UK - The Association of British Theatre Technician's ABTT Theatre Show is gearing up to celebrate its 30th birthday in London's Royal Horticultural Halls, 11-12 June 2008.

Many product developments will be on show, across all disciplines of lighting, audio, rigging, staging and accessories.

On the lighting front, Selecon will showcase its new 80V Power Supply with direct DMX control, while ETC will highlight products that offer low cost of ownership and sustainable solutions. PRG Europe will highlight its products and services.

Zero 88 will demonstrate its new version 3 software for its Leap Frog 48 & 96 consoles and its Jester ML series. Stage Electrics will premiere the QMaxz 575 moving head, which they say offers cost effectivity and high performance as the latest addition to its expansive rental fleet.

TMB will showcase the multi-award winning Blues System comprising t

Germany - For the first time, beginning next year, the Musikmesse will provide a Business Centre for exhibitors and visitors. With the new Business Centre, the Musikmesse - International Trade Fair for Musical Instruments, Music Software & Computer Hardware, Sheet Music and Accessories - will create an area reserved exclusively for dealers, wholesalers and the industry. Initially, the Business Centre will occupy a whole floor of an exhibition hall and give exhibitors the space they need to conduct talks or business negotiations in a quiet and intensive atmosphere.

The Business Centre will also be open to exhibitors and trade visitors of Prolight + Sound, which is held parallel to the Musikmesse. The International Musikmesse in Frankfurt am Main will be held from 1 to 4 April 2009.

(Jim Evans)

UK - Hoist UK will be exhibiting a range of new products including: The LX Ladder - a purpose built aluminium lighting ladder beam designed to BS8118; Pilewind Winch - billed as "an ideal solution for schools, smaller venues and retail outlets for banners, small trusses and lighting bars"; a full range of radio controls for the entertainment industry; ALU lightweight crane system - a lightweight tracking system which is a modular aluminium structure for making custom handling systems and moving loads from 500kg to 2000kg, andRoperunner - a cable managementsystem for theatre lighting bars.

(Jim Evans)

France - L-Acoustics has announced the introduction of the LA-RAK touring rack. The LA-RAK is the central element of the new L-Acoustics system architecture built upon the LA8 amplified controller. It offers an advanced drive rack solution for all L-Acoustics systems covering signal and power distribution in a comprehensive plug and play touring package.

LA-RAK was created as a universal platform designed to facilitate cross-rental between DOSC Network members and to ensure compatibility with the legacy analogue cabling standard of L-Acoustics systems, says the company.

The LA-RAK module comprises: One 9U rack with LEXAN® front and rear covers; three LA8 amplified controllers; an 1/O distribution panel for analogue signal, L-NET (control and monitoring) and L-DGA (digital audio) networks distribution within the rack and link out with other racks ; 2U space for implementing

UK - The Association of British Theatre Technicians reports that the 30th anniversary ABTT Theatre Show staged in London's Royal Horticultural Halls last week was considered another triumph.

Year on year the Show has expanded from both exhibitor and visitor perspectives. With over 100 participating companies, the organisers are pleased to reveal that, despite the current uncertain economic climate, the visitor numbers were maintained and were slightly up on 2007.

Recognised for embracing a developing range of technologies for use in any auditorium, the ABTT Theatre Show has built a position as a platform for manufacturers, designers and suppliers to showcase the latest advancements in technical theatre.

The Annual ABTT Awards staged at Church House in Westminster celebrated the products voted as this year's innovations. The 'Hook Clamp' trophies were awarded to: Best Sound P

UK - Lighting designer Martin Dudley used Robe ColorSpot 700E AT moving lights at the core of his lighting rig for The Guillemots most recent UK tour, for which his company, Reading based Martin's Lights, purchased new units from Robe UK.

Dudley has worked with the band for two years, and this was his fourth full tour. The tours and lighting rigs have steadily grown in size and stature mirroring the band's popularity.

At the start of this tour, management said they wanted to see plenty of red (and black) onstage. And they wanted it darker, weirder and edgier than the previous production tour a year ago, which was poppier and lighter in tone.

He was using just six ColorSpot 700E ATs, but these give him more than enough creative scope and range to light the full set without repetition, producing a vast array of different looks, textures and ambiences.

