Belgium - ChamSys has grown its business in Benelux in recent years, with more programmers and designers choosing the company’s products for festivals like Reverze, as well as at clubs and on tours. In response to this demand, the company has joined forces with AVL, its long-time distributor in the region, to form ChamSys Benelux.
The ChamSys product line is now available for sale in Belgium directly from the company’s affiliate, Chauvet Europe BVBA (ChamSys Benelux). In the Netherlands, ChamSys will continue to be distributed by Aukes Theatretechniek, with the support of ChamSys Benelux behind them.
Industry figure Luc Buytaert of AVL has joined ChamSys Benelux and will be the primary contact point for the company in the region.

Massive Losses - Commercial theatre companies including Ambassador Theatre Group and HQ Theatres have revealed losses they incurred to March 2021, with theatre closures leading to 90% falls in revenue in some instances. Cameron Mackintosh Limited suffered pre-tax losses of £16.2m to the end of March last year, with the company’s turnover tumbling to just £20.8m. This is down from £206.7m in 2020.
The organisation, which operates eight West End theatres blamed the “disappointing trading results” entirely on the pandemic and warned that conditions remained “challenging”. It said a “consistent return to pre-pandemic audience attendance levels will take time to rebuild”, as domestic visitors, workers and international tourists return to London.
According to the accounts for International Entertainment Holdings Ltd, the parent company of ATG, the group saw

UK - London venue Troxy has announced the appointment of Jools Butterfield as operations manager. With over 25 years of experience within the event industry and 20+ years in managerial roles, Jools will be providing insight and invaluable experience from the ground up.
Jools will be making the transition from his most recent role as senior festivals manager Vision Nine His responsibilities included event manager for the NASS festival, assistant event manager for Boardmasters festival and the overall creation of the strategy and approach of all Vision Nine events.
In previous roles, he spent 15 years as Lovebox founder and festival manager, latterly being part of Live Nation where he was instrumental in the ongoing success of Citadel and Wilderness Festivals.
Simon Eaton, head of live at Troxy, comments: “Having spent many years working alongside Jools at MAMA

UK - Solotech UK has announced the appointment of Rich Rowley to the role of general manager for its Redditch facility. Rowley joins Solotech with 30 years’ experience in the live productions Industry. Reporting to UK MD Bryce Jewell, Rowley will oversee operations supporting the live productions, sales and systems integration business for Solotech’s UK companies, including SSE Audio, Wigwam, Capital Sound and BCS Audio.
Rowley previously held roles as director at XL Video and as chief sales officer for PRG in the UK. Most recently, he has been general manager at Adlib, where he helped oversee the company’s transition from an audio supplier to a full 360 audio, lighting and video service provider.
Rich is no stranger to the Solotech family, having been hire manager in Redditch for SSE Audio between 2004 and 2006. During his time at SSE, he worked on many projects

The Netherlands - Utrecht’s majestic TivoliVredenburg music complex hosted a live session by celebrated Dutch musician Niels Broos recently, with an effects-rich lighting design by Jolijn van Iersel using the features of Vari-Lite VL5LED Wash, VL10 Beamwash and VL6500 WASH luminaires from Signify.
Niels Broos’ performance saw renditions of some of his biggest hits as well as improvised, immersive sound design pieces. It was part of the Gaudeamus festival – staged for young music pioneers – and was streamed to fans.
“Niels wanted something special for the show, so we tried to look for some interesting new ways to light his performance,” says LD Jolijn van Iersel, who is also a lighting technician at TivoliVredenburg. “The VL5LED WASH and its LED ring gave us the visual extra we were looking for. It was able to not only be a fixture, but also create a déco

Singapore - For the second consecutive year Singapore welcomed the new year with Shine a Light, an inspirational light display that illuminated the Marina Bay skyline and this year featured 60 Claypaky Mythos 2 spot and beam lights arrayed in a circular formation around The Promontory.
Shine a Light was part of the Marina Bay Singapore Countdown 2022 presented by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) in support of the Singapore Together movement. It is also a collaboration with local philanthropic organisation The Majurity Trust to raise funds for people struggling in the community.
The light display represented strength in diversity as Singaporeans supported one another during the pandemic. It also shone the spotlight on frontline workers, ground-up groups and charities meeting the needs of communities during these difficult times.
Each week in

UK - Optimal Audio has announced an addition to its range in the shape of the Up 6O, a 6” two-way passive, full range open back ceiling speaker.
Delivering a consistent conical 110° coverage pattern, Up 6O features a 6” low frequency driver paired with a 0.7” metal dome tweeter, and is supplied without a back can for ceilings with a minimum cavity depth. An integral fixing system achieves a simple and clean installation. Up 6O is suitable for both high quality speech and music reproduction in a wide range of cost-conscious commercial environments, from hotels and concourses to retail outlets, bars and restaurants, says Optimal.
Each Up 6O can be run on a series of 70V or 100V taps or at low impedance, and with a 16Ohm setting allows up to four units to be connected to each amplifier channel at low impedance for an efficient install.
Up 6O joins Optimal Au

