director, Koy Neminathan. “We relish competition from other innovative, authentic manufacturers, as this drives forward new features and products - it’s great that we can team up in this way to stamp out those who are threatening not only our individual businesses but our entire industry.
“However, we do not welcome competition from fake companies who produce substandard copies of our kit. When these fraudulent products make their way into the supply chain it’s not just the originating manufacturer that suffers, but a

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Visa Summit - The Scottish government has announced its intention to hold a summit exploring concerns around the visa difficulties faced by foreign artists performing at cultural events including the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
The announcement of an “international festivals visa summit” came from cabinet secretary Fiona Hyslop during a debate at Holyrood on the impact of the UK government’s hard-line visa controls on Edinburgh’s festivals. Hyslop has responsibility for both culture and external affairs, including immigration. She said: “The current visa application processes for visitors coming to Scotland for international events is lengthy, complex and costly, with attendees sometimes spending thousands of pounds on visas and associated costs for a visit that might only last a few days.”
The debate was led by MSP Gordon MacDonald, who earlier this week wa

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Belgium - ADC is a full technical production rental company based in Zaventem near Brussels airport in Belgium, and is a recent investor in Robe LED moving lights with the purchase of 20 x Spiiders, 24 Spikies and eight DL7S Profiles which were delivered by Benelux distributor Controllux.
ADC was founded 27 years ago by Daniel van Ruyssevelt, specialising in large format projection back in the days of scrolling projectors. When this discipline went digital, they upgraded all the technology and became strong in corporate and special events, conferences, and outdoor spectaculars and performances.
As the business developed, ADC found an increasing demand for providing lighting as part of a more comprehensive ‘visuals’ package, and then sound was also added to the production packages.
The initial lights purchased were generics, followed by the first generation of

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The Netherlands - Elation Europe will be holding a training day dedicated to Obsidian Control Systems’ Onyx lighting control platform on 3 July at the company’s European headquarters in Kerkrade.
The Onyx foundation training, running from 9:00am to 5:00pm, will take users from console start-up through software layout to patching and running a basic show, with the objective to gain confidence in patching and running a show from scratch while acquiring a basic understanding of features. Features to be covered include software layout and philosophy, patching, creating, changing and deleting groups, changing and deleting pre-sets, cue lists and chases. The cost is €150.00 (excluding VAT if applicable) and includes a NX-DMX interface for every participant. Participants should bring a laptop to run w

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UK/USA - TAIT has announced that motion control systems specialist Kinesys has joined the TAIT group of companies.
The two companies will continue to operate as separate brands with all the existing contact details and staff remaining in place.
TAIT and Kinesys will be working to link their automation technologies in order to allow Kinesys products to be integrated in TAIT shows and installations, whilst Kinesys will make TAIT technology, including automation and show control platform, TAIT Navigator, available through its global sales and distributor network.
Dave Weatherhead, CEO of Kinesys, comments: “I have long admired the amazing work that the team at TAIT have delivered over the years. From ground-breaking touring shows to epic installations they really have earned their reputation for quality and innovation. Being able to bring that magic to our Kinesy

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Europe - The Audio Engineering Society (AES) has announced that AES Vienna 2020, the 148th AES international pro audio convention, will be held on 25-28 May at the Austria Centre Vienna.
Convention co-chairs are Piotr Majdak (senior researcher in acoustics at the Austrian Academy of Sciences’ Acoustics Research Institute) and Nadja Wallaszkovits (chief audio engineer for the Phonogrammarchiv sound archives of the Austrian Academy of Sciences and 2019 AES President), who will oversee the convention’s technical programme, exhibition and society functions, in conjunction with an assembled team of industry professionals, students and event partners and sponsors.
For end users, researchers, educators and students, AES Vienna will be the place to commemorate the International Year of Sound and explore A World of Audio with audio professionals and peers from around

