UK - Flying 35m in the air for up to 11 hours a day, late 2009 saw a large format Lighthouse LED screen play a major role in a promotion for mobile phone giant Nokia's Ovi maps service and entertained thousands of Londoners in the process.

Taking place over a two-week period, the 14 x 4 panel (14.22m x 3.04m) Rn7-ER 7mm screen was suspended from a crane in the city's Potters Fields Park, near Tower Bridge. Mounted in a frame forming a giant arrow, it provided a different form of interactive entertainment.

Passers-by were encouraged to send a text message, which would be displayed on the screen along with the sender's distance, calculated by Ovi maps positioning technology. Also using that technology, the crane would be instructed to rotate and point the arrow in the direction of the sender.

Pod Bluman of Bluman Associates devised the technical solution from an original idea

USA - For its touring debut in North America, the RSC Lightlock is on the road with Bon Jovi on the group's The Circle Tour. Lititz, PA based Tait Towers was the first production company to make use of the motion dampening technology for two different portions of the production.

Being used in its traditional role, two RSC Lightlocks working in tandem are providing the needed stability on each of the tour's Syncrolite MX4 fixtures. Suspended from custom point lifts designed and manufactured by Tait Towers, the lights are flown in and out throughout the show.

Once rehearsals began, an unusual application was discovered for this new technology. With moving video walls used throughout the show's set, the tour's production team found a need to stabilize the 12 video columns which move over the stage area. RSC Lightlocks attached to the bottom of the video units provide motio

UK - The multi-award winning company, Global Design Solutions (GDS) has announced the appointment of PRG Distribution as the exclusive distributor in a number of territories across Eastern Europe, Asia and South Africa.

PRG Distribution is a leading distributor of high-quality entertainment technology products. With offices around the world, PRG Distribution boasts a reputation for outstanding service and technical ability, both pre and post sales. A dedicated team of regional sales managers and a highly trained team of after-sales service technicians, represent brands including Vari*Lite, Seachanger, Pathway, Lycian and Gekko. PRG Distribution were the ideal choice for GDS to aid expansion of its global distribution network, says the company.

Andy Duffield, European sales manager at GDS commented: "GDS are delighted to welcome PRG on-board, we feel that their already str

UK - Visitors to PLASA Focus: Leeds 2010 - which takes place on Tuesday 27 & Wednesday 28 April at the Royal Armouries - are invited to take part in a series of seminars presented by some of the industry's leading bodies.

The two-day Education & Learning Programme, which runs alongside the sell-out exhibition, proved a major success last year and this year will cover an equally diverse range of topics.

Beginning with The Theatres Trust Annual Conference, this year's debate focuses on the principles of School Theatre Design. That's followed by the Production Managers Forum with the SMA (Stage Management Association) and a session entitled Preparing for the Future with the NSA (National Skills Academy), who, as part of their quest to give people access to careers in the backstage industries, will explore why accreditation in the industry is important. It will also address

Italy - The Teatro Comunale di Bologna has some new players on its stage this year: Clay Paky Alpha Washes and Alpha Profiles.

The Teatro Comunale di Bologna was designed in the 17th century by Antonio Galli da Bibbiena, and was the first opera house to be built with public funds and hired out by the city council. Its bell-shaped auditorium consists of four tiers of boxes with a royal box and gallery. During its history, it has put on works by practically all the major composers, including Rossini, Puccini, Verdi, Wagner, Mozart and Donizetti.

Around the end of 2009, the lighting department managers / lighting designers Daniele Naldi and Andrea Oliva felt the need for a larger number of lights. Once they received the go-ahead and fixed budget from the Bologna city council, they turned to the major motorised spotlight manufacturers.

The Clay Paky Sales Manager for Italy Renat

UAE - Artistic Licence's specially created Rack-Split RDM RJ45 splitter plays a major role in the data distribution system, designed and implemented by e:cue lighting control, of the LED-covered 'Grid Shell' roof of Abu Dhabi's spectacular Yas Hotel.

Located within the Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi, the Yas Hotel's opening on 1 November 2009 coincided with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, and it is the first hotel in the world to be built over a Formula 1 race circuit.

