South Africa - The LED Hire Company, a Johannesburg- based rental company that specialises in the hiring of LED screen solutions, content creation and creative design and renders, has invested in 100 sq.m of Absen PL2.9 lite LED panels. The panels, supplied by DWR Distribution, form part of a large shipment containing 2 080 units all of which recently arrived in South Africa.
“I’m looking forward to this,” said Walter Pretorius, general manager at The LED Hire Company. He started in the industry as a lighting technician but teases that AV chose him and has become the love of his life. “Our company offers different types of LED, but when it came to this purchase, I wanted to go with Absen as it provided the quality I was looking for.”
The LED Hire Company has p

Poland - The CEKiS Culture and Art Centre in the city of Skierniewice, in the central Polish province of Łódź, recently completed major renovation, begun in 2019, just prior to the pandemic. The new project’s complete redesign of the facility resulted in a 300-seat multipurpose culture and art centre for concerts, theatre shows and film projection. The tender was arranged in a ‘design and build’ model, allowing contractors to submit proposals for a design and equipment solution, instead of an ‘enforced’ list of equipment, as in many cases.
Project leader and technology consultant Piotr Lugowski, CEO of Warsaw-based MBS, states, “Thanks to that, when MBS was invited to design and deliver the technological solution, we were free to propose the client a custom set-up that includes a ‘hybrid’ electro-acoustical system, capable of ensuring top quality concert

Croatia - Lighting designer Sven Kučinić was asked to create a spectacular look for the Fusion World Music Festival in Split, a two-day event which featured 12 leading SouthEast European acts over two nights.
The first fixtures that Sven drew on the lighting plot were 100 Robe MegaPointes!
This is a popular festival choice, especially for wide-stage designs like this which used the same 72m-wide stage that had also featured as the centrepiece of ULTRA Europe 2022 in July.
Sven was offered the gig after the organisers saw his show for Croatian superstar Petar Grašo a few months earlier, which was one of the first major post-Covid concerts in the country and consequently was a major news story and talking point. He had also used a lot of Robe moving lights on that design.
For the Fusion World Music Festival, he was given carte blanche to deliver a fantasti
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Case Study: Hans Zimmer Live

When award winning film composer Hans Zimmer brought his smash-hit tour Hans Zimmer Live to North America fall 2024, the show's audio team sought out to bring infrafrequency bass to the show to add new depth to the show's audio experience. The team chose Danley Sound Labs.

USA - Donny Osmond recently completed his 100th solo residency show at Harrah’s Las Vegas beneath a rig of 140 Elation luminaires with lighting design by Tom Sutherland of DX7 Design. Just getting started in what is expected to be a multi-year residency, Osmond opened the show, Donny last September less than two years after he and his sister Marie Osmond ended their hugely successful 11-year Vegas residency.
The song and dance show is an energy-filled musical journey through the entertainer’s musical career and includes all new songs and highly original numbers. With the former 11-year residency an indication of how long this solo residency may last, venue operators Caesars Entertainment sought to purchase lighting gear for the 544-capacity Harrah’s Showroom as a cost-effective solution for an anticipated multi-year run.
“We needed something that would b

Germany - The DALI Alliance will use the Light+Building trade fair (Frankfurt, 2-6 October 2022) to shine the spotlight on wireless connectivity options via its upcoming certification programmes for Wireless to DALI Gateways and DALI+ with Thread.
Wireless to DALI Gateways allow the use of existing DALI wired products in a non-DALI wireless ecosystem. Certification programmes are in development for Bluetooth mesh to DALI Gateways and for Zigbee to DALI Gateways.
A certification programme for DALI+ is also in development. DALI+ enables true wireless DALI without any need for translation between protocols. The first release will employ Thread as a networking layer. Thread is an IP-based, wireless-mesh networking protocol built using open standards.
The new certification programmes, due to commence in early 2023, will build further momentum for the ongoing evoluti