For the London show at

UK - Live event specialist tdc provided a high-tech communication solution for the final service by the Bishop of Sheffield the Rt Rev Jack Nicholls. More than 1,000 worshippers were able to take part in the service after tdc installed a special microwave link between Sheffield Cathedral, where the event was held, and the Cutlers' Hall.

The link was used to overcome the fact that although the buildings are so close together, there is no way of simply running a cable because of the tramlines and overhead power lines.

Bishop Jack is retiring after more than 10 years in his role in Sheffield. The event also marked the 40th anniversary of his ordination. The Revd Canon Simon Cowling, Canon Precentor at Sheffield Cathedral, said: "This was a really special event for the city so it was wonderful that, thanks to the technical expertise of tdc, we were able to share the service w

Brazil - Last month, Lighting Latin America conducted its third training and product presentation for operators and programmers in Sao Paulo. "It was the most successful event we held in Brazil. The training was attended by some 70 people from Brazil as well as Argentina and Colombia," reports Daniel Ridano, technical manager and project coordinator of MA Lighting Latin America.

On the first day the whole range of MA Lighting products was introduced, with the focus on the grandMA range especially grandMA full-size, grandMA light and grandMA ultra-light. Additionally, the software grandMA onPC and grandMA 3D as well as MA Lighting's media server grandMA video together with the Schnick-Schnack-Systems LED-Paneel C100 were demonstrated.

On the second day the MA Training - Level Basic was held. This is aimed at programmers and operators of moving and conventional lights.

UK - Bandit Lites is again working with Leeds-based Production North and continuing its fruitful relationship, this time with Girls Aloud on their UK arena tour.

The production is headed by Iain Whitehead, lighting has been designed by Peter Barnes, with programming, operation and direction on tour by Tellson James.

The lightshow is big, bold and bright to match the primarily up-tempo set. Barnes conceived the design and briefed James with ideas on some of the songs, also allowing him latitude to make a creative contribution to the programming, which was done over four days in Sheffield Arena.

The back truss features four vertical legs, all of which flank three onstage video screens. The two centre legs are 6m high and the outer two are 4m. Rigged on and inside this structure are 11 Martin Professional MAC 2K Washes and 8 MAC 2K Profile moving lights.

In front of that are

UK - The Foo Fighters played their biggest gig ever at Wembley Stadium on Friday 6 June, and Stageco brought their global experience into creating the stage. The band played an 'in the round' style show, with a catwalk reaching nearly the full length of the stadium.

It took Stageco's 16-strong team just three days to build the 180 tonne stage, designed by the company's in-house R&D department to deliver an 'up close and personal experience' for every member of the audience.

The distinctive 26m x 26m Stageco 'Super roof' was the main stage, with a B-stage connected by a catwalk, enabling Dave Grohl to run the length of the stadium during the performance.The mixing tower was placed at the end of the catwalk, with a central delay tower, and two further delay / spot lighting towers flanking the B-stage.

Antonio Cruz, technical supervisor for Stageco explained, "The initial

UK - With special half-price pre-registration now live on the PLASA08 website, organiser PLASA Events has revealed that the host of its first ever PLASA Masterclass will be Funktion One co-founder Tony Andrews - the winner of last year's inaugural Gottelier Award.

A highly regarded designer and manufacturer of high quality point source speaker systems, with numerous patents to his name, Andrews' landmark developments include the hugely successful Flashlight and Floodlight systems, and more recently the distinctive Funktion One Resolution Series.

Andrews headlines a growing programme of educational presentations at the show, which include a number of exciting new initiatives and partnerships. There will be a strong focus on industry technologies, with several sessions addressing existing and emerging audio, AV and lighting technologies and how to maximise their application in t

UK - PLASA Events Ltd, the organisers of the PLASA Show at Earls Court in London (7-10 Sept 2008) have announced the official launch of the 2008 PLASA Awards for Innovation, which this year will feature some significant enhancements - and also the 2008 Gottelier Award, which recognises the contribution of an outstanding individual to product development.

Innovation: PLASA goes for Gold
During consultation with the PLASA Awards for Innovation Judges after the 2007 PLASA Show, the judges expressed a desire to be able to more accurately reflect the levels of innovation seen in the products nominated for the Awards. Specifically, they were looking for a way to highlight those cases where a product truly delivered something strikingly new and innovative to the industry.

