Europe - UK-based rock band Marillion has built up a formidable and near cult-like following over a career spanning five decades that has spawned 20 studio albums plus a string of top 40 hits since their formation in 1979. For the last 21 years, they have staged biennial two and three-day summer convention events for fans, which include special live performances plus additional Marillion world activities.
Lighting designer Yenz Nyholm’s specification for the 2023 Marillion ‘convention tour’ included nearly 100 Robe moving lights - 31 Robe Esprites, 22 LEDBeam 150s, 16 MegaPointes and 30 Spiider LED wash beams.
Conventions were staged in the UK, the Netherlands (twice), Germany, Italy, and Canada. For the shows at Berlin Tempodrom, Leipzig-based rental company Kont

Estonia - Sixty82 B.V has announced that Progear has been appointed as its exclusive distributor for Estonia.
Progear has quickly emerged as a significant player in the Estonian market. With a commitment to meet their customer's needs swiftly, Progear has built up a comprehensive stock of Sixty82 products, ready for distribution.
"We are thrilled to collaborate with Progear and extend our market reach in Estonia," stated Rainier Smeding, sales director of Sixty82. "Progear mirrors our dedication to delivering top-tier products and services. Their industry knowledge, resources, and passion position them perfectly to represent our brand and fuel our growth in this region."
Brand Manager for Sixty82 at Progear, Andreas Reinula, will be at the helm of this partnership.
Raivo Sinijärv, managing partner at Progear shared, "It's an honour to be the exclusive dis

Australia - Tumbalong Park, a five-hectare respite of green in the centre of Darling Harbour is serving as the site of a FIFA Women’s World Cup Fan Festival this month.
A vibrant celebration of all things football, and much more, the festival features giant live streams for watching FIFA Women’s World Cup games, a variety of fun football-related activities, a cornucopia of street food, and live performances by popular Australian artists like Jessica Mauboy, Jack River, Mia Wray, and Jacotene.
Enhancing the festive atmosphere and providing memorable visuals at the event, which began 20 July and runs through 20 August, is a bold and colourful lighting setup by dplr that is anchored by 108 Chauvet Professional fixtures from Showtools International. Included in this collection are 16 Maverick Storm 4 units, 20 Outcast R2X Washes, eight Colorado PXL Bar 16 motorised ba

Canada - Theatrixx Technologies, the Montreal-based manufacturer and distributor of technical equipment specially adapted for the performing arts, events and entertainment sectors, has announced the launch of its new premium high refresh rate Nomad TPEP+ 2.6 indoor LED panel, now available with Brompton Technology processing.
The panels incorporate a new proprietary Titanium Polymer Edge Protection technology (TPEP+) which ‘ensures unparalleled module protection and durability’. They designed to meet the demands of event production and rental.
A liquid shader now replaces the traditional brittle plastic shaders, resulting in an impressive +170-degree viewing angle. The innovative polymer compound forms mechanical bonds between each pixel without covering the LED lenses or altering their colour spectrum.
Individually batched premium SMD diodes, a 1/16 drivin

UK - On Stand F6 at PLASA Show 2023, Glensound will be displaying new additions to its range of Dante products. PLASA Show will see the launch of the completely new Charles Interpreter Unit which adds networked audio to this important product category. As with all Glensound products, it is designed to precisely cater to the needs of a single translator whilst providing significant redundancy for power and Ethernet to ensure the message is delivered. Experience gained with other Interpreter units has defined the advanced specification.
Dual PoE connections plus a mains and DC input provides the security needed to keep the unit live at all times and there are RJ-45 connectors on the rear panel for primary and secondary Dante connections. A floor input from the Dante network and alternative XLR sockets for the translator’s microphone are featured with network output for the
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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

USA - Rapidly rising folk and indie star Lizzy McAlpine’s The End of the Movie tour featured a set that was designed around her actual living room space. “All the items in the room were chosen by Lizzy, and were very specific to her inspiration and interests,” said Kat Borderud, the tour’s lighting and scenic designer. “The set contained her own personal clothing, family photos, books, and other cherished items.”
Borderud intensified the effect of this living room set by accentuating its various elements with light and shadows. “My role was to fulfil Lizzy’s vision and transform the stage,” she explained. “Darkness and shadow play are incorporated in this design for bringing the room to life as another character in Lizzy’s show. Shadows and light move and reflect on the walls from inside and outside the windows to move us through the set in a nar

USA - As one of the only performing arts centres of its calibre in the area, Hult Centre for the Performing Arts regularly welcomes audiences from as far away as Portland, Oregon and the California Bay Area.
In the venue’s 2,447-seat main hall, viewers can enjoy shows by Hult’s resident companies, which includes the Eugene Ballet and Eugene Symphony, as well as established touring artists, Broadway musicals and comedy shows. In the second, 495-seat hall, Hult Centre provides up-and-coming acts with a space to perform, hoping to catalyse new artist growth and development.
Since opening in 1982, the Hult Centre has prided itself on offering quality audio for each act that comes through its doors, no matter how large or small. To accomplish this mission, the venue entrusts general manager Jeff Weinkauf, who pulls from his years of theatre sound design experience to
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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

