France - The PLASA-hosted technical lighting event, PlugFest, returns to Lille, France from 16-19 April 2024, bringing together lighting professionals from across Europe to test products and learn about protocols and standards.
Together with the expert hosts, Hamish Dumbreck (JESE Ltd), Wayne Howell (Singularity UK) and Peter Willis (Howard Eaton Lighting), PlugFest provides an opportunity for lighting manufacturers, developers, and technicians to test and debug their designs, as well as improve the connectivity of their products.
Besides interactive testing, PlugFest offers a programme of educational seminars, unpacking the most widely used protocols. And the organisers are pleased to announce that the 2024 event timetable has been extended for more in-depth testing ti

Concrete Crisis - St David’s Hall in Cardiff has closed temporarily to carry out checks on potentially dangerous concrete in the venue. The venue had initially said it was safe to remain open, despite the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) panels in the building.
However, Cardiff Council said in a statement that it was now closing the venue “in light of the recent change to advice on RAAC in public buildings issued by the Health and Safety Executive and following further discussions with the council’s appointed independent structural engineers, and the council’s insurers”.
“The council has been aware of RAAC in St David’s Hall and the need to manage it from a health and safety viewpoint since 2021, and it has always followed government guidelines and advice to ensure the building was safe,” it said. It added: “A building managem

UK - The Netron EN6 IP, one of three devices in Obsidian’s new IP65 range of signal distribution, won a PLASA Award for Innovation at the 2023 exhibition.
The PLASA Award judges recognised the EN6 IP as a “device that brings lighting control distribution and format conversion to the outdoors at an accessible price point.”
"I'm incredibly proud of our team's tireless work and relentless pursuit of innovation as we continue to push the boundaries in entertainment controls,” stated Matthias Hinrichs, product manager at Obsidian Control Systems and Elation Professional. “The Netron EN6 IP, along with the entire IP65 range, represents a significant step forward in addressing the needs of the entertainment industry. A rugged IP-rated lighting data node that aligns with our leading Proteus range has been truly missing from the market and now lighting professionals c
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LD Systems ICOA PRO series – high-performance coaxial PA speakers for professional demands

The popular ICOA PA systems have been further developed to include two active full-range coaxial speakers – ICOA PRO 12 A and ICOA PRO 15 A – as well as the active 21″ bass-reflex PA subwoofer ICOA PRO SUB 21 A. With its professional features and high output power, the ICOA PRO series is aimed at ambitious bands, musicians and DJs as well as hire companies and commercial customers looking for a compact, robust and powerful PA sound system. The ICOA PRO series is rounded off with modern connection and control options via Bluetooth 5.1 and the specially developed ICOA PRO app, for use on smartphones and tablets.

ld-systems.com/icoapro

UK - Wireless LED lighting manufacturer Astera was delighted to win a coveted 2023 PLASA Award for Innovation for its new PlutoFresnel product.
The Awards - which recognise and reward next-generation products and those behind them - were announced during the three-day PLASA Show entertainment technology expo staged at Olympia London last week. Astera’s award was received by R&D director, Simon Canins.
Astera’s sales and marketing director Sebastian Bückle was delighted to win the Award and states: “We're honoured to receive a PLASA Innovation Award for PlutoFresnel, which is a groundbreaking lighting solution designed for film, studio, and event settings.
“The cutting-edge technology complete with built-in battery gives three hours of operation on max brightness, and its full-spectrum Titan LED Engine sets a new standard in lighting innovation. Thi
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ETC Halcyon Silent

High End Systems Halcyon Silent builds on ETC’s legacy of fanless automated fixtures by incorporating features from the highly sought-after Halcyon family. Halcyon Silent perfectly balances silent operation with brilliant output of 18,400 lumens and high-impact features. 

For more information visit us at www.etcconnect.com

UK - Robe received two more PLASA Awards for Innovation - for its Footsie and iForte LTX products - at the 2023 PLASA entertainment technology expo staged in London last week, capping off another busy three days for the Czech moving light and LED manufacturer.
Robe also celebrated its acquisition of leading lighting console manufacturer, Avolites, now officially ‘A Robe Business’ and premiered its new expo live show Power of Imagination that will run through 2023-24, designed to show off Robe’s newest technologies in situ in a high energy live performance spectacle.
Two other major new products were officially launched at the expo in addition to the iForte LTX - the Forte Fresnel and Forte PC - while a range of other popular and current luminaires featured in the show were demoed in two closed studio spaces filled with people and interest throughout.

