USA - With just under a month until the doors open at PLASA Focus: Nashville 2014, organisers PLASA Events have confirmed additional new exhibitors and seminar speakers. The event is taking place at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium on 18-19 February, 2014.

The latest exhibitors to sign up include Robe, Neutrik USA, Navigator Systems, Event Safety Alliance, Harrington Hoists, Cosmic Truss, Absen American, Rental Pointe Software, LSC Lighting Systems, and Luminex.

Five new sessions have been added to the PLASA Focus: Nashville 2014 Professional Development Program, a two-day programme of free educational seminars and workshops running alongside the event.

Access Anywhere: Rope Access, Fall Protection and Rescue will be presented by Impact Access and TES Inc. Hugh Biggle

Israel - Ronen Najar, one of Israel's leading lighting designers, specified Robe moving lights as the backbone of his design for the 2013 Festigal event in Israel.

Festigal is an elaborate and high profile song and dance show for children staged for five weeks each year during Hanukkah in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa and Beersheva featuring many well-known Israeli singing and dance stars.

It's the biggest children's show in the country and In Tel Aviv it was staged in a 6500 capacity arena at the Exhibition Centre playing between two and four times a day - all sold out - keeping its young and demanding audiences enraptured.

This latest show was staged in-the-round with an X-shaped set designed by Nitzan Rafael and built by Irgunit, which was the starting point for Najar's lighting design. The lighting needed to be flexible, colourful and fluid to deal with the li

UK - In September 2013 a team of music lovers opened the doors to Control, an impressive, large-scale new night club based in Leeds. Since opening, the club has welcomed a wide range of artists through its doors including: Solomun, 2manyDJs, Tensnake, Groove Armada, Pete Tong, Greg Wilson, James Zabiela, Pendulum, Professor Green and countless others.

As well as being designed in sleek, modern colours, the club boasts an impressive Funktion One sound system along with large-scale lights and lasers, CO2 cannons, gigantic party poppers and exciting extra sensory stimulation in the form of the venue's unique Geodome - a 'cage' of thousands of LEDS that fills the venue's second room.

Club owner, Jim comments: "The Geodome idea was born about five years ago after a trip to the Eden Project in Cornwall. The sheer scale of the building structure was incredible and I simply had t

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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 - Backstage Academy hosted a series of educational sessions about live events industry careers for students from South Yorkshire at the National Skills Academy's Creative Choices event in Sheffield on 10 January.

The creative industries careers event took place across Sheffield City Hall, Sheffield Theatres and the O2 Academy. It attracted over 350 14 -19-year-olds eager to learn about employment and career pathways in the creative industries. Live Nation's Paul Latham introduced the event by talking about how he got into the event industry, followed by talks from BBC Introducing's executive producer Lyndsey Boggis and Stealth Management's James Mountain.

Backstage Academy set up camp in the O2 Academy Sheffield where it aimed to inspire students about the career opportunities on offer in the backstage live events sector. It invited students to hear practical advice from in

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New Touring Series by Gravity – Every Scratch Has A Story

When the stage heats up, you need equipment that can keep up without compromise. The Gravity Touring Series has been specifically designed to meet the highest demands – for rental companies, professional musicians, concert organizers, and large event venues. Premium materials, exceptional durability, and impressive longevity make these products stand out. Whether on tour, in constant use, or under the toughest conditions: the Touring Series delivers maximum reliability and performance – every day, on every stage.
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The Netherlands - Dutch audio innovator Alcons Audio will be showcasing its latest pro-ribbon sound system innovations at the upcoming Integrated Systems Europe show in Amsterdam.

The relatively wide scope of the show enables Alcons Audio to display its broad portfolio of system solutions: On booth 6-N148, Alcons presents a selected choice of its point-source, point-source array, line-source and line-array sound systems, based around the company's patented Pro-Ribbon technology and its ongoing pursuit of audio perfection.

The main focus will be on the RR12 point-source array: with shipping started last December, the RR12 extends Alcons' famous line-source technology into different applications. By implementing the unique features of Alcons' pro-ribbon transducers in a modular concept, the RR12 has been developed as "building block" to create tight-packed (horizontal

UK - Adastra has announced the introduction of a brand new range of 100V line mixer amplifiers and slave amplifiers, designed specifically with the installer in mind. All CM and RM mixer-amplifiers feature integral USB/SD audio players, as well as individual microphone and auxiliary channels for maximum flexibility.

