Business

Details
Sweden - Latour Industries AB has signed an agreement to acquire 24.7% of the shares in LumenRadio AB through a directed share issue and acquisition of existing shares. Other large shareholders in the company are Chalmers Innovation Seed Fund and Almi Invest.

LumenRadio develops, manufactures and sells equipment for wireless radio communication. The products are based on multiple patents, where the basic idea is to enable reliable communication without interference in a world where the available frequency space becomes more and more limited.

LumenRadio's technology is based on "Cognitive Coexistence" where the units scan the frequency spectrum continuously to locate and use free channels. The company has 10 employees and annual revenue of SEK 20 million in 2015.

"I am very pleased that Latour Industries will become a partner in LumenRadio. Latour's long-term investment

Details
UK - Stage One Creative Services Ltd has completed its acquisition of WGH Transportation Engineering, the UK's leading leisure ride design and manufacturing company.

This move will see the transfer of employees and intellectual property and will secure the future of the WGH product portfolio under the Stage One brand.

This acquisition, says a statement, represents a significant joining of forces and enhances Stage One's engineering and design capability. Together, the two companies represent best of breed engineering and manufacturing in the creative, entertainment and theme park industries.

Mark Johnson, Stage One CEO, commented, "This represents a very positive step for our company and our clients. Our automation and engineering offering has always been well regarded. However, this recent development adds real breadth and depth. We're looking forward to better suppor

Details
Germany - Together with existing management, Ardian, the independent private investment company, is acquiring d&b audiotechnik GmbH (d&b) from the investment companies Odewald & Compagnie and COBEPA.

d&b specialises in acoustic systems and has operations worldwide. The participation in d&b is already the 13th investment by Ardian LBO Fund V, which is capitalized at

Details
Headline News - Muse have been announced as the Friday night headliners on the Pyramid Stage at this year's Glastonbury Festival. The Friday slot makes Muse the first band to have headlined every night of the festival - they played on Saturday night in 2010, and Sunday in 2004. Coldplay revealed last week they would headline the Pyramid Stage on Sunday. The Saturday headliners are yet to be announced - but Jeff Lynne's ELO have been confirmed for the Sunday teatime slot. The 2016 festival runs from 23 to 26 June.

Sweden Bound - Pop duo Joe and Jake have been selected to represent the UK at May's Eurovision Song Contest in Sweden. The singers, both former contestants on The Voice UK, won a public vote with You're Not Alone, an uptempo, piano-driven song "about unity and love". The duo will be hoping to avoid the fate of last year's entrants, Electro Velvet,

Details
USA - Martin by HARMAN lighting fixtures were at the centre of the annual Los Angeles holiday special, L.A. Zoo Lights, a not-to-be-missed night time light show extravaganza. Martin MAC Quantum Washes and MAC Quantum Profiles were chosen to provide innovative designs for the event. The fixtures were part of an elaborate water, light and laser show that takes place a few times a day at a vacant sea lion exhibit.

This year's event, both bigger and brighter than last year's, included self-guided tours of an expanded area of the zoo, featuring all-new LED lights, lasers, 3D projections and a musical water-and-light display. L.A. Zoo Lights is produced in collaboration with theatrical set designer Gregg Lacy and Bionic League, a production design company known for innovative, large-scale events and stage credits that include Daft Punk, Deadmau5 and Kanye West.

Martin Phillips,

Details
USA - A lineup of Martin by Harman lighting fixtures, including the new Atomic 3000 LED strobe, are illuminating the way for Disturbed's world tour. In support of the release of their new album, Immortalized, the band wanted to deliver an in-your-face, larger-than-life show.

Lighting designer Matt Mills, who worked with Disturbed on the band's last tour in 2011, deployed an array of Martin MAC Quantum Washes, MAC Viper Profiles and Atomic 3000 LEDs in a light show aimed at mesmerizing huge arena crowds. Mills' previous work includes tours with Nelly Furtado, Motley Cr

Details
UK - Light Motif reports that partners Point Source Productions are now part of TSL Lighting. For Light Motif this means they now have a far greater inventory of 'event style' kit to offer clients and are able to service more events and on a larger scale.

Rob Mills, managing director of Light Motif, said, "We are delighted to share this exciting news, it's something we have been wanting to shout about for some time. This partnership puts us in a different league to our competitors as well as being able to offer our clients and their events that bit more. We can't wait to start working with TSL and our existing team to create some extraordinary events together."

