South Africa - Philips' entertainment lighting brands Vari-Lite and Strand Lighting, along with the Showline product range, enjoyed three jam-packed and successful days at a buzzing Mediatech Africa show in Johannesburg.

Joining valued partner and leading lighting supplier for South Africa DWR Distribution on stand, Philips exhibited the award-winning new Vari-Lite VL4000 Series, industry-standard Strand Lighting NEO and 500ML Consoles and the Showline SL NITRO 510 and 510C LED strobes.

The DWR team reported a high level of interest in the Philips range, with Nick Britz, product manager for the stand, saying, "The SL NITRO 510 strobe is extremely popular in South Africa, thanks to its versatility - it acts as both a flood and strobe light and can be pixel mapped. We saw a lot of people coming up to discuss its wide range of features and wanting to see a demo."

Mart

UK - The ACC Liverpool Group's production team has experienced its busiest summer, providing full services for a series of events. The 19-strong department has led technical support for conferences including NHS Confederation, the British Contact Lens Association and Airmic. Services included providing live streaming, interactive voting and the recording of all plenary sessions for NHS Confederation. The team also provided AV for the conference dinner which took place at St George's Hall, Liverpool city centre.

Other events included Jamfest - which took place in Echo Arena - and support for the city's Rock 'n' Roll Liverpool Marathon, making it the busiest summer period since the venue opened in 2008.

Nicky Norman, senior production and technical manager, said: "We provided production for a series of conference, entertainment and sporting events during the summer which is

UK - The Knight of Illumination Awards (KOI) Theatre judging panel has announced its eagerly anticipated shortlist for this year's ceremony, which will take place at London's glamorous Troxy club on Sunday 4 October.

Organised by the ALD, STLD, The Fifth Estate Ltd and Clay Paky and now in its eighth year, the KOI Awards is a celebration of the creative talents of international lighting and digital content designers working in the UK across TV, theatre and concert touring and events.

The theatre shortlist is the first to be revealed, after a panel of senior critics from national newspapers deliberated over the finest lighting and video work from the categories of Dance, Musicals, Opera and Plays. The shortlist is as follows:

Dance - Lucy Carter for Woolf Works, Royal Ballet, Howard Harrison for Edward Scissorhands, Theatre Royal, Plymouth, Sadler's Wells

UK - This year's PLASA Rigging Conference will be held alongside the PLASA Show 2015 at ExCeL, London, in the North Hall Gallery Rooms on Monday 5 October. This perennially popular feature of the show comprises topical sessions led by leading industry figures and offers a unique opportunity for the rigging community to share industry knowledge and network.

Unusual Rigging is confirmed as the conference's Platinum sponsor for the third consecutive year, while Outback Rigging makes a welcome return as Gold sponsor.

"Rigging is an essential aspect of almost every event but, as productions increase in scale, size and complexity, so do the consequences of getting it wrong," says Alan Jacobi, managing director at Unusual Rigging. "Unusual Rigging wholeheartedly supports conferences such as this. It's imperative that we, as an industry, keep the debate fresh in order t

South Africa - One of the most popular and well-attended events during the biennial Mediatech Africa 2015, held in July, were the Lighting Designer Sessions, sponsored and organised by Italian lighting manufacturer Clay Paky.

Presented by multi award winning theatre and opera designer Paule Constable and large-scale arena spectacular lighting designer Durham Marenghi, both sessions were quickly over-subscribed from the moment they were announced and two further sessions were quickly scheduled to absorb the overflow.

Constable, who is also associate director of the National Theatre, London, talked passionately about her preferred collaborative approach to the design process and illustrated this with images of her recent designs for shows including the award winning Warhorse and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.

In contrast, Marenghi focused on t

USA - The AES139 Convention at the Jacob Javits Centrein New York City (29 October - 1 November 2015), is slated to host "the most in-depth technical programme of the year for audio professionals". The event offers attendees four full days of comprehensive Technical Programme presentations including Workshops, Tutorials, Paper Sessions, Student & Career Development Events, Special Events and more.

Paper topics this year include timely subjects ranging from Audio Education and Forensic Audio, to Cinema Sound, Sound Reinforcement, Spatial Audio and more. Tutorial topics are slated to include Interactive Music: Past, Present and Future, Main Microphone Techniques for 2.0 and 5.1, Listening Tests - Understanding the Basic Concepts and other in-depth topics of interest. Additional topics in the Workshop series will include Low Frequency Behaviour in

South Africa - Reflecting the growing focus on broadcast and entertainment technology across the continent, Mediatech Africa 2015 increased its visitor numbers by around 7% over 2013.

