France - One of the most famous monuments of the 'old city' of Lyon (Vieux Lyon), the Palais de Justice de Lyon, recently benefited from a new exterior lighting installation which uses an array of LED lighting fixtures from Ayrton to accentuate its architectural magnificence.

Ayrton, French specialists in intelligent LED lighting products for entertainment and architectural applications, has provided fixed installations for a number of historic monuments, of which the Palais de Justice is just the latest.

Inaugurated in 1847 and often referred to the 'Palace of the Twenty-Four Columns', the Palais de Justice de Lyon was classified as a Historical Monument in 1996 and is one of the finest neo-classical buildings in France.

To show its spectacular facade to its best advantage, lighting designer Jerome Donna from the Public Lighting Department of the City of Lyon chose a select

UK - Last weekend, White Light sponsored the UK Theatre Awards, presented Sunday at the historic Guildhall in Central London. The annual awards ceremony, organised by the Theatrical Management Association, celebrates the impressive individual and collective achievements of the nation's thriving theatre sector.

White Light has long been a supporter of the TMA and its award ceremony, supplying lighting equipment and services to the event for several years before becoming an official sponsor of the UK Theatre Awards in 2012. White Light continues to supply lighting for the event in addition to its sponsorship.

White Light managing director Bryan Raven commented, "We are happy to support the TMA and the UK Theatre Awards. Recognising and promoting the great work of regional theatres is a vital part of strengthening the cultural sector and ensuring it thrives in all areas of o

USA - Two Avolites Media Ai Infinity 8 Servers and one Ai T8 server have powered the video mapping, projection, and LED screens for the Billboard Latin Music Awards in Miami - watched by more than 30 million people.

Avolites Media Developer Ciaran Abrams worked closely with US-based lighting design and media presentation company DMDS7UDIOS on the 2013 Awards, held at the 7,972-seat BankUnited Center.

"Avolites Media's Ai kit was used to run every bit of video that was seen at the event - including the projection on the triangles and the video mapping for the 4 LED Screens placed in unusual geometry around the stage. We also video mapped MiStrip Led Strips at the back of the stage and several thousand MiPix designed into the set," says Abrams. "There were multiple systems outputting to 10 HD projectors and 4 HD LED setups, all controlled from one lighting desk. T

UK - MGC Lighting has lit up this summer's music scene, providing solutions to Glastonbury, Latitude, Edinburgh and Isle of Wight festivals. The innovative lighting provider, which has a wealth of live performance experience, supplied carefully selected solutions to create a range of impressive effects on- and off-stage.

At Glastonbury Festival, MGC supplied lighting to coordinate car park and campsite areas, providing festival goers with easily-navigable paths and walkways. Here, colour-coordinated Impact LED G45 Golfball Lamps provided bright output with a warm glow, in-keeping with the festival's creative design concepts.

On-stage at Glastonbury GE PAR lamps were used to illuminate a star-studded line-up of performers. Here, bright, single beams were combined with Rosco coloured gels to create an array of dazzling colour effects. Performers at this year's Glastonbury Festiv

UK - Avolites Media's industry-leading Ai Servers and Sapphire Media consoles have exhibited their flexibility and processing power handling multiple live input streams alongside playback of custom designed media content for this year's Secret Garden Party - main and second stages.

Almost 30,000 revellers attended the popular independent music and arts festival in Abbots Ripton, Cambridgeshire, to see headliners including Faithless, 2ManyDJs, and The Ladykillers.

Two Ai Infinity Servers with two black magic capture cards in each were stationed on the main stage (one for service, one backup) and controlled by the Sapphire Media console. A second Ai server was placed to serve the second stage.

"The festival organisers wanted something different from the standard wall of LED screens," says design company Immersive's Ralph Lambert, who was in charge of all main stage v

Switzerland - With the Laserworld Group growing more and more and the fast development in online media, an expert for multimedia marketing was required. In September Sascha Kempter joined the Laserworld Team in Lengwil (Switzerland) as multi-media marketing manager.

Kempter is responsible for parts of the online media management and the digital media approach for the subsidiaries as well as for the parental company. "His knowledge of analytics, graphics and design tools as well as his content management and online media skills make him a perfect fit for our team" says Norbert Stangl, sales & marketing director for the Laserworld Group. "The online media are growing very fast, so it is absolutely necessary for us to intensify our work there."