Roland Hemming, a highly-respected audio consultant and a regular on the PLASA Awards for Innovation j

USA - The Joint Training Initiative of The ESTA Foundation and USITT has announced Lighting and Console Training Sessions to be held at Wharton Center for Performing Arts, Michigan State University, East Lansing Michigan. This event is being hosted by The Wharton Center and IATSE Local 274 in East Lansing, Michigan.

The four-day schedule of courses is designed for lighting programmers, technicians, and electricians at a basic to intermediate level. Sessions will be held 28 July 28 through 31 July. The courses will be taught by ETCP Certified Entertainment Electrician and ETCP Recognized Trainer, Eric Rimes.

(Jim Evans)

Korea - The Conventions and Exhibitions Center in Seoul hosted Koba 2008, the international audio, lighting, and musical instruments exposition, which was held 28-31 May. D.A.S. Audio was represented by its distributor in Korea, Pro Audio Corporation Korea, who exhibited a wide range of D.A.S. products.

Sound engineer, Joan La Roda, arrived from Spain and Juan Luís García, D.A.S. Audio Asia director, from Singapore to give their support to the D.A.S. distributor at the stand. In Seoul, La Roda explained the technical features and applications of the line array systems in the seminar entitled Line Arrays: How they work. The next subject was Subwoofer Configurations and Time Alignment where he addressed the different types and features.

Joan La Roda's next stop was in Auckland (New Zealand) where he visited Edwards Sound's, a D.A.S. client, new installatio

UAE - Integrated Systems Events LLC, and CMP Information Ltd have announced the launch of a new exhibition for the professional AV and systems integration industry to serve the Middle East and African markets. The inaugural Integrated Systems Middle East Africa (ISMEA) will run from 23-24 March 2009 at the Abu Dhabi Exhibition Center (ADNEC), the most modern convention centre in the world.

The agreement between Integrated Systems Events and CMPi will see the two companies being jointly responsible for selling, organising, and promoting ISMEA as the sole trade-only exhibition in the region fully focused on audio-visual and electronic systems integration technologies.

"Just as we successfully partnered with an organization that had strong local roots when we launched Integrated Systems Russia in 2007, so our partnership with CMPi is designed to ensure that ISMEA benefits fr

Italy - From 9-11 October 2008 Rimini Fiera will hosts the second edition of the seminar event for audio, video and lighting installation and integration professionals. The event will offer three days of meetings with high-tech content on networking, digital audio and video, with authoritative speakers in each field.

The SIB 2008 International exhibition in April, where the first SIB Forum was held, attracted a claimed total of 21,682 visitors to Rimini Fiera, of whom 1,350 were from overseas. This is the only Italian seminar event dedicated to professionals in the installation and integration of audio, video and lighting technologies.

Rimini Fiera general manager Piero Venturelli explains: "The convergence of the installation, system integration and entertainment markets is already the natural trend in these sectors - technologies and know how once limited to specific ap

UK - PLASA 2008 will be the second year of the prestigious Gottelier Award. Named in honour of the late designer, developer and commentator Tony Gottelier, this award aims to recognise the tireless product developers who have made a significant contribution to the development of the equipment and tools that enable our entertainment technology practitioners to continually push the boundaries of event production, presentation and installation.

Last year's inaugural Award was won by Tony Andrews of Funktion One for his decades of dedication to the advancement of loudspeaker design.

The Nomination phase of the 2008 Gottelier Award is now open, and industry professionals worldwide are being asked to put forward the names of individuals who they believe should be considered for this year's award.

Following the nomination period, a shortlist of the leading nominees will then be ope

USA - With fuel prices hovering at $4/gallon, NSCA made sure its grand prize at InfoComm 08 would save at least one lucky member some serious green. All NSCA members could visit the NSCA Zone to enter to win a 2008 Toyota Hybrid Prius, valued at nearly $29,000.

"Saving our members money is important to NSCA," said NSCA senior director of member services, Jodi Montgomery. "We're constantly looking for new solutions and new ideas to help members succeed."

Greg Bedross, regional sales manager for Kramer Electronics Sierra Video, was the lucky winner of the Prius, which averages 46 miles to the gallon. Bedross said he received the news via cell phone while working on the show floor.