Norway - An Anolis Ambiane and Eminere auditorium lighting installation is part of a complete revamp at the Rakkestad Theatre, a busy community hub and performance venue serving the Rakkestad municipality and surrounding areas of this thriving and diverse Norwegian agricultural heartland.
Opened in 1988, general manager Magne Bjørnstad oversees everything happening at the 286-capacity venue. Last year this included the makeover and complete renovation incorporating the new auditorium lighting, for which he approached stage lighting professional and expert, Lars Kristian Bakke.
Lars lives locally, and provided general advice about the lighting, which before the upgrade was not specifically optimised for any style of event. Lars has been involved with the theatre since he was about 12 years old. It was one of the places that first inspired his passion for lighting, an

New Zealand - Onehunga High School is a state co-educational secondary school serving one of the oldest suburbs in Auckland, New Zealand. Overlooking the Manukau Harbour, it was established on its Pleasant Street site in 1959 and enjoys a strong sense of tradition and continuity. As well as providing a wide-ranging curriculum for its students, the school also provides lifelong learning for the local community through its Adult Learning Centre and English Language School.
A significant redevelopment of the school was completed early in 2022 at a cost of approximately $30m, which saw the creation of a number of cutting-edge facilities. Two state-of-the-art teaching facilities were constructed, one of which houses a two-basketball-court gymnasium with exercise room, locker rooms and teaching spaces, the other, a technical block catering to the sciences, woodwork, metalwork, art
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BikeFest Spain 2025 - Join the ride!

BikeFest Spain is set to return for its fourth consecutive year, inviting cyclists from across the industry to join the 360km ride towards ISE in Barcelona. From 31 January to 2 February 2025, riders will again rally in Valencia, cycling along the Mediterranean coast in support of industry causes.
For more information and to sign up, visit: www.joinbikefest.com

New Zealand – Visitors to The Air Force Museum of New Zealand are seeing its collection of vintage planes in a whole new light, thanks to a new LED rig and Strand control solution from Vari-Lite.
The museum took the opportunity during a rearrangement of the main Aircraft Hall display area to replace the existing lighting system to the LED rig to dramatically reduce power consumption and provide a more flexible, long-lasting and dynamic solution. More than 100 powerful, honeycomb-lens SL Punchlite 220 fixtures are now installed, beaming rich, blended and saturated colours onto classic airplanes such as a Spitfire, Hudson and Avenger, and washing the space with hues.
To control the luminaires in the Aircraft Hall, and for multi-room control of six other spaces including further display areas, lecture theatres, restrooms and the main atrium, the technical team invested

USA - When lighting Carlos Santana you’ve got to be on your toes. “It all changes on a dime,” says Santana lighting designer Michael Ledesma of the 75-year-old guitarist. “A set list comes out before a show but it’s just a suggestion. We don’t know where he’s going at any given moment. A song starts but then he takes off into other songs within a song and the band follows and we do too.”
Santana is known for his on-stage spontaneity. “That’s what he loves and we’re just enhancing the whole feeling with light and colour,” comments Ledesma, who’s been lighting the guitarist for nearly a decade. “He doesn’t need to have a lot of effects going on so we look to emphasize the solos and represent the feeling of the music with light. We’re not trying to overpower the music but support it visually.”
Following a spring run of shows, Santana tour

USA - Princeton Pike Church of God, in the northern Cincinnati suburb of Hamilton, Ohio, has been around since 1928, and its worship spaces have continually grown over the years. But by the time the congregation began meeting in its newest sanctuary - nearly 3,000 seats in 2001 - it had become clear that its sound reinforcement systems were not keeping up. So, this year, as part of a sweeping upgrade of all its campus audio facilities, Princeton Pike Church of God chose to adopt L-Acoustics L-ISA immersive sound technology for its main auditorium.
The decision to go with L-ISA was easy: an immersive system to improve the acoustical and emotional connection between the large stage and the fan-shaped seating area was a strong reason. And the fact that the cost of an L-ISA setup for a venue of its scale was nearly equivalent to that of a conventional stereo sound system reinfor

