UK - Racquet Studios, a Sussex-based operator in the realm of virtual production, celebrated a successful student open day with East Sussex College at their Eastbourne facility on 22 February, offering more than 120 attendees from a range of creative courses a ‘deep dive into the transformative world of virtual content creation and filmmaking’.
The event, which was hosted in partnership with Canon Cinema EOS Cameras and Croatian specialist manufacturer, stYpe, illustrated the evolution of virtual production, highlighting its significant advantages over traditional filmmaking

China - This year marks a significant milestone for Brompton Technology. The opening of the Shenzhen office in March 2019 strategically positioning the company in High-Tech Industrial Park, Nanshan, was prompted by customer demand and the city's status as a hub for LED panel manufacturing.
Brompton’s decision to establish a dedicated office facilitated seamless communication and support for local clients. Fast forward five years, and the company’s Shenzhen team support Brompton’s customers with account and project management, calibration, operations, technical product queri

UK - Playing at London’s Old Vic Theatre, Just For One Day is a new musical which tells the story of Live Aid and those who came together to create this event. Penned by John O’Farrell (Mrs Doubtfire), it features the songs of Bob Dylan, David Bowie, U2, Queen, Elton John and Paul McCartney among others. The show also features a lighting design by Olivier Award-nominated Howard Hudson, who approached White Light (WL), a d&b solutions company, to supply his lighting rig.
Just For One Day is an insight into the origins of the history-making concert held

UK - The Art-Deco Grade II listed Queens Hotel has been a majestic presence on Leeds’ City Square since its construction in 1937. Designed by W.H. Hamlyn and faced with white Portland Stone, it is a striking landmark which over the years has hosted many notable guests. Princess Grace of Monaco, Cary Grant, Nelson Mandela and Laurel and Hardy, all chose the comforts of the Queens. During the recent festive season,
The Queens was the focus of a spectacular art installation which saw LeedsBID (Leeds Business Improvement District) collaborate with Barcelona-based creative studio On

Australia - Every January, when the sun is at its hottest, thousands of country music-loving people make the pilgrimage to the country town of Tamworth for the Toyota Country Music Festival which runs over 10 days.
The heat of over 40°C and the flies are no deterrent as the festival, presented by Tamworth Regional Council, is now in its 52nd year and is recognised as the second biggest country music festival in the world, after the CMA Music Festival in Nashville USA. The town comes alive with ticketed and free shows alike, and buskers that line the main streets.
The fest

UK - Production Futures recently staged another successful On Tour event at Fly By Nite Studios in Redditch. Young people from across the Midlands were able to connect with representatives of Production Futures’ brand partners to explore paid work opportunities and free training across the sector.
A feature of the event was the presence of a team of apprentices from global production specialists, PRG.
Having been engaged by Production Futures to build and equip the event’s TALKS Stage with audio, lighting and video provision, PRG, which places a strong emphasis on in-ho

UK - Event production and audio-visual Installation company, Spotlight Sound has announced that Ashton Gold will join the team as account manager.
Ashton comes to Spotlight Sound from The Lion Inn in Boreham where she was the event planner.
“I will be fundamental in liaising between the client and technicians from the planning to execution of their event,” says Ashton. “My role means that the technicians can fully concentrate on the production of the event and I can make sure everything else runs smoothly.”
Sam Dimond, director of Spotlight Sound adds: “We

UK - Based on the novel by Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray - adapted and directed by multi award-winning Kip Williams, artistic director of the acclaimed Sydney Theatre Company - tells this classic story through an explosive interplay of live performance and video.
It recently opened at the Theatre Royal Haymarket and stars Sarah Snook, who plays 26 roles. It features a lighting design by Nick Schlieper who approached White Light (WL), a d&b solutions company, to provide the lighting equipment.
Whilst there have been several stage adaptations of The Pic