(Jim Evans)

Details
USA - Originally constructed in the late 1960s, the Abilene Civic Centre is a spacious, multi-purpose venue with a live performance theatre, an exhibit hall and a large conference centre that can be subdivided to accommodate as many as four simultaneous events.

In part because of its age, the conference centre's audio system did not meet the voice intelligibility or audio quality expectations of its many banquets, meetings, press conferences and other events, especially those that involved modern presentations or musical performances. Thus, in 2015, the city decided to upgrade the audio system. And, they wanted a system that would provide both highly intelligible voice reinforcement and high-quality music production.

The city contacted Jerrold Stevens, of consulting firm Marsh PMK, who designed a highly flexible system with wireless iPad setup and control. Simple events ca

Details
USA - Lighting designer Larry Foote created a dynamic and versatile rig for t Maddie & Tae's Life Of Our Years tour with Lee Brice, using only a single fixture: the Nexus 4x4 COB LED panel from Chauvet Professional.

"This is Maddie & Tae's first shot at bringing their own lighting with them out on the road," said Foote, who used eight Nexus 4x4 panels provided by 4Wall Entertainment Lighting. "Maddie & Tae got off to a very fast start, but they're still very new, so the touring details haven't caught up yet. I wanted Nexus, because I needed a rig that could fit into a single trailer. More importantly though, I was looking for something that could create a lot of different looks, as well as something that would play well with the house lights at the different venues on the tour."

Foote positioned the Nexus panels on upstage pipe and base stands. "I wanted a rig that could s

Details
UK - Kent based audio specialists Panache Audio Systems has become one of the latest hire companies to recognise the benefits of adding KV2's True Point Source ES Systems to their hire inventory.

KV2 Audio reports that a shoot-out with other manufacturers' products led to Panache taking delivery of an ES System - supplied from stock held in KV2 Audio Europe's Harrogate warehouse - less than a week after the demo concluded.

The ES System - comprising two ES 1.0 mid/hi enclosures, four ES 2.6 2x15" subwoofers and two EPAK 2500R amplification and control units was supplied with bespoke magnetic carts, flying frames and patch panel.

Panache also chose to invest in a pair of the recently released ESD 5 ultra compact passive 2-way 5" enclosures as a front-fill / delay solution.

Speaking about the initial demonstration and what exactly prompted Panache to replace their ex

Details
USA - Aiming to become a regional destination for concert entertainment as well as gaming, Choctaw Casino Resort in Durant, Okla. has opened the Grand Theatre, a multi-purpose venue featuring one of the largest Meyer Sound Leo Family line array system installations in North America. Since opening with a sell-out show by Aerosmith, the Grand Theatre has hosted acts such as Kiss, Kid Rock, Boyz II Men, and Kenny Rogers.

"Listening to Leo is really like listening to a very high quality stereo system, with that level of imaging and detail," reports Doug Ebey, audio-video manager for the theatre. "What impresses me most is that we can get full, in-your-face concert sound and still stay within our preferred level limit, which we cap at 100 dB. Everyone has been thrilled with the performance of the system."

Leo Family loudspeakers were chosen for the 3,000-capacity venue by the L

Details
Saudi Arabia - Held recently in the Saudi Arabian coastal city of Jeddah, the International Book Fair attracted more than 440 international publishers from 25 countries. This significant cultural event saw thousands of visitors attend lectures, seminars, story-telling and poetry sessions, as well as sample new work by young writers over its ten day run.

The event was opened by Prince Khaled Al-Faisal of the Saudi Royal family; greeting the prince for this occasion, and to run throughout the show, was a spectacular projection mapping installation which lit up the entire front of the tented pavilion with calligraphy using Christie Roadie HD+35K and Roadie HD20K projectors.

Measuring 165m wide by 11.5m tall, the installation was the work of BrightStar Events a local event engineering and management company. BrightStar was approached by ACE Creative, the organiser of the show,

Details
Canada - The combination of electronic music, icy décor, powerful architectural projections and a program featuring the best local and international DJs, makes Igloofest at Montreal's Old Port the place to be during January and February each year.

This year, for the 10th edition, 120,000 music lovers braved the harsh Canadian winter for four consecutive weekends, to join the largest outdoor party in Montreal. Lighting designer Karl Gaudreau of design firm 4U2C in Montreal, created the beautiful lighting scenery which, for this particular edition, evolved around a backdrop design element of painted shipping containers, also functioning as shelters for people attending the event.