Designed by architects Asymptote Architecture of New York, the hotel's exterior surface forms a 217m aerodynamic sweep composed of over the 5,389 pivoting diamond-shaped colour changing LED panes. Conceived as an environmentally responsive skin that by day reflects the sky and surroundings and by night is lit by a nearly 5000 RGBW LED fixtures from ENFIS/Cooper Lighting, the Grid Shell is one of the world's largest LED

Famine Relief - Bob Geldof has challenged the BBC to substantiate its report that millions raised for famine relief in Ethiopia were diverted to pay for weapons. The anti-poverty campaigner said there was "not a shred of evidence" Band Aid or Live Aid money was siphoned off. The report included claims that substantial sums of aid that went into rebel-held areas of Tigray province in 1985 were used to buy arms. The BBC World Service has said it is standing by its report.

Geldof told BBC One's Andrew Marr Show he would personally sue the Ethiopian government and spend the money on aid if any evidence was produced. He said, "Produce me one shred of evidence and I promise you I will professionally investigate it, I will professionally report it, and if there is any money missing I will sue the Ethiopian government for that money back and I will spend it on aid.

UK - The Ashwin Street Christmas Street Party was part of a £750,000 London Development Agency funded project to revitalise parts of central Dalston. Organised by project architects MUF and J&L Gibbons - the event brought together local youth, community, performing arts, visual arts and creative industry organisations to create a snapshot of how the presently run-down area could be.

Arcola Theatre provided 18 PixelRange Micro Es and eight 50w birdies for the architectural lighting of the Colourworks and Print House buildings designed by Haberdashery London.

Arcola Theatre's David Salter reports, "The Micros were perfect for this event and produced the desired effect with ease. The event required a small unit that was easy to transport and discrete to install. The Micros benefit from an integrated power supply, silent operation and very low 31 watt power consu

Russia - Interlight Moscow 2010 will open one week earlier than previously announced. The trade show for the lighting industry will now be staged 9-12 November 2010 at the Expocentre, Fairgrounds in Moscow instead of 16-19 November as previously advertised.

This year, the exhibitions for decorative lighting and technical lighting will be presented in separate exhibition halls for the first time in an effort to achieve optimal visibility. The technical lighting, outdoor- and architectural lighting will be displayed in the Forum Hall while indoor lighting and decorative lighting will be exhibited in Hall 7.

More than 300 exhibitors have been c9onfirmed for the event.

(Jim Evans)

Germany - Having started the beam steering revolution back in the 1990's with their Intellivox range Duran Audio are once again embarking on another adventure with their range of Beam Shaping Subwoofers which will be launched at Prolight and Sound in Frankfurt.

The AXYS range of Beam Shaping Subwoofers are designed to be totally versatile, scalable and easy to use. Those who invest in the technology can achieve maximum control for the minimum of investment. One day you could use a huge array of subs to control the low end at a large arena or stadium gig and the next day you could use one unit on its own in a simple conference setup or three units combined in a hyper cardioid set up in a theatre, says the company.

(Jim Evans)

UK - Blackburn UK based lighting rental company HSL is supplying all lighting equipment and crew to Production North for the current six-week UK tour by popular boyband JLS.

HSL's project manager Mike Oates says, "It's good to be back on the road with the Production North team and working alongside production manager Karen Ringland on this. The design is straightforward and uncomplicated, well thought-out and works perfectly for the band and the style of presentation."

The lighting was designed by Peter Barnes. He and show producer Beth Honan - who have previously worked together on Blazing Squad and Girls Aloud - collaborated closely during production rehearsals at Rhyl Pavilion in Wales, together with lighting programmer/operator Dave Lee. Lee is overseeing lighting the show on tour, working alongside HSL technician Johnny Harper.

Barnes had to maximise an expedi

China - Multiform will be displaying their latest product releases, the MultiBar portable stage lighting system and the new AmbiLED range at the China Import and Export fair in Guangzhou this week.

Their International distributor Adelto will also be displaying their range of pro audio products from Hill Audio and the OEM range of budget lighting effects from Lumicraft.

