Spain - Valencia-based pro audio manufacturer D.A.S. Audio is to show its new Dynamics series at PLASA 2003, with the presentation of the DS-115 passive and DS-115A powered systems. The Dynamics series provides users with loudspeaker systems that are easy to carry, simple to set up and offer high quality sound, say D.A.S.

The DS-115 is a versatile two-way system designed to be used as a full-range stand-alone unit. Low frequency reproduction is handled by a 400Wrms 15" loudspeaker with 3" voice coil. High frequencies are reproduced by the new M-5N neodymium compression driver. This 1" exit driver incorporates a 2" titanium diaphragm and EFW (edge-wound-flat-wire) voice coil. The unique enclosure design has three ergonomic handles for easy carrying, will accept a standard 35mm mounting stand and includes a floor monitor position for added flexibility. Nine M8

UK - Sennheiser UK has announced it is sponsoring a double bill of free festival entertainment this year at Ashton Gate Park, Bristol. The first Sennheiser Sounds of Summer Festival will be on Friday 8 August and the live finals of the third annual Sennheiser Unsigned Artist Contest the following evening.

The events take place as part of the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta 2003, sponsored by Vodaphone Live! The Friday night free festival features legendary Scottish songsmiths Hue and Cry, supported by the Cosmic Rough Riders, plus performances from Tippi, The Hazey Janes, Jo Stevens, Tony Moore and DJ Miss Behavin'.

The Saturday Unsigned Artist Contest final kicks off at 2 pm, with live appearances by all the finalists - Hooper, Nowhere Near the Garden, The Adventures of B Violet, The Climb, Demon Summer and Range#Eleven. Saturday's show also features the tabla and guitar

UK - The annual Hayden Laboratories Cricket Cup Challenge is taking place on Thursday 7 August at Littlewick Green Cricket Club, near Maidenhead in Berkshire. Now in its fourth year, the cricket challenge match sees a scratch team representing the sound and lighting industry line-up against a team drawn from the combined ranks of PLASA Show organizers Clarion Events and PLASA team.

The event starts at 4pm and is followed by a BBQ at 7.30pm, which will be charged at £6.50 per head. All are welcome to attend and lend their support to this popular event. If you are interested in attending please contact Nicky Rowland at Clarion on +44(0)20 7370 8231 (nicky.rowland@plasashow.com) or Simon Curtis at Hayden Laboratories + (0)1753 888447 (simon.curtis@denon.co.uk) for further details and directions.

(Ruth Rossington)

UK - An aggregate quarry and production plant might sound like a challenging venue for high-level corporate hospitality, but when Aggregate Industries wanted to entertain 300 VIP guests at the end of June, that was the location they suggested to event management consultancy Corporate Innovations.

The venue was Aggregate Industries' North End Farm Works site in the Cotswold Water Park, near Cirencester. As well as being a working production plant, the site incorporates a man-made lake, created from quarrying activities, which now forms a wildlife haven. Corporate Innovations, working with AV specialist Blitz, transformed the lake-side venue with a creative concept designed to raise awareness of Aggregate Industries' environmental activities, whilst also providing spectacular entertainment in a novel setting.

The guests were first taken on a tour of the working production plan

UK - Britain's only exhibition for the out-of-home leisure industry is now just six weeks away. Leisure Industry Week (16-18 September, NEC, Birmingham) will showcase the latest innovations and solutions as well as the top suppliers from across the leisure industry.

At the heart of the show is a keynote seminar programme, which features a line-up of industry heavyweights and opinion formers, including Rt Hon Richard Caborn MP, Minister for Sport and Tourism, as well as speakers from Alton Towers, Pret a Manger and Marriot Hotels. With around 15,000 visitors and over 400 exhibitors, LIW is where the leisure industry joins together annually to exchange and source ideas, knowledge and expertise about industry strategies and trends, and to access solutions and leading suppliers.

And, for the first time this year, LIW features a PLASA Lounge wherein the PLASA organization will mee

UK - Skan PA Hire's attention to detail is immediately apparent on a visit to the FOH tower at Glastonbury, where the Reading-based company has provided PA and manpower for the second stage since 1991. Behind the two Midas Heritage consoles and equipment racks lurks a domestic scene equipped with sofa, coffee table stacked with audio magazines and a fully functioning kitchen built into 19" racks.

"We work with more than 60 sound engineers over the three days of the festival, and we only have a small window to make a good impression," says Skan director Chris Fitch. "Little details can make a big difference." Obviously this principle extends beyond domestic appliances to high standards of equipment, staff training and safety.

