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20 June 2024

Europe - DirectOut has announced the expansion of its partnership with Audmax. While Audmax has been a distributor of DirectOut audio solutions in Hungary for more than a decade, the two companies are now extending their cooperation to additional territories in Central and Eastern Europe, including Romania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Under the leadership of managing director Krisztian Varga, the agreement solidifies Audmax as DirectOut's primary distribution hub for Central and Eastern Europe.

Commenting on the partnership, Krisztian Varga says: "We are thrilled to deepen our relationship with DirectOut. Having worked closely with them since their early days, we understand the value they bring to the professional audio industry. With our established network and expertise in the region, we are committed to providing exceptional support

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20 June 2024

Sweden - CAST Group of Companies has announced its exclusive partnership with Intersonic AB, taking BlackTrax’s real-time tracking technology to the Swedish market.

Per Anderhagen, sales director at Intersonic, comments, "We are delighted to join forces with BlackTrax, a global leader in real-time tracking technology. As the exclusive distributor in Sweden, Intersonic is dedicated to providing unparalleled support and expertise to our clients, enabling them to leverage the full potential of BlackTrax in their productions."

David Ferraz, international business development manager at CAST, adds, "We are thrilled to welcome Intersonic to our growing network of distributors. With their deep industry knowledge and commitment to customer satisfaction, Intersonic is well-equipped to drive the adoption of BlackTrax technology in Sweden."

"We are ea

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19 June 2024

UK - Creative climate non-profit Julie’s Bicycle, host of festival industry project Vision: 2025, is collaborating with 10 local authorities and more than 60 festivals to test how a Green Events Code of Practice (GECoP) can be adopted nationally.

Vision: 2025 chair and Shamabla Festival director Chris Johnson states: “I’m very proud that our industry is making the environment a key priority to deliver more sustainable festivals in the future. I’m surprised that we’ve heard so little about environmental issues during this election campaign so far, given the scale of the climate emergency we’re in. I hope our pioneering sector can continue to highlight and inspire positive actions to make a significant difference for future generations.

“The Green Events Code of Practice has been developed to avoid a lottery of expectations across England

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18 June 2024

Europe - Showlight 2025 is calling for speakers to present papers at the next Showlight, slated for 19-22 May 2025 at Le Parc des Expositions et Congrès de Dijon, France.

The Papers Programme is the heart and soul of Showlight and we want to present our delegates with a wide variety of interesting subjects to educate and entertain. This will be the first in-person Showlight since 2017 and we are looking for exciting new projects from all disciplines of lighting and lighting design to include in the 2025 Papers Programme.

Have you worked on a fabulous new project recently? Have you tried out some new technology and got something to share? Does your design really cut the mustard? We want to hear from you in Dijon! 

The papers committee has already begun the process of selecting papers for the programme. If you have an idea, a story or an expe

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18 June 2024

UK - ETC has announced plans to expand its business with the relocation of its London operations to a new, state-of-the-art eco-building. The move supports ETC’s expanding business and service offerings as well as planning for future growth.

The new space – which is located in west London’s Greenford – is more than double the size of ETC’s existing building and will feature enhanced facilities to accommodate the needs of its customers and workforce.

The design of the new building is being developed by ETC with its own in-house team, in-line with the company’s global design approach. There will be more capacity for training, logistics, meetings, and dedicated areas for ETC’s customers and employees.

The company’s dealers and end-users will benefit from having access to an expanded training program and bigger demo spaces. The ad

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18 June 2024

UK - Midwich and PSCo have signed a distribution deal with Hive, manufacturer of scalable media servers.

This exclusive agreement allows Midwich and PSCo to offer Hive’s full range of products in the UK and Ireland and will be launched at their Beyond the Pixel event on Thursday 20 June at Innovation House, Bracknell. Hive’s sales director, Nigel Sadler, business development manager, Sarah Cox, and co-founder/managing director, Mark Calvert, will be in-person at the event to deliver presentations and demonstrations of their product line to attendees.

The Beehive, Beebox, and Beeblade products create a flexible and scalable media control ecosystem to power complex and creative visuals in a variety of applications including immersive exhibitions, galleries and museums, live shows, theme parks, and high impact advertising.