4U2C deployed luminaires from SGM for the first time, which turned out in their favour, as the biggest challenge at Igloofest is the weather, with heavy fluctuations in snow conditions and te

Details
USA - BlackTrax, the real-time motion tracking solution from CAST, assists the star of Magic Reinvented Nightly in creating one-of-a-kind experiences for nightly audiences at the LINQ Theater at The LINQ Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

"We implemented the BlackTrax system for a consistent angle of key light on the magician throughout the 90-minute show," enthuses Stephen Terry, the production's lighting designer.

In the design phase, follow spots were discussed originally, but the LINQ Theater had very limited locations for follow spots. The angle from the booth position is very flat, so following the talent solely from this position was not an option. As the talent performs a lot of his illusions out in the house, close up to the audience, so IMAG is used via the screens onstage.

"Using the BlackTrax system with moving lights as follow spots from the lighting posi

Details
UK - As soon as the excitement of the 2016 BRIT Awards presentations finished at London's O2 Arena, the buzz continued through the night at the Warner Music's extravaganza.

Staged at the Freemason's Hall in Covent Garden, the full technical and creative production was delivered by Maestra London, led by Justin Hammond, production designer Jenny Woollard, project & event manager Aisha Tarayan and technical managers Adam Jones and Edwin Higgins, working closely with event designer Jason Morais from Warner Music, turning his vision into a reality.

The scope of Maestra London's work at Freemason's Hall included supplying all the technical infrastructure - set, lighting, rigging, audio and all the scenics and décor - including carpeting, furniture, drapage and soft-goods, co-ordinating the colours, styles and all the aesthetics to create five dynamically different spaces

Details
South Africa - Bollywood Dhamaka at Gandhi Hall raised money for a fund that furthers the education of economically disadvantaged children in the city of Lenasia by providing them with scholarships to the city's prestigious Royal Achievers Private School. The event not only served a good cause, it also enthralled its audience with a beguiling dance performance, accented by an equally intricate lightshow created with fixtures from Chauvet Professional that were imported by Audiosure.

Lighting designer Shaniel Laloo of Sounds Ideal in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, used 18 Rogue moving fixtures to add depth and texture to the dance stage with lush colour washes and multiple gobo patterns. The dancers who performed under his artful lightshow were not brave volunteers drawn from the ranks of the students' parents, but well-known professional performers, including Miss India South

Details
Italy - This is Jovanotti's year, with extraordinarily successful record sales and a triumphant tour, Lorenzo negli Stadi, which dominated the 2015 summer season and thrilled and captivated 500,000 fans.

Now the equally innovative Lorenzo nei Palasport 2015-2016 is on track. The new show was conceived, designed and written specially for indoor venues, and kicked off on 19 November in Rimini.

All the scenery revolves around Lorenzo during the show. The set, the totally new videos and films, and the lights are combined together into a parallel show, integrated with the music.

Set designer Giancarlo Sforza created a new asymmetrical stage, whose shape recalls the expected outcome of the detonation of an explosive charge. Part of the stage juts out into the stalls, where Lorenzo can come into direct contact with the audience.

The whole structure is lined with over 300s

Details
Germany - Full-service production company satis&fy, based in Karben, Germany, has added over 100 Elation Platinum FLX hybrid moving heads to its inventory, along with a number of Emotion moving head digital lights.

"Because we have a wide variety of clients and a wide range of shows to do, we are always looking for flexibility of product," stated Martin Heuser, global director lighting & rigging services at satis&fy. "The Platinum FLX fits our needs perfectly. It's not a product we chose for just one special effect but a fixture we can use on a large variety of shows for beam looks, washes, gobo projections, mid-air profile looks and certainly a lot more. It's a 'real' hybrid compared to other hybrids."

satis&fy, which operates 10 branch offices worldwide, provides entertainment technology to more than 3,000 events, tradeshows, and exhibitions annually. "The rentability of

Details
Finland - AV Marketing Finland and Apart Audio nv have joined forces to further strengthen the position of the Apart brand in Finland. AV Marketing is now the exclusive Apart distributor for Finland.

"We are excited to welcome Reijo Lehtinen and his team as our exclusive distributor for Finland. We are convinced that this will join us in our vision to grow the market in a sustainable way. We share the same vision on professionalism and dedication towards our customers and the audio business," says Kris Vermuyten, sales & marketing director at Apart Audio.

