USA - Following the completion of the 2015 cycle of PLASA Focus events in Orlando and Kansas City, a full review was undertaken to ascertain the progress and success of the PLASA events produced in the North American market over the last 4 years. While some progress had been achieved over this period it was decided that significant change was necessary to create an event that better satisfied the business needs of the exhibitors, creating a profitable event for all those involved.

To fully explore and understand the changes necessary the decision of the PLASA Governing Body and the PLASA Executive Management has been to take a hiatus from producing new events in 2016.

Christopher Toulmin, PLASA's Director of the Events Division comments: "Despite considerable financial inve

USA - Meyer Marketing, based in Wellington, Florida, iselebrating its 30th year in business in 2015. Its staff includes founder Larry Meyer, Larry Boscarino, Garrett Meyer, Sherry Halecki and Daniel Orr.

President Larry Meyer emphasized the importance of building strong relationships with integrators and consultants through regular on-site business meetings, product demos and sales and applications support. He commented, "Community is a great company and we are very pleased to represent their products to our integrators and consultants. Community is a great fit with our company and I'm excited about growing their brand and sales in Florida."

Steve Young, Community's director, North American sales, added, "Meyer Marketing's reputation for great service and strong support along with their complementary, integrator focused line card will help us achieve Community's

Belgium - Following the success of their three-Michelin-starred restaurant Oud Sluis, chefs Sergio Herman and Nick Bril wanted to create a completely new experience for diners: The Jane Antwerp. The Jane serves a mix of fine dining and music in a relaxed atmosphere, set against the backdrop of a stunningly renovated church.

Opened in 2014, The Jane has two areas. Downstairs is a high-end restaurant for 75 people, while upstairs is a 38-seater bar area where guests can share food, enjoy cocktails and listen to local and international DJs. Later in the evening diners can move upstairs to enjoy a pre-clubbing vibe and The Jane also hosts special events where big-name DJs play to the whole venue.

The Jane team had a clear idea of the kind of sound they needed, as Bril explains: "We wanted the music to be like a waterfall - with more intensity upstairs, yet diners downstairs s

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ETC Halcyon Silent

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USA - The 2015 FIRST Championship pitted 900 international youth teams against each other in an exciting, weekend-long event at the end of April. Using robots they had designed, built and programmed themselves, each team competed in a series of qualifying rounds focused on this year's theme Recycle Rush.

Staged across five venues, the championship's main events were held at the Edward Jones Dome, home of the St. Louis Rams. New Orleans-based entertainment design and production firm, Solomon Group, was asked to light not only the ceremonies and competitions, but also the concert that capped off the weekend - which it did successfully with the help of Martin Professional's versatile lighting fixtures.

FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) hosts several events throughout the year that target elementary and high school students. The annual champi

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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 - A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET) provided effects lighting and video projection for the British Racing Drivers' Club's (BRDC) annual British Grand Prix party at Silverstone racing circuit.

Staged every year - within the grounds of the BRDC Farm - as part of the F1 British Grand Prix weekend, the occasion attracts high-profile members and personalities from the world of motorsport. The main party on Saturday night is held in aid of Cancer Research UK (CRUK) and features an auction of motor racing memorabilia and experiences.

AC-ET, who are a Patron of the British Racing Drivers' Club's Rising Stars Programme, supplied indoor and outdoor effects lighting systems featuring nearly 200 fixtures - including some of the very latest LED technologies from Chroma-Q, ProLights and GLP. The company's in-house production manager, Andy Walne Smith, oversaw the project.

"O

USA - The World Armenian Entertainment Awards took place 9 May at the Agua Caliente Resort and Casino in Palm Springs, California, and although only in its second year, the star-studded gala is already being touted as one of the best yearly events in Southern California. Video and lighting production technology for the event, which included the supply of Elation Beam series fixtures, was handled by Hi Energy Production for the second year running.

Based just north of LA in Chatsworth, Hi Energy Production manages both rental and installation applications. Company head, Vic Antonyan, conceived the stage and lighting design for the awards show and specified the Elation gear. Lighting programming was done by Esteban De La Torre-Alva who also handled pre-visualization drawings for the event using Elation's Capture Argo Extended edition lighting design software.

In order to create

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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.

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UK - The London FolkFest 2015 recently took place at The Bedford in Balham. It was the fifth year for this boutique festival, which has grown into a four-day event with more than 50 acts playing across three stages all under one roof.

This year, The Bedford worked closely with Shure Distribution to provide a whole range of microphones and DI's that could cover every kind of voice and instrument.

Head engineer, Phil Davidson said, "The beta98a was a stand out for me. Its external preamp design makes the microphone very small, so no matter where it was placed, it was completely unobtrusive for both the musicians and the audience. The inherent design, coupled with the incredible sound quality, made it an invaluable tool, and throughout our four day festival, I used it on a huge range of instruments, including acoustic guitars, drums, accordions and cellos."

When it ca

UAE - MobileConnect from audio specialist Sennheiser provides live audio streaming to mobile devices for the very first time. The universal system uses a Wi-Fi connection to stream lip-sync audio content to the user's smartphone, which has an app that instantly converts it into a mobile receiver. Applications are unlimited: whether it is in a theatre, a museum, a sports stadium or a company - MobileConnect can be quickly and easily installed and is also cost-efficient in use.

