USA - Bandit Lites recently wrapped up another successful New Year's Eve show with rock band, Widespread Panic. The second annual event took place at the Time Warner Cable Arena and included a canned food drive.

While New Year's Eve is typically a night of expectancy for the coming year, lighting designer Paul Hoffman had a different kind of anticipation at the event: the set list selection. With a repertoire of over 350 songs, Widespread Panic's concerts can go many different directions musically.

"I don't get a set list until maybe five minutes beforehand, so I have to interpret the music in real time and set the lighting to it on the fly," said Hoffman. "It is kind of an unusual way to run lights. The material ranges from dark and moody, to ballad-like, to whim

UK - A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET) Ltd's Video division recently supplied a quantity of Green Hippo Hippotizer HD i7 media servers - running the latest Beta 3.2 software - to creative control and integration specialists, Fix8Group for immediate use on Cheryl Cole's high-profile A Million Lights UK arena tour.

Working across a number of sectors including live music, events, television productions and corporate presentations, Fix8 wanted a robust, flexible and stable video control solution to service their busy schedule of up-coming events.

Fix8's Neil Trenell directed lighting and operated video control for Cheryl Cole's A Million Lights Tour - specifying two of Fix8's brand-new Hippotizer HDs for the job.

Video content for the tour was designed by show directors, Fatima Robinson and Beth Honan; and was produced by Helena Spencer at The Field.

At the

UK - ExCeL London has signed a new five-year contract with Blitz Communications as its partner of choice for the provision of AV & staging services.

Blitz is now the sole onsite preferred supplier for audio, video, lighting and staging across all event spaces at ExCeL. These include ICC London, the UK's largest fully-flexible- 5,000 seated auditorium; Capital Hall, London's largest banqueting hall seating up to 3,000 guests; the 87,328m2 multi-purpose Event Halls; the 45 Gallery Meeting Rooms; the self-contained Platinum Suite; and the Capital Suite comprising 17 individual meeting rooms.

Blitz first partnered with ExCeL in 2005 and this will now be the third time the parties have signed services contracts. The new agreement has come about in response to the ongoing business development at ExCeL, particularly following the successful launch of the ICC facilities in 2010. The v

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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

Australia - Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre (BCEC) has taken delivery of a MA Lighting grandMA2 light console which will become the venue's main, large show lighting console. "It was time we upgraded and the grandMA2 is an awesome console," remarked Brian Nash, AV & production services manager.

Michael Hughes, senior lighting operator at the BCEC, took delight in taking the grandMA2 out for its inaugural run and he was thrilled with its performance. "I've used the classic randma light for many years but the grandMA2 light is great," he said. "I found the transaction between the randma 'series 1' and the grandMA2 very easy. After a few hours on the new board I knew I was going to be confident using it for the first time on one of our larger shows for the year.

"I really like the layout of it: a screen that's stacked vertically, flat fader

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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 - Philips Selecon dealer, Lancelyn Theatre Supplies, has installed a selection of Philips Selecon PLCYC-1 LED luminaires in The Corn Exchange Wallingford. The installation will provide a super flexible, intuitive to use Cyc solution for the volunteer-run arts venue, which operates at the heart of the community in Wallingford, Oxfordshire.

Technical manager of the venue, Oliver Hemming, discusses, "Our existing cyc lights were old and falling apart. We'd heard a great deal about the creative potential the features of the new LED fixtures offer, but we weren't sure which fixtures to buy. We enlisted the advice of Reg Berry at Lancelyn Theatre Supplies, Oxford. Following a trip to the PLASA show we decided on the Philips Selecon PLCYC-1 luminaires and we've been delighted with the outcome."

Reg Berry, branch manager at Lancelyn continues, "We felt the PLCYC- was

UK - Following on from the successful launch of the Green Festival Alliance's practical guide to sustainable power at outdoor events, they will be hosting a seminar at the forthcoming Event Production Show entitled 'Innovations in Power: Reducing Costs and Carbon'.

Alongside presentations from four industry experts, the seminar will also include a comprehensive overview of the guide, which was published in December 2012 and was designed to bring together the Powerful Thinking Campaign research initiative, which monitored generators at eight festivals last summer, and extensive feedback from power suppliers and festivals about the way they manage their power.

The key findings of the research, carried out in partnership with De Montfort University and Julie's Bicycle, were:

- The industry could achieve a 10% reduction in fuel consumption, saving over 1 million litres of diesel

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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 - The Long Reach Long Riders have confirmed the route for their 10th annual charity motorcycle ride. The rolling landscapes, deep forests and huge water of the upper midwest will serve as the backdrop for the 2013 version of the LRLR ride, which has been dubbed '10 Great Years, 5 Great Lakes.'

The riders will gather in Cleveland on 28 June, and head out early the next morning for a counter-clockwise tour of Lakes Erie, Michigan, Superior, Huron and Ontario before returning to Cleveland eight days later.