Slovenia - From 23 June to 1 July, the city centre of Maribor was transformed into a large festival area for music, art and culture. Festival Lent is the largest open-air festival in Slovenia and one of the biggest city centre festivals in Europe.
For the 30th anniversary, national and international artists performed on the numerous large and small stages, including this year's Eurovision Song Contest participant Joker Out as well as funk legend Fred Wesley. To stage the broad spectrum of genres, the lighting designers of the respective stages relied on an equally versatile range of moving lights, LED bars and flood lights from Cameo.
On a total of five of the seven stages, including the Main Stage, Jože Skarlovnik, technical director of the festival, relied on Cameo fixtures. The focus was primarily on IP65-capable outdoor spotlights, with which those respons

UK - Production Futures, the initiative which creates opportunities for young people to learn, train, network and develop careers in production across the live event industry, has signed with Martin Audio, as their latest high-profile partner.
“It’s wonderful that Martin Audio have seen the potential of Production Futures,” said CEO, Hannah Eakins. “We’re particularly delighted to welcome them as a British manufacturer.
“They are a forward-thinking company with a diverse workforce, and we’ve seen them transform over the last 20 years.”
Production Futures is also in the process of transformation, including the announcement of a new audio learning zone. Along with Martin Audio, this will debut at the 28 September event, which takes place at Production Park in Wakefield.
“In that sense the timing couldn’t be better for Martin Audio as we re

UK - British manufacturer of professional audio solutions, Wharfedale Pro, has announced its return to PLASA London, taking place at Olympia, London, from the 3-5 September. The Wharfedale Pro team looks forward to engaging with industry professionals and sharing their latest cutting-edge technologies and product offerings.
Visitors to the booth can expect to see a selection of Wharfedale Pro hardware, ranging from the flagship WLA-1 Hybrid Curvature Array to the reliable workhorse Delta-AXF series. Wharfedale Pro has long been synonymous with quality, reliability and performance, and the products they will be showcasing at PLASA are a testament to these values.
One of the highlights of Wharfedale Pro’s PLASA offering is the release of the latest version of their DSP Controller Software. DSP Controller v1.1.8 serves as a management system for the brand’s DP-F and D

Canada - OVG360, a full-service venue management and event programming company, which manages FirstOntario Centre and FirstOntario Concert Hall, recently upgraded its outdated intercom systems to enhance communication throughout the multi-purpose venues.
Head of audio Michael Stewart worked in conjunction with AVL Media Group sales director Rob Poretti in selecting a precise intercom system that provides reliable communications across the spacious production venue.
After an off-site coverage test with Pliant Technologies’ CrewCom 900MHz wireless intercom system and a DECT-based wireless intercom from another manufacturer in order to compare overall performance, the choice was clear. Poretti explains: “I placed the CrewCom Radio Pack on my left hip, the DECT-based radio pack on my right hip and sent both devices program audio. I then went for a long walk down the

South Korea - RealProtec is a technology company that offers innovative solutions for South Korea’s film and media industries. Its strong focus on virtual production enables production teams to streamline processes and bring their clients' creative visions to life in a fast, efficient, and cost-effective manner.
Supported by a highly skilled team and leveraging cutting-edge LED technologies from Brompton Technology and INFiLED, RealProtec collaborated with CJ OliveNetworks and Jinwoo M&C to create Gwangju Content Cube (GCC) VX Studio, the country’s largest VP studio operated by a Korean government organisation, the Gwangju Information & Content Agency.
GCC was created as a multifaceted space equipped with content production infrastructure for movies, games, and animations, alongside immersive content experience facilities like VR, AR, and MR. Its setup is e

USA - At 46, Floyd Mayweather still packs a punch, even five years after the former champ retired undefeated from professional boxing. This was plain to see during his recent exhibition bout against John Gotti III. But the Boxing Writers of America’s ‘Fighter of the Decade’ wasn’t the only one flashing impressive firepower at the sold-out FLA Live Arena. Also displaying its prowess was a collection of Chauvet Professional Rogue Outcast 1L Beam fixtures from The Design Oasis that were used to rev up excitement during the exhibition.
“The 1L beams really created an impact throughout the arena,” said Abbas Ritscher, of The Design Oasis. “They were small, which allowed our lighting designer John Hollingshead to bunch a lot of them together, keeping the cables clean but still creating impact by directing beams of lights across the entire venue. They have a very tigh

Thailand - Following extensive renovations starting in 2019, the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre in Bangkok reopened in late 2022 with 300,000 square metres - three times larger than the original venue layout - available for a variety of events and activities.
Along with increasing space, deploying state-of-the-art technology throughout the QSNCC was a key priority. Owners of the centre hoped that doing so would not only ensure the QSNCC’s long-term success and adaptability, but also strengthen Thailand’s global position as a world-class MICE destination for both national and international events. To meet this request, Harman Professional Solutions partnered with Mahajak Development, Stonehenge Inter and Atkris Co to tailor a bespoke solution combining world-leading products from JBL, Crown, Soundcraft, dbx and BSS.
The QSNCC consists of three main zones:

