Austria - Award-winning lighting designer Al Gurdon made spectacular use of a predominantly Clay Paky rig for one of the world's largest TV entertainment events, The Eurovision Song Contest 2015.

Celebrating its 60th anniversary with the theme Building Bridges, Eurovision was sponsored by Osram and hosted at the Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna.

UK-based Gurdon, whose previous lighting triumphs include the opening and closing ceremonies of the Sochi Olympic Games and the American Super Bowl, has now lit Eurovision three times. This time he chose 172 of the new Clay Paky Mythos, 48 X Sharpy Wash 330, 83 X A.leda B-EYE K20 and 74 Stormy fixtures to deliver a dazzling, party atmosphere bursting with vibrant colour, varying shape and dimension.

All equipment was supplied by Prod

USA - Omnia in Las Vegas is the latest superclub phenomenon launched by Hakkasan Worldwide.

Over 100 Robe moving lights were specified for an epic entertainment lighting design that graces the main room of the new club at Ceasar's Palace.

The brief from Hakkasan CEO Neil Moffit to the technical and creative teams involved in Omnia encompassed superlatives like 'awesome' 'breathtaking' and 'mind-blowing', so architectural / interior designers The Rockwell Group and entertainment technology integration specialist Audiotek worked to ensure that his ambitions to create the most outrageously immersive, opulent and simply amazing premium clubbing experience in Las Vegas were met to the max.

The Robe fixtures are part of the lighting scheme delivered by Willie Williams - show designer for some of the most savvy and intelligently visual live artists on the planet - like U2, Robbie W

France - London based Jamie Fobert Architects asked the team at CLD Distribution to assist in providing an LED lighting solution for an exhibition of their work at the Gallerie de l'Architecture in Paris. The work coincided with the publication of Working in Architecture, a book about the practice's dynamic range of projects and work philosophies.

CLD were recommended by a lighting design practice with whom Jamie Fobert Architects regularly work explains Architect Andreia Costa, who also co-ordinated the exhibition installation, featuring a 16m long by 50mm high light-box showcasing photos related to the various projects.

CLD's Nigel Howes comments, "It was an interesting and challenging project and we were delighted to be involved. It was important for the illumination to be elegant, shadowless and concealed from the view of anyone looking into the displays, and t

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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.

UK - The Colour Project was commissioned by the City of Liverpool to devise a 30-minute video mapping spectacular as the visual climax to the city's celebrations to mark the historic visit of all three of the largest Liners in the Cunard fleet.

As part of the Cunard Lines 175th birthday celebrations and to punctuate the occasion for the city, The Colour Project created an evening show for over 80,000 visitors over the course of three nights.

Always looking to the future and confident of its past, the essence of Liverpool was boldly brought to life to celebrate the city and its historic links with the Cunard Line. The three iconic buildings along the Pier Head collectively referred to as the Three Graces were transformed into a video mapped canvas to perform The Amazing Graces.

"Featuring a sea of faces of the people that make up the rich cultural heritage of Live

Rock School - Andrew Lloyd Webber's new musical, School of Rock, set to open in the autumn, will be showcased this week as part of a series of concerts in New York. The concerts will take place at the Gramercy Theatre from 3-6 June. Lloyd Webber has previously said he chose New York to open his latest musical because of the more relaxed child licensing rules in America. In a targeted email, Lloyd Webber described the School of Rock concerts as being "highly-staged". He said the concerts would work better than an out-of-town tryout or extended preview period because "the wonders of technology get in the way of genuinely trying out new work". This month's concerts coincide with the Tony Awards weekend in New York, when producers, investors and theatre operators converge on Manhattan.

Liza's Back - Liza Minnelli is to return to the London Pa

UK - Lighting and visual production and rental company HSL has announced that John Slevin has joined their management team based in the Blackburn HQ - as technical support manager (projects).

John brings his wealth of experience, great personality and excellent communication skills to HSL on a full time basis - having worked for the company as a crew chief and lighting technician regularly over the last 13 years.

Says HSL MD Simon Stuart, "It's fantastic to have John on-board. We've known him for many years, he shares our ethics, visions and ambitions for the future and is a perfect fit as we embark on a new phase of expansion."

John will be working closely with HSL's busy - and growing - project management team offering technical support and sharing his knowledge and infectious enthusiasm on all projects. He will divide his time between being on-site visiting show

UK - A.C. Special Projects (ACSP) has provided an energy-efficient LED lighting and control system to meet the diverse, multi-purpose needs of events hosted by The Ballroom, Hyndburn - including theatre-style live shows, dances, conferences, fashion shows and wedding receptions, amongst others.

The classic ballroom, which dates back to 1853, is located within Accrington Town Hall and run by Hyndburn Leisure working in partnership with Hyndburn Borough Council. It recently underwent a £750k respectful restoration to enhance its striking original features, as well as bring its technical facilities right up to date for hosting modern events.