Lloyd Platt, busin

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18 June 2024

UK - Robe UK enjoyed a busy, successful, and positive ABTT (Association of British Theatre Technicians) expo, staged at Alexandra Palace in London, where the company presented two dynamic exhibition areas – a stand upstairs in the main hall, together with a large demo area located downstairs in the venue’s Palace Suite.

Robe also delivered four presentations that were integral to the ABTT’s extended 2024 seminar and discussion programme, which touched on topics related to sustainability and creative lighting.

The main Robe booth occupied a prime position in the main exhibition hall and featured some of Robe’s newest lighting technologies designed for theatre, performance, TV, and broadcast scenarios, together with selected Anolis, Avolites and Artistic Licence products. Atmosphere and haze specialist MDG, which is distributed in the UK by Rob

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18 June 2024

Sponsorship - Barclays has suspended its sponsorship of all music festivals staged by promoter Live Nation in 2024, including Download, Latitude and the Isle of Wight. The move comes after several acts pulled out of the events in protest at the bank's investment links to arms companies that trade with Israel. Artists including country singer CMAT, metal band Ithaca and comedian Joanne McNally all withdrew from planned slots this summer.

A spokesperson for Live Nation said: "Following discussion with artists, we have agreed with Barclays that they will step back from sponsorship of our festivals." The bank signed a five-year sponsorship deal with Live Nation in 2023. It is understood that the suspension does not apply to the full term of the contract. The development comes after more than 100 artists boycotted Brighton's Great Escape Festival in May over the

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14 June 2024

UK - The highly regarded PLASA Awards for Innovation are now open for entries, ready to celebrate the best new products across pro lighting, AV, audio, staging and rigging.

Organised in association with LSi, PLASA’s market-leading magazine, the awards celebrate innovative products from across the live entertainment technology industry that demonstrate a new style of thinking, improve technical practice or safety, introduce new materials or techniques, or offer a new commercial advantage.

Each successfully entered product will be judged by an independent panel of industry experts who have the authority to present up to eight awards of equal standing, one of which can be upgraded to a Gold Award for an outstanding new product. Last year, Brompton Technology scooped Gold for their Tessera G1, with Coda Audio, Funktion-One, Robe Lighting, Aste

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14 June 2024

USA/Europe - Absen announced at InfoComm 2024 that systems integrator Kinly has been named as the first European-based company to be awarded Absen global platinum partner status.

Kinly’s global product board (GPB), led by Jean-Paul Lemmens, conducted an extensive review of all LED manufacturers in the AV market based on performance, value to customers and sustainability.

“The team unanimously decided that Absen was its partner of choice owing to its quality products, global presence and competitive pricing. In addition, Absen’s commitment to prioritising ecofriendly, low energy consumption LED solutions aligns perfectly with our commitment to create a more sustainable future through innovative AV solutions”, said Lemmens.

Under the agreement, Kinly will be the first to access and integrate the latest advancements in LED display techno

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14 June 2024

Belgium - Since its establishment in 1965 as the city theatre of Ghent, NTGent has maintained a prominent role in the Flemish theatre scene. The venue delivers high-quality productions that are both artistically challenging and socially relevant, utilising lighting solutions from ETC.

Operating across two distinct realms, NTGent (also known as Nederlands Toneel Gent) crafts original theatre pieces and hosts external performances at its venues. For their original creations, which frequently tour internationally, NTGent prioritises a versatile lighting setup capable of adapting to diverse venues worldwide. Conversely, visiting performances rely on more traditional equipment, albeit with a preference for cutting-edge technology.

During a recent interview, Dennis Diels, head of lighting at NTGent, shared insights into the theatre's operations and its dec

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13 June 2024

USA - LynTec, a wholly owned subsidiary of Chauvet has announced the acquisition of Juice Goose, a company that manufactures and distributes electric power distribution, conditioning, and control equipment.

“LynTec couldn't be more excited about the reputation and deep customer relationships Juice Goose brings, with solid products that perfectly complement our existing lineup,” said Mark Bishop, president of LynTec. “Now, regardless of how big or small the installation, we have the power solution for the job, whether that’s four circuits for a conference room or 500 circuits for an arena.”

Juice Goose was founded in 1983 and was one of the first companies to provide power conditioning products specifically for the audio industry. Since, the company has developed and maintained a reputation as a reliable supplier of electric power management

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13 June 2024

USA - At this year’s InfoComm, Brompton Technology is unveiling three new members to its panel manufacturer partner programme.