CS and RS slave models range from 60W to 360W, delivering stable, reliable power to multiple speaker systems, the company says. SMD circuit technology ensures dependable operation with options for DC battery power and low impedance outputs. All RM and RS models are provided with rack ears for installation into 19" cabinets, whilst a rack tray option is available for the CM and CS models.

Overall, this new, comprehensive range of amplifiers offers high performance with easy-to-use control options for a wide range of commercial public address installations, say

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AZOR® SP2 IP - Compact IP65 Spot Profile Moving Head

Compact design and IP65 protection for indoor and outdoor applications: the new AZOR® SP2 IP is the ideal solution for open-air events and outdoor theatres that require a powerful, weatherproof lighting system. An optimal partner for lighting designers and event service providers looking for a versatile LED show light in a compact housing.

AZOR® SP2 IP – the next generation of robust, weatherproof, and compact lighting for maximum creative freedom, both indoors and outdoors.

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USA - Launching globally at NAMM 2014, the new ETX family builds upon the industry-leading innovation and 85-year heritage of Electro-Voice audio engineering to offer "the most advanced professional portable powered loudspeakers available today".

A versatile high-end choice for live entertainment venues, rental companies, pro musicians and DJs, and installed sound, the ETX family features three two-way models (10-inch, 12-inch and 15-inch, all with a precision HF titanium compression driver), a three-way model (15-inch with a 6.5-inch MF driver and a precision HF titanium compression driver) and two subs (15-inch and 18-inch drivers).

Positioned above the ZLX and Live X families respectively, ETX completes a trio of recent EV portable loudspeaker offerings-each of which was designed to bring best-in-class performance to its price point. (Launched at NAMM 2013, ZLX wa

The Netherlands - At this year's Integrated Systems Europe in Amsterdam, Lawo presents in hall 7 on booth T220 their current product highlights.

In the field of video, Lawo presents the Lawo V - link 4 in its current version. This device is the professional broadcast tool for signal contribution, distribution and remote production via qualified LAN and WAN structures. V-link4 provides video-over-IP coding, signal processing and a video/audio lip sync measuring system - all in a compact tool. This gives more space in the rack, increases flexibility and saves setup-time and production costs. Also on show is the Lawo V-pro8, the compact, fully digital 8-channel video processor with all glue features that are required within broadcast production workflows.

Visitors can get hands-on experience at the Lawo mc²56 mixing console. This compact, flexible and versatile mixer has a lot o

UK / USA - Allen & Heath has introduced the 30 in / 24 out Qu-24 to its Qu series of compact digital mixers, which also includes the rack mountable Qu-16. Qu-24 features total recall of settings (including 25 motorised faders and digitally controlled preamps), an intuitive Touchscreen, Qu-Drive integrated multi-track recorder, dSNAKE for remote I/O and personal monitoring, multi-channel USB streaming to Mac, Qu-Pad control app, and iLive's renowned FX library to deliver class-leading audio quality.

Qu-24 features a dedicated fader per mic input channel, 24 mic/line inputs, three stereo inputs, four FX engines with four dedicated sends and stereo returns, 20 mix outputs including 2 Stereo Matrix Mix Outputs and 2 Stereo Groups with full processing, patchable AES digital output with a further two-channel ALT output, dedicated Talkback mic input, and two-Track output.

The mixer i

USA - Midas unveiled the M32 digital mixing console at the 2014 NAMM Show this week. The new M32 is a 40-input digital mixer with a host of connectivity options "sure to appeal to audio professionals in need of advanced live sound and recording solutions".

The M32 features the same award-winning mic preamplifiers as the PRO Series consoles and "1-million lifecycle" Midas Pro Faders. The new console is 96 kHz ready and features 192 kHz AD/DA converters.

The mixer also features Ultranet for "Acoustic Integration" with the new Turbosound iQ Series active loudspeakers or IEM systems.

Sporting an industrial design created by Bentley Motors industrial designer, the console makes use of high-performance material such as carbon fibre and aluminum, the M32 ushers in the next phase in Midas' legendary heritage, says the company.