The Netherlands - Cisco Live 2023 took place in the Amsterdam RAI from earlier this year. Thearent, a company that specialises in the rental and sale of materials for professional purposes, transformed an area of the RAI for the event using Wentex Se Frame Modules.
Cisco Live is an event for IT professionals that focuses on education and training. With various topics being covered over the course of five days, it was necessary to have a number of different areas available for participants. Using a total of 5500 Wentex Set Frame Modules, Thearent transformed a single, large area of the RAI into several smaller spaces.
With different sessions taking place simultaneously, Wentex Acoustic Panels were also used for effective sound isolation. Highlite International is an official distributor of Wentex products and the SET Frame Modules come in different sizes. They can be
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Create new traditions – Cameo P6 - High Output Full-Spectrum Ellipsoidal

Cameo's P6 is a future-proof LED profiler with a powerful 600 W RGBACL engine and 16,000 lumens. It’s an energy-efficient replacement for 2.5 kW halogen profile lights in theatres and venues. With excellent light quality and natural colour rendering, it fits perfectly in theatres, musicals, TV studios, congresses, and live events.

With an LED life of 50,000 hours and low power use, the P6 cuts energy costs and supports the EU’s ‘Green Deal’ goals for climate neutrality by 2050. It also meets updated eco-design rules for lighting.

www.cameolight.com/p6profile

USA - Over the course of his career, Scott Holthaus has created some extraordinarily impressive shows with large centre stage video screens. But sooner or later, most things in life run their course, and at this point, the designer was ready for a change.
“I have said it a hundred times... I’m bored with the big TV in the back,” remarked Holthaus, when discussing his design for Disturbed’s just concluded 36-date Take Back Your Life North American tour, which began 27 April at Bell Centre in Montreal and ended 2 September at the Ruoff Music Center outside Indianapolis.
On this tour, Holthaus achieved his vision, going outside the box (or wall!) to create a design that flowed seamlessly with the musical narrative on stage without the use of a central video wall. In place of the familiar video component were three rows of automated truss that changed positi

India - The inaugural exhibition of the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre in Mumbai, India in Fashion: The Impact of Indian Dress and Textiles on the Fashionable Imagination, was lauded both for the scale of the exhibit and its engagement value.
Kapil Thirwani, director of Munro Acoustics was tasked with fulfilling the audio brief which demanded an array of immersive soundscapes that segued from zone to zone. Calling upon the expertise of distributor, Alphatec, he quickly discovered that only the capabilities of TiMax SoundHub would meet the complexity of the audio solution in its entirety.
The exhibition is curated by Vogue’s global editor, Hamish Bowles and presents a multi-zone exploration into the impact of India on global fashion and vice versa. Thirwani was contacted to deliver the audio solution in an eye-wateringly tight timeframe. On advice f

The Netherlands - Drum ‘n’ bass fans were given an event to remember when the three-day Liquicity Festival was staged recently in Geestmerambacht Park in the north of the Netherlands.
Begun in 2013 the first multiple day Liquicity took place in 2017 and today the event attracts daily attendances of up to 20,000.
Martin Audio partners DSL and Stairway Productions collectively provided several hundred enclosures, plus amplifiers and accessories, site wide. This notably included a massive deployment of WPL Wavefront Precision line arrays by DSL for the premier two performance stages - and seven separate zones in all (including the food court) spread across a site that was suitably draped and decorated for the occasion.
The main Galaxy stage saw 20x WPL left and right (in two box resolution), with 12x WPC for delays (also in two box resolution) and 21x SXH218 sub

Tunisia - The 42nd Festival International de Dougga took place between 27 July and 7 August this year in Dougga in northwest Tunisia. Qualified by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1997, the city is the best preserved Roman small town in North Africa, and festivalgoers enjoy music and theatrical performances on stages dating from Roman times.
Performers at this year’s festival included Dhafer Youseef, noted for fusing eastern and western musical styles and introducing the traditional short-necked lute-type instrument the Oud into contemporary music, and Algerian Berber singer, songwriter and guitarist Souad Massi. Also appearing were Assyrian-Syrian singer Faia Younan, Mauritanian singer, songwriter and instrumentalist Noura Mint Seymali and Tunisian musician, composer and singer Zied Gharsa.
Sound for the festival was provided by local event technology specialists