Singapore - Total Solution Marketing, Ayrton’s exclusive distributor for the Singapore region, has announced the purchase of 24 Ayrton Diablo S LED profile fixtures by Trio AV.
Trio AV has a reputation for supplying exactly the right products and technical expertise for every possible event, from exhibitions, seminars, conferences and product launches, to galas, special events and parties. With offices in Singapore, Thailand, Shanghai and Vietnam, Trio AV’s services include everything from conceptualisation to full consultation and supply.
Trio AV’s John Tang explained why the company had chosen Diablo S, one of Ayrton’s most innovative, ultra-compact luminaires: “We were seeking a small size and lightweight LED moving light profile fixture with framing shutter to replace our older fixtures. We had heard a lot of positive feedback and seen the popularity of t

Europe - Showtec has introduced its most powerful series of laser effect units to date - Solaris. The Solaris series is intended for professional applications and consists of four powerful models, ranging from 3,000 to 11,000 mW. The models with integrated Pangolin FB4 module unlock the professional QuickShow control software.
The Solaris range consists of four models. The ‘entry-level’ models, Solaris 3.0 and Solaris 3.0 with Pangolin FB4, have a 3,000-mW RGB laser on board and support Art-Net and ILDA, just like the rest of the series. The Solaris 3.0 with Pangolin FB4, the Solaris 5.5, and the Solaris 11.0 are equipped with a Pangolin FB4 module, which unlocks the full capabilities of the award-winning QuickShow software. QuickShow allows control of lasers via PC through a full network setup.
The Solaris 5.5 and Solaris 11.0 are equipped with 5,500 and 11,000 mW

Italy - DTS has announced Giuseppe ‘Peppe’ Squitieri as new technical sales engineer. Peppe is a production technician, specialized in lighting technology and light designing and joins the Italian lighting company starting September 2022.
With a background in musical communication sciences and technology at the University of Milan, Peppe covered key roles in the lighting industry. For over 14 years in the entertains and communication abilities, teamwork and technical skills. The addition of Peppe to the team “is part of the ongoing process of DTS to strengthen the relationships worldwide, providing clients with great technical support, sales assistance and product demonstrations. We are pleased to give him our warmest welcome and we strongly believe he perfectly fits the company growth.”

UK - Lightware Visual Engineering has announced the appointments of Charlie Sullivan as head of business development and Chris Brzostowski as channel account manager, strengthening Lightware’s UK team.
Charlie Sullivan’s role will have a key focus on steering and cultivating relationships with Lightware’s consultants and end-users across the UK. He brings 12 years’ experience of business development in the professional AV and stadia/arena sectors, specialising in large-scale AV projects including Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Ferrari World and The Samsung Experience Centre Kings Cross. Most recently he held a senior commercial position at ZeeVee
Joining Sullivan is Chris Brzostowski, who will take a lead role in managing and developing relationships with Lightware’s system integrators. Having begun his career with True Colours (Midwich) he went on to hold senio

Denmark - AllRound Lyd + Lys (Light & Sound) is a well-established rental company based in Struer, a key railway hub and home to radio and TV manufacturer, Bang & Olufsen. The company was started by owner Laurs Pedersen originally as a music tech enterprise which then grew and diversified into lighting, sound and now LED to meet client demand.
The company now has a successful 20-year history of supplying tours, concerts, events, and productions across multiple genres from touring to theatre, and recent investments include Robe LEDBeam 350s and Esprites.
The new kit was delivered just in time to assist with the explosion of live shows and events in Denmark over the summer due to the final lifting of Covid restrictions and the strong return of the market for in-person activities of all types.
Like many, Laurs and his team including head of lighting Martin

South Africa - The live events industry in SA has invested in 2080 (520sq.m) Absen PL2.9 lite LED panels, each upgraded with a NovaStar A8s-N receiver card, shipped to the country by DWR Distribution. It started when Cape Town-based Marcel Bezuidenhout, owner of Audio Engineering, wanted to find like-minded technical suppliers who would invest in the same LED panels to enable sub-hiring when needed.
Marcel previously owned Absen D2V panel and while satisfied with the product, he was an island regarding larger batches whenever he needed additional stock for larger set-ups or multiple events. More recently, he was in discussion with someone who suggested buying panels in batch which could reduce the cost of the initial investment and provide a larger hire pool. “I was after the Absen PL2.9 based on our previous D2V panels that did well for us," Marcel explains.
"There