"I just can't believe it. I want to thank everyone," said Bedross when he picked up the keys to his new car. "I think (NSCA) is a wonderful organisation and I'm ver

USA - Industry members had the chance to relax and raise money for charitable causes during InfoComm 08. During its first joint show with InfoComm, NSCA hosted many of its popular events from previous NSCA Expos.

The Systems Integration Industry Charity Golf Tournament, host sponsored by Atlas Sound/IED, kicked off the week and raised money for the NSCA Education Foundation, the International Communications Industry Foundation, and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

"We were extremely pleased with all the NSCA-sponsored events during InfoComm 08," said NSCA Education Foundation president, Tom Frericks. "Our mission is to support education for industry professionals, but the Foundation also supports other charitable causes through its fundraising events. We accomplished both in Las Vegas this year."

The next evening the Drunk Unkles band made its I

India - PALME India 2008, which will be held from 3-5 October at the Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai has already signed-up industry majors such as Harman Pro, Modern Stage/Philips Lighting, Meyer Sound and Coda Audio. Modern Stage/Philips Lighting have booked over 450sq.m of floor space, with a distinct Bollywood theme. All of Modern Stage's principle companies will be represented, ranging from Vari-Lite, Elgin Electronics, Stark Illumination, Philips Lighting and Studio Due from Italy.

However, while the Bollywood film industry is the central entertainment focus, the events industry also continues to record dramatic growth. With over 8% GDP growth, India's main conurbations and resorts are witnessing a boom in leisure and tourism infrastructure. To provide specific platforms for both of these distinct areas, PALME India features two separate but complementary vertical shows, I

UK - In 2000, the Forestry Commission organised its inaugural forest tour, launched with the intention of bringing new audiences into the UK's forests and encouraging them to see the country's woodlands in a new an exciting way.

In the intervening years throughout the months of June and July, the forest tour has attracted an array of top class acts to a variety of locations, giving audiences the opportunity to enjoy both the music and the environment in which it is performed. The atmosphere is invariably as relaxed and friendly as one could wish to experience and, with crowd management company AP Security on hand, it is sure to remain that way.

"AP has been working on a number of the Forestry Commission's sites for the last five years," says AP's national sales manager, John Phillips. "Our initial contract was for Westonbirt, The National Arboretum in the Cotswo

UK - UBM's Live Media business is delighted to announce the acquisition of Mondiale Publishing's Sleep and Arc Exhibitions, Conferences and The European Hotel Design Awards.

Sleep and Arc were both launched in 2005. Sleep, comprising a design-led exhibition, high-level conference and prestigious awards ceremony; has rapidly established itself as Europe's leading event for all those involved in the creation of new hotels. Now in its third year, the show is bigger than ever and has moved to a new venue; the Business Design Centre, Islington, to accommodate the increasing participation demand.

Arc exhibition and conference, is the UK's leading event for Architectural, Retail and Commercial lighting. UK architects, designers and lighting designers are creating stunning high profile projects across the world as emerging economies transform their cityscapes. With such an influential

UK - After a successful trial in 2007, The Championships 2008 - more commonly known as Wimbledon Fortnight - saw the hosting All England Lawn Tennis Club elect to replace its longstanding scoreboards on Centre and No.1 Courts with state-of-the-art LED screens.

The new screens meant that the scoreboards could be put to a much wider range of uses, so improved communications between the court control booths and the main screen control room were essential. And these communications were significantly aided by four Yamaha DME4io-C high-performance terminal I/O processors.

Wimbledon-based RG Jones Sound Engineering has been the main audio contractor for the All England Club for over 20 years "At such a high profile event, reliability is everything. A breakdown in communications would cause huge problems," says the company's Jon Berry. "We needed a straightforward devic

Show News - Loudspeaker manufacturer Tannoy makes a welcome return to the PLASA show after being absent for a couple of years. The company will be using the Earls' Court event as the platform for a first UK demonstration of its newest pro-audio product lines, VQ and QFlex, as well as exhibiting some of the existing V-Series loudspeaker range.

Executive News - Bandit Lites has announced that Peter M. Heffernan, a 30-year veteran, has been named president of the firm. Effective immediately, Heffernan will take the reigns and serve as both president and C.O.O., a role he has held for the last 15 years. This move comes at a time of growth for Bandit and is the logical step in taking the firm to the next level, says the company. Heffernan began his full time relationship with Bandit Lites in 1978 and he has risen through the ranks. He served as lighting director and/ or production manager f

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