Packed with processing p

South Africa - East Coast Radio's Durban Day was a huge hit with a sensational line up including The Kickstands, Toya Delazy, Zakes Bantwini, Lira, Mango Groove, Prime Circle, MiCasa and Goldfish. The show, which attracted around 14 000 people, was hosted at the People's Park, Moses Mabhida Stadium, and the full technical was awarded to Insane Sound.

The largest contender at this show was the weather. The stage included a 10 x 8m Prolyte Roof and in the afternoon a gust threatened to stop the show. "I can't emphasise how big it was," said Rawjee.

Insane Sound had their safety infrastructure in place including large water ballasts for the roof. "We had to take off the sides of the stage while the band kept playing," said Rawjee. The wind howled into the microphones, but it actually sounded like an effect, say organisers. By the time the main artists were per

UK - Lighting, sound and vision specialists Illuminate Design has moved to new purpose-built premises in Colchester, paving the way for an expansion of the company's services and product portfolio.

The move comes on the back of a highly successful year in which the company has seen continued growth, particularly in the theatre, corporate and leisure sectors.

In addition to extended office space, the new premises provide improved warehousing facilities which will allow the company to achieve faster turnaround times, whilst a new technical suite will be used for product demonstrations and technical training. Customers will also be able to visit the company's new trade counter which provides fast access to its extensive inventory of audio, AV, lighting and staging products, together with a growing stock of consumables, including lamps, tapes, colour filters, and effects.

The ne

Spain - The UK's Projection Advertising has been commissioned by design agency Marmalade London to create projections for the launch of 'Make Happy', the AW2014 collection from bags and luggage manufacturer Kipling. The launch event, which took place in the stunning Casa Llotja de Mar in Barcelona, included two highly vivid pieces of projection work by Projection Advertising.

The centrepiece of the launch was a 3D set that spelled 'HAPPY', and this was the canvas upon which Projection Advertising beamed the animation. While guests took their seats, the projection traced different coloured light around the 3D set and gradually filled each letter with solid colour. With everyone seated, the 'wow' animation began: a one-minute show with audio, introducing animal print patterns, each revealed strip by strip to the rhythm of C2C's track Happy until each letter was completely covered.

UK - Jonathan 'Leggy' Armstrong, LD for world-famous electronic dance music act Basement Jaxx, has been exploiting the capabilities of a range of Clay Paky fixtures to create 'out-of-this-world' lighting on their latest UK tour.

To translate Basement Jaxx's signature psychedelic music style into a dynamic series of beat sharp, multi-layered lighting states Armstrong harnessed the multi-faceted effect engines of the Clay Paky Alpha Spot QWO 800s, Sharpy Wash 330, Alpha Wash 1500s alongside the classic Clay Paky Sharpy.

"We've been touring with the Sharpy for the past year," says Armstrong of his choice of fixtures, supplied by hire company Neg Earth. "We've kept them on for the production tour for the obvious reason - there is no other fixture quite like them.

"As for our decision to go with the rest of the Clay Paky package, this time round we needed fix

USA - First established as the Tournament of Roses Parade on January 1, 1890, 'America's New Year Celebration' this year featured 45 floats, 16 equestrian units plus numerous marching bands, all led by 2014 Grand Marshall Vin Scully, the Hall of Fame broadcaster. Officially titled the Rose Parade presented by Honda since 2011, the two-hour procession is typically watched by as many as 700,000 people along its 5.5-mile route through Pasadena, CA, where it runs mainly along Colorado Boulevard.

All of the signals from the parade floats (outfitted with wireless audio-six in all), including NBC's The Voice float, were mixed and routed through a DiGiCo SD10 digital console and fed to the audience PA at the start of the parade route as well as also being sent as a broadcaster pool feed. This year the parade was broadcast live in the US on nine TV stations, including ABC, NBC and Los An

Australia - Situated in the heart of Neutral Bay, just ten minutes north of the Harbour Bridge, The Oaks is one of Sydney's most iconic hotels - a local institution that's been around since 1885.