"Apart Audio is a very welcome brand to fulfil our product portfolio to Finnish AV dealers. Apart is already a well-known brand in Finland and we are remarkably thankful to continue with this success. I'm convinced that together with our existing dealer network we are able to continue and even grow sales in our region," s

Details
Ireland - Designing and implementing commercial audio systems for venues ranging from hair salons, to tattoo parlors, to restaurants is a challenge embraced by Sounds Good Ltd. Headquartered in Dublin, Sounds Good Ltd. became the first dealer for VUE Audiotechnik throughout Ireland approximately one year ago. The resulting partnership has yielded several interesting installs by Sounds Good, all of which feature VUE loudspeakers.

Drawing upon 20 years of experience, Ed Rice, founder of Sounds Good Ltd., established his new company in 2012, developing it into a diverse one-stop shop that provides equipment, consultation and installation for venues ranging from retail outlets, pubs and restaurants, to theatres, exhibition halls, and corporate events.

According to Rice, Sounds Good Ltd. chose to represent VUE because they appreciated "the sound and build quality, and value of

Details
USA - The Blue Angels, the famed Navy aerial demonstration squadron that's wowed airshow audiences since 1946, recently improved the range and reliability of their wireless audio system with antennas from RF Venue and design from Atlanta-based In Concert Productions.

The Blue Angels' routines are carefully choreographed, highly precise movements that partially rely on radio communication between pilots in the air and a pilot on the ground, who in turn communicates events to the announcer.

"Back in 2013, new members for the Blue Angels wanted to get closer to the spectators on the ground while they were performing," explains Jay Rabbitt, president of In Concert Productions, Inc. and Air Show One, Inc., the provider of specialized airshow PA systems and air boss communications equipment at shows across the USA.

"The announcers used to stand on a platform and did not move

Details
UK - Over 150 Core ColourPoint Mk 2 wireless LED uplighters provided by Wireless Lighting were used by the creative team from Maestra Events to illuminate all areas of the high profile Warner Music BRITs 2016 after-party at Freemason's Hall in Covent Garden.

Maestra designed and instigated the Warner Music event's lighting scheme, working closely with event designer Jason Morais, creating five distinctive areas within the charismatic building, providing all the technical production and décor needed to energise a series of lively, visually stimulating spaces for relaxation and enjoyment.

The Core fixtures - the ColourPoint Mk2 is a lightweight lithium battery powered LED event up-lighter with full wireless DMX control - were dotted around the venue, up-lighting and washing walls, corridors and connecting areas between the rooms.

"These are the perfect fixture for

Details
UK - At an exclusive screening at London's independent Genesis Cinema in Mile End, Philips Lighting brought one of the world's hottest bands to the silver screen as never seen before.

Philips Lighting, a Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX, PHIA) company and global leader in lighting, hosted the immersive concert event with an exclusive screening of the critically acclaimed Imagine Dragons: Smoke + Mirrors Live concert powered by Philips LightVibes.

Philips LightVibes creates a unique experience for fans in cinemas by adding dynamic, lighting effects and video imagery synced to the on-screen action.

The Imagine Dragons: Smoke + Mirrors Tour features a striking light show. The creative director behind the tour, Moment Factory, supported Philips to create the light show for this exclusive event from the original live performance.

At the screening Philips LightVibes LED med

Details
UK - Lighting designer Jeff Maker was looking for a special lighting effect to complement a series of diamond-shaped video screens for American pop punk band All Time Low's Back to the Future Hearts UK tour in February and found it in Elation Professional's ACL 360 Bar moving head batten.

"Their role was to frame four diamond-shaped video walls rigged upstage as well as to help trick the eye into transforming the diamonds into circles or squares," explained Maker, who has worked with the band for the past seven years. "Since all four of the diamonds moved into different static positions during songs, the ACL 360 Bar was perfect for creating new looks for each new position."

All Time Low scored a UK Number 1 album with release of Future Hearts in 2015 and the string of February arena dates was highly anticipated by its growing fan base in the UK.

Wanting to add a

  1. Elite Multimedia goes high-powered for Eric Paslay
  2. Marc Anthony makes grand entrance with Nexus
  3. Independence Stadium goes for Danley
  4. L-Acoustics reinforces Indiana university's theatre
  5. White Light goes Beyond the Fence
  6. Sennheiser UK helps BRITs breach the final frontier
Page 343 of 1813

Latest Issue. . .