(Jim Evans)

UK - In response to customer demand plus changes to UK electrical requirements, ETC has released versions of its Sensor dimmer modules fitted with six and 10 Amp MCBs (miniature circuit breakers) which allows Sensor dimming to be installed in many venues which could not previously accommodate higher rated Sensor standard modules.

The new 6A and 10A breakers can be used to limit loads to 1.3kW and 2.3kW respectively. The UK IEEE 17th Edition Wiring Requirements (BS7671:2009) lowered the permissible wiring distance from the dimmer rack to the socket outlet for standard wire gauges by up to 25% of 16th Edition values. Previously some venues would have had to completely rewire in order to take advantage of Sensor dimming, but the new lower amperage breakers mean that Sensor can be installed in many more buildings.

Mark White, ETC's regional manager for UK and Ireland, says, "

USA - Barco reports that 30 Barco/High End Systems DL.3 Digital Lights were used to create a seamless, 600ft circular blend of graphics - the first time a collage of this scale has ever been staged. Sponsored by a major pharmaceutical company, the remarkable corporate product launch was held in January at the Sands Expo Centre in Las Vegas - a facility large enough to accommodate the over 3000 sales representatives and executives in attendance.

For production and staging services, the client enlisted the help of New York City-based Todd Street Productions, who in turn reached out to Joe West, senior creative and lighting director for Digital Stage Chicago. West's challenge was not only to create a seamless ultra large-scale 600 x 20ft circular blend, but to create a design that could transform into two other completely different sets over the course of the conference - and all w

USA - American DJ has upgraded its popular P64 LED par can. The company has added master/slave capabilities to this RGB-mixing LED par can with the introduction of the upgraded P64 LED Plus. Now, all it takes is a three-pin XLR cable to link multiple units of the fixture together, and they will all follow a 'master' programme - allowing users to produce a synchronized light show with ease.

Like the original, the new P64 LED Plus also operates in stand-alone configuration if preferred. Also like its predecessor, which won the 2005 DJZone.com Crystal Disc Award for Technical Innovation, it features full RGB colour mixing. The DMX-compatible par can comes equipped with 151 bright 5mm LEDs (51 red, 49 green, and 51 blue), allowing the creation of a virtually infinite palette of colours and to constantly change colours on the fly.

"The original P64 LED truly revolutionized sta

UK - Small businesses are hoping to beat the recession by stepping up their sales and marketing strategies, a new survey has revealed. After cutting operating costs to the bare minimum, many smaller firms are hiring sales staff, improving their websites and boosting marketing activities in an effort to tackle tough trading conditions.

Research carried out by the not-for-profit Forum of Private Business (FPB) also found that business owners expect their efforts will pay off. More than half (56%) of those surveyed expect to increase their turnover in 2010 and 44% believe their business will grow.

The findings are the first of the FPB's new 'economy watch' panel - a body of more than 350 members who are sharing their experiences as the economy heads away from recession. The panel is designed to provide an accurate and timely reflection of what small businesses are experiencing on

Germany - The Proel Group will showcase its sound reinforcement and lighting lines at this year's Prolight + Sound.

After last year's world's first preview of the prototypes, show visitors will be able to appreciate the whole series of Net, which will be available for purchase as of next spring, and Edge Active.

Net is a series of loudspeaker designed "with a particular care for all the details which make a speaker valuable and for the technical solutions allowing these features to be implemented without raising costs". The result is a completely new line combining high value, excellent performances and reasonable price, a high-end product available to all users both for commercial and entertainment purposes.

At Prolight 2010, exhibition also of Active Edge systems: Proel's new solutions for high power professional applications. There are five models in the series:

UK - White Light provided lighting for the first night party for Love Never Dies, Andrew Lloyd Webber's sequel to The Phantom of the Opera, having also supplied the entire lighting rig to the show itself.

Held at the Old Billingsgate Market, the party was themed on Coney Island, attended by the cast, creative and production teams of the show, the show's producers, plus their guests and countless other celebrities to mark the debut of the sequel to the most successful stage show of all time. White Light's Live Events team, already familiar with the venue from having lit many other parties there, used lighting to transform it into a lavish, opulent space.