Japan - The Naha Cultural Arts Theatre is a new cultural centre in the capital of Okinawa Prefecture, the tropical island group south of mainland Japan. Built to replace the aging Naha Civic Centre, the new venue is located in the heart of the vibrant tourist area and contains both large and small theatres seating around 1600 and 300 people respectively, both of which are equipped with Nexo sound systems.
Geo M10 line arrays with MSUB15 subs are flown left, central, and right above the stage in the large theatre, with additional clusters left and right and Nexo ID24s used as under balcony auxiliary speakers.
Small clusters of Nexo Geo M6 are hung L, C, R in the small theatre, with Nexo PS10s used as side speakers and ID24s again used to cover seating areas under balconies to ensure even audience coverage throughout the venue. Amplification and processing for both syste

Singapore - Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL), a commercial real estate service provider, has established its new office in Singapore in the Capita Spring building. The project is a step in the longer journey of upgrading JLL’s technology across its APAC offices.
The Platinum WELL certified space at Capita Spring was designed to be “human-centric”, with a sense of community and dedicated areas for staff to socialise. Amenities to enhance these spaces include a barista-hosted coffee bar and beer tap that is complementary to all staff.
To build the next generation of offices, JLL wanted to optimise every aspect of their new 23,592sq.ft space to create a groundbreaking human centric workplace. One of those areas was sound. RAIL has been installed around the open plan office to provide deep scientific biophilic soundscapes by Moodosnic proven to reduce heart rates and improv

Australia - To elevate its energetic musical worship services, Emerge Church has installed Powersoft’s T Series amplifiers as part of a major upgrade of its audio system.
Located in the North Brisbane region of Queensland, the Pentecostal Emerge Church has three locations, with its main church in the suburb of Warner. The Warner building includes a 450-seat auditorium whose AV set-up is key to a typical church service, which includes a full band of drums, bass guitar, electric and acoustic guitars, keyboards, and up to six vocalists.
The original PA system, which was installed in 2000, when the Warner church opened, comprised four 12” horn (point-source) cabinets (2 per side) and two 18” subs under the stage. “In recent years, we noticed that the system was sounding tired and lacking the definition required for clean and clear vocal reproduction,” says Ash We

South Africa - DWR Distribution has welcomed Darren Durbach, a well-known name in live events and AV, to the sales team.
“When I left school, I ended up studying electrical engineering,” Darren recalls. “But I had a passion for sound, and I was blessed that my brother was friends with Joe Copan’s middle son and that’s how I got in as a junior.” Darren completed his 18-month internship at Wild and Marr, a professional audio distributor, then for a very short stint worked at a computer-based company before being given a permanent position at Wild and Marr in February 1995. He stayed at the company for the next 27 years.
“I was mentored and guided by a subline human who regrettably is no longer with us,” Darren recalls of Joe who passed away in 2019.
“Darren has a commitment and passion for the industry which stands out,” says DWR’s Duncan Ril

UK - Barney Jameson has joined the leadership team of online platform Second Warehouse. Jameson takes on the role of chief marketing officer as the redesigned Second Warehouse rolls out across Europe and the United States.
Jameson is the founder and managing director of marketing agency The Inside Story. He will continue in that role alongside his duties as Second Warehouse CMO.
Second Warehouse has secured fresh funding, a new headquarters in the United States and strengthened leadership team including CEO Phil Van Peborgh, head of sales Will Lewis and founder Stuart Kerrison.
“Second Warehouse is very dear to my heart and I’ve been delighted to watch it make such a strong return from the challenges of the pandemic,” says Jameson. “There are big plans underpinning the platform and a strong team of industry leaders steering the way forward. I consider it

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