(Jim Evans)

UK - The First Night Riders charity motorbike and classic car adventure, which raises money to help The Theatrical Guild support backstage and front of house staff, has announced new dates for 2014.

Organisers David and Brenda Edelstein, from track systems specialist Triple E, will be leading next year's event and are inviting riders and classic car enthusiasts to join them from 20-23 June 2014.

Next year will be the fifth time the First Night Riders have toured the UK, setting off from a London location (TBC) and visiting some of the UK's most fascinating theatres and theatre suppliers.

Last year, the intrepid gang embarked from London's iconic Roundhouse and travelled through the Midlands, visiting sites including the Oxford Playhouse, the Buxton Opera House, and Sheffield's Crucible Theatre.

This year's route and stop offs are still in the planning stages but seaside

UK - High Wycombe- based lighting rental specialist Siyan is supplying lighting to the current UK and European tour by chart-topping alt rockers The Editors, which is designed by Colin Ross.

In Europe, the lighting design continues the concept of a large 'specials' package which started during the band's summer festival tour.

It also sees a continuance of the successful on-going working relationship between Colin Ross and Siyan which dates back seven or so years including several Ross designed tours for The Manic Street Preachers, Travis and others.

The Editors 2013 summer festival rig featured lots of Robe LEDWash 600 and 1200s as well as PAR cans and proved extremely versatile, with Ross creating ambience and texturing with the interplay between tungsten and LED lightsources.

When it came to this tour Ross stayed with this provocative, more moody theme of lighting - the

World - Internationally acclaimed lighting designer LeRoy Bennett is exploiting the unprecedented brightness of Clay Paky Sharpys on Beyonce's Mrs Carter 106-date world tour.

Bennett's fast paced, dynamic design uses the pure, laser-like beams of an extraordinary 208 Sharpys, which successfully cut through more than 1050 individual luminaires.

Bennett cites Beyonce herself as the inspiration for his design. She'd requested a lighting-driven show that would deliver epic results. Bennett specified 446 SGM X-5 LED Strobe early on, which contributed considerably to making the Mrs Carter show the brightest ever measured (in lux output) on a concert stage. From the beginning Bennett knew he needed a luminaire that would cut through these super bright strobes and the Sharpy was the answer.

"I love the Sharpy's incredible brightness, beam size, and speed," Be

World - Singer-songwriter Bruno Mars has been getting rave reviews for his Moonshine Jungle Tour, which will continue to play dates around the world through March 2014. The tour is accompanied by Clay Paky Sharpy and Sharpy Wash fixtures.

"We were tasked with creating a world for Bruno and his band to inhabit," says lighting designer Cory FitzGerald who codesigned the tour with Roy Bennett. "Bruno has a lot of sounds and pushes past a lot of genres, so he needed an environment that would accommodate all his music. The lighting fixtures help a lot with that. We have 42 Sharpy Washes and about 80 Sharpy beams and we're very happy with the rig." VER supplied the tour's gear.

The versatile Sharpy Washes are "used for everything," he says. "They're the main wash for the show, and we have 36 overhead and six on the floor. We built a ceiling,

Maldives - Premium fixtures from PR Lighting have been used on a key Maldivian political programme televised by local broadcaster, TVM (Television Maldives).

Siyaasath was a one-on-one prime time interview session conducted by presenter, Liza Laurella, with the four candidates representing the major political parties: MDP (Maldivian Democratic Party), PPM (Progress Party of Maldives), JP (Jumhooree Party) and Dr. Waheed (an Independent Candidate).

Part of MBC (Maldives Broadcasting Corporation), TVM sourced quantities of XLED 1037 and XR-300 Beam from local events company, Azidon Pvt,and these were designed into the stage set by Abdulla Shamin.

Azidon's Ahmed Hamzoon explained: "These were selected because a powerful beam effect was required in the colours of the respective parties. They were primarily used for effects to complement TVM's Studio Lights."

(Jim Eva

USA - Crowds turned out in record numbers for the 19th annual Essence Festival in New Orleans. A-list artists including Beyoncé, LL Cool J, Jill Scott, Tamia, Janelle Monáe, and others packed venues throughout The Big Easy. The festival was staged by Essence Communications and produced by Solomon Group, a New Orleans-based entertainment production company, which supplied various equipment including Clay Paky Sharpy lighting fixtures to eight stages across town.