The company used a wide range of equipment from its extensive rental stock, including moving lights protected by weatherproof domes and Source Four low-energy spotlights. White Light's team provided a complete ser

UK - Following the successful launch of MicroTiles at ISE2010, Amsterdam, Christie has announced changes within its sales structure that assure this new product area is given the appropriate focus.

It has been confirmed that Joe Graziano will fulfil the new role of market development manager - MicroTiles. He has been closely aligned to the launch preparations for MicroTiles, preparing the EMEA market prior to the recent ISE2010 launch platform. His new role will position him as product champion, enabling him to support the regional sales team across EMEA as well as find and close business directly, says the company.

Graziano states: "I am thrilled with the new role and the amazing opportunity I have to be involved with such a special product as MicroTiles. I am eager to get in amongst the EMEA base and all our partners to help them make the most of their business opportun

UK - Gemma Jaques has joined Richard Martin Lighting as marketing coordinator after five successful years as office manager Neg Earth.

"I am really looking forward to the challenge that lies ahead and being part of a fresh and energetic environment. I hope to bring my previously acquired skills and make a positive contribution to what is an already great set up," says Jaques.

(Jim Evans)

UK - AC-ET has been promoted to exclusive UK and Ireland distributor for German Lighting Products (GLP). The agreement follows AC-ET's success over the past 12 months supplying the Impression LED moving heads line-up and other GLP products to various entertainment sectors, and helping to strengthen the brand in the UK market.

GLP's director of global key players, Mark Ravenhill, commented: "It's great to have AC-ET as our partner for the UK and Irish marketplaces. They have the ideal experience and resources in place to offer a full service to GLP customers both now, and as we grow our portfolio in the future. We look forward to working with AC-ET on all levels."

The GLP portfolio available from AC-ET includes an extensive range of LED and discharge lamp moving heads, moving mirrors, architectural fixtures, lighting controllers, dimmer packs, DMX accessories and powe

Germany - American DJ has "a toolchest of lighting innovations" in store for those who visit its display at ProLight&Sound in Frankfurt. The company will show two new additions to its Revo Series of LED moonflowers, unveil "a ground-breaking moving head with revolutionary Philips 5R lamp technology", and take the wraps off one of its most unusual special effects ever.

One of the stars of ADJ's PLS line-up, the Jellyfish is an LED effect with 84 RGBW lamps, housed in a clear plastic case. Like its namesake fish, the Jellyfish radiates colour through its transparent 'outer shell' which makes it two effects in one: a bright red, green, blue and white beam projector; and a glowing case that changes colours. The Jellyfish's colour-changing case actually becomes part of the light show.

Another new ADJ light addresses the demand for smaller, more energy-efficient

Italy - As part of the Roman Carnival night, Coemar provided light systems for the exclusive ballet at the Spanish Embassy, At the Court of Giulio II. The event was sponsored by the Mayor of Rome, Gianni Alemanno and the Spanish Ambassador Francisco Vasquez.

The event's lighting designer chose the ACL Infinity moving head projectors for their superior and distance focused brightness and CycLite LEDs.

Coemar's Infinity ACL S is a innovative and energy saving projector, thanks to the use of a bulb with low power consumption of 300W and a new conception lens, which maximizes and focuses the effects of the light.

CycLite LEDs offer a high energy efficiency thanks to the innovative lED technology used by Coemar. CycLite Led is the first cyclorama led which produces a symmetrical or asymmetrical beam of light, adjustable from + 51° to 45° and with a proportional zoo

Spain - The Honey Interpretation Centre opened in the Catalan town of Arnes in July 2008. Making use of the latest audiovisual technology, the museum explains the whole process of producing honey, the life of bees and everything else related with apiculture. Belonging to the town council of Arnes, the interpretation centre involved an investment of €310,000.

Urano Films, a multimedia and audiovisual production company from Catalonia, was commissioned to create the visual content for the centre and the overall integration of the audiovisual equipment, while Charmex, a partner of Christie, supplied the equipment itself. The centrepiece of the museum is a small film theatre screening a short educational 3D film on the life of bees. The theatre is equipped with a passive 3D system with two Christie LX450 projectors.

As well as the film theatre, the museum also has another two aud

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