South Africa - d&b audiotechnik recently concluded a workshop tour in South Africa in collaboration with local distributor, Stage Audio Works. The workshops were led by Janko Ramuscak, senior application, training and support consultant at d&b audiotechnik, Germany. The event aimed to equip audio engineers and system technicians with advanced knowledge and practical skills related to the deployment and optimisation of d&b line-array systems.
The workshops took place in Cape Town and Johannesburg, where attendees had the opportunity to engage with industry expert Janko Ramuscak and gain insights into the intricacies of d&b’s systems. The participants were able to enhance their understanding of electroacoustics, line-array configuration and ArrayCalc software through comprehensive theoretical sessions and valuable time spent hands-on with the products.

USA - By any measure, summer 2023 in the U.S. has been extreme with intense heat, severe rainfall and unrelenting smoke. So when a number of outdoor festivals and events are on the program, the challenge for any production company is immense. “This is a very current issue,” states Ryan Knutson, president of Brown Note Productions in Colorado. “We've seen some really intense changing weather patterns and IP fixtures have become critical in outdoor applications.”
Knutson credits Danny Wimmer Presents for initiating their move to weather-resistant lighting solutions, a client they have worked with since 2014. “DWP was really the first client we worked with who stressed that the dynamics of weather and shows had changed and therefore a change was needed in how we approached these events. Specifically, we needed to stop the behaviour of plastic bagging fixtures wheneve

Germany - The Adam Hall Group’s innovative competence has been officially confirmed by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. With the award of the BSFZ seal by the Certification Body for Research Grants, the Adam Hall Group is now recognised as a researching and developing company.
By awarding the BSFZ seal under the Research Grants Act, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research recognises, among other things, the development of the LD Systems MAILA (Modular All-Round Intelligent Line-Array) sound reinforcement system as well as a digital mixer platform that will be used for the first time in the upcoming MAUI G3 MIX column systems.
The BSFZ seal certifies the innovative competence of companies in the areas of research and development. After a positive review of the submitted R&D (research and development) projects, companies also receive funding t

France - International light artist Christien Methot enabled Parisians to see the River Seine in a new light when he created the first Light:Bridge with Ayrton Cobra phosphor laser source luminaires. ACT Entertainment is the exclusive distributor of Ayrton lighting in North America.
For one July night, Methot, the principal lighting designer at New York City-based Design One Lighting Design, added a new bridge across the Seine using 10 powerful parallel beams of light to project a ‘bridge’ across the water near the Passerelle Leopold-Sedar-Senghor footbridge, which links the Left Bank’s Musee d’Orsay with the Right Bank’s Jardin des Tuileries.
From far away, the light beams appeared to be a sturdy, physical crossing. But as people approached it, the ethereal nature of a bridge built of light was revealed. Only light could achieve that dichotomy linking the tw

Backstage Upgrade - The National Theatre has submitted a planning application to bring some of its backstage departments - which have been largely unaltered since the 1970s - up-to-date and ensure they meet current health and safety requirements.
Submitted to Lambeth Council by architects and designers Tom Wilson Studio, the plans outline refurbishments to support the modernisation of the NT’s back-of-house facilities, including its textiles studio, costume and prop workshop, wig, hair and make-up department and laundry room, located on the building’s fifth floor.
According to the planning application, the fifth-floor production facilities have been "largely untouched since the 1970s and no longer support the working requirements and practices expected of a modern theatre, and in some cases are non-compliant with current health and safety executive guidelines for

USA - Bandit Lites has announced the promotion of John Cameron Carter to integration solution sales. Carter first joined the integration team seven years ago and has since grown as a technician, project manager and sales member.
Bandit’s integration team acts as a liaison between architects, project engineers, equipment manufacturers, and clients and oversees client’s projects from conception through installation, researching and recommending design elements that fit the desired look and budget of each project.
“During my time at Bandit, I have been afforded many opportunities, such as turning on projects as an ETC Field Service Tech, installing large scale lighting rigs and managing architectural and themed entertainment projects in some of the largest US markets including New York, Boston, Las Vegas and Houston,” said Carter.
“John Cameron has been

The Netherlands - Studio Technologies debuts its Model 5312 Intercom Station at IBC 2023 (Stand 8.F93). The Model 5312 Intercom Station provides 12 independent talk and listen channels and supports the Dante audio-over-Ethernet network technology.
The Model 5312 is a rack-mounted unit that is designed to serve as an audio control centre for production and support personnel in numerous applications including on-air television sports and news broadcasting, live events, theatre, industrial, aerospace, and corporate AV.
Its range of resources makes it simple to use the Model 5312 locally, or as part of a REMI or 'At-Home' geographically diverse implementation. In addition to intercom applications, the unit can create multiple independent IFB (talent cue) channels. The Model 5312 also has the ability to easily create monitor mixes from its 12 input audio channels, making th

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