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World - L8 LLC (formerly LightConverse) has launched its 2019 show design competition, the L8 Challenge.
The contest requires designers to use L8's previs software, a free version of which has been made available from 1 March via the L8 website. Prizes include licenses of the L8 software suites: Unlimited, Trace, Media and Net.
L8 will announce the winners of the challenge on Thursday, 4 April at L8's stand B58 in hall 12.1 at Prolight+Sound in Frankfurt.
Dmitriy Giventar, the creator of the L8 software, comments: “This year’s challenge is for everyone. On March 1, we will publish a special version on the website which is equal to the NET license of the L8 software, but works for a month free of charge ,so anyone can create a project up to 512 fixtures us

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Catastrophic - Equity, the UK trade union for creative practitioners, has written an open letter to MPs urging them to prevent a no-deal Brexit, warning that leaving the EU with no agreement would be “catastrophic” for the entertainment industry. It states that no deal is “simply unconscionable” and “must be prevented at all costs”.
The letter is signed by Christine Payne, general secretary of Equity, and is jointly written by other unions. It reads: “The political chaos of the last few years has led us to the brink of a no-deal Brexit that would have a catastrophic impact on our economy and society. The information we hear from our members in industries affected by Brexit makes it clear that no deal is simply unconscionable and must be prevented at all costs.”
Harnessing Technology - Music teaching could be left behind in an outdated acoustic ag

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UK - Stage Electrics has been appointed as the UK distributor for Admiral Staging Products.
Based in the Netherlands, Admiral has been offering staging essentials globally since 1986. Its product range includes stage and rigging accessories, truss transportation devices, clamps and couplers, along with cables and connectors.
The Stage Electrics sales teams have undergone product training from Admiral, enabling them to offer the best solutions to meet the clients’ needs.
“We have decided to stock Admiral as their equipment fits into our inventory perfectly” comments Anna Western, sales director of Stage Electrics. “Admiral’s wide range of clever solutions is now available to our customers. With over £30,000 of stock on the shelf, and having received fantastic responses from our client base, we are looking forward to working alongside Admiral and build

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UK - Power Logistics has vowed to provide power monitoring equipment and post-show energy breakdown reports to all of its 2019 projects as part of a sustainability initiative.
The monitoring will provide clients with realtime data on energy consumption and help drive power and fuel efficiencies, acting to minimise carbon footprint at live events.
Monitoring will be ‘live’ during events, with adjustments made where necessary. Once the event comes to an end, the data collected will be used to produce a report that will provide event organisers with a breakdown of the energy usage.
Mike Whitehouse, Power Logistics’ managing director explains: “Offering an effective power monitoring solution to clients has been a key objective for the last few years. Having realtime information on energy usage across all areas of an event site is a powerful tool for event or

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UK - Sparq, the technical event production arm of the Saville Group, has underlined its longstanding relationship with KV2 Audio with an investment in 30 new units from the ESD and EX ranges. As an early adopter, the company has made regular additions to its KV2 rental stock since purchasing one of the very first ES systems 17 years ago.
Destined for their Coventry, Leeds and Manchester branches, the recent delivery takes Sparq’s overall hire inventory to a total of 80 KV2 passive ESD Series units (ESD 5,6,36,10 and EMS 26) and 60 KV2 active EX Series cabinets (EX 6, 10, 26, and EX 1.2). This is in addition to the original ES system that remains fully operational.
“In an ever-changing market with manufacturers coming and going, and the latest trends and re-inventions being touted as the next best thing, such loyalty to a brand shows how KV2’s unchanging and unco

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Australia - DirectOut is establishing a cooperation with tm stagetec systems as their new distributor. The two companies will be offering the entire DirectOut product portfolio to the Australian market.
Based in Sydney, tm stagetec systems specialises in high-end audio, video, PA and intercom solutions for institutions and enterprises and is also invested in product research, development and manufacturing.
Treva Head, managing director of tm stagetec systems, comments: “DirectOut is a perfect fit for us. Both the philosophy of the products and the diverse range they cover will help tm stagetec systems better serve our customers in both broadcast and pro audio markets. With the suite of audio over IP solutions and the intuitive globcon software, DirectOut provides tools to solve many customers’ problems. We are excited to represent DirectOut and further build thei