UK - Audio consultancy and networking experts RH Consulting (RHC) has been counting networked audio products and licensees since 2013 in an effort to chart the adoption of audio networking in the pro audio, AV and broadcast markets. The latest report, available here, covers all the major protocols and, for the first time, networked video and control products that use AES70, SDVoE and ST 2110 among others.
The last 12 months have seen a complete overhaul in the way RHC conducts its research and even closer collaboration with relevant industry trade associations and manufacturers. Consequently, the 10th edition of the report is the most comprehensive and accurate to date.
The statistics show that quite clearly that the number of networked AV products contin

Slovakia - Martin Audio’s long-term Czech and Slovakian distributor Rock Centrum has sold a Wavefront Precision line array to local rental company, AudiologicPRO. A relatively young company from the city of Martin, AudiologicPRO has had experience of Martin Audio technology and has been growing rapidly, with its reputation spreading throughout both the Czech and Slovak markets, in all performance sectors.
According to Rock Centrum’s Peter Foldvari, joint partners, Branislav Gombarský and Tomáš Hruška, wanted the manufacturer’s latest line array series as they believed Martin Audio’s optimised line array technology to be the best available.
“We conducted a few demos at our Czech base in Prague and invited them,” he reports. “We then had long discussions about which system they needed, as they already had experience with legendary systems such as W8, W

Poland - As hip-hop group PRO8L3M returned to the stage last December, the Prolights Astra Wash7PixIP and Astra Wash19Pix made their arena debut at the COS Torwar in Warsaw.
The production was supervised by lighting studio Źle i Tanio, who usually deal with highly complex productions. The project included fixtures including the Sunblast 3000FC, the Astra Wash19Pix and Astra Wash7PixIP.
“We knew these were solid fixtures,” explains the team from ŹiT, adding: “We used the 19Pix as the main wash on stage, sometimes using it also as a beam thanks to its large zoom range and high output. We also used the pixel ring as a standalone effect during some blackouts.”
The 7PixIP fixtures were placed on each side of the stage to create beam and colour effects. “We were surprised by their performance as well as the speed of movement,” says ŹiT. “It is a relati

India - Christie has announced that its high-brightness 3DLP laser projectors are employed for a projection mapping showcase on the newly inaugurated Statue of Equality in Hyderabad, which commemorates the 11th-century Bhakti Saint Sri Ramanujacharya.
The spectacle, which highlights the life journey and teaching of Sri Ramanujacharya, is accomplished using eight Crimson Series laser projectors and four Griffyn 4K32-RGB pure laser projectors. They were installed and commissioned by Christie’s longstanding partner, Tricolor India Schauspiel, a systems integrator specialising in architectural 3D projection mapping and son et lumière. The Crimson Series projectors were installed within two towers to deliver bright and intensely colourful images on the statue’s surface, while the Griffyn 4K32-RGB projectors were used to display captivating imagery on the gates and walls surr

Romania - To provide the International 2021 Dota 2 World Championship in Bucharest with a dazzling visual display and premium broadcast lighting, lighting designer Alex Berry partnered with Christie Lites and THiNC Worldwide to deploy a complex Martin by Harman lighting rig, including Martin MAC Ultra Performance fixtures.
The International is a major annual championship tournament dedicated to Dota 2, a popular multiplayer online arena battle (MOAB) video game from developer and publisher Valve. Since its inaugural event in 2011, Valve has hosted The International every year (with the exception of 2020, due to COVID-19) in global cities as diverse as Shanghai, Vancouver and Seattle
Originally scheduled to be held in Stockholm’s Avicii Arena, the 2021 championship had to be relocated to Bucharest’s National Stadium on short notice when it became clear that many of

USA - In 2021, Zac Brown Band (ZBB) hit the road again with their Comeback Tour, re-energising a live campaign that had originally started in 2019, rolled into 2020 and then was abruptly halted due to the pandemic.
Lighting designer Chris Cockrill of Livelight Design updated his original design for the fall 2021 tour, keeping Robe Spiider LED wash beam moving lights as a major element of the aesthetic.
The initial Spiider count of 64 fixtures in 2019 (plus another 16 for the stadium dates) was revised to 40 for the 2021 version, where they again assumed the same role as the primary wash luminaire on the rig.
Chris, who has worked with ZBB since 2016 and has designed lighting for the artist since 2019, chose Spiiders for “the strong output, tight zoom and general versatility, including being able to pixel map the entire fixture for additional looks and effects,

UK - In a career spanning more than 40 years, professional audio veteran Danny Kitainik has seen, done and heard it all, providing sound engineering services at countless high-profile festivals, events, tours and West End theatre shows, alongside running a successful AV installation, hire and events technology business. When the time came to invest in a new rental sound system at UK-based Serenityaudio, the company’s owner knew exactly what he wanted.
“For us, it’s all about delivering big festival sound and production values at smaller, often community-based events” says Kitainik. “The decision to go with Nexo was a combination of build and sound quality, reliability, aftersales support, performance, ease of operation and cost. There are so many benefits that it was an easy decision to make. We didn't even try to A-B systems before we committed to take the Nexo r