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UK - PLASA has released the Lightning Guidance for Outdoor Events, a handbook that provides practical advice on managing lightning risk, crowd safety and the protection of temporary structures, electrical equipment and power systems.
The guidance aims to assist those involved in the production and management of outdoor events in making informed decisions when faced with threats from lightning strikes.
“The dangers of lightning are widely understood, however the level of threat at outdoor events where large crowds gather is often overlooked,” says PLASA in a statement. “This has been a growing concern due to the increase of outdoor events and number of people exposed.”
To create the guidance, PLASA worked alongside The Event Safety Shop, Star Events Ltd, IMG, Omega Red Group, Aggreko, Ken Law Safety Ltd, BBC Safety, the Emergency Planning College,

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UK - JHS has launched its latest UK Pro Audio trade catalogue and price list.
The catalogue, designed to help dealers with selecting and ordering lines from the company’s vast brand portfolio, will be available as a spiral-bound copy as well as in electronic format via the trade area of the JHS website.
JHS offers a wide range of speakers and monitors, microphones and wireless systems and amplifiers from brands including HK Audio, Lab.gruppen, CAD Audio, Kam, Floyd Rose, Xvive, Kinsman, On-Stage and iDance.
(Jim Evans)

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UK - Brompton Technology reports that it has been ranked in the fifth annual Sunday Times World First SME Export Track 100 league table.
The SME Export Track 100 ranks Britain’s 100 small and medium-sized (SME) companies that have achieved the fastest-growing international sales over the last two years. Compiled by Fast Track it was published in The Sunday Times on 26 May and will be celebrated at an awards dinner in September.
Brompton has achieved considerable growth over the past two years, with sales of its Tessera SX40 4K LED processor and XD Data Distribution units playing a significant part in its international success, with both products seeing impressive uptake from production companies in the US, Australia and across Europe.
“From the outset, Brompton has worked with partners all round the world and it is particularly pleasing to receive rec

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Europe - Martin Audio has appointed Audio-Technica Iberia as its distributor in Spain, effective 1 June.
The partnership had been put in place at ISE in February and confirmed at Prolight+Sound in April. It follows the appointment of Audio-Technica Germany as Martin Audio’s German distributor in September 2018.
Audio-Technica Iberia MD, Sylvain Hochart, comments: “We were looking for a premium loudspeaker brand with pedigree and high value. Martin Audio was our number one choice - particularly after the new arrangement had started so positively in Germany.”
Bradley Watson, Martin Audio international sales director, adds: “A pan-European deal was always part of the plan, with the advantage of a single point ordering process. Audio-Technica Iberia has a very good network of territory specialists and collectively they bring a lot of experience. We look forwa

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China/Czech Republic - The Milos Product Academy has recently carried out two successful workshops in the Czech Republic and China.
The Czech Product Academy, held on 2-3 May at the Milos HQ and factory in Roudnice nad Labem, focused strictly on Milos products. More than 30 participants were in attendance from European countries that included the Czech Republic, United Kingdom, Germany, Norway, Finland, Estonia, Sweden and Denmark.
The Academy’s programme included presentations of new Milos products; presentations about truss; truss loading demonstrations; a tour of the factory, and a robust Q&A session at the end of the second day. A fun evening with Czech food and beverages was also enjoyed between the two days of the workshop, the company reports.
A week later, the Product Academy moved to the Milos office and factory in Guangzhou, China. Unlike the Cz

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USA - Yamaha Commercial Audio will host two sessions as part of the AVIXA seminar programme at InfoComm 2019.
Yamaha: Network Boot Camp for AV Professionals and Audio Insights in Hospitality and Retail will address key technical and business aspects of audio networking and installed audio systems.
Addressing the technical aspects of networking and the decisions which need to be taken for installed audio systems in hospitality, retail and other public-facing environments, these sessions will be presented by senior product specialists Andy Cooper and Karl Christmas, both well-known faces from Yamaha’s Audioversity training programme.
The seminars will be open to all InfoComm seminar and workshop package holders on a first-come, first -served basis, so advance registration is essential.
“An important part of Yamaha’s training initiative is

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Denmark - Load monitoring company Eilon Engineering has announced that Matrix Sales will begin to distribute Eilon products in Denmark. Under terms of the agreement, Matrix Sales will provide full sales and support for the complete range of Eilon Ron StageMaster load monitoring solutions used to protect audiences and performers from dangerous overloads.
Matrix Sales has extensive experience in distributing professional audio, lighting, AV and stage equipment to the Danish market, serving both rental and installation customers across a wide spectrum of applications.
“Matrix Sales is always looking for the best solution for its customers and therefore the choice of Eilon is quite natural,” says Urs Friis-Alstrup, sales manager light/staging at Matrix Sales. “Load safety is an ever greater concern and we believe that Eilon provides the most professional tools for o