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UK - LED manufacturer Global Design Solutions (GDS) has met with Korean Gyeonggi province delegates to sign a memorandum of understanding for the investment of $2m into South Korea.
The agreement will see GDS, which has offices in Korea’s Gyeonggi province, make a ‘significant investment’ into the Asian country. A hundred jobs in both Bristol and Korea will also be created as a result of the signing over the next five years.
The event took place at Bristol’s Leigh Court and was joined by UK international trade secretary Liam Fox and South Korea’s assistant governor for economy and labour in Gyeonggi province, Shin Whoan Park.
Park comments: “This collaboration between GDS and Gyeonggi will serve as a chance to jointly advance into the Asian and European market. I believe this investment will become good prac

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Hungary - Having earned a reputation as one of Hungary’s top production technologies and event services companies, Budapest-based firm For Event Kft. has bolstered its audio inventory with a sizeable investment in E-Series and S-Series loudspeakers from Adamson Systems Engineering as it expands into neighbouring countries.
“We’ve been following Adamson very closely since they first launched the E-Series and were very impressed with what we were seeing and, more importantly, hearing,” says Gábor Glatz, founder of For Event. “The Adamson name carries a lot of clout in Europe, and the E-Series makes it very clear why. This is a great-sounding audio system endorsed by some of the best and busiest engineers in the business, and we’re proud to join the Adamson Network as we continue our push into new markets.”
Founded over 20 years ago by Glatz, drummer for fu

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UK - On 27 February, The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama was visited by its Royal Patron, HRH Princess Alexandra. The visit marked the official opening of the School’s new North Block building and provided the Princess with an opportunity to meet staff and students and observe a variety of student work.
Princess Alexandra was greeted by Central’s president and alumnus Michael Grandage, together with the chair of its governing body, John Willis, and its principal, Professor Gavin Henderson. She was then escorted on a tour of the new facilities where she observed classes from the School’s drama, applied theatre and education and movement: directing and teaching courses.
The Princess and guests at the opening event were entertained by performances from the acting musical theatre course’s production of The Life, MA Music Theatre course’s producti

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South Africa - Live events supplier Gearhouse has invested in additional K2 and KS28 L-Acoustics cabinets, 36 LA12x amplified controllers in LA-RAKII and eight P1 AVB audio processors, making it the largest L-Acoustics certified provider in South Africa and boosting its ability to service even the most ambitious national events.
This investment also makes Gearhouse the first company on the continent to meet the new KX Standard for its large format systems. In December, this new capability was put into service at the massive Global Citizen Festival in the 90,000 capacity FNB Stadium in Johannesburg.
Gearhouse South Africa has been growing rapidly for a number of years, taking an increasingly dominant role in major South African live events. The Global Citizen Festival is part of the Global Citizen organization which aims to end extreme poverty, and Gearhouse’s partici

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UK - With the UK Government intending to clear the 700MHz band by 1 May 2020, the registration phase of Ofcom’s 700MHz Clearance Compensation Scheme has opened for a limited time. To take advantage of the scheme, affected parties (including wireless microphone and IEM users) must register themselves and their equipment before 26 April 2019.
A statement from Ranelagh Political Communications reads: “If you held a licence for spectrum in 700MHz between 17 October 2014 and 23 August 2018 you will have received a letter containing a link and unique login code to access the website. This letter is important, but may not have gone to your technical or purchase departments, so you need to track it down. If you do not think you received the letter, but believe you are still eligible, you can call their dedica

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UK - SSE Audio has invested in Luminex GigaCore 26i network switches to become one of the largest providers of Milan AVB-compliant networking solutions for major international concert tours and events.
With SSE supplying complex systems from its extensive brand portfolio, it needed to choose a reliable product which could offer a high level of compatibility with its existing inventory.
Avnu Milan-AVB certified switches offer guaranteed interoperability amongst similarly certified devices in a network - such as products by the L-Acoustics, Meyer Sound and d&b audiotechnik brands stocked by SSE.
Keith Sujeeun, assistant technical manager in SSE's Hire division, comments: "SSE always strives to be at the forefront of technology, and the Luminex GigaCore range gives us the ability to offer a Milan-compliant infrastructure at an early stage of its development.