Francesco Romagnoli, Clay Paky area manager for North and Latin America, comments: "This is a very high profile and exciting event to be involved in and we're proud to be a part of it. The Solomon Group is a very talented company and we're proud to be working with them."

"With great some support from VER, Solomon Group supplied gear to several stages, including five in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome,

UK - Illuminate Design has recently upgraded the Foyer and Bar lighting for Colchester's Mercury Theatre. One of the region's most respected theatres, the Mercury has gained a reputation for encouraging ground-breaking new writing alongside established classics, and contributing to the wider regeneration of the region.

The Theatre was first opened in 1972, and following a number of upgrades in the intervening years, it has now invested in a complete new lighting system for its Foyer and Bar Areas, as part of wider improvements to the theatre's energy use and audience experience.

As the system needed to be both discreet and environmentally efficient, Illuminate Design specified Chauvet energy-saving LED lighting, which will not only reduce the theatre's running costs, but its maintenance costs also. As ease of control was important, an iLight Controller was installed pre-progra

USA - America's Got Talent, NBC's hit reality television show, has taken its collection of acrobats, magicians, singers and the like on the road. Lighting designer Seth Jackson worked with Bandit Lites to illuminate the variety show, taking into account that show would be transitioning from television to a touring act.

"The biggest decision I made when looking at the TV show was to go completely in the opposite direction," said Jackson. "This design focuses on crafting a look that celebrates the feel of the show, but has its own identity."

Additional measures were taken to ensure that the differing artists were given varying looks: Musical artists require the feel of a concert, comedians, a television special appearance, and acrobatic sequences were lit like a dance piece.

One challenge to designing the show came from the fact that truck space was

Germany - Herbalife's Extravaganza is a special corporate event organized periodically by Herbalife - mixing high-profile entertainment and a strong motivational theme - in various cities around the world.

This year, Extravaganza was held 27-29 September in the Lanxess Arena, a modern multi-purpose venue site in Cologne, Germany, and was attended by about 50,000 visitors. Madeleine Albright, former U.S. Secretary of State, was the special guest for this edition.

The entertaining aspect of the convention featured a richly decorated stage - on which the Shadow Dancers ensemble performed - and large mirror balls suspended over the audience.

To illuminate this impressive setup, Planet Service - a company specialising in consulting, design, construction and lighting design of major events, as well as technical partner of Herbalife for its international conventions -

USA - A Jands Vista T2 console was chosen by US based lighting designer, Chris Shrom, to control lighting for the Grammy Award-winning vocal harmony group Little Big Town, currently touring North America until mid-December.

Shrom was challenged with programming a rig which would have as much impact outside in daylight as it does when the band moves inside arenas.

Shrom worked closely with the band, tour project manager, Chris Diener and show designer, Raj Kapoor in designing something that worked well in all scenarios - choosing a dynamic rig featuring Sharpys, Atomic 3000s with color scrollers, Nocturn UV lights with Eclipse Shutters and MAC Auras.

"I know the Jands Vista T2 well and I can programme it very quickly. I've been using the Vista software now for almost five years. I love the timeline feature: Its simple, easy to look at and work in. The less thinking I hav

UK - West London technical production specialists, Entec supplied lighting and sound equipment and crew for two major gigs at Brixton and Bristol on the recent Fat Freddy's Drop UK tour.

The New Zealand based band - known for their improvised live performances which embrace multiple styles including dub, reggae, soul, jazz, blues and techno - returned to Entec to supply all their production needs following a hugely successful previous one off at Brixton Academy in 2011.

Once again, choosing a company that could deliver all their production elements from one source proved an efficient and cost-effective solution.

The band's Lighting designer Mark Butler sent in this plot which Entec's lighting division matched. There were three over-stage flown trusses, all raked at jaunty angles, and three upright trusses on the floor, giving the performance space a dynamic, off-beat look an

USA - Committed to artistry and new technology, the Cal Arts Lighting Design Programme provides professional training that enables students to broaden their design experience in all entertainment lighting applications. With a curriculum that strives to use the latest systems and technology in numerous productions, students refine their design skills led by renowned theatre and architectural lighting designer Anne Militello who recently worked with Forman & Associates to bring in a new a stockpile PL Series LED lighting tools from Philips Entertainment which included PLProfile1, PLCyc1, PL3 Wash and PLProfile4 LED Luminaires.