When Fitch and co-director Abby Llewellyn bought Skan from founder Peter Howard in 1996 (Fitch had worked for the company since

UK - Red Bull UK staged their biggest ever event in Hyde Park, London, in early August. The event, hosted by Tess Daly and Brian Dowling, involved 40 teams launching their homemade flying machines off a 6m high runway into the Serpentine, cheered on by thousands of enthusiastic onlookers.

Attended by an estimated 150,000 people, who watched the 40 teams of mad participants launching themselves in home-built 'flying machines' from the huge floating runway, the event was the climax of 18 months of planning and development, which involved over 110 Red Bull staff.

At the centre of the serpentine was the main runway, built by Star Hire, an impressive 40m long by 10m wide, leaving the contestants and their flying machines a 6m drop into the water. To ensure all the crowds could see the action in the park, which is covered in trees, four big screens with relay sound systems were empl

UK - This year's Festival of Speed, the 10th anniversary event at the Earl of March's idyllic Goodwood estate, was dominated by a stunning structure built for Ford by Edwin Shirley Staging (ESS). Designed by Gerry Judah of Judah Design and turned into reality by ESS's Steve Colley and Graham Turner, the spectacularly sloping structure presented replicas of the three Ford GT40s which won the historic 1st, 2nd and 3rd place victory at the 1966 Le Mans 24-hour race.

"The project was all about 100 years of Ford," said ESS project manager Rob Smalldon, "and was one of the most challenging projects I've been involved with for some time."

From the ground, the structure rose 34m with a width of 25m. Edwin Shirley Trucking (EST) shipped in 217m of regular roof truss, 126m of LT Tower Truss, 604m of cabling and 102 bespoke purlins in a total of 16 trucks. The ESS tea

The Netherlands - TiLE 2004 - the international forum for leisure venues - will be held at the Maastricht Exhibition and Congress Centre in The Netherlands, from 15-17 June 2004. In making the announcement, Richard Curtis, the conference organizer commented: "This will be the first time TiLE has been in Maastricht since 1996 and it will be held in the MECC's new exhibition hall and conference rooms."

TiLE 2004 will continue to build on its relationships with key associations in specific areas of the market, including IAAPA (International Association of Amusement Parks & Attractions), TEA (Themed Entertainment Association), WWA (World Waterparks Association), EWA (European Waterpark Association) and ECSITE (European Collaborative for Science in Industry & Technology Exhibitions).

As with previous TiLEs in Maastricht, full use will be made of the beautiful city: the pa

UK - This year the education programme has been relaunched to meet the changing demands of the PLASA visitor and will be hosted by the PLASA Professional Development Programme (PLASA PDP), the Association's new training initiative. A full timetable is now online and taking bookings - check out the website below.

This extended educational platform will examine current trends and issues across the wide range of the industry and provide visitors with the opportunity to broaden their knowledge and learn from the experts. The format has been revised with four different types of sessions - Technical Workshops; Business Seminars; Industry Seminars and Masterclasses.

Many of the sessions are supported by associations, trade bodies and publications and for the first time RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) are also supporting the programme. Their endorsement is clear recognit

UK - LiteStructures will be unveiling much more than most other exhibitors at PLASA 2003 - as it will lift the lid on its brand new image and new website. LiteStructures' makeover comes during a period of expansion, which sees the company growing both in size and reputation. Managing director Adrian Brooks explains: "It was definitely time for a change. LiteStructures is going from strength to strength and we wanted to overhaul our image to reflect that."

While the LiteStructures logo is certainly different, visitors to the stand can rest assured that the company's products are still as stylish and reliable as ever, as Brooks explains: "The quality and service you'll get from LiteStructures is the same as before. The change of image simply brings the LiteStructures 'look' in line with the 21st century." Visitors to stand M40 will also be able to see LiteStruc

UK - The countdown to this year's PLASA show is ticking, with only two weeks to go. This year, the show has undergone a major relaunch to strengthen its position and reputation as one of the leading international trade events in the sector. Plans are now finalized for:

The New Technology Gallery - over 60 new products will be features in the gallery and will include the finalists of the PLASA Awards for Product Excellence 2004; The New Architectural Audio & Visual feature addresses this growth market with dedicated exhibitors and a photographic gallery demonstrating imaginative use of product; The PLASA Production Village incorporates the PLASA Crew Zone and the PLASA Backstage Area, dedicated to technicians with an opportunity for 'hands-on' demonstration of products; The Central Meeting Area will be at the heart of the show and reflects the importan

UK - AudioLight will be returning to PLASA this year, on stand M70, to showcase 'The Matrix' moving head laser. The Matrix features a flash-memory based processor for storing large graphics, animations and messages, as well as a very bright, sharp laser output and advanced SLS software, offering many powerful but easy to use features.