When it came to upgrading The Ballroom's stage and architectural effects lighting systems, the venue wanted to invest in a modern system which could provide a 'wow' factor - and allow the room's look to be tailored for - during their di

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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

USA - The recent Floyd Mayweather, Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao match - billed as "the fight of the century" and bringing in a staggering $410 million in pay-per-view TV revenue alone - saw lighting director Jason Eible bring the contest to life on a new Avolites Sapphire Touch console purchased specifically with this huge event in mind.

Eible is no stranger to this kind of pressure and attention. As the LD for Frank Gatto and Associates out of Boca Raton, Florida, he has spent his entire nearly-20-year career lighting boxing and UFC events. "I have been using Avo as long as I have been doing lighting," Eible says. He points specifically to the Playback feature of the Titan software that runs on Avolites consoles as something that he leans on heavily.

"A boxing match is not just a single event," he notes. "There are other events surrounding it, inc

UK - Adlib Lighting has recently invested over £1m with Martin Professional, increasing its MAC inventory to over 200+ units including the award winning MAC Viper family, MAC Quantum Wash, and MAC Aura.

Mike Docksey, general manager of lighting and video at Adlib, commented, "Adlib has seen significant growth over the past few years and as such there has been a real need to further invest in new equipment to supplement our rental stocks. It was extremely important for us to invest wisely in the resources behind the talented people we have here at Adlib so that they can continue to flourish.

"As such, with an already extensive inventory of Martin products in our ranks, it was an easy decision to demonstrate our faith in the brand once more by way of a series of purchases across the range in a relatively short time frame."

Adlib director and designer of li

Belgium / USA - ArKaos PRO will be exhibiting at InfoComm 2015 on the stand of its US distributor AC Lighting Inc (Booth 6171).

ArKaos PRO will present its Kling-Net protocol in conjunction with LEDMaster, its all-in-one solution for easy LED show control. LEDMaster uses Kling-Net to add a layer of intelligence to any LED device by automatically recognising and configuring it to make it ready for mapping. Parameters can be changed at will, visuals imported and live patterns generated. Scenes can be triggered live, automatically, randomly or sequentially. LEDMaster brings sophisticated LED control within the reach of all technical abilities: simply map, programme and playback.

ArKaos PRO will introduce and demonstrate the latest version of its successful professional MediaMaster software which has consistently remained at the forefront of the industry's creative projection and

Israel - The state owned Israel Broadcasting Authority has upgraded its main news studio in Jerusalem, with help from ETC and dealer Danor Theatre and Studio Systems Ltd.

The lighting for the Channel 1 studio needed to be suitable for the demands of high frequency cameras - so the new ETC Source Four LED Series 2 Daylight HD, with tuneable cool white lighting in the 4000-6500K range, was ideal. The studio was open in time for the Israeli elections, which were held in March, with 50 ETC Source Four LED Series 2 Daylight HD fixtures providing on screen lighting.

Lighting designer and head of the IBA's lighting department Boris Gelfand explains, "One of the main challenges was how to fit a new modern studio into a 40 year old, 600 square metre TV facility. The studio is based on two sets which rotate to change angles and directions, with light boxes, touch screens and a 12 m

UK - This year, the Teenage Cancer Trust (TCT) celebrated 15 years of their show stopping live performance week at London's Royal Albert Hall with another high profile line up. Artists included The Stereophonics, The Who, Paul Weller, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds and many more, plus a night of comic hilarity hosted by Kevin Bridges.

West London based rental specialist Entec Sound & Light has been involved as the audio supplier for the event right from the start, and over the years has fine-tuned the sound system to perfection for this prestigious venue.

This year they upped the ante again on the sonic front, as the first company in the UK to utilize a Beta version of d&b Audiotechnik's new Array Processing software which was officially launched at the Prolight+Sound expo in Frankfurt.

Entec's systems designer and technology support expert Liam Halpin explained how usin

USA - Halestorm is no stranger to touring, but for their tour promoting their newest album Into the Wild Life, the Grammy-award winning rock band took with them a lighting package from Bandit Lites.

The tour kicked off 22 April at the historic Ryman Auditorium and continues through September. Considering the vivid images a name such as Into the Wild Life conjures, lighting designer Giovanny Carvajal created a design that could connect with the mood of the material, while incorporating aspects of the physical design elements used in both the actual album artwork itself, as well as in the videos.

To accomplish that look, and keeping in mind the need to use all trailer space efficiently (and the ever present desire to always get the most bang for the buck) the lighting design chosen utilises a four tower format with GLP Impressions X4's, two two-way Moles, a 3k Stro

UK - The Sound Design team at Manchester's Royal Exchange Theatre specified 28 KV2 Audio active EX loudspeakers to enhance a production of Little Shop of Horrors.

With the production featuring a live band it was felt that the existing in house system would not provide the required level and coverage required for such a show.

A total of 20 EX 6's were flown around the venue to ensure even and accurate coverage for all the audience along with four EX 26's and two EX 10's to further amplify the performance. Bass reinforcement was handled via a single EX 2.2 and single EX 2.5mkII.

Directed by Derek Bond and with live puppetry and design undertaken by Toby Olié (War Horse) it was vital that the audio reproduction was of an equal quality.