This year, the event attracted over 7400 key players from 20 African countries, with over 50% of respondents to visitor surveys at the event reporting they make buying decisions for their organisations, and over 26% saying they influence buying decisions. Crucially, nearly 1,000 of the organisations represented have a technology spend of over R1 million a year, and 94 of them have a spend exceeding R50 million annually, say the organisers.

"Mediatech Africa presents the only opportunity for major players in these niche sectors to view and assess the latest broadcast and entertainment technologies on home ground," says Simon Robinson, publisher and managing editor at Mediatech Africa eve

UK - Matthew Griffiths is to step down as PLASA CEO. A statement from PLASA reads: Over the past few months it has become clear to the boards and executive management of PLASA that a fundamental redesign of our business model and structures are necessary due to the increasingly difficult trading conditions currently being experienced. For the organisation to remain of service & benefit to the membership we represent, it is imperative that our expenditure can be funded by an affordable and sustainable income. To that end, the PLASA Governing Body has decided that there needs to be complete review of its businesses.

In light of the above and after 17 years as PLASA's chief executive officer, Matthew Griffiths has decided that now is the right time to step aside which would help kick start and facilitate a fresh set of ideas and approaches needed for the next chapter in PLASA's dev

UAE - The Association of Professional Wireless Production Technologies (APWPT) will host a Programme Making and Special Event (PMSE) user meeting on 30 August, 2015 at the Meydan Hotel in Dubai to discuss the all-important subject of spectrum allocation and management for wireless PMSE devices and enter into meaningful and productive conversations with the national government and local PMSE users in the UAE.

APWPT is an international not-for-profit organisation that represents users and manufacturers of wireless production tools, so called SAB/SAP or PMSE - wireless microphones, cameras and effect control. Sennheiser Group is a founding member of APWPT and supports the organization in its worldwide engagement.

PMSE is the generic term which covers an extensive range of wireless production tools used for art, culture, conferences, trade fairs, entertainment applications, educat

UK - Rigging Team are once again supporting the Technical Theatre Awards and for the second year running we are proud sponsors of The "Rigging Team" Award for Outstanding Achievement in Automation.

This award is to highlight an individual within any role of the Automation Department. The individuals nominated for this award are people that have made an outstanding contribution and effort to a show/event or in general over the years. This person should be renowned for their dedication and effort to this discipline and respected among the technical theatre community. The nominees for 2015 are David Greatex, The Twins FX, Richard Willcox and Musa Halimeh.

"We are delighted to be sponsoring the award again this year." says Rigging Team director, Adam Searle. "Everyone behind the scenes works tirelessly to realise the ideas of the 'creatives' and in the pas

USA - PLASA is producing a special event at LDI2015 on 22 October called Demystifying the Sales Channel: Explaining the Relationship Between Dealers, Reps and Manufacturers.

Every day dealers, manufacturers, specifiers and end-users need to work through this channel to acquire products in systems integration and theatrical systems. Often times this channel is overwhelming and confusing. Our panel of experts will break down the pieces and explain how the system can successfully work together for all participants in the channel.

The panel is made up of industry veterans from all points in the channel. Bill Groener, general manager of systems at 4Wall Entertainment will serve as moderator. Dealers will be represented by Bill Price, director of systems at Barbizon Lighting Company and Paul Vincent, founder and president of Vincent Lighting Systems. Brian Coddington, control

UK - The judging panel of the Knight of Illumination Awards 2015 Concert Touring and Events category has announced its shortlisted designers for the prestigious ceremony this autumn.

The Awards recognise and celebrate the achievements of lighting and, as of last year, video designers working on shows in the UK.

The Concert Touring and Events judging panel, who were joined this year by new recruits Financial Times arts pages journalist David Cheal and editor of live event technology publication Total Production International Kelly Murray, deliberated over what they described as an 'incredibly high standard' of entries this year before reaching a decision.

The Concert Touring and Events shortlist is as follows:

Arena - Jamie Thompson for The Script, LeRoy Bennett for Lady Gaga and Rob Sinclair for Kylie Minogue

Club - Liam Tully for James Bay, S

UK - 31st August is the last day that visitors can pre-register for free entry to PLASA Show 2015, the UK's premier business event for the live entertainment technology industry. International pre-registrations are at their highest level since the show moved to ExCel in 2013, with registrations coming from over 90 countries so far. Visitors who haven't already registered are urged to take advantage of the last few days of the free registration period.