"It all began when we brought Forman & Associates in to speak about LED luminaires for the theatre," began Militello. "They then called me back a few weeks later with a proposition from Philips Entertainment that would allow us to get the PL S

USA - With 17 locations across five states, LifeChurch.tv hosts more than 50,000 attendees a week during high-intensity services, complete with house bands and exciting sermons. The majority of the 165 services per week throughout LifeChurch.tv are lit with Martin lighting fixtures. Steinas Systems continues to provide LifeChurch.tv with its lighting gear for a full inventory of lighting and a backup supply to keep the services bright, both in person and online.

"Our services are eye-catching from both the audience and technical side. The worship music portion of our services is similar to what someone would experience at a concert," states Greg Bacus, central team leader of technology, LifeChurch.tv. "With Martin, we're able to deliver what we need for each service in each location, providing a fixture that's superior quality, cutting edge, and at a price point a

UK - PLASA secured a significant lobbying success last month when the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee published its report into 'Supporting the Creative Economy'. The Committee roundly endorsed PLASA's position regarding the Olympics 'No Marketing Rights Protocol'.

The report was the culmination of an inquiry which was launched just over a year ago with a call for evidence from the Committee, which is made up of MPs from across all political parties. PLASA made a detailed written submission as to how the creative industries can be better supported, with a particular emphasis on the value and importance of the Entertainment Technology sector. PLASA's evidence focussed on issues around allowing companies to promote their involvement in the Olympics, tax relief for apprenticeships, improving protection for intellectual property and helping SMEs in the sec

Australia - Imagination Australia has set a new global standard for public events, with one of the most spectacular showcases of projection, lighting and fireworks shows seen anywhere in the world.

The Royal Australian Navy International Fleet Review symbolised 100 years since Australia welcomed their first Naval Fleet into Sydney Harbour. It was Imagination's job to celebrate that milestone in a way the entire city and the world would take notice of.

The spectacular was created in seven acts, from introducing the original fleet, through 100 proud years of service to Australia, current capabilities, a moment of reflection for the fallen and a finale to rival Sydney New Year's Eve, the show was a once in a lifetime project.

Imagination conceived, wrote, designed and produced every element of the show. For the first time ever, fireworks were launched from seven warships, combi

UK - MilTec (UK) Ltd report that they had their busiest PLASA show for some years, due in part to their new Mini-Map miniature LED screens.

All four days proved to be busy with inquiries from the UK, Europe and the rest of the world, with clients eager to learn more about the screens, along with all the other LED products in the MilTec range. The Mini-Map has 36 tricolour pixels, controlled via DMX512. Two versions are available- the touring module has PowerCon and 5-pin XLR connectors and an M10 fixing point. The installation module is a low-profile product, and comes with a backplate and IDC connectors for quick and easy fitting.

The busy show has turned into a busy month with orders for Mini-Maps from the UK and Canada now being processed along with continued demand for the Batten2 LED batten. The Mini-Map screens are built by Miltec at their HQ in Kent, England.

"We

UK - For the second year Robe lighting was joined on its busy stand at the PLASA 2013 exhibition at ExCeL London by students from the BSc Honours courses in Lighting Design and Technology and Live Event Technology at the University of South Wales in Glamorgan.

The Robe student 'PLASA experience' scheme was initiated last year by Ian W Brown, sales manager from Robe UK in conjunction with Stuart Green, course leader from Prifysgol De Cymru (University of South Wales). It is designed to give successful applicants a taste of the high-pressure, rough-and-tumble world of trade shows and first-hand experience of this lighting industry element.

The four lucky 2013 students - Owain Jones, Heather Kirby, Greg Westwood and Beth Mae MacDonald - were selected after submitting a CV and engaging in a phone interview with Ian who comments, "They were all really high calibre." Havin

South Africa - St Mary's Diocesan School for Girls Kloof, KwaZula Natal, trickles with tradition and charm. This girls' school was established in 1906 and is well known for its musicals and drama pieces. DWR Distribution was pleased to install a lighting infrastructure in the school hall during the June / July holidays.

"Originally St Mary's wanted lighting solutions for three venues, namely, the school hall, a studio which is used as the drama practice room and an outdoor auditorium," explained Nick Barnes from DWR who headed the installation. Michael Broderick, a lighting specialist, consulted to ensure the correct equipment was specified. Due to pricing and budget constraints, it was decided to commence the project with the school hall only.

DWR took out the outdated lighting infrastructure and replaced this with two stage lighting bars, one FOH Lighting Bar, four

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