"Smartphone penetration figures in the Middle East exceed the global average making this an ideal market for this solution. For companies, it is an extremely cost effective means of connecting with their audience and also exploits the fact that users are far more comfortable leveraging their own devices as has been proven by the BYOD trend," said Mig Cardamone, director of sales and marketing at S

USA - The Bay Community Church Malbis campus in Daphne, Alabama illuminates the lives of its congregants in many ways, including through contemporary worship services in a new 1,500-seat worship centre. Eight Clay Paky Mythos fixtures - the first installed in a house of worship - and eight A.leda B-EYE K10 fixtures from ESB Group do their part to light up the weekly services.

The interdenominational Bay Community Church holds a Saturday evening and two Sunday morning services - which are live streamed on the Internet - at its Malbis campus, plus entertaining First Wednesday events known for their high production values. The church also has campuses in Mobile and Foley, Alabama.

ESB Group of Springville, Alabama designed and installed the AV components of the new worship centre. ESB designs and builds unique media experiences from start to finish using leading-edge audio, video

USA - With winners chosen by the fans, the K-LOVE Fan Awards brings together the biggest names in Christian music, sports, books and movies. Held at the Grand Ole Opry House, the annual awards show is produced by Go Live Productions and each year has grown in both size and popularity. Production manager and show director Scott Moore strives to capture the spiritual significance of the evening through a dynamic yet functional lighting and video package which was supplied by Elite Multimedia.

"I've been involved with the K-LOVE Fan Awards since its inception three years ago and the design process for the show is all about function as opposed to form," began Moore. "There are a lot of specifics that we have to accommodate such as the production schedule of the Grand Ole Opry that we must work around, the artistic desires of the 20 bands that will be performing, , and

USA - "The responsibility of protecting audiences, crew and gear falls to the production and promoters," says Rich Barr, experienced production manager. "Keeping everyone safe has to be a priority. Unfortunately, there is very little support in place to help large, outdoor events do this efficiently."

Barr, with his intricate understanding of production, together with Mike Chapman, meteorologist at the National Centre for Atmospheric Research, have created Perfect Storm. Designed to educate, advise, and implement weather safety procedures for any live event, their team is dedicated to changing the way the entertainment industry approaches weather.

Perfect Storm offers a direct approach to the needs of each client. With radar coverage around the world, a tactical weather strategy is created for accurate, down to the minute weather warnings. Providing summari

UK - Possibly the most memorable black tie event in any given student's time during university, the final graduation ball fuses triumph with reflection in one memorable - alcohol consumption permitting - evening. With all eyes fixed upon the stage for an evening of presentations, awards and performances, for one night only the pressure is on the university to give a fond farewell to its graduating students.

When Lancaster University - one of the UK's top 10 universities - approached local event management and production specialists Arranpaul Audio with the task of supplying, designing and executing the 2015 graduation ball, Head of Lighting for Arranpaul and LD for the ball Oliver Wilkinson were all too keen to utilise Arranpaul Audio's vast array of Chauvet lighting, particularly the new Next NXT-1 moving RGBW LED panels from Chauvet Professional.

"I have always been a C

UK - RF experts Wisycom and Lectrosonics joined forces with mixer maestros Sound Devices. The end result is a synergy of up to six channels of wireless microphone receiver and the very latest in portable mixer/recorder technology.

Wisycom have updated their firmware (v3.5) on the popular MCR42S receiver to allow collaboration and seamless use with Sound Devices new 688 mixer/recorder and its SL-6 SuperSlot power and RF distribution accessory. With the addition of the 688 mixer/recorder and SL-6 accessory, the MCR42 can use 2 analog channels or digital AES3 managed and monitored by the SuperSlot to use all its advanced features including the ability to select the most suitable frequencies over a wide spectrum. The MCR42S / Sound Devices 688 partnership brings an array of versatility and possibilities for users including audio mixing, recording and wireless receiver control all fr

UK - Controllable LED specialist and design/manufacturing house Light Initiative (LI) is the creative force behind the bespoke LED structured screen on band of the moment Years and Years' UK tour and summer festival dates.

Commissioned by the band's lighting designer Squib Swain, the screen is based on the vibrant album artwork for their debut offering Communion. The striking image comprises lines branching and intersecting at different angles from a central 'Y' shape.

"As the album artwork is such a strong visual image, it was fairly obvious we had to create some sort of 3D version of it for the live shows," says Squib. "Light Initiative created a unique set piece that turned my vision into a reality. It makes such an impact with the crowd."

Light Initiative expanded the album cover outwards and extrapolated the lines to create a wider screen that

UK - The Brindley is a theatre and arts centre located in Runcorn, Cheshire on the banks of the River Mersey and is the main centre for arts and entertainment for the borough of Halton which covers the twin towns of Runcorn and Widnes.