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USA - High End Systems has announced the 2019 Hog Factor USA competition is now open for collegiate teams to register for Phase One.
Phase One requires each team to provide a performance lighting piece programmed on a Hog or on Hog 4 PC, which can be downloaded free of charge with a special demo version of Capture visualization.
The performance piece submission closes on 30 June and three teams will be selected by 31 July to proceed to Phase Two,
In Phase Two, the teams will programme a performance lighting piece based on High End Systems’ 2019 LDI stand design.
They will then be invited to perform their shows live at LDI on the High End Systems stand, where the winners will be judged.
High End Systems’ GM Becky Koester comments: “We continue to be impressed by the level of talent and the passion these participants hold for our industry. It see

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The Netherlands - Absen has appointed Van Domburg Partners as its official distributor in Benelux.
The announcement follows the earlier appointment of Kern & Stelly as Absen’s Germany and Austria distributor and is expected to further strengthen the Chinese LED display manufacturer’s presence on the continent.
Based in the Netherlands, Van Domburg Partners is part of the Midwich Group and distributes a range of AV solutions.
Emma Liu, regional director for Absen in Benelux, comments: “We are excited to have Van Domburg Partners as our distribution partner and are looking forward to working closely with them on opportunities in the Benelux region. They are a forward-thinking company with an excellent reputation for quality and service, helping to strengthen Ab

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Europe - Prolight Concepts Group has become the UK distributor of Luci della Ribalta (LDR).
LDR, based in northern Italy, was founded in 1997 and manufactures theatrical and architectural luminaires, which have been specified at venues including the Oslo Opera House and the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. With over 70 fixtures in its range, the Italian company offers plano and pebble convex luminaires, Fresnel luminaires, TH and discharge profiles, floodlights and followspots.
Lisa Papi, managing director of LDR, comments: “Prolight Concepts Group are one of the UK’s largest and established distributors of entertainment technology products with a commitment like ours to their customers that has been core to their achievements over the last 23 year. It is with excitement that we welcome them to our UK distribution family.”
Andrew Jeffrey, managing director of t

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USA - The Entertainment Services and Technology Association (ESTA) Technical Standards Programme (TSP) has launched a control protocols satisfaction survey project to gather public input from end users about their usage of control protocols in the entertainment industry. The survey may be accessed at estalink.us/survey.
This survey was commissioned by the TSP’s Control Protocols Working Group (CPWG) and seeks to understand how well lighting control protocols are serving end-users. The CPWG is the working group that develops control technologies you use every day, like DMX512, RDM, and sACN, although the survey includes questions on other industry protocols as well.
Survey questions determining what features are currently being used and what challenges have been encountered comprise much

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UK - The Society of Light and Lighting is marking 25 years of its annual Young Lighter competition with a revised entry criteria.
The contest is open to anyone under 30 with an interest in lighting, with the Society set to cover flight and accommodation costs for overseas candidates attending the finals and the awards, taking place during LuxLive this November. Deadline for entries is 10 May. The winner will be named SLL Young Lighter 2019 and receive a cash prize of £1,000.
Iain Carlile, SLL president and senior associate at dpa lighting consultants, comments: “It’s always great to see the next generation of lighting professionals demonstrate their talent and passion for lighting, be that through the presentation of novel project application, social study, technological development, lighting research or any other lighting related topic. I very much look forward t

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UK - PLASA has announced it’s hosting its Annual General Meeting and Members' Day on 1 May at the Royal College of Physicians in London.
The daytime event enables PLASA members to network and soak up the latest industry developments.
Roger Martin-Fagg, an economist and business strategist, has been confirmed as a keynote speaker. He will discuss Brexit and its potential impact on businesses in the UK and abroad.
PLASA members from an array of sectors and special interest groups will also be speaking at the event, whilst attendees will see presentations on the Association’s recent activities. There will also be Q&A opportunities with the PLASA executive staff and board.
The location
The 2019 Members’ Day is again taking place at the Royal College of Physicians near Regent’s Park. A lunch will be served and refreshments pr

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France - PlugFest, the annual event for lighting protocol interoperability, commenced today (Tuesday, 26 February) in Lille, with a public Ecodesign update scheduled for this Thursday.
Taking place 26-28 February at Hôtel ibis Lille Centre Gares, PlugFest welcomed lighting developers and manufacturers from across Europe, including representatives from Artistic Licence, Chauvet Professional, ChamSys, Claypaky, ETC, GLP, Robert Juliat, Swisson and TMB.
The programme is focusing on the latest protocols and standards from ESTA and ANSI, with an array of break-out sessions discussing protocols including DMX512, RDM, DALI, RDMnet, Art-Net, sACN and LLRP.
Nicky Greet, PLASA’s Membership, Skills and Technical director, comments: “We are delighted to present PlugFest 2019, alongside expert hosts Hamish Dumbreck of JESE Ltd, Peter Willis of Howard Eaton Lighting and W

