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18 July 2024

USA - The unveiling of the new Mercedes G-Class all electric wagon – produced by Team X - at Franklin Canyon Park in Beverly Hills featured a performance by Travis Scott. The Grammy-winning, platinum artist was driven out in the new Mercedes on a platform that appeared to be floating in the lake.

Seth Bernstein, who led the lighting team, used 68 Chauvet Professional Color STRIKE M motorized strobe-washes supplied by Volt Lites. He described what went into making this memorable experience a reality: “This was an impressive accomplishment. Scuba divers built an elevated stage in the park’s decommissioned reservoir. This presented immense challenges, as we didn’t want to distract from the beauty of the environment with excessively visible fixtures or positions. 

“Also, the audience walked in during the last hour of daylight, so we wanted to

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18 July 2024

Canada - CAST Group, creators of Wysiwyg design software, has announced all training resources available through the CAST Academy are now free for all, effective immediately.

"We believe that the key to innovation and progress lies in education," said David Ferraz, international business development manager. By making our Academy training resources free, we are ensuring that everyone can master their skills and excel in lighting design. Our goal is to support the design community in reaching their highest potential."

The CAST Academy offers a comprehensive library of training videos designed to cater to users of all skill levels as well as webinars from professional lighting designers such as Tim Routledge, Durham Marenghi, and John Rayment.

"We are always listening to our users and striving to enhance their experience with our software," Dav

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18 July 2024

Spain - One of Spain’s most prominent lighting designers, Xavier Costas, a member of the Asociación de Autores de Iluminación (AAI), has been a cornerstone in the AV industry for many years. With a career spanning television, corporate events, architectural, theatre, and musical events, Xavier has made a significant mark both in Spain and internationally and turns to Obsidian’s Onyx lighting control platform to bring his visionary designs to life.

Xavier’s journey with Onyx began over two decades ago and over the years, he has witnessed its evolution. “Onyx has changed over time and has adapted to new technologies and the demands of programmers,” he reflects. “Right now, I really like the intuitive aspect of the desk, how easily you can patch the products or fixtures you use in your designs.

“I also like the labelling and symbols, whi

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18 July 2024

Ireland - The Local Government Management Agency (LGMA) based in Dublin, is a state agency which provides a range of professional services to the local government sector across Ireland. Working collaboratively with all of Ireland’s 31 local authorities, the LGMA supports the co-ordinated and cost-effective delivery of local government services and policy.

In a bid to improve the quality of communications in its boardroom, a multi-function space, LGMA recently set out to improve the audio element of its existing system with a new delegate wireless microphone solution, as well as adding further sound reinforcement to enhance the auditory experience of Teams meeting/conference participants.

An open government tender resulted in IT support and solutions specialists Bytek Office Solutions securing the contract for the work. With more than 35 years' expe

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17 July 2024

MENA - DirectOut has announced Beamcast as its official distributor for the broadcast market in the Middle East and North Africa.

“We have had excellent relationships with many system integrators in the region for years, yet we have consistently struggled to secure a permanent distributor capable of enhancing the region's knowledge of our audio solutions for broadcast,” states Lorenzo Sassi, business development manager at DirectOut. “With Beamcast, we now have a partner who not only understands the market, but also the technologies we support, and how to match them with the needs of the customers.”

Beamcast will now offer comprehensive support and training services. This includes seminars, provision of demo and loan equipment, and the ability to ship products directly from a regional warehouse in the Middle East. This will enable DirectOut t

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17 July 2024

UK - The Arcadia stage at Glastonbury Festival, presented annually by a collective of creatives, engineers, programmers and technicians, is one of the most recognised festival stages in the world.

This year, in place of its celebrated flame-throwing, laser-packed Spider, engineered from recycled heavy machinery, Arcadia unveiled The Dragonfly. The sculpture, which was built from a retired military helicopter and scrapped excavators, saw artists including Fat Boy Slim and Eric Prydz perform from its dazzling head. This, in turn, featured a pair of glittering compound eyes moulded from a tangram of video screens.

Video Illusions, as one of the Arcadia team’s long-term collaborators, was invited to design and manufacture a bespoke LED panel featuring a near-invisible structural framework and control. The brief further demanded that the screens be low-

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17 July 2024

Canada - Bluesound Professional has announced the addition of two new distribution partners in South America and Scandinavia. Joining the network are ZRS Distribuidora in Brazil and Exton in Iceland.

“We are thrilled to welcome ZRS Distibuidora and Exton to the Bluesound Professional team as industry leaders in their respective markets,” says Graeme Harrison, vice-president and general manager of Bluesound Professional. “Both of these strategic relationships will further help us to expand our innovative streaming audio solutions in new influential markets across the globe, while Bluesound Professional continues to gain a noteworthy reputation in commercial spaces.”