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UK - PLASA will deliver two professional development training sessions dedicated to voice alarm systems and loudspeaker installation.
Basic audio system design is taking place on 3 July (Wednesday) at White Light’s Jubilee Way HQ in London. It will be hosted by audio consultants Roland Hemming and Richard Northwood and will focus on how to calculate loudspeaker spacing, how to select suitable amplification and signal processing options, and how to document design correctly. Delegates will be able to deepen their understanding of audio theory, product types, system architecture, audio coverage and basic modelling software.
The event is ideal for live events engineers who wish to branch into the installations sector, as well as in-house

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UK - Security and enforcement specialist Interforce (formerly TSG) has been chosen to provide uniformed patrols to ensure public safety and the prevention of crime and disorder at Henley Festival this summer.
Production manager John Harris met Interforce at Event Buyers Live and brought the company into Henley Festival’s restructured security model; designed to maintain its acclaimed customer service provision.
John Harris comments: “We hope that Interforce, which is trained to a higher level than SIA, with a police style approach, will respond to our audience and ensure we continue to meet the high standards Henley Festival is renowned for.”
The Interforce rebrand distinguishes the company’s events/venues/public spaces remit from the police’s Tactical/Territorial Support Group arm, which is also abbreviated to TSG.
At Henley, Interforce office

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Three audio hardware and software solutions providers have joined forces under a new umbrella organisation, Audio Squadron.
Tracktion Corporation, the makers of music production software Waveform, and audio product developer 2JW Design have combined with Prism Sound and Sadie in a bid to increase investment and produce “a unique shared creative environment”.
The companies say in a statement: “The resulting pro audio powerhouse brings together all the diverse, highly-skilled workforces and technical expertise of these renowned global brands enabling them to accelerate innovation, development and the cross fertilization of ideas.”
Prism Media Products retains the test and measurement equipment business and will continue to supply leading manufacturers worldwide.
“We are excited by the multitude of opportunities offered by this collaboration,” comments J

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Egypt - Ayrton has appointed Q-Light Egypt to its international distributors network. Q-Light will distribute the full portfolio of Ayrton’s LED profile, wash, spot and effects luminaires in Egypt.
The distribution company was founded by CEO Walid Bahnasy and partners. Bahnasy has over 10 years of experience with international production companies and TV channels, including as lighting designer, director of photography and cameraman, and has worked on productions such as Who Wants to be a Millionaire, Deal or No Deal and the Doha Debates.
He is a former supervisor and team leader of the lighting departments in the region’s biggest TV networks - MBC, Qatar Foundation, BBC, Aljazeera media network and BeIn Group.
Chris Ferrante, Ayrton CEO, comments: “We are very happy to welcome Q-Light into the Ayrton family. Knowing that Walid, an acc

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Plastic Ban - The world's largest concert promoter, Live Nation, says it will eliminate single-use plastics at its venues and festivals by 2021. In the UK, that means events like Reading and Leeds, Wireless, Latitude and Download will go plastic free. It's part of a push to achieve zero waste at Live Nation's clubs, concert halls and venues by 2030.
The pledge comes after independent British festivals like Glastonbury and Bestival vowed to cut plastic waste. Glastonbury has announced it will not sell single-use plastic water bottles this year, owing to concerns about their impact on the environment. While Bestival, Boardmasters and Kendal Calling were among 61 festivals who signed up to the Drastic on Plastic initiative last year, pledging to rid their sites of single-use plastic by 2021.
They have also called on retailers such as Argos and Tesco to stop marketi