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Immersive Theatre - Further details have been revealed for a multi-million pound immersive theatre venue in London’s West End, which will be spread across seven buildings and 200 different rooms. Located in a former club and office block on Oxford Street, Space 18 will open on 13 April with immersive survival experience Variant 31.
The producers behind it - Dalton Dale, producing artistic director of Big Dreamer Productions, and Stephen McGill for McGill Productions - have revealed more plans for the venue. According to Dale, Space 18 will include five bars and a nightclub and has a maximum capacity of 1,500 audience members.
The project, which costs £2.5m, will become London’s first purpose-built immersive theatre complex. Last year, plans for another purpose-built immersive theatre, in Elephant and Castle, fell through, meaning when Space 18 opens in Ap

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South Africa - Vectorworks training, presented by Francois van der Merwe, will be hosted in March at DWR Distribution in Johannesburg.
Delegates can choose to attend the basic, intermediate or advanced training session while some individuals may prefer to be at all three.
The basic course, priced at R750, is held on 25 March and will cover fundamentals, layouts, palettes, basic tools, classes and layers.
The intermediate course, held from 26-27 March, will focus on preferences, basic Spolight, basic Renderworks and Intermediate Tools. The cost is R1 600.
The advanced training, held from 28-29 March, will cover working planes, advanced modelling and advanced Renderworks. The cost is R1 600.
Delegates are requested to supply their own desktop or laptop with Vectorworks installed and a valid ID.
(Jim Evans)

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The Netherlands - Full service rental company HVR Show Equipment has expanded its rental stock with 66 CLF Aorun beam fixtures as it prepares for the upcoming festival season.
Dennis Sommerdijk, co-owner of HVR Show Equipment comments: “Especially for festivals and dance events we were looking for a large quantity of powerful beams. In addition, we received a lot of requests for the Aorun specifically. They are mentioned in a lot of riders and designs in the nearby future.
“Based on a number of productions in the past year, we know that the Aorun excels in light output. Furthermore, the movement and effect speed is outstanding. Our entire team was therefore quickly convinced; we had to get the Aorun.”
After delivery, all Aoruns were deployed immediately in the Amsterdam Ziggo Dome for the Charly Lownoise and Mental Theo anniversary show.
HVR Show Equ

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Poland/UK - LED display manufacturer Unilumin has announced a new stock centre relationship with Poland’s Visualsupport to service the Eastern Europe AV market. Kraków-based Visualsupport will now hold increased Unilumin stock, supplying equipment and support for corporate events, festivals, exhibitions and concerts.
The Eastern Europe stock centre operator Visualsupport boasts an experienced team of producers and multimedia technicians and supplies a range of leading technology solutions. With the agreement, Visualsupport now stocks over 500m² of the Unilumin UpdadIII 2.6 LED panel, which benefits from a modular design and quick assembly.
"The Unilumin Upad III P2.6 is well designed and very reliable product that Visualsupport has been using for over three years for a range of projects,” comments Michał Płocienniak, CEO of Visualsupport. “We are delighted

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UK - Yamaha Commercial Audio and London’s SW19 Studios are joining forces in mid-March to host a two-day Welcome to the World of Rivage event. Taking place on 7-8 March at SW19 Studios in Wimbledon, it comprises a free series of technical training seminars which offer professional and aspiring sound engineers an opportunity to get up close and personal with Yamaha’s Rivage PM7 and PM10 digital mixing systems.
Day 1 will focus on showcasing Rivage PM7 as the solution for reliable sound for live venue and festival engineers, sculpting audio for today’s touring bands. Yamaha product specialists and SW19 staff will be on hand to deliver an overview of the system, highlighting key features and demonstrating its applications in a rehearsal environment.
Day 2 offers opportunities for those with some experience of Rivage and/or those who want to delve deep into t
  1. Backstage Academy partners with Midas
  2. Green-GO appoints ZAP for Switzerland
  3. TiMax appoints distributor for China
  4. Persival Producciones invests in Robe
  5. State Theatre invests in DiGiCo & training
  6. Kern & Stelly to distribute Absen
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