Since the brand’s launch at the Integrated Systems Europe 2019 trade show, Bluesound Professional has expanded to over 70 international markets and is looking to add further terr

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17 July 2024

Croatia - LAV Projekt has been appointed the exclusive distributor for Renkus-Heinz throughout Croatia with immediate effect.

LAV Projekt places particular emphasis on staying up to date with technological advancements and emerging trends to better serve their customers. In that light, Patricio Valenta, who heads up the audio department of LAV Projekt, comments, “In our endeavour to establish ourselves as a premier system integration company in Croatia, we place great emphasis on innovation and adaptability.

“We firmly believe that the groundbreaking technologies and integration ease offered by Renkus-Heinz will be pivotal in our success as distributors and system integrators.

“As we've been working on a lot of projects lately, we've come across spaces where it was very difficult to get adequate sound coverage and deliver audio excellen

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17 July 2024

Germany - NicLen continues to rely on Cameo in 2024, with its latest investment being the new ORON H2 phosphor laser moving head which is now available in large quantities to all NicLen customers.

The Cameo ORON H2 is based on a 260-watt phosphor laser engine, which acts as an energy-efficient and long-lasting replacement for discharge lamps in the 480-watt class. With its combination of beam, spot and wash, and an unrivalled zoom range of 0.6° to 32° for laser moving heads, the IP65-capable ORON H2 is suitable for flexible use on medium and large stages – both indoors and outdoors. It features19 fixed and 12 rotating gobos as well as two combinable effect wheels with six prisms, beam ovalisers and frost filters.

“In recent years, Cameo has continuously expanded its portfolio and closed individual gaps in a targeted manner,” explains NicLen m

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17 July 2024

Japan - Celebrating 187 years of craft, creativity and the company’s unparalleled diamond legacy, Tiffany Wonder, the latest brand exhibition by Tiffany & Co., takes visitors on a visual journey through hundreds of the House’s creations. Complementing diamond creations, the immersive show is brought to life through LED installations powered by Brompton Technology LED processing.

Held at the Tokyo Node gallery within Toranomon Hills Station Tower, one of Tokyo’s tallest buildings, AV+ICT specialist Takenaka Co. and system integration expert Ark Ventures, both part of the Symunity Group, worked with Tiffany & Co. to create high-end LED walls for three rooms in the ten-room exhibition.

The Breakfast at Tiffany’s Room, Wonder of Celebration room, and Diamond Kings room all feature LED walls composed of ROE Visual LED panels driven by Brom

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17 July 2024

UK - Located in the Cotswolds, Daylesford Organic Farm, founded by Carole Bamford, is home to the flagship Daylesford Organic Farm Shop, Bamford Wellness Spa, The Club by Bamford, Bamford Barn and Daylesford Stays.

Tateside, a London-based AV systems integrator, collaborated on the project through the integration of AV solutions throughout the estate. "We started working with Daylesford Organic around eight years ago, with our initial involvement in supplying and installing background audio in the brand’s London farm shops,” reflects Ben Landi, project manager at Tateside. “Over the years, we’ve gradually expanded our role to cover the technology integration across the entire collection, including the pubs, the Club by Bamford and Heritage House, their new event space."  

The project encompassed the integration of AV solutions into various

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17 July 2024

UK - System integrator Marquee AV took advantage of the discreetness and flexibility of Powersoft’s compact Mezzo amplifier platform for a new AV installation at Kings Place, a multifunctional conference and events venue in King’s Cross, London.

Located in the vibrant King’s Cross area, close to landmarks such as the British Library, Bloomsbury Theatre and St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, Kings Place is a mixed-use development that includes an arts and creative hub, office space, events and conference rooms, and bars and dining areas, including a waterfront restaurant. The recently renovated Battlebridge Room is at the heart at the Kings Cross complex, its modularity, natural light and scenic views (overlooking Regent’s Canal) helping to make it one of the venue’s most popular spaces.

Kings Place is an existing client of Marquee AV, and when i

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16 July 2024

Portugal - Linea Research has announced a new distribution channel for Portugal, taking AV event production company, Sons do Marquês, as network partner in the region to extend the reach of Linea Research into that territory.

Based in Pombal, Sons do Marquês has supplied the audio products to the Portuguese rental and installation markets for over 20 years.

Sons do Marquês MD, Rogerio Lopes, said, “The Linea Research range of amplifiers will be a popular choice in Portugal and already there is interest from larger rental companies and for multi-zone installation project, in the 8-channel M- and C- series models. Linea Research enhances our offering to existing clients seeking an extensive preset library combined with a powerful range of amplification and DSP technology.”

Linea Research sales manager, Martin Hildred, added, “We are de

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16 July 2024

China - Located in the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China, Guangzhou Hertz Audio Co is a large-scale professional audio systems integrator and installer covering theatres, concert halls, TV studios, stadiums and convention centres, and with a particular focus on nightclubs and music venues.

