USA - Area sales managers for international trade distributers John Hornby Skewes & Co. Ltd., recently visited the Massachusetts headquarters of pickup, preamp, and amplification manufacturer Fishman, and were welcomed and hosted by company founder and president, Larry Fishman and his team.

As well as a tour of the factory and office complex, the team received advanced sales training on the full line of Fishman products.

The JHS team were accompanied by Fishman European brand ambassador, Steve Fairclough who is working alongside JHS to produce dealer training and sales focused in-store clinics.

JHS executive director, sales & marketing Alan Smith added, "What a fantastic opportunity to see the amazing attention to detail and quality throughout the design and production pr

USA - In Lewis Carroll's classic Through The Looking Glass, Alice steps into a mirror to enter an incredible world where flowers talk, chess pieces come to life and characters like the Red Queen tickle the imagination with enchanting feats. The 257 guests at the JCC New York's White Hot Night Through The Looking Glass fundraiser didn't have to do anything nearly as dramatic as Alice to be treated to a magical evening.

They simply walked into a gym-turned-ballroom on Manhattan's upper West Side and were dazzled by a menagerie of ornamental zebras, lions and fanciful creatures not found in nature, as well as ornamental gardens, garlanded gates, glittering centrepieces and a multi-faceted lighting display created with Next NXT-1 moving LED panels from Chauvet Professional, provided by WorldStage.

Liron David, founder and CEO of Eventique, the visionary team behind t

UK - Thorpe Park, one of the UK's largest theme parks, has decided to use White Light's services to upgrade its audio infrastructure. The entertainment production supplier was approached by Thorpe Park to provide both advice and ultimately the equipment required to ensure that their sound system was not only cost effective, but helped to achieve maximum impact.

Further to a long standing relationship with White Light, Thorpe Park has now invested in audio equipment that can be tailored to their specific future event needs. Thorpe Park's entertainments technical coordinator Martin Swain comments, "We required some equipment for our upcoming Ministry of Sound event along with the Island Beats concerts we'll be hosting all summer. Prior to this, we used to hire equipment but recently had the opportunity to purchase it instead."

White Light business development manager J

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France - Following a convincing recent demo in Paris, Meyer Sound has confirmed three new orders for the Leopard linear sound reinforcement system, including two French rental system purchases and an installation going to a nightclub in Marseille.

"This is the first time we have purchased a line array system immediately, before any of our rental clients have had a chance to ask for it, because we are certain that it will be requested as soon as they hear it," notes Marc de Fouquières, general manager of Dushow, who purchased 24 Leopard loudspeakers and 10 900-LFC elements.

Besides the system's small cabinet size, full range response and ease of setup, Fouquières says it's the listening experience that proves most convincing: "The uncompromised sound quality of Leopard simply overshadows every other small line array system, and some larger ones as well."

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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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UK - Lighting manufacturer GDS has re-structured its UK distribution network to widen access to market for its products.

Existing partners, Hawthorn, Stage Electrics, and White Light have become GDS's stock-holding, main distributors, supplying the GDS range on a large scale across the board.

Alongside the distributors, GDS continues to work with installation partners LSI Projects and Push the Button.

As part of the review of its distribution network, the company has appointed Black Light, Enlightened, National Stage Technologies (formerly Northern Stage Services and Lancelyn Theatre Supplies) as committed, non-stock-holding dealers, who hold demonstration kit and are able to supply GDS products.

GDS managing director Matt Lloyd comments, "The success of GDS products like ArcSystem has been brought to wide attention by their presence in many large scale and extremely

USA - The stakes were high for more than just the boxers during the 2 May fight between Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and Manny Pacquiao. Televised live, the pay-per-view event was a rare collaboration between Showtime and HBO, and both networks expected technical perfection.

Handling the selection, deployment, and coordination of wireless microphones, IEMs, and intercoms for the event was the team from Las Vegas-based Soundtronics, led by managing partner Mark Barbuti. "For a major live televised event, there can't be any mistakes," he notes. "This fight was such a high profile event that we were basically told directly to do whatever it takes to make sure that there were no wireless issues whatsoever. I knew immediately that we would be using Shure Axient for all our key channels."

Fortunately, Soundtronics had worked on multiple boxing events in the MGM Grand Ga

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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.

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UK - West London rental specialist Colour Sound Experiment supplied lighting and video for the latest leg of Glasgow alt rockers Twin Atlantic's ongoing Great Divide album tour, working with lighting and visuals designer Paul McAdams who has evolved an edgy and vibrant show to match the band's massive energy.

This latest run of gigs - which included London's Brixton Academy and their largest headline show to date at hometown Glasgow's Hydro Arena - saw Paul build on the design he had created for the autumn 2014 tour - also supplied by Colour Sound.

The concept evolved around a core floor 'touring' package which was scaled up for the larger venues on the itinerary, which have increased in line with the growing profile of the band, complete with a local-promoter supplied 'top' rig. At Brixton this was also provided by Colour Sound.