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India - Waves Audio will be presenting the eMotion LV1 digital mixing solution at the upcoming PALM Sound & Light Summit. The presentation will take place between 15.30-16.30 on 30 May (Thursday) at the Bombay Exhibition Centre in Goregaon.
The eMotion LV1 Live Mixer is modular and can be adjusted according to the user’s mixing and business requirements.
Involved in the presentation will be Ravisankar Nadiyam (Waves regional sales manager), Pravin Muralidhar (FOH for Neha Kakkar and Jonita Gandhi) and Supratik Subramanian (FOH for MADBOY/MINK and The Fanculos).
(Jim Evans)

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Australia - Rental company Creative Productions has recently added 50 Robe MegaPointes to its stock of moving lights.
The purchase follows the company’s move into a new a 3,000sq.m HQ, warehouse and office space in Molendinar on Australia’s Gold Coast
Creative Productions had first invested Robe lights around three and a half years ago. The inventory now includes BMFL Spots, Blades and WashBeams, Spiider LED wash beams and Spikies, soon to be joined by the MegaPointes in time for the winter season.
The latest units - most of the BMFLs, all the Spiiders and Spikies and now the MegaPointes - have been delivered by Jands, Robe’s Australian distributor.
The new MegaPointes will be for stock as well as some imminent festivals like Splendour in the Grass 2019, a music and arts festival set in the picturesque North Byron Parklands for which Creative provide

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UK - The deadline to nominate products for the Association of British Theatre Technicians’ (ABTT) awards is fast approaching, say the organisers.
Bestowed by peers and industry experts each year at the ABTT Theatre Show in June, the awards - including Product Awards for Engineering, Sound, & Lighting and the award for Widget of the Year - are open to any company or individual whose products have been “substantially new” to the market during the last 12 months and are available for purchase, immediate delivery and use.
An award for ABTT Theatre Show Stand of the Year is open to 2019 show exhibitors only.
To be considered, the entries must be available for adjudication during the first day of the ABTT Theatre Show on 5 June (Wednesday) at London’s Alexa

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China - K-array's K-academy took its teachings on the road for a week of seminars throughout China in Beijing, Hangzhou and Shanghai that covered Large Venue Sound System Design hosted by K-array China.
At each stop, K-array China were able to give attendees a complete K-experience with product presentations and demos of its Installed Sound, Portable Systems and Concert Series lines. K-array Global president and co-founder Alex Tatini and live sound product specialist Klaus Hausherr were present to provide a detailed introduction to the Italian manufacturer's product design concept for large venues.
In particular, the K-academy trainers explained the advantages of Electronic Beam Steering, Pure Array Technology and Slim Array Technology featured in their loudspeakers from a technical perspective and included real time demonstrations using EaseFocus software base

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Australia - Sydney-based event production and management company AGB Events has announced plans to expand, bringing its vision and talents to festivals, museums, cultural/heritage celebrations and other events and locations around the world.
AGB Events was founded in 2006 by Anthony Bastic, who has spent decades in the entertainment and events industry, including as creative director for the Sydney 2000 Olympic and Paralympic Games Live Sites and the recent Invictus Games Sydney 2018. Bastic is best known as curator of Destination NSW’s annual Vivid Light Sydney.
“We specialise in imagining, producing and delivering cutting edge creative and cultural event concepts. AGB Events has a long track record of developing unique content that engages audiences in superb spectacles,” says Bastic, “and we plan to bring our extensive expertise and skills to organisations

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India - QSC is celebrating the inauguration of its new SAARC headquarters in Bengaluru. The new 9,270sq.ft office serves as a business development, management and support hub for QSC systems, live sound and cinema businesses in the region. It also acts as a training and demonstration area and includes a 13,760sq.ft terrace for customer events.
“Over the last few years, QSC has been dedicated to growing its international presence, and this new entity is a crucial piece of that strategy,” says Markus Winkler, SVP, EMEA South Asia, & managing director QSC EMEA GmbH. “As we continue to experience tremendous growth in SAARC year-over-year in all our business units, this dedicated facility will allows us to accelerate our growth trajectory in the coming years.”
“Our business partners in SAARC have been instrumental in our success and will continue to be our mai
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  2. Hong Kong’s ViuTV adds Calrec consoles
  3. Motion Labs joins ETCP initiative
  4. DWR hosts dot2 training in Cape Town
  5. Verizon upgrades studios to IP with Lawo
  6. European EtherCAT Plug Fest success
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