PLASA Show 2015 takes place at London's ExCel from 4th - 6th October. From 1st September to 3rd October visitors can pre-register for £10, meaning doing so before the end of the free period can make a significant saving. On site entry will cost £25.

"The show will feature over 300 brands, covering all production di

The Netherlands - ETC is preparing for the next trade show in their busy calendar, with Amsterdam's IBC on 11-15 September, coming up soon.

The company's main draw for the show, which is geared towards professionals engaged in the creation, management and delivery of entertainment and news content, are set to be the Source Four LED Series 2 Tungsten HD and Daylight HD fixtures. Specially designed to produce the best quality white light in cool (4000-6500K) or warm (2700-4500K) ranges, each is tuned for high definition use, eliminating any on-camera flicker. They have already been installed at a range of studios worldwide, including Israel's Channel 1 news studio in Jerusalem, where the technical staff and presenters were impressed by the flicker-free performance, low heat and impressive light output.

Alongside the two white light engines on the stand, the full-colour, high pow

UK - At their joint booth at BPM 2015 (booth G109), Electro-Voice and Dynacord will be presenting the latest additions to their portfolios of loudspeakers, amplifiers, digital sound processing and mixing consoles.

Electro-Voice will celebrate the BPM premiere of its EKX loudspeaker family, which be displayed alongside the Electro-Voice ETX Powered Loudspeaker family as well as ZxA1, ZLX and ELX loudspeakers. Dynacord will present the Xa2-PRO system in Birmingham for the first time. Also showcased will be the brand's Vertical Array system, AXM 12A monitor as well as the PM502, PowerMate and CMS mixers.

The EKX series is the newest member of the Electro-Voice portable loudspeaker family, and combines legendary EV sound quality and reliability with the latest technology - all in a lightweight, compact package suitable for a wide range of sound reinforcement scenarios, including m

UK - With just under a month to go until PLASA Show 2015, pre-registrations are up 10% compared to 2013 and 2014, making this year's show already the most successful since the move to ExCeL in London's Docklands.

Featuring over 300 brands, with many showing new products and services, a major new initiative for this year sees PLASA Show adopting the successful 'Focus' model of a sector-specific, zoned layout, which will facilitate easier networking and make navigation around the show much easier than in previous years.

By the beginning of September, pre-registration data for PLASA Show 2015 was tracking at 10% up year on year over the past two shows, with 62% of those registered being either final decision makers or equipment specifiers. In addition visitors from 94 countries have pre-registered, against those from 74 countries who attended in 2014.

"When PLASA Show move

UK - A.C. Entertainment Technologies is exhibiting for the first time at the PRO Show - NEC, Birmingham.

On display are a selection of products from their wide portfolio of leading technology brands, including the extensive ProLights lighting and LED video screen ranges; the award-winning Jands lighting control solutions; Green Hippo Hippotizer V4 media servers; Allen & Heath audio consoles; and Dynamic Audio Device, Nexo and RCF loudspeakers.

Staff from each of the company's specialist product divisions are on hand to discuss the requirements and to provide demonstrations and advice.

(Jim Evans)

The Netherlands - The compact M-5000C offers all the flexibility and power of the larger M-5000 console but in a smaller footprint. Utilising the same O.H.R.C.A (Open High Resolution Configurable Architecture) platform, the M-5000C delivers 128 freely definable audio paths, expandable protocols and multi-format I/O choices combined with a flexible user interface and workflow, all with 24-bit / 96kHz sound quality. This open audio architecture supports Dante, MADI, Waves Sound Grid, and REAC audio protocols, as well as audio delivery over video using SDI, DVI and SFP cabling.

HHB is also debuting the Roland V-1200HD 2 M/E video switcher. Featuring a new hybrid engine that combines a 4:2:2 / 2 M/E switcher with a 4:4:4/10-bit multi-format processor presentation switcher, V-1200HD offers multi-format flexibility with a choice of additional audio and video options using the Roland X

UK - SSE Audio and Wigwam Acoustics will once again be exhibiting at PLASA 2015. Directors and staff will be on hand to meet and chat with visitors to the exhibition. For the third year the show is being held at ExCel in London's Docklands on 4-6 October 2015. SSE Audio Group and Wigwam Acoustics are on Stand L10 at ExCel.