The second product to be presented this year is a brand new fluorescent colour-changing lighting fixture, named 'Multihue'. The Multihue, combines the latest technology with versatility, a unique system to maximise light output and is controllable through any DMX based lighting desk. AudioLight have been appointed as official distributors of both products. AudioLight also provide a complete range of corporate services, including sound & lighting installations, complete event planning for both indoor and outdoor events, and professional laser & fire

UK - On Monday July 28th, the theatre charity Theatrecares celebrated 10 years of staging fund-raising cabarets - with a star-studded evening of entertainment at The Venue in Leicester Square. Lighting designer for the event was David Holmes who is currently working with White Light on Mamma Mia! in Holland and therefore turned to White Light and The Moving Light Company for help. White Light supplied a lighting rig that included 25 ETC Source Four profile spots, two Strand SL zoom spots used with Rosco ImagePros, 10 Par 64s, a selection of fresnels, a followspot and six Pulsar ChromaBank LED battens. The Moving Light Company's contribution included two Martin MAC 600s and six Martin MAC 250s; control for the entire rig was from a Strand 520i console, as previously supplied to The Venue for the Boy George musical Taboo.

The cabaret itself featured performances fro

UK - After a very busy and exciting first six months under 'new' management, following the management buy-out in March, Hall Stage is exhibiting at this year's PLASA Show with a whole host of new products and services on display. After picking up a Product Award at the ABTT show in June, Hall Stage has now announced its exclusive UK distribution of the ASM Band Hoists and Genesis Control systems, which have been developed in Germany under the strictest safety guidelines in operation anywhere in Europe.

Phil Wells, Hall Stage director says: "We've been looking to develop a hoist system that met all of the stringent BGV C1 control stipulations and realized ASM . . . units get around every hurdle en route and perform superbly under our required specifications. They're virtually silent, vibration free and very quick, unlike most chain hoists; they don't need cable changes, like

UK - Italian pro audio manufacturer Outline will be at the PLASA Show with its Butterfly, also known as Outlinearray. The C.D.H. 483 Hi-Pack element (which has two patents pending, both applied for in mid-2002), is a bi-amp three-way cabinet, which uses mechanical interaction rather than DSP to achieve its goal.

It uses two forward facing 8" cone transducers and two further 8" cone drivers. These are acoustically coupled and do not require DSP. The HF section uses a compression driver with a 3" diaphragm, as a line source can only be achieved by using one high frequency driver. Connected to this is a patent-pending Double Parabola developed by Guido Noselli (DPRWG). This radical new HF configuration works as a ribbon driver but with a very high efficiency (110 dB 1w/1m). The C.D.H. 483 Hi-Pack weighs in at just 35kg, including its integral flying system. Outline c

UK - UK distributor Fuzion plc will be showing production GEO T2815 cabinets for the first time at the PLASA Show in London, starting this Sunday, 7 September. The T2815 gives the NEXO GEO T Series Tangent Array System a fully integrated and coherent downfill capacity, rarely available from high output line array systems.

It uses passive radiators to achieve the same cardioid pattern as the GEO T4805, the other full-range high-output loudspeaker at the heart of the GEO T Series. As a consequence, the horizontal dispersion is consistent throughout the operating band (although in keeping with its nearfield application, the T2815 produces 120° H compared with the T4805's 90° H). The T2815 downfill box has been used in demanding festival and concert situations in France and the UK.

Featuring a 2" exit compression driver (HF) and two 8" long excursion neodymium cone dri

UK - As in the year 2002 VXCO Lighting Systems Switzerland again has an own stand at PLASA in London. The company will present news around the DMXCreator computer lighting controller. The newest interface in the product range, the DMXCreator 512 Basic, will be the highlighted product. This product also is nominated for the PLASA award for product excellence.

The combination of the DMXCreator software and the three DMX512-interfaces results in one of the most powerful PC lighting controller on the market, say VXCO. Running on Wiondows, the DMXCreator software is packed with features usually reserved for large and expensive lighting consoles. Features include 3D Visual Emulator, Effects Generator, Track-effects Editor, 16 multi sequences, MIDI control, Position-Memory, scene crossfade control, DMX512 input recording, physical master. Each DMX controllable device has its own custom

UK - Now that Blur has played a final encore in a field in the north of England, it is possible to look back on the remarkable first season for Nexo's GEO T Tangent Array System, which, within its first six months of production, has played its part in front of over 700,000 music fans in Europe alone.