Spain - Media group Mediaset España has revamped the news studios of its free-to-air TV channels Telecinco and Cuatro with Alfalite’s LED screens. Integrator Datos Media has been in charge of the sale and commissioning of the 844 LED panels supplied with Alfalite’s ORIM technology.
“We are very proud to have participated in this huge project,” says Luis Garrido, executive director of Alfalite. “We would like to express our gratitude to Mediaset España's engineering team and Datos Media for trusting us. We deeply appreciate the collaboration and the opportunity to contr

Australia - Creative Technology Australia and New Zealand opted for Data Strategy’s QC-Check to address three main needs in terms of product inspection: socapex cable testing, the safe inspection of twin-frame distribution boards, and the ability to set up the specific testing processes needed to be carried out by anyone in the warehouse.
Maintenance manager, Myles Barlow, explained that the company’s highest priority was to be able to test multipin connectors such as Socapex three-phase cables, as “there’s just no safe way to test them”.
In addition, he found that

Germany - A 4K CarbonLight VX LED screen from Leyard Europe forms the heart of a new inspirational and educational exhibition at the headquarters of the European Molecular Biology Lab (EMBL), a laboratory for research into life sciences, which explains and celebrates its work to better understand the building blocks of all life on Earth.
The World of Molecular Biology exhibition occupies 800 sqm of the double-height atrium of the EMBL headquarters in Heidelberg and tells the story of life through 45 AV exhibits comprising a mix of audiovisual, virtual reality, interactive and tact

UK - PLASA is running an industry-wide survey on sustainability. The association aims to understand how and if companies across the entertainment technology sector are tackling the important issue of sustainability and carbon reduction.
The survey was launched during the Member Business Forum on Sustainability and Carbon Reduction, which took place in London on 18 January 2024. However, the survey is now open to the wider industry until 29 March, in partnership with #WeMakeEvents, LSi, LIVE and PEARLE.
Even though there are no current legal requirements in the UK to implemen

Europe - Absen has strategically bolstered its European team with the addition of four individuals. Joining the team are:
Darren Jackson, UK business development manager, AbsenLive: Bringing 14 years of management and business development experience, Jackson will spearhead AbsenLive, a dedicated brand category catering to the high-end rental & staging and virtual production/XR stage segments. His expertise will be instrumental in shaping Absen's strategy and capitalising on the evolving LED display market.
River Harper-Boyce, marketing specialist: River's proven market

Australia - Hosted at The Hordern Pavilion in the heart of Sydney, last year’s B&T Awards revolved around the theme ‘Embrace the Extra-Ordinary’, with 40 categories presented during the night. Collaborating with their client, The Misfits Media Co., for whom Audio Visual Events (AVE) has been the preferred production partner for five years, a sophisticated LED structure powered by Brompton Technology’s Tessera LED processors was orchestrated.
“Before the B&T Awards, we assisted The Misfits team with their internal B&T & Travel Weekly programmes and agency

USA - InfoComm 2024, the largest trade show focused on pro AV in North America, set for 8-14 June at the Las Vegas Convention Centre has officially opened registration.
“InfoComm 2024 is the destination to bring together the pro AV industry - from manufacturers to integrators, dealers to end-users - to connect with each other, learn about the latest trends, and explore the newest technology,” said David Labuskes, chief executive officer of AVIXA, producer of InfoComm. “In a continuously evolving industry in a forever-evolving world, it’s critical for industry professionals

Germany - The FlexDistro rack has been developed to meet the frequently changing requirements in the event and touring sector.
Designed for quick and easy swapping of modules, the Indu-Electric FlexDistro can be equipped for the specific requirements of any project or production in an instant.
Each module has up to 24 channels, and each channel is protected with its own 30 mA RCBO (RCD/RCCB). The list of standard features includes a network-capable meter, USB port, mains indicator, switchable LED strips and utility outlets.