The Netherlands - Solid State Logic is set to launch the Tempest Control App at IBC 2023 (stand 8.B81). Delivering full control of the System T production platform from a software application, Tempest Control App presents the next step in virtualised control solutions for live-to-air broadcast audio, says SSL.
Delivering full control of all mix, routing, monitoring, setup and automation functions, including the entire suite of next-gen immersive production tools, Solid State Logic’s new Tempest Control App (TCA) brings to the market ‘an unprecedented level of production flexibility and operational adaptability for broadcasters of all sizes’.
TCA is a robust and highly scalable control solution for key broadcast audio applications including remote production, newsroom production, backup scenarios or anywhere a physical control surface is not required. TCA utilises

The Netherlands - Radio Active Designs will showcase the UV-1G wireless analogue intercom system at Booth 8.D78 at the IBC show in Amsterdam. The six-channel intercom system - which operates primarily in VHF - meets the EU’s Low Voltage, RoHS, Radio Equipment, and EMC directives. It has been in high demand in Europe since its debut in 2019.
“Since its European debut, the production community has embraced the UV-1G as the true problem solver it is for a crowded RF market,” explains James Stoffo, CTO, Radio Active Designs. “We have a great team in Europe and look forward to seeing everyone during the show.”
The RAD UV-1G base station utilises Enhanced Narrow Band technology, which enables the unit to occupy a mere 25 kHz of bandwidth in the UHF range, severely minimising its UHF footprint. The body packs operate in VHF, which has more open bandwidth in Europe.

UK - Built around the theme of ‘Frame Your Control, Bringing Immersion Into Frame’, ChamSys’ exhibit at PLASA Show 2023 engaged enthusiastic crowds of attendees with innovative products and ideas designed to help them take their creative visions to new heights.
Visitors got an up close and personal look at products like the MagicQ MQ500M Stadium, a standout console that seemed to be everywhere at Glastonbury earlier this year and is currently making waves touring with the likes of Ed Warren for Mumford & Sons, and Will Thomas on Bonobo’s Fragments Tour.
Also garnering attention was the ChamSys MagicQ Compact series, including the new MagicQ Compact Connect, a lightweight USB control surface that connects to a PC or Mac to deliver robust and flexible control of lighting, media, and LEDs. Visitors were universally impressed with this product, which is

Ivory Coast- More than 60 Powersoft Quattrocanali 4804 amplifiers are delivering the power for an all-new PA system serving one of the biggest stadia in West Africa.
Located in the eponymous suburb of Abidjan, the largest city in the Ivory Coast, the Olympic Stadium of Ebimpé is the country’s national stadium, being home to Les Éléphants, the Ivory Coast national football team.
The 60,000-seat venue was inaugurated on 3 October 2020, when it was given the additional name Alassane Ouattara Olympic Stadium (Stade Olympique Alassane Ouattara), after the Ivorian president. It is expected to eventually form the heart of a vast, 287-hectare Olympic village, and will next year host the opening ceremony and final match of the postponed 2023 Africa Cup of Nations tournament.
The need for a new sound system so soon after the Olympic Stadium’s construction came aft

The Netherlands - Unlimited Vision & Sound is a busy full production and rental company based just outside Den Bosch, known for its flair, innovation and dedication to quality service. The company has recently invested in Robe T1s and LEDBeam 350s.
The core business is servicing mid-to-high end B2B events and corporate activations, across the Netherlands and sometimes wider afield, and there are some very well-known clients on the books including the city of Den Bosch.
The business was started by Pascal van Engelen in the 1990s, initially servicing his own DJ shows whilst studying electrical engineering at Den Bosch University, to which he started adding corporate clients, a process that’s never stopped! He’s currently joined by 13 full time employees plus a raft of regular freelancers.
One aspect that has consistently underlined Unlimited Vision & So