The venue is just completing a $4m refurbishment with the magnificently renovated Bar & Grill up and running for a few weeks already. Designed by Paul Kelly, the Bar & Grill with dark colours, funky lights, beautiful wooden finishes, stone walls and tartan carpet, it is a modern yet classic look.

The audio visual requirements for the Bar & Grill, as well as the 1936 Bar and function rooms, was taken care of by InSound who decided upon a JBL solution with Crown CTS amplifiers.

"Previously this area of the venue was serviced by JBL Contractor speakers but the owners wanted to increase the sound output" explained Bruce Ensor, managing director of InSound. "We've installe

Belgium - Lighting & visual designer Luc Peumans of Genk, Belgium based creative practice Painting With Light designed lighting and visuals for the new series of popular TV music quiz show Sing That Song which was recorded at Londerzeel Studios and broadcast weekly on national TV channel, VRT.

Recorded in front of a live audience and presented by Peter Van de Veire, two teams comprising a piano-playing captain and two singers - some very well known - battled it out with their musical knowledge, improvisational skills and talent.

The overall stage design followed an international Sing That Song format with two pianos centre-stage and six screens upstage which displayed song titles - then performed by the teams.

It was the first time that Peumans has lit the show, directed by Ruben Braekvelt and Johan Verstuyft, well known as the country's most prolific music TV directo

UK - As the new European Master Distributor for High End Systems, AED Distribution continues its commitment to providing the best opportunities for product training, with the first HOG4 training course of 2014.

The Training course will be on Tuesday 28 and Wednesday 29 January at the LH2 Studios located in the heart of Park Royal, and just a few minutes from Park Royal Underground Station and the A40 and North Circular Road.

The course is open to a total of 12 Lighting Professionals and provides a hands-on chance to train on the latest HOG4 Family consoles. The training course is run by Frank Schotman, product specialist from AED Distribution. Frank has led many of these HOG4 courses both in the UK and across Mainland Europe.

AED Distribution started providing free HES product trainings in 2013, with almost 200 people attending these courses, 75 of those attending in the UK.

France - LumenRadio reports that their CRMX OEM modules will be available as standard in Ayton's new interior architectural luminare, the MADesign fixture.

MADesign combines an original conception of a sleek design together with new RGBW sources and 45 mm high performance optics, which allows an infinite palette of rich pastel or saturated colors. The upper part of the fixture has 5 individually adjustable spotlights and a backlight device is present on the rear of the fixture.

MADesign was displayed in Ayrton's stand during the recent LDI Show in Las Vegas and received great interest from a steady stream of visitors.

Yvan Péard, managing director at Ayrton comments, "We've had many comments about how great the MADesign fixture is, and we are very pleased to offer all MADesign fixtures with LumenRadio's OEM modules as standard. Our product range is constantly exp

Malta - Built beneath an iconic curved structure in the form of a starfish, the new Malta National Aquarium has already become one of the Mediterranean island's prime tourist attractions. Featuring 26 themed display tanks, its aim of educating visitors about marine life is matched with other facilities just for leisure. Denon Professional audio equipment satisfies both requirements.

The National Aquarium is located in Qawra, a town on the northeast of the island where tourism is the dominant industry. Opened earlier this year, the 20,000m2 complex includes the aquarium building, a franchised Café del Mar, restaurant, retail outlet, car park and public areas. Fgura-based Futuretech is one of the island's leading A/V installers and chose Denon Professional equipment to deliver the high quality audio that the project required.

The aquarium is divided into four themed zones

UK / Australia - International lighting designer Hartley T A Kemp traversed the globe at the end of 2013 armed with Philips Selecon's PL range of LED fixtures to light two very different shows - Land of Our Fathers at Theatre503, London; and Sweet Nothings, at Australian Theatre for Young People's independent works season Under the Wharf, Sydney.

Hartley - who in addition to his lighting designs for some of the world's most prestigious companies and productions is Artistic Director of C venues at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe - utilised Selecon's PLprofile1s, PLfresnel1s, and PLcyc1s on both shows.

Set in a Welsh coal mine and focusing on miners trapped underground as Margaret Thatcher is elected, Land of Our Fathers is nominated for five Off West End Awards - Best Director, Best Production, Best Set, Best New Play - and Best Lighting.

"We wanted t

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