By adhering to a business philosophy of ‘honesty, cooperation and win-win for customers, partners and employees’, the company has built a solid reputation for designing and installing sound systems that deliver an excellent return on investment for their clients. And central to that success is the consistent specifying of Nexo loudspeaker solutions.

“Nexo products deliver unrivalled power and coverage at a price point that really makes sense and we have made many successful Nexo installations in nightclubs in China,” reports H

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16 July 2024

Germany - Cologne-based motion design and show development studio, visualprime, is used to doing things on a large scale, and Hannover’s Fairground Festival of electronic music is no exception. The second iteration of this relatively new festival – already classed as Germany’s third-largest indoor festival - took place in the cavernous spaces of the Hannover exhibition halls hosting 40,000 party-goers over two remarkable days.

A line up of top international EDM acts included headliners Paul Kalkbrenner, Ben Böhmer, Jan Blomqvist, Stephan Bodzin, ArtBat, Camelphat and Charlotte de Witt.

visualprime lighting designer, Tobias Reinartz, employed over 100 Ayrton fixtures to inject dynamism, colour and striking linear arrays across the stage and dance floor, choosing 84 laser-sourced Cobra fixtures rigged overhead throughout the hall for dramatic be

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16 July 2024

UK - Production Futures has announced that nominations are now open for its Breakthrough Talent Awards 2024. The awards recognise the achievements of young people across the production industries and seek to inspire future generations. With the support and sponsorship of key industry partners, the Awards cover 21 different categories, reflecting the diversity of opportunity within the production industries.

Previous winners have gone on to enjoy flourishing careers with a wide range of companies or have taken up roles as in-demand freelancers.

Keen sponsors of the Breakthrough Talent Award are leading independent lighting, rigging, and control supplier for the UK land Europe, Neg Earth, whose head of marketing Anna Gould comments: “We are delighted to be sponsoring the Breakthrough Talent awards this year, as we believe in nurturin

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16 July 2024

UK - Although only a small, 220-cap venue, the Half Moon in Putney has hosted some of the biggest names in show business over the last 60-plus years. It was the venue for U2's first ever sell-out show, the place where Kate Bush first performed publicly, hosted KD Lang's debut, and has had the likes of Bo Diddley, The Who, and The Rolling Stones gracing its stage.

But its sound system had been installed almost a decade previously and was nearing end of life.

The venue’s head engineer James Beck has been working at the venue all of that time and more. It was when Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason came through back in 2018 carrying Martin Audio’s MLA Mini loudspeaker array that the vast improvement in sound quality arrested his attention.

“I was well aware of the Martin Audio brand, and when I heard this I was super-impressed. It had already b

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16 July 2024

Freelance Protection - Entertainment union BECTU has written to new culture secretary Lisa Nandy urging her to protect freelancers and the self-employed. The union also urges the culture secretary to champion equality and diversity in the arts. The letter from BECTU head Philippa Childs congratulated Nandy on Labour’s landslide general election victory and subsequent appointment, before calling on the new government to deliver its pre-election promises for the creative industries.

Starmer’s new government must secure a new deal for freelancers and the self-employed, who make up 28% of the creative workforce but currently lack many of the rights afforded to employees, Childs said. BECTU suggested "modernised protections and entitlements" for the freelance workforce "as part of a broader reform package on the legislative and institutional landscape on work

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15 July 2024

USA - Blink-182 are treating fans to LED-focused, in-the-round arena shows on their current One More Time Tour. Each show is packed with lights, pyrotechnics, and fireworks as well as LED screens and staging powered by tvONE's Green Hippo brand of Hippotizer Media Servers.  

Two flagship Tierra+ MK2 Media Servers from Green Hippo, which are now distributed by ACT Entertainment in North America, took centre stage to drive four large LED screens rigged in a square formation above the performance area. Made up of ROE CB8 LED panels, these enabled optimal viewing from all sides, no matter where each audience member was positioned.  

The content displayed was a mix of rendered content, IMAG, Notch Effects, and on-board Hippotizer effects with all content created by LA-based production design company TrasK House. TrasK House also desi

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15 July 2024

UK - Serious Stages unveiled its new Stellar concert and festival stage at a series of concerts presented by Festival Republic, at Crystal Palace Park, 5-7 July.

The new Stellar stage was designed and manufactured by the experienced team at Serious Stages Wells headquarters,

Serious Stages operations manager Abbey Thomas states: “The concept for the Stellar stage was born out of clients' feedback, who identified their requirements for a medium-range flat-roof version of the Company's larger TZ Tower stages. From initial designs created by our in-house CAD/technical team, components were manufactured in our Wells workshop, before Stellar made its first appearance in London.

“Our investment in this new system, along with the new video towers we produced for Download Festival, underpins our ongoing commitment to help our clients deliver outd