Following the announcement of ROE Visual as the founding member and diamond partner, Brompton has now extended the programme to include gold and blue partnership levels. INFiLED and Absen join as gold partners, while Pixreal becomes a blue partner.

“Brompton launched the scheme earlier this year to help us forge long-lasting, mutually beneficial relationships with LED panel manufacturers we are working with extensively. It is great to be able to welcome INFiLED, Absen and Pixreal into the programme,” says Richard Mead, CEO of Brompton Technology. “These partnerships reinforce our mission to deliver LED video processing compatible with any high-quality LED panels, backed by our industry-renowned 24/7 technical support.

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13 June 2024

Belgium - Arto Company is a rental and full technical production, based in Wavre, the French-speaking region of Belgium and working across the concert touring, festival, live event, and corporate sectors.

Their first Robe purchase was in 2019, and since then the inventory has expanded dramatically with the latest purchases being 16 x iFortes, 48 x LEDBeam 350s and 18 x Tetra2s, which join over 100 other Robe fixtures in the house, including 24 x Esprites, 48 x LEDBeam 150s, 18 x T1 Profiles and two RoboSpot systems.

“We started observing that Robe was a clear market leader, and the products were increasingly appearing on artist riders,” explained Arto’s lighting team manager Alain Meys, “and so that constant demand for the products made us take notice and realise that we needed to invest in what people were requesting.”

He and the l

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13 June 2024

UK - Following the successful launch of its PF Talks podcast from Strawberry Studios in Manchester, Production Futures has expanded the format to include in-person interviews from a new facility at the FIX8Group HQ, also in Manchester.

Whilst retaining the former studio for conducting and broadcasting remote interviews, the new larger set can accommodate multiple visitors for live and recorded chat, adding significantly to the breadth of content offered to young people and newcomers to the production industries. PF Talks is a series of interviews with inspirational professionals around the world who work across the whole spectrum of the entertainment production industry, particularly those committed to making a real difference to newcomers by ‘paying it forward’.

Hannah Eakins of Production Futures comments: “PF TALKS is a popular feature of al

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12 June 2024

UK - The inaugural Profile Awards were held on Thursday 6 June at the Alexandra Palace Theatre. The event was attended by some 200 guests, of which half were reportedly lighting designers or members of their teams.

Created and coordinated by Durham and Jennie Marenghi in association with the ABTT, the ALPD and the STLD; The Profile Awards recognise lighting design excellence in theatre and television in the UK. Headline sponsor for the 2024 event was Ayrton.

The Theatre Awards were judged by UK theatre critics and were not open to nominations whereas the Television Awards were judged by broadcast professionals and could be nominated by anyone.

Winners of the Theatre Awards are as follows . . .

Outstanding Achievement in Theatre sponsored by Chauvet Professional: Simon Wilkinson for Ragnarok,

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12 June 2024

UK - The Association of British Theatre Technicians’ Annual Awards took place on Wednesday evening, 5 June, after the first day of the ABTT Theatre Show 2024 at Alexandra Palace, London

The evening started with drinks served outside the Londesborough Room before attendees took their positions, filling all the seats leaving standing room only, to celebrate those people and products making a difference to the industry.

Ted Moore, director of Rental Services, said of the Awards: “TAIT are really proud to be here once again to sponsor the ABTT Awards, which I truly believe is one of the best award presentations anywhere in our industry. We wish all the nominees good luck and give congratulations to whoever the winners may be.”

The five highly sought after Awards for Lighting Product, Sound Product, Engineering Product, ‘Widget’ and Stan

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11 June 2024

USA - DPA Microphones and Wisycom have announced a strategic alliance in the United States. “Building on a history of close collaboration, with successful initiatives in marketing and product technology, both companies are dedicated to delivering high-end microphone and wireless solutions to audio professionals,” says a statement.

The partnership marks a significant step forward in aligning the strengths of the two brands while preserving their distinct identities. Consolidating operations under one roof at DPA Microphones’ existing corporate headquarters in Longmont, Colorado, enables the companies to efficiently leverage shared resources. The structure currently in place at the DPA facility allows Wisycom to benefit from an expanded service department, augmented customer support team and enhanced logistics infrastructure.