This is an impressive debut for a new stadium sound system and a reflection of the confidence of 'early adopters' like SSE Hire (UK), Melpommen (France), DPA SoundCo (Denmark) and Show Company (Singapore) that they have put GEO T directly into high-profile live situations such as the Glastonbury Festival.

In the UK, the season of large summer festivals has been dominated by SSE Hire and the GEO T system. Over two consecutive weekends in August, the SSE team services four music events, the Virgin-sponsored V2003 held in Weston Park (north England) and Chelmsford (south-east England

UK - The PLASA exhibition has traditionally been the launching pad for the latest in innovative lighting products from Martin Professional and this year's show will be no exception. Martin heads to Earl's Court with an array of new products including three new MAC luminaires, new club effects, and the first light in Martin's new Mania series of DJ products. Also on hand will be Version 1.0 of the new Maxxyz controller and other new control products.

New luminaires include the MAC 550, fully loaded with features to redefine standards for a mid-range, 400W moving head. The 550 features; multiple graphical options including a gobo animation system, two eight-slot colour wheels, motorized 14-30° zoom and a multitude of other features all wrapped within the award-winning design of the MAC 2000. Also on show will be the Entour, Martin's 250W automated profile spot. This unit includes

UK - Rola-Trac laid 15,200sq.m of ground protection - the largest single system the company has ever laid in the UK - for Massive Attack's 'home town' concert in Bristol's Queen's Square. To mark the 100th date of their current world tour, Massive Attack returned to their home city of Bristol on Bank Holiday Monday, to play to a sell out crowd of 19,000 people in Queen's Square.

Promoters Metropolis Music brought in Nine Yards to manage the production located in one of Bristol's best-known landmarks. The site was obviously not designed for hosting concerts, so the production team liased with Bristol City Council and had to be especially considerate of their environment. Hence it was decided to cover the whole area with Rola-Trac to achieve effective protection.

Guy Wightham, Rola-Trac's project manager, had to plan and execute installation of the system. Site visits two weeks

UK - Adlib Audio supplied sound systems for all five stages at Liverpool's famous Mathew Street Festival, now the UK's largest free annual outdoor music festival and celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. 300,000 people crowded into Liverpool city centre for the August Bank Holiday Monday.

The festival also merged with the conclusion of the week-long International Beatles Convention, which saw presentations, talks, seminars and markets dedicated to every possible aspect of Liverpool's best known export. Adlib were also responsible for servicing all the sound needs of the Adelphi Hotel, the Royal Court Theatre and the Barcelona Club where hundreds of the Best of Beatles bands from all over the world performed. Adlib employed over 40 crew, working around-the-clock in shifts at the various sites used by the two events.

Run by Liverpool City Council's Cultural Events Departm

UK - PLASA is emphasizing the importance of training development via the PLASA Professional Development Programme (PDP).The format for this year's education programme at the PLASA Show has changed to offer a wider choice with sessions ranging from technical workshops for technicians through to business seminars for freelancers and company start-ups.

The industry seminars have been expanded to cover a wide range of topics on current debates including 'Theatrical Fog - Knowing when Enough is Enough' and 'White Lighting versus Colour in Architectural Application'. Conversely the masterclasses will provide a forum for industry experts to share their knowledge. Speakers will include Brough Skingley from English Heritage on 'Lighting Up The Past - the Conflict Between Historical Accuracy and Modern Technology' and Bruce Jackson of Lake Technology on 'Sydney Olympics' Audio Design.'

UK - This year's PLASA show at Earls Court will see the introduction of a number of new and improved products from Strand Lighting - including additions to the company's dimmer range, a new tool for lighting designers and updates to its operating software.

The LD24 is a new version of the company's popular LD90 family of dimmers: its new design is aimed at cost-conscious facilities that need basic DMX control combined with a high quality digital dimmer. Strand's new SLD Sinewave dimmer will also be presented for the first time and on stand will be a working demonstration unit with a range of loads that will allow users to see the features of the new dimmer first-hand. These include true sinewave output for quiet lamps and accurate control; SST dimmer modules which can dim a wide range of loads including incandescent, inductive and capacitive devices from a fraction of a watt to

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