Norway - Absen, has partnered with Czech sports software company, Goal Sport, to provide high-performance screens at the home of professional Norwegian ice hockey team, Stavanger Oilers.
The Stavanger Oilers, a team in Norway's top ice hockey division, the Fjordkraftligaen, sought to upgrade the outdated centre cube display at the DNM Arena, its home stadium and training ground in Stavanger. The arena, with a capacity of 4,500 spectators for ice hockey matches, and 6,000 for other events, needed a modern, visually appealing display to enhance the fan experience.
Goal Sport,

USA - Brentwood Baptist Church was officially constituted on Easter Sunday 1969 in the Nashville suburb of Brentwood, Tennessee. In the past half a century, it has grown to nine campuses around the region and has consistently averaged over 5,000 worshipers in weekly on-campus attendance, along with an estimated 4,000 additional online viewers.
The current main campus’ church was built in 2002 and had a few updates along the way, but last May it completed a complete refresh of the sanctuary’s audio, video, and lighting systems, in concert with leading AVL systems integrator Di

Finland - The celebrated LUX Helsinki light festival took place at venues across the Finnish capital during January, with a highlight being the specially created projection mapped visual display onto the intricate façade of the National Gallery Ateneum.
The looping, five-hour graphic animations formed a large, 8,000px-wide canvas and were projected by six Barco UDX 4K32 projectors and driven by Green Hippo Hippotizer Montane+ RTX and Karst+ Media Servers.
The festival was staged by Events Helsinki, which brought in Capital AV to deliver technical production and visual cons

UK - Audio consultancy RH Consulting (RHC) has been counting networked audio products and licensees since 2013 to chart the adoption and evolution of audio networking in the pro audio, AV and broadcast markets.
The 2024 edition of this report on Networked Audio Products, which has meanwhile extended to cover audio, video and control products, is available now and confirms the growing strength of AES67, Ravenna and ST 2110 and the dominance of Dante and NDI standards.
In the dynamic landscape of networked AV, the 12th instalment of the report reveals a significant surge in

UK - PLASA Focus Leeds is gearing up for another successful year at the Royal Armouries from 14-15 May 2024, and you can now register for your free entry badge.
Attracting over 2,000 visitors, the popular regional event is known for connecting professionals with lead names in the entertainment technology industry across two friendly days of networking and discovery.
Boasting a fully booked show floor, PLASA Focus Leeds will feature 150+ brands in pro audio, AV, lighting, rigging, and staging. Attendees will have the chance to closely examine new products and engage in face-

Europe - CONTRIK showed a comprehensive range of new Power Multicore solutions for the first time at ISE; offering the professional AV and lighting, and broadcast and film location production sectors a wide range of power connectivity solutions from new multicore cable and stringer box series, optimising power cabling costs and complexity in the field.
The new range of Power Strip Multicore ‘stringer boxes’ launched at ISE, comprises six models with Harting E16 connectors, providing for 6 channel single phase breakout, or breakout and daisy chaining, on Neutrik powerCONTRUE1 T

Italy - Forged nearly four decades ago as a congress equipment supplier, STS Communication has since transformed into a full-service provider, delivering technical expertise and equipment for corporate and special events, music tours, exhibitions, brand activations, broadcast TV, as well as fashion and retail projects.
As a member of the PRG Alliance, the company stands as one of Italy's pioneers in deploying Virtual Production, prominently featured in two multifunctional STStudios: CR49 and Studio1D, both powered by Brompton Technology LED processing.
“Aimed at cinematic

Germany - Take That joined a host of German and international popstars who performed on Germany’s Your Songs TV show recently, each with their own large LED screen visual backdrop driven by Green Hippo Hippotizer Boreal+ MK2 Media Servers.
Billed as a celebration of popular music, Your Songs sees well-known artists sing one of their most successful tracks while enveloped in visuals and accompanied by a live orchestra. The LED Main Wall measured 16m x 5m at 4096 x 1280 pixels, while an 8m x 2.5m LED ‘Talk Wall’ displayed secondary graphics. A series of ‘garde

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