Sales and support ef

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11 June 2024

Vietnam - EM Acoustics has announced a new addition to its international sales and support network with the appointment of Danmon Asia as exclusive distributor for Vietnam.

The agreement covers EM Acoustics’ entire product portfolio which includes point source loudspeakers, line arrays, subwoofers, stage monitors and related electronics.

“Danmon Asia is renowned for its long experience and proven expertise in delivering high quality products and services across the entire media production and presentation sector,” comments Greg Clarke, brand manager at EM Acoustics. “We look forward to working with Bjarne and his colleagues in promoting our full spectrum of products and services to potential customers and system integrators throughout Vietnam.”  

“EM Acoustics products are globally recognised for pristine sound quality, robust c

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11 June 2024

On The Campaign Trail - Academics and campaigners have warned that a Conservative Party election pledge to close "rip-off" degrees could damage the creative sector and access to the arts. Their concerns follow Rishi Sunak’s recent pledge that the Conservatives would scrap university degrees deemed to equip graduates with "poor" job prospects if his party was re-elected on 4 July.

The Conservative Party said that closing the "worst-performing" degrees could save more than £900 million by 2030, with the money set to fund 100,000 apprenticeships per year instead.  Although the government has not said which courses are threatened, campaigners and university lecturers have expressed concern that Sunak’s commitment would further damage arts education and, as a result, weaken the arts sector as a whole and make it "the sole preserve of the privileged".

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10 June 2024

Europe - Fulcrum Acoustic has announced the addition of CBK Group as exclusive distribution partner for the Nordics, covering Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark. CBK will distribute the full catalogue of Fulcrum Acoustic and Fulcrum Immersive products across their territories.

Val Gilbert, director of business development for export at Fulcrum Acoustic, comments, “CBK is a fantastic partner for Fulcrum Acoustic in the Nordics. Our ambitions to develop a solutions-based business in the region are perfectly aligned, and the team at CBK have hit the ground running managing opportunities across their territories. The in-house skillset is exactly what we are looking for, and I look forward to expanding our reach in the region.”

Per Øystein Berglund, product manager audio at CBK Group, adds, “Fulcrum Acoustic is a fantastic addition to CBK Group

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07 June 2024

UK - The Association of British Theatre Technicians (ABTT) and British Association for Performing Arts Medicine (BAPAM) has announced the launch of a resource dedicated to fostering good physical health for backstage practitioners in the theatre sector.

The initiative champions healthy practices for backstage workers in the theatre and live production sector, where over 70% of the workforce identify as freelance workers. The two organisations, which have been collaborating since 2018, launched an infographic at the ABTT Theatre Show in London on 6 June.

Drawing on the ABTT’s deep understanding of the sector and BAPAM’s clinical expertise in health and wellbeing, the infographic uses the mnemonic S.T.A.G.E. C.R.E.W. Each letter highlights key actions workers can take to maintain physical health and well-being and minimise the risk of injury or chr

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07 June 2024

Germany - PRG EMEA is adding to its extensive lighting technology line-up with investment in the new ORON H2, becoming one of the first customers worldwide to have the IP65 hybrid moving head with phosphor-laser engine in its portfolio.

"The ORON H2 is a laser moving head with unique lighting options," says Udo Willburger, CEO of PRG AG. "While working in close cooperation with Cameo, we were able to use our specialist market view to support the engineers throughout the various development stages and fully test the ORON H2 during extensive visits to the Adam Hall Group’s Experience Centre. Here we also had the opportunity to discuss all the details with lighting designers and product specialists from Cameo.

“With its IP65 rating, this moving head not only offers flexible deployment, but also reduces our operational costs. For us, the ORON H2 is a

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06 June 2024

Poland - DirectOut has announced that Commercial Audio is now its exclusive distributor in Poland.

“We are delighted to welcome Commercial Audio as our new distribution partner in Poland,” says Jan Ehrlich, managing director of DirectOut. “Their extensive industry knowledge and commitment to the highest quality and excellent customer service makes them the perfect partner for DirectOut. Together we want to offer our Polish customers the best audio solutions.”

Commercial Audio has established itself as a reliable partner in the professional audio industry and already provides exclusive distribution services for well-known brands such as Amadeus Active Acoustics, Solid State Logic, ATC Loudspeakers, Bose Professional, Clear-Com, Marian Audio and Harrison Audio. The company is known for its expertise in the implementation of audio signal infrast