The Brindley's success can in large measure be attributed to the innovative, forward-thinking ethos of its team. In 2014, in keeping with its dynamic approach, its management team took the decision to address a number of technical issues at the theatre that required attention. At the top of its agenda was the theatre's tired and increasingly unreliable house lighting system. A few years before, to its great satisfaction, the theatre had replaced its backstage blues lights with GDS BluesSystem and following a meeting at The PLASA Show, invited GDS to design a house lighting system that would resolve all its issues. Northern Stage Services (now Nati

Singapore - On Tuesday 14 July, the Arsenal away kit for the 2015/16 football season was revealed in a spectacular fan activation at the Esplanade in downtown Singapore; the first time the Gunners have unveiled a kit outside of the UK.

Having completed the launch of the Puma Arsenal Home Kit in June, innovision was tasked with creating another experience that was 'Powered by Fans'; using local supporters from the region as a key ingredient to energise the big reveal execution.

innovision designed a giant 5m high 3D torso as the centrepiece of the stage, set against a 15m x 5m LED wall. Hundreds of local fans sang a classic Arsenal away chant to power the countdown to the launch before a graphical 'lightning storm' struck the LED walls. A projection mapped sequence gradually revealed the new kit, stitching the new shirt to the torso. Completing the launch, 10 Arsenal first team

Spain - Over a 25-year musical career, Fito Cabrales has played to fans across the Spanish-speaking world and now this popular rock band Fito & Fitipaldis is out on the road again in support of their latest album Huyendo conmigo de mi. Lighting design is by well-known LD Luis Pastor, who has integrated into the set three eye-catching crosses of light made up of Elation Cuepix Panel RGB matrix luminaires.

Following an initial winter leg in arenas and theatres, the band's current summer tour is playing outdoor venues across Spain. Lighting, sound and visual equipment for the tour, including the Cuepix Panels, is being supplied by PRG of Spain.

The three light crosses make up the set's visual overhead focus, each cross mounted on an individual cross-shaped truss structure and made up of 13 Cuepix Panels (39 total). Part of Elation's Cuepix Series of LED blinders and strip

Italy - Over 60 Clay Paky Mythos fixtures are currently lighting the famous Tree of Life sculpture for the Milan Expo 2015, in a stunning light show conceived by renowned lighting designer Koert Vermeulen of ACT Lighting Design.

Koert Vermeulen worked alongside creative director Marco Balich of Balich Worldwide Shows and architect Florian Boje from Gio Forma Architect for the project, specifying the award-winning Clay Paky fixtures from rental house Agorà. Located on the Expo site in front of the Italian Pavilion, The Tree of Life serves as a centrepiece and meeting place throughout the 6-month event, with the light show repeated twice daily to entertain visitors.

"The Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life theme of the Expo is reflected in the light show," explains Vermeulen. "It evokes the relationship between man and nature and the Mythos play a particul

UK - Florence + the Machine's infectious enthusiasm at Glastonbury 2015 was enhanced by an elegant stage set with powerful, tasty lighting by lighting designer Rob Sinclair. To complement Florence's dramatic and eccentric music, Sinclair combined new and traditional technology in different ways to reinforce Florence's grandiose performance on the festival's celebrated Pyramid Stage.

Central to the backline were 36 ProCan Par 64s, with custom finish turned around in record time by TMB. Six rows of six ProCans, at 1000W each, could be seen by a Glastonbury audience of over 100,000 from any location at the world's largest greenfield festival.

Also across the backline a large 'kinetic wall' of mirrors, made by Jeff Wickley, was agitated to great effect by 20 DMX-controlled ProFan wind machines. Built into the stage risers was a Firefly LED festoon system with clear Filament versio

USA - Robe MiniMe and LEDBeam 100 fixtures are proving a perfect choice to help bring the atmosphere alive at Haven in South Beach, Miami, a trendy eatery, lounge and nightclub known for its eye-catching video wall, cool music, onyx bar and tasty mix of organic eats and exotic cocktails, all available to the in crowd until the early hours of the morning.

The lights - three MiniMes and seven LEDBeam 100s - were specified by Tom Griffin of Griffin Automation OSF and are installed in the centre of the venue. Their small size and unobtrusive design is a perfect blend with the classy high-detail style and vibe on display at Haven.

The Robe units were recommended by David Chesal, who was asked by Haven's technology director Ricardo Agudelo to provide a fresh, new, contemporary lighting scheme that offered something different and interesting for Haven customers.

"They were abs

UK - STM modular line array could be found on one of Glastonbury's legendary venues. The Rabbit Hole is a festival highlight; theatrical, interactive, artistic - and super-exclusive, the Alice-in-Wonderland themed live venue attracts top-end DJs and artists such as Mark Ronson to perform in the 600-capacity tented space. This year, the dancefloor system was comprised of Nexo STM modular line array loudspeakers, featuring the new M28 cabinets.

Posh, the production manager for The Rabbit Hole, explains that "our music is primarily house-based dance, and we have live bands with DJs in between, so the sound system is integral to the success of the venue. Nexo's STM set-up looks as though it's not going to do that much but, when you turn it on, it does an awful lot."

Set up as a quad system, STM modules were groundstacked in the corners of the venue. Each stack comprised

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