The starting point for the touring des

USA - When working in the world of live television production, the lighting rig stands at the forefront called upon to provide a wide variety of creative looks. Nowhere is this more important than on two of television's most-watched events, the Grammy and Academy Awards, where both productions showcase a number of artists with individual lighting needs. As a veteran of both productions, lighting director and programmer Andy O'Reilly knows exactly what it takes to bring all these performances to life, and this year, he and his team got to do so with the assistance of VL4000 Spot luminaires from Philips Vari-Lite.

"During the shows, we may get a request from an artist about the approach to their performance so in terms of instrumentation, we design a plot to provide a wide variety of looks for situations we know we will come across," began O'Reilly. "In the producti

USA - Franklin High School in Franklin, Wisconsin recently seized the opportunity to build a proper fine arts auditorium, both for use by its rapidly-growing student body (currently 4,300 students) and for use by the larger Franklin community.

The new 25,000sq.ft, 850-seat auditorium propels the school to the cutting-edge of live performance technology and infrastructure, not the least of which is an impressive Danley Sound Labs sound reinforcement system. An exploded left-sum-right configuration of Danley SH-60 full-range loudspeakers deliver point-source fidelity and imaging, while two beefy Danley TH-212 subwoofers ensure that all low-end content is appropriately moving, figuratively and literally. Four Danley SM-LPM molded loudspeakers serve as high-fidelity stage monitors.

Professional Audio Designs of nearby Wauwatosa, Wisconsin had worked with Franklin High School sever

UK - Fresh from the recent re-branding of Milos to Area Four Industries, the UK operation continues to strengthen its position with the recruitment of Adam Beaumont as UK Brand Manager for LITEC, JTE, TOMCAT & EXE Hoists & Controllers.

Beaumont joins from ACTUS Industries with a wealth of experience in Rigging & Automation. He explains: "For over 15 years I have worked closely with LITEC and most recently at ACTUS we assisted with the development of the new range of EXE Hoists & DST systems. To be finally working within the team is a great opportunity and I am extremely excited for the future with the strength of all our brands "

Sales & Marketing Director, Glen Brown adds: "The timing with Adam is perfect with so many changes in our organisation and industry. Our new motto is 'You know What, We know How' in reality our aim is to know HOW & WHAT with new experti

USA - d&b audiotechnik will introduce two new and much anticipated installation amplifiers at InfoComm 2015, Orlando. These amplifiers join the d&b family of dedicated installation products and reaffirm the company's focus and commitment to the market.

Roger Keim marketing manager, d&b audiotechnik USA said, "InfoComm is a key event in our calendar and we have good news at the show this year. Based on nearly 35 years experience in developing systems and, more importantly, from the interaction and feedback from our valued customers, our new installation amplifiers have been designed to give d&b performance in a package tailored specifically for installation."

The new amplifiers will be on display at the d&b stand (621) alongside the new Y-Series loudspeakers and D20 amplifier, which was launched at ProLight+Sound in Frankfurt, Germany in April. Visitors will be able t

Germany - ETC is getting ready for its first appearance at Berlin's Stage Set Scenery show, 9-11 June, in Berlin. The company is set to make a big splash, giving Europe its first ever look at ETC Rigging, on stand number 208 in Hall 2.2. ETC will also have a second stand at the show - number 210 in Hall 1.2 - to demo its popular lighting products, giving show visitors a lot of new gear to experience.

Introduced in the US in 2009, ETC Rigging has made a deep impression on the industry, with some of the best quality and most versatile equipment available. ETC designed its rigging family with the user in mind, with dealers able to supply turnkey hardware packages tailored to the customer's unique needs, budget and venue size. ETC Rigging includes innovative controllers and motorized hoists that have sophisticated technical features - such as slack-line detection and live status fee

Germany - This year's Stage Set Scenery will provide the stage for J&C Joel's global project team to unveil a number of new acoustics solutions this June.

J&C Joel, one of the world's leading manufacturers of flame retardant fabrics and flooring for the entertainment and event industries, will also be celebrating its rich textile heritage at the Berlin show.

The theme of J&C Joel's stand - The inspiration behind the performance - will see the company showcase its new brochure, website and rebrand as well as a number of new product innovations. In addition, the company's global project team will be demonstrating products used on some of the company's most high profile projects, including The New York University in Abu Dhabi.

J&C Joel will use the show to present a collection of new products designed to maximise the acoustic properties of any space, including: acoustic

Belgium - Event organisers VTM Television and the Ethias Arena in Hasselt, Belgium asked the Painting With Light team to add some extra special visual flair to the 10th annual edition of the Schlagerfestival, a live show highlighting some of the best Flemish and Dutch 'schlager' genre of pop music.

The Genk based creative practice led by Luc Peumans as show designer, designed lighting, video and set for the event which featured five sold-out shows playing to over 60,000 fans over the course of a week as people flocked to hear Laura Lynn, Tom Waes, The Lynn Sisters, Matthias Lens, The Romeos' and many more local heroes.

Luc has actually been involved with technical production aspects of the popular Schlagerfestival since its inception.