During those eigth days, the riders will visit 4,000-year-old sand dunes, stunning shorelines, waterfalls, islands, and more. They¹ll also learn for themselves the difference between "yoopers" and "trolls." U.S. riders will need their passports for the two-day excursion into Canada, and a couple of scenic ferry rides are included once again by popular d

USA - In order to support the proliferation of Audinate's Dante media networking solution across the AV industry, Steve Greenall has joined Audinate as director of sales for Europe.

Greenall, who resides in the UK, will also be responsible for leading sales activities in the Middle East, Africa and ASEAN countries.

"Over the past few years, I have been extremely impressed with the rapid adoption of Dante and how Audinate is universally recognized for delivering the most complete AV media networking solution available" says Greenall." I am thrilled to help contribute to Audinate's growth going forward."

Greenall has over 25 years professional sales experience, with the last 13 years focused directly in the A/V industry. He was recently sales director of VBrick in the UK, a leading provider of IP Video streaming solutions. Prior to that, he was the business

UK - POLARaudio has announced the appointment of Max Shuter in a newly created sales and marketing role.

Shuter brings with him extensive product knowledge and industry experience along with a detailed understanding of website design and maintenance. His most recent positions include product specialist at Roland and freelance web content producer for a leading Music Industry retailer.

In the latest phase of POLARaudio's growth, an in-house position has been created to support exciting projects planned for 2013. These include the development and implementation of a new website and the optimisation of all of POLARaudio extensive product content.

MD John Midgley commented, "Max joins us, initially to spearhead our web development programme, optimise our CRM system and then to work closely with the sales and marketing team on projects such as promotions, SEO and our social

USA - Prism Projection's recently introduced RevEAL Profile Junior, a compact version of its industry award-winning RevEAL Profile LED luminaire offers 10,000 lumens and equally impressive optics.

The Profile Junior is a compact 10,000 lumen LED profile spot; in fact its size and weight are similar to conventional tungsten-sourced ellipsoidals, yet its output exceeds conventional 575W ellipsoidals. This new compact design of the Profile Junior is offered in three versions; a tunable 2,800-6,500K, 3200K and 5600K white light. As with all Prism LED products, the Prism Junior utilizes the patented TrueSource technology along with its advanced thermal management system.

The Profile Junior, along with the original Profile, is ready right now for use in a wide range of applications including long throw front of house lighting positions

"The RevEAL Profile Junior caught my eye

USA - Chauvet Professional took on the stage during the exuberant halftime show of the 2013 Discover Orange Bowl, organised at Sun Life Stadium and broadcasted by ESPN. Nexus 4x4 eye-candy wash lights accompanied country singer Jake Owen, who entertained the large audience as the halftime headliner.

Randy Taylor, lighting designer and founder of Design & Productions Dallas-based full-service design and creative services company, specified 36 Chauvet Professional Nexus 4x4 pixel-mapping fixtures for the show. Taylor placed three arrays of Nexus 4x4 on stage right behind Owen: a central wall of 20 fixtures, flanked by two smaller walls of two-by-four wash lights.

For the halftime show, the Chauvet team operated the wash lights through Kling-Net control on the ArKaos Mediamaster software. The cues were triggered via DMX from the grandMA lighting console, using the Enttec DMX USB

UK - West London-based technical solutions company Entec Sound & Light continued its long working relationship with The Bootleg Beatles, the most successful and widely recognised tribute band to the legendary British musical group.

Entec has provided technical production for the band since 1994 - testament in itself to the artist's satisfaction with their production - in which time the band has regularly toured worldwide, playing to old and new generations of Beatles enthusiasts.

Entec's lighting crew chief Pete 'Pepper' Schofield ensured that all lighting designer Brendan Albrey's requirements were met.

It was Albrey's first tour with The Bootleg Beatles. He was chosen from several applicants who initially answered an ad to submit concepts that was circulated in the Association of Lighting Designers' (ALD) E-Newsletter. It was also his first time working with Entec.

The l

Norway - The annual Nobel Peace Prize Concert, held in Oslo, saw an extensive network of Midas live audio mixing consoles ensure artists, including Kylie Minogue, Jennifer Hudson, and Seal, sounded spectacular.

Hosted by the American actress Sarah Jessica Parker and Scottish actor Gerard Butler, the concert was recorded live and televised to over 120 countries to reach more than 500m viewers worldwide.

Set across three stages, the centre stage accommodated a full size orchestra conducted by Nick Davies. The three stage design ensures that the live televised show runs seamlessly from beginning to end as artist performances alternate between stages.

Norway's biggest rental house - and long-term Midas partner AVAB-CAC, supplied full production for the show. The company deployed two Midas XL8s front of house: one for the 55 strong, individually mic'd, Norwegian Radio Orchestra a

Philippines - Allen & Heath has appointed JB Music as its exclusive distributor in the Philippines. The A&H brand has been rapidly gaining market share in South East Asia, and JB's established dealer network, excellent service department and in house technical expertise mean they are able to serve this growing customer base.

"We at JB Music Philippines are very proud and honoured to finally exclusively distribute and promote Allen and Heath. Allen & Heath has been an institution in the pro audio industry and now we can officially say that we are a complete musical and pro audio company," said Jerico Fernando, VP sales & operations and marketing director at JB Music.