UK - Green Hippo has welcomed Midwich as a new distributor for Green Hippo products, particularly the full range of Hippotizer media servers, across the UK and Ireland.
Frithjof Becker, EMEA sales director, Green Hippo by tvONE, comments: “We are excited to announce our relationship with Midwich for fixed installation projects in the UK and Ireland. Our goal is to continue developing the growth of Green Hippo product lines within the install market. With an award-winning solutions provider like Midwich, we can’t wait to see the next set of impressive projects.”
Robert Phillips, video processing specialist at Midwich, adds: “Midwich are delighted to partner with Green Hippo to offer their leading range or media servers to customers looking to incorporate real-time media playback, 3D mapping and visualisation into their projects. Green Hippo works perfectly with

UK - Hypervsn is launching a new platform called Hypervsn SmartV. It has onboard HDMI, which allows SmartV to connect with the wider ecosystem of products involved in the pro AV and digital signage markets. The inclusion of the HDMI also means that SmartV can now be used to display both 2D and 3D content, says Hypervsn.
A larger, but lighter 3,000-nit Hypervsn SmartV model is launching, alongside an ultra-fine pixel pitch (0.65mm) medium-sized solution. These new solutions will successfully complement Hypervisn’s current range, whilst addressing a wider scope of customer needs.
Kiryl Chykeyuk, Hypervsn co-founder, comments: “We’ve spent the last three years completely redesigning the previous generation of Hypervsn technology. We have developed proprietary accessories to enable new, exciting interactive features and various installation options SmartV technology

USA - Just north of San Francisco, on a rural 10acre ranch in the heart of Sonoma County wine country, Prairie Sun Recording Studios has been steadily recording some of the biggest names in music since 1980. From The Grateful Dead, Carlos Santana and Journey to Nine Inch Nails, Wu Tang Clan and Tom Waits, numerous Grammy Award-winning records have been tracked, mixed, and mastered at this former chicken hatchery repurposed four decades ago by Mark ‘Mooka’ Rennick as a recording complex comprising three well-appointed studios.
For 10 years, this same site has also served as the headquarters of Prairie Sun Live, a live sound reinforcement and rental company that Mooka has led with the same passion, expertise, and commitment to great gear that has made his recording business a success.
First started in 2012 with an Adamson Y10 line array and Lab.Gruppen PLM amps purc

UK - Words like “upbeat” and “ebullient” come up often in reviews of KC Lights’ songs. It’s easy to understand why too. With its bright bursts of energy and soaring crescendos, his brand of house/techno music invariably lifts spirts, whether on or off the dancefloor. Perhaps this is why his release Girl became the unofficial anthem for locked out and house-bound clubbers in 2020, connecting them to better, pre-pandemic times. In the process, it also helped push his all-time streams past 100m.
With lockdown restrictions eased, the Scottish born artist has once again been able to connect to fans in person. The long hiatus has done nothing to diminish the energy level and fan connection at KC Lights’ live shows, as evidenced by his performance on Night Two of the Belsonic Festival in Belfast, where the crowd seemed to be dancing in the air to his kinetic m

Slovenia - Cankarjev dom is one of Slovenia’s leading cultural venues, offering seven diverse and different performance and event spaces located right at the heart of the capital city Ljubljana.
For several years the lighting department has been investing in Robe moving lights and earlier in the year Robe’s new Spote moving light became the latest fixtures to be added to their growing inventory.
While the pandemic has been a difficult time, with all the venues closed to the public, Cankarjev dom has managed to maintain a small income via streaming and staging hybrid and socially distanced business events, and regular staff, crew and technicians have been able to take advantage of a flexible furloughing scheme.
Despite the massive challenges faced over the last year, Cankarjev dom proceeded with the investment in eight Spote fixtures, which have joined around

South Korea - Christie laser projectors are delighting visitors with an array of mesmerising nighttime projections in an outdoor park located in the northeastern part of Seoul.
Known as Nowon Light Garden, it is situated in an area surrounding the old Hwarangdae Station, which was one of the stops along the now-defunct old Gyeongchun Line. During the day, the park’s biggest attractions are old steam locomotives and narrow-gauge trains that used to ply this route. When the sun goes down, a 400m section of the railway park is transformed into a garden of lights. Decorated with themes of Secret Garden, Tree of Life, Music Garden, Fantasy Train Station, Milky Way Garden, and Forest Fairyland, Nowon Light Garden is the first permanent night lighting park in South Korea.
Adding to the illuminations are projections on the façade of Hwarangdae Station using a Christie D16WU

Germany - Lighting designer and DP Ben Díaz has joined ARRI Lighting as senior product manager. Based in Stephanskirchen. He will focus on the development of high-quality LED lighting fixtures and accessories.
Together with Florian Bloch, head of product management at ARRI Lighting, and the team, Ben Díaz will play an integral role in the planning, development, introduction, and life cycle management of new ARRI lighting products. Ben Díaz is a senior executive specialised in LED lighting technology. He is also a lighting designer, director of photography, and educator with more than 15 years of experience in the industry.
After several seasons directing lighting for television shows and designing tours for international artists, Ben Díaz joined the Danish manufacturer SGM Light in 2014, where he first worked as area manager and later as business development direc

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