Upping the production values for this one, he decided on an epic wide look to match the shape and feel of the venue's architecture, creating s

Mexico - They may be on a smaller scale than the Olympic Games but the 22nd Central American and Caribbean Games packed just as much glitz and glamour into their opening ceremonies in Veracruz, Mexico last November. Lighting designer David Grill, of David Grill and Associates, Inc. (DGA) in Mahwah, New Jersey, used Clay Paky Sharpys and A.leda B-EYE K20s to illuminate the festivities.

The Central American and Caribbean Games are held every four years with athletes from the region competing in a variety of sports, some of which qualify them for the Pan American Games. The 2014 Games were staged in the newly refurbished Estadio Luis 'Pirata' Fuente in Veracruz where more than a million people watched approximately 5,700 participating athletes.

The opening ceremonies featured several different segments in which the event producers used a large amount of projection. "The main

UK - Blackout installed a kabuki drop system to reveal Paul Cummin's latest sculpture to the national press and her Majesty the Queen, as it was unveiled at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, 18th May 2015.

Inspired by the show's 2015 creative, the sculpture stands at 8m high and is covered in thousands of hand-painted ceramic tulips. Paul Cummins is well-known for the now-iconic Tower of London poppy installation.

Located in the 12,000sq.m Great Pavilion - filled with more than 100 beautiful floral displays - the sculpture was hidden from view by a large cylindrical drape, dropped via solenoid kabuki. Paul Cummins himself pressed the 'go' button, revealing his latest work to the crowds.

Blackout was contracted by RHS head of shows, Nick Mattingley, to design and build the system. Ian Moody, Blackout's installation technician, led the project and oversaw the all-important drop its

Hungary - Digital signal processing specialist Symetrix has announced a further strengthening of its presence in the Eastern European market with the appointment of Budapest's Audmax to serve as its distributor for Hungary.

Established 10 years ago, Audmax has maintained a solid focus on pairing a strong and evolving distribution roster with comprehensive technical expertise. Today, the firm represents many of the leading pro-audio and MI brands in the industry - including Allen & Heath, Audio-Technica, Avid, Genelec, Korg, Tascam and Vox - as well as participating in high-profile audio integration projects at venues such as Budapest's Palace of Arts and the Hungarian Parliament Building.

Audmax managing director Krisztian Varga explains that many members of the team have had good previous experiences of working with Symetrix products, but that recognising the "current ex

UK - Ben Howard recently closed out his most recent UK tour, which included three consecutive nights at London's Alexandra Palace, with lighting designer Andy Rowe controlling a Nitelites rig using an Avolites Expert Pro running the latest Titan V9 software.

Devon singer songwriter Howard toured 11 dates around the UK and Ireland, in support of his latest album I Forget Where We Were.

"When I first started lighting for Ben Howard, Avolites was an easy choice," says Rowe. "I know the console inside out, it's easy to busk on, and it goes straight into festivals. It really makes life easy, all I have to do each day is update my palettes.

"I'm finding V9 to be great," he adds. "All the new cue facilities really suit the way I work, and Key Frame Shapes seems very cool!"

"We also ran multi user back up, and all the new networking. I love

Italy - In the year UNESCO has decided to devote to light, Clay Paky has inaugurated MoMS - the Museum of Modern Show Lighting. MoMS is housed on the company's premises in Seriate, Italy, and is the first Museum in Europe specifically devoted to light, not regarded merely as a useful natural phenomenon, but seen as a means to arouse emotions. The exhibition aims to reveal and let visitors discover the playful, theatrical and evocative nature of this important aspect of the physical world.

MoMS officially opened its doors on Friday 15 May, as part of the ARTDATE artistic and cultural season, in the presence of industry professionals and dignitaries, including the Mayor of Bergamo Giorgio Gori and the Mayor of Seriate Cristian Vezzoli. The museum is open to the public every Tuesday and Thursday (except bank holidays) between 3 pm and 5 pm from 19 May. Admission is free.

"We

Israel - Since 1938, the Habima Theatre has officially been considered the national theatre of Israel. Among the first Hebrew language theatres, it is located in Habima Square, central Tel Aviv in an impressive building reopened in 2012 after four years of renovations, with architect Ram Karmi harmoniously integrating historic and modern in a complete redesign of the old building. The enormous project included the total rebuilding of Habima's four auditoriums - each of which is a different size and colour.

This was accompanied by a complete technical upgrade, at which point Habima head lighting designer, Meir Alon, and technical manager for lighting, Eitan Meima, decided the time was right for a new moving light system. They chose Robe.

The first purchase was Robe's Robin MMX Spots. "These were gaining a great reputation at the time and we had several good references,&quo

USA - PLASA's inaugural Kansas City Focus Show opened its doors this week showcasing the very latest live entertainment technology products, attracting major buyers and hosting truly inspirational industry speakers who shared their knowledge and expertise.

The seminar programme and training sessions saw a diverse range of topics with highlights including: Rocky Paulson - a master of rigging, sharing his expertise on the art of rigging safely with the right components; Daunte Kenner - a veteran in both lighting and video, enlightening the audience on the craft and workflow that goes behind creating video; and Richard Pilbrow - the renowned lighting designer and founder of Theatre Projects, sponsored by Group One's 'ElektraLite', musing that a theatre is an accelerator of energy and light and the principle that an audience makes the atmosphere before the play begins. He presented

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