The Netherlands - The 10th edition of the Op Dreef music festival took place at the BillyBird Park Drakenrijk in Reuver on Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 May. Ritmo Productions supplied a large number of lights by Showtec and Infinity for the event.
The festival, which plays house, r&b, techno, urban and hip hop music, was attended by thousands of people over the course of two days and saw more than 60 artists perform across five different stages.
More than 200 lighting fixtures by Showtec and Infinity, supplied by Ritmo Productions, were in use at the festival and 175 of these were fixtures by Showtec. Bright, colourful and dynamic lighting came in the form of 14 Spectral M800 Q4 spots, 36 Helix S5000 Q4 washers, 45 Sunstrips and 80 Pixelstrip 40 lights.
The Pixelstrips were controlled by seven Showtec Pixel Controllers. Infinity added to the atmosphere with 19

UK - In June, Wellcome Collection hosted the Land Body Ecologies Festival - a free, four-day event exploring environmental and mental health topics by incorporating elements of sound, touch, taste and vision. The festival, which included art installations, workshops, talks, films, and performances, focused on the connections between mental health and our ecosystem.
The Land Body Ecologies (LBE) research group is led by Yorkshire, UK-based multi-disciplinary arts studio Invisible Flock and other partners, who were recipients of the Wellcome Trust’s prestigious Hub Award. The festival was produced by Unbox Cultural Futures and Invisible Flock.
"The focus of all of our work looks specifically at the natural wild and the environment: the ways in which we interact with it and the ways we perceive it - or maybe don’t perceive it," explains Invisible Flock technical direc

France - The Théâtre du Splendid, an emblematic Parisian venue known for its rich artistic past, has chosen to convert its fleet of Robert Juliat 600SX tungsten profile fixtures to LED using Robert Juliat Sully LED modules, to comply with the fast-approaching regulatory requirements for energy transition.
With a capacity of 300 seats and an eclectic programme, the Théâtre du Splendid is well served with Robert Juliat equipment. This includes a set of eight Robert Juliat 600SX profiles rigged across the front-of-house and over stage, which were recently converted to LED using the Sully LED 115W module in warm white. The LED source with its colour temperature of 3000K and 98 CRI is perfect for the Théâtre du Splendid.
"It's a cost-effective, long-lasting solution that maintains the level of technical excellence expected of a profile," explains Thomas Rouxel, the Th

UK - In step with the welcome return of the British summer, PLASA Show made a triumphant return to the Grand Hall of Olympia London from 3-5 September, spanning a third more floor space with a striking 28% increase in visitors.
Lee House, operations director for Ambersphere Solutions, says: “I was struck by a sense of nostalgia and excitement - PLASA Show has made a triumphant return! The hall was bustling with a diverse array of exhibitors and, most importantly, visitors who were eager to engage in meaningful conversations about their technological needs for the present and future. It was a jam-packed, unforgettable three days that left us eagerly anticipating what next year will bring."
Tom Mowat, hire account manager for Encore, concurs: “PLASA Show 2023 was absolutely incredible. It was fantastic to see the whole of the hall used by exhibitors. The attendance a

Germany - Stage Precision has announced the latest release of its flagship software, SP version 1.1.0. This update introduces a variety of powerful features and integrations designed to streamline workflows and enhance user control.
One of the key features of SP version 1.1.0 is its revamped Camera Calibration. Recently trialled on a project for the Gamers 8 event in Saudi Arabia, the new workflow redefines the calibration experience and is ideal for all virtual production setups, including green screens, LED walls and augmented reality.
"We've made it much simpler and faster to calibrate a lens profile and align a tracking system,” explains Axel Lambrecht, CTO of Stage Precision. “This will further reduce reliance on manual measurements and enable much of the camera and lens calibration workflows to be handled offsite, allowing more time for fine-tuning onset and

Chile - Lighting designer Deivid Rojas used a large complement of Claypaky fixtures when reggaeton stars Zion & Lennox marked their 23rd anniversary as a musical duo with a spectacular show at the Moviestar Arena in Santiago.
“We aimed to impress the audience with a massive setup where the artists would be the center of attention,” says Rojas. “We incorporated extensive LED screens and lights, including Claypaky fixtures, to achieve a striking show. Our goal was to provide the audience with the best experience while keeping the focus on the artists.”
He designed the rig with 40 Claypaky Sharpy Plus, 30 Midi-B, 27 Sharpy and eight Alpha Wash 1500 fixtures from Iluminacion Chile.
Rojas chose the Claypaky fixtures for “the vibrant colours they offer, their focus and zoom capabilities, and their speed. They stand out with their bright and vivid colours

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