"This year, we have invited some of our key equipment suppliers to join us on the stand and I'm delighted to announce that Avid, d&b audiotechnik, DiGiCo and L-Acoustics have all agreed to display some of their latest products with us," commented SSE Sales Director, Alex Penn.

Avid will feature the VENUE S6L; d&b audiotechnik will have some of their new install and touring amplifier products; DiGiCo will be demonstrating the S21; and L-Acoustics will feature the X Series.

In addition, microphone and wireless specialist Sennheiser will be represen

UK - Wireless LED lighting manufacturer CORE Lighting are at the 2015 PLASA London expo at the ExCeL Centre on Stand C24, which is also part of UK distributor White Light's 'Village' and where they will be displaying a range of their latest innovations.

CORE products are known for the high quality and excellent engineering that comes with the 'Made in the UK' marque. As an independent company, CORE can also react quickly and decisively to market demands and ensure its products stay at the forefront of the fast-moving live events industry.

Featured products at PLASA will include CORE's new StripPoint which will be prominent on the stand display together with the flagship ColourPoint, which has become an industry standard product for the live event industry. The tiny PinPoint will have a major presence with an array of PinPoints controlled by CORE's new LightDesk phone App, and

UK - Lighting controls expert, Artistic Licence, will be launching moody, its new programmable LED controller, at 100% Design at London's Olympia, 23-26 September. The show, which runs for four days, is the UK's largest design trade event, attracting architects, specifiers and designers from across the globe.

Artistic Licence, a well-known name in the architectural and entertainment lighting sectors, is using the show as a launch platform for moody - a product that the company anticipates will appeal to a particularly wide market.

moody is a wall controller & programmable scene-setter for LED. It has a simple rotary dial, just like a conventional dimmer, except that it is lit up by a colour LED at the centre. This is not just for show - the LED indicates the colour and intensity of zones of light that can be programmed and controlled by moody.

The USP of the product is its a

UK - This year has seen complete production solution specialist White Light further develop its wide range of services. Over the past nine months, the company has not only forged its own dedicated audio department but also acquired Shock Solutions, a forerunner in the fields of LED lighting and audio-visual equipment solutions. Similarly, the company has invested heavily in the very latest technology and provided the production support on a whole range of events from concert touring, to corporate events, to theatre shows, to venue launches. This vast array of newly acquired skills and state-of-the-art equipment will be on display at one of the biggest entertainment technology events of the year: the PLASA Show 2015.

WL will be exhibiting at stand C30 and showcasing the very latest in lighting, audio, effects and AV solutions.

The equipment on show includes the ArKaos MediaMast

UK - PLASA, London 2015 marks the UK debut of the d&b audiotechnik V-Series point source loudspeakers. Launched earlier this month V7P, V10P and V-GSUB will be on the d&b stand J50 alongside other mobile and installation products, and on d&b psales partners' SSE / Wigwam stand L10.

"PLASA London is a significant show for d&b this year," says Gianni Abruzzese, d&b GB commercial manager. "We're really pleased to be showing the V-Series point sources, which we think are pretty special. The design of the mid range horn means that the vocal performance is in a league of its own. I think the market has been waiting for a point source with this level of performance for a while now."

Adam Hockley and Steve Jones of d&b GB Education and Application Support will be contributing to the line up of pro audio seminars, as part of the PLASA Professional Development Progra

UK - The Knight of Illumination Awards (KOI) TV judging panel has announced its eagerly anticipated shortlist for this year's ceremony, which will take place at London's glamorous Troxy club on Sunday 4th October.

Organised by the ALD, STLD, The Fifth Estate Ltd and Clay Paky and now in its 8th year, the KOI Awards is a celebration of the creative talents of international lighting and digital content designers working in the UK across TV, Theatre and Concert Touring and Events.

The sub-categories for Television are: Drama; Light Entertainment; Small Studio; Events; and Video Graphic Display.

The TV shortlist judging panel comprised: Stuart Gain (Chairman) - Rob Horne (Small Studio) - John O'Brien (Drama) - Stuart Gain (Light Entertainment) - John King (Events) and Mike LeFevre (Graphics).

The shortlist is as follows:

DRAMA - Gavin Finney for Wolf Hall; John

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