"We are so excited and encouraged by JB Music's team. They bring a level of professionalism that has been refreshing to watch and experience. We expect to see great things in the important Philippine

Australia - The National Institute of Dramatic Art has taken delivery of Jands HPC12 dimmer racks to be utilised in their new atrium performance space.

"We needed dimmers that had a "rock and roll" approach to allow for quick and easy setups," explained Adrian Wright, lighting supervisor at NIDA. "This is especially good as a learning tool for our students as they also get an understanding of the use of the Jands Power Distribution System and mains cables.

"Having already purchased the HPX dimmers for one of our larger venues, the purchase of the HPC dimmer racks were a very good choice on value for money, the ease of operation and most importantly the reliability."

(Jim Evans)

UK - XL Video supplied full video production including LED screens, cameras / PPU and control, IMAG projection system and crew to Madness's recent sold-out UK arena tour.

This capitalised on a high profile year for the band that included epic performances on top of Buckingham Palace for the Queen's Golden Jubilee - complete with stunning projections by XL Video onto the front of the building - and at the Olympic Games Closing Ceremony.

'Luton' Pete Hosier's stage and video design offered a mix of visual humour and slick aesthetics, based on a fusion of circus and theatricality, with sumptuous red drapes, gentle arcs and impressive animations and imagery.

XL's project managers were Jo Beirne and Phil Mercer, and crew chief and video director on the road was Toby Vogel, who was working for the production.

Hosier specified a large Stealth LED screen upstage, 30 panels wide by

UK - Entertainment industry training centre Backstage Academy has released dates for its new year short courses at its base in Wakefield, West Yorkshire.

Those looking to acquire new skills or re-qualify in backstage disciplines for live events can now book on to one of the following courses via www.backstage-academy.co.uk:

Rigging Course, Wednesday 16 - Thursday 17 January

Event Safety Passport (SPA) Course, Wednesday 27 February

Stage Pyrotechnics Course, Thursday 28 February

The two-day Rigging Course takes place in the arena-sized studio on site at LS-Live and is tutored by industry veteran Eric Porter. It's a practical and theoretical training course targeting anyone who works with rigging equipment and wants to improve their equipment knowledge, safety awareness, practical techniques and theory. Delegates will carry out practical sessions on a truss rig in the stud

Uzbekistan - The newly built Bunyodkor Stadium was inaugurated at the end of August in conjunction with the celebration of the 21st Uzbekistan's Independence Day, recurring on 1 September 2012. On this occasion, Tashkent, the capital city of Uzbekistan, was enlivened for several days by numerous sports events, folk shows, musical happenings and craft fairs enhanced by amazing fireworks and breathtaking city lighting.

As a part of this newly conceived metropolitan illumination concept, the Bunyodkor stadium - now the biggest sports facility in Uzbekistan giving home to the local football team - demanded a well-framed lighting plan that would be able to overcome the many structural obstacles this pioneering arena involved.

Supported by 64 columns, the three-dimensional sail-like canopies that embellish the entire exterior perimeter of this bowl-shaped stadium, were identified as

UK - Goodnight Mister Tom follows the story of eight- year old evacuee William Beech who is sent to live in the heart of the English countryside in the quiet village of Little Weirwold during the Second World War. The show has been capturing the hearts and minds of audiences around the UK during its current tour and after packing houses around the country the tour has come into the West End for a nine-week season.

Sound design for the production is by Gregory Clarke whose credits include Equus on Broadway for which he won a Tony Award for Best Sound Design in a play and he received the New York Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Sound Design for Journey's End.

It's not the first time Clarke has used the AXYS loudspeakers on a show, his first experience of them was on Misterman at the National Theatre earlier this year. When asked for a quote on how th

Serbia - The National Driving Academy (NAVAK) just outside Belgrade was the venue for a four day Serbian VW dealers event which focussed on the Golf Mk7 Series. Robe's LEDBeam 100s were certainly in the driving seat as far as lighting the main presentation was concerned.

This was designed by event producer Aleksandar Kukanjac, with equipment - lighting, LED screen and PA system - supplied by the leading Serbian entertainment technology specialist, Studio Berar Projekt.

The event, attended by around 300 people in total divided into three groups per day, was staged in 'The Balloon' - a stylish tented structure that is permanently installed at NAVAK and used as a multi-purpose event space.

The 24 LEDBeam 100s were positioned on the floor and either side of the LED screen. They were rigged to the Balloon's integral trusses and positioned around its sides, used to enhance the atm

UK - The Racecourse Newbury hosted BBC Stargazing Live on 9 January, where 1,500 budding astronomers put into practice everything Professor Brian Cox had taught them throughout the series with experts on hand for demonstrations and to answer any questions.

The racecourse was one of 12 locations in the UK chosen as the beacon of the South for its accessibility and flexibility. The event took place in the Grandstand which offers over 1000sq.m of pillar free floor space, ideal for the array of practical activities taking place.

Each of the three floors represented a different zone with Explore on the ground floor, Discover on the first floor and Reflect on the second floor. Activities included workshops teaching people how to use thermal imaging cameras, inflatable planetariums, talks from astronomy experts and an interactive web chat with a NASA astronaut. The outside are

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