Deputy head of sound Sorcha Williams comments: "Little Shop of Horrors is a tremendously fun production, not least b

UK - When the Stamford Corn Exchange Theatre in Lincolnshire took the decision to invest in a permanently installed active line array system for its 399-seat auditorium, it opted for an RCF HDL10-A from locally based LUX Technical.

The Theatre, which was built within the shell of the original Corn Exchange Hall in the Victorian era, needed a versatile system to handle its varied programme ranging from stand-up comedy to local am-dram and full blown rock concerts. LUX Technical bid successfully for the contract which was issued by theatre manager Judith Mackie. Having experience LUX Technical's larger HDL20-A rental system on many occasions, her team had been fully aware of the system's coverage capabilities.

"We decided to install a permanent system because when touring companies arrive with their own production they often carry enormous speakers. We wanted to make it eas

Indonesia - Global TV in Jakarta recently moved out of its old rented studios and constructed a completely new broadcast facility consisting of four independent studios. These have been equipped with PR Lighting fixtures, supplied by local distribution company, Acoustic & Lighting.

The company already has a track record of working with the station's owners, the MNC Group who gradually started investing in PR XR200, XLED 1037 and XPar 360.

For the new project Acoustic & Lighting's successful bid was tendered not only on the back of PR Lighting's performance capabilities but also their extended warranty. "These were specified from the very beginning because they offer excellent value for money," said Edwin, of Acoustic & Lighting.

Requiring essential functionality for their daily round of comedy, light entertainment and popular music they dipped extensively into PR L

Namibia - DWR Distribution reports that The Namibian Annual Music Awards (NAMA), staged at the Swakopmund Indoor Sports Centre in the coastal town of Swakopmund, was lit up with 18 Robe BMFLs forming part of a large Robe rig. dB Audio Namibia were entrusted to supply the full technical support for the awards hosted on 1 May and the main event, held on 2 May, both of which were broadcast live for NBC TV.

Rockstar 4000 were the producers of this popular production, while MTC (Mobile Telecommunications Company and NBC (Namibian Broadcasting Corporation), were the main sponsors.

The inspiration for the lighting design came from Jonathan Bandli from Bad Weather, who was commissioned by dB Audio Namibia. "We wanted to simplify the design and go back to basics," said Jonathan. "While we wanted to have something elegant and grand, the lighting had to be versatile to acc

UK - Housed in a landmark industrial building, a former flour mill on the south bank of the River Tyne in Gateshead, Baltic is a major international centre for contemporary art. Baltic has no permanent collection, providing instead an ever-changing calendar of exhibitions and events that give a compelling insight into contemporary artistic practice. Baltic's dynamic, diverse and international programme ranges from blockbuster exhibitions to innovative new work and projects created by artists working within the local community.

Baltic's River Terrace is a function room featuring an outdoor balcony that stretches out along the banks of the River Tyne. When local hospitality operator Fresh Express, who look after both on site restaurants and the buildings fantastic private hire spaces were looking to up-grade the facilities in the room, they called in Gary Nicholson of Newcastle ba

USA - J. R. Clancy is a lead sponsor of the Jay O. Glerum Rigging Master Classes, planned for a summer 2016 launch by USITT.

The series of classes honours master rigging expert and instructor Jay O. Glerum, author of the definitive Stage Rigging Handbook and one of the industry's most knowledgeable professionals and teachers of rigging use and safety. Glerum passed away in 2014.

"Many theatre technology professionals point to Jay Glerum as their teacher and mentor in the proper way to use rigging technology, from counterweight to automated systems," said Mike Murphy, J. R. Clancy president. "Naming a series of master classes after Jay is a fitting tribute to one of the most influential people in our profession. We at J. R. Clancy are honoured to have this opportunity to remember him."

The annual training sessions will be offered in different locati

Norway - Just inside the Arctic Circle, in northern Norway, is the town of Bod°, where the new, multipurpose Stormen Konserthuset is an important addition to the area's cultural facilities.

"From the initial planning stages, the acoustic quality of the various venues was a major element to consider," explains Stormen's technical director Håvard Christensen. "We contracted Drammen Lyd AS to install d&b audiotechnik V-Series systems in three of the venues: the Main Hall, the Small Hall and the SINUS. We've also acquired two portable E-Series systems that we can deploy anywhere in the one of the centre's open spaces."

The Main Hall is the largest of Stormen's venues and has been designed to serve a wide range of performance styles. "The stage can be completely transformed", explains Christensen, "from a classical acoustic hall to a theatre

UK - Raycom, a key distributor of wireless sound solutions for the European broadcast and professional live sound markets, has launched a revised website with full e-commerce capability at www.raycom.co.uk.

Andy Clements, business development manager at Raycom says: "We've realised for some time that our customers are rarely working regular 9-5 hours; the ability to source equipment at a time that suits them is vital."

Whilst being the new shop-front of Raycom, the new site continues to provide a wealth of information on their product ranges from world renowned manufacturers such as Wisycom, Lectrosonics and Phonak alongside their own radio talkback base station the RTB6211D.

Andy continues: "The aim is to steadily grow the range of products available over the coming months by introducing more ranges from the core manufacturers and additional offerings suitabl

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