Europe/Asia - Two teams will take part in the 2019 Mongol Rally to raise money for technical entertainment charity Backup.
The rally, which takes place in July and spans 10,000 miles from the Czech Republic to Ulan Ude in Russia, requires participants to ride a very small vehicle, with no support or set route to the finish line, which must be crossed in four to eight weeks.
Team Backup, comprising Salvador Avila, Ethan Forde and Duncan McLean, are aiming to raise £50,000 for the charity, with team The Nomadic Numpties of ‘Turbo’ Anthony Hall and ‘Henri’ Abby Cooper targeting

USA - For a third year running, global design and BIM software solutions provider Vectorworks is sponsoring awards at the Kennedy Centre American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF). KCACTF is a national programme designed to celebrate college theatre in the United States and help students develop their creative and technical skills. This year marks the 50th anniversary of KCACTF.
Every year, KCACTF hosts eight regional festivals for college theatre students across the United States. The festival activities include workshops, discussions, regional-level scholarships and award programmes. The first regional festival begins on 8 January and the last festival ends on 28 February.
“As we gear up for another exciting festival season for KCACTF, once again new doors will open for a handful of students because of the connections between KCACTF and our industry-leading spons

UK - The West London demo room of Kinesys was home to a Green Hippo Automation Masterclass with an international flavour. Welcoming attendees from Finland and the Netherlands, as well as the United Kingdom, Green Hippo partnered with Kinesys to deliver Masterclass III - Automation.
The two-day course, which took place earlier this month, enabled delegates to take a deep dive into integrating moving elements with Hippotizer and SHAPE 3D projection mapping. Occupying the Kinesys base, conveniently located 20 minutes from Heathrow, students benefited from a venue fully-equipped with chain motors, rotators, trolleys and truss - this was a true hands-on experience where participants experienced using actual hardware to practice key skills including object alignment, parenting and automation scripting.
Both days saw students spending the mornings absorbing theory in the trai

USA - Pro AV solutions supplier Biamp has acquired sound masking specialist Cambridge Sound Management (CSM) from Gladstone Investment Corp.
CSM joins as a product family within the Beaverton-based company’s portfolio, with business functions set to gradually blend into a single Biamp business.
Rashid Skaf, Biamp president, comments: “It has been just one year since I led the acquisition of Biamp with Highlander Partners with the stated intent of leveraging it as a platform to build a respected provider of comprehensive AV solutions. This transaction is the first evidence of that strategy being implemented but far from the last. Biamp is on the move.
“The acquisition of Cambridge Sound Management unites two great brands in the professional AV market.”
The deal will enable Biamp, who provides AV solutions for conference rooms, lecture halls, auditor

UK - The Maestra Group in London and Dubai have switched from their existing server-based equipment rental software to HireHop’s cloud-based rental equipment software to manage their productions, hires and inventory.
Maestra is an international event production and AV rental company based out of London and Dubai, with a large portfolio of iclients and events under their belts.
HireHop’s director Keith Jacobs says: “We are delighted to have such a prestigious and well-respected company on board, and we look forward to facilitating Maestra’s growth in the future.”
Justin Hammond, managing director of Maestra London, adds: “We had encountered numerous limitations with our previous rental software and needed a replacement. We switched over to HireHop because it could do everything we needed and more, due to its speed and the wealth of functionality, ma

A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET) has provided KCS Group with a Green Hippo Hippotizer V4 Karst+ Media Server to make Honda UK’s live event content stand out from the crowd.
KCS, an experiential marketing and events company, has worked with Honda exclusively for 15 years - providing them and their dealerships with the support to make every event a success.
KCS were asked to procure a media server and all necessary hardware to give Honda the ability to display varying content across different areas of their show stands, whilst giving them the option to link the screens together as well, to broadcast live content simultaneously across them all.
Gareth Coleman, project manager for KCS, visited PLASA earlier this year to research his options. He met Stuart Burdett, sales manager for AC-ET's specialist video sales division.
Coleman says: “After speaking wit

The Netherlands - Panasonic’s presence at ISE 2019 will see it offering a range of technologies that “provide creative freedom to those involved in visual and proAV technologies allowing them to push the boundaries across live entertainment, public displays, education and collaboration”.
Among a number of new technologies unveiled at the show will be the introduction of a 50,000 lumens laser projector.
Panasonic will be showcasing its full range from 3,000 lumens portable units to the ultra-high brightness 50,000 lumens model. Panasonic will also have a full 4K professional display range on show, from entry level to high-end, featuring a modern, slim bezel.
The company’s annual ‘showstopper’, will use Panasonic’s market leading technology which in the past has seen projection mapped sports cars, 4K robotic screens, magic shows and live projection

UK - disguise has expanded its global reach by opening two new offices, in Shanghai and Los Angeles. This is in addition to their bases in London, New York and Hong Kong.
Fernando Kufer, CEO at disguise, comments: “The decision to expand into China and open a second office in America was a logical step in our business growth strategy. We are seeing rapid growth across the globe and some of the most talented visual designers are in these regions, so it is critical that we can work with them effectively and offer culturally relevant support.”
disguise have also hired multiple new team members across different regions. Bill Collis has joined disguise as chairman of the board, bringing his leadership experience within the film and video industry. The company has also appointed a new executive team including: Tom Rockhill as chief sales officer, Paul Hunt as chief finan

UAE - Qasr Al Hosn is the oldest and most significant heritage site in Abu Dhabi. It was built after more than 11 years of restoration and the site has now reopened its doors as a museum to the public, showcasing the development from a community reliant on fishing and pearling to the modern Abu Dhabi.
Creative Technology Middle East (CTME) were on hand to deliver 9,750sq.m of projection for the historical event on behalf of client, People.
The Qasr Al Hosn Inauguration was opened by Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi on 5 December 2018. The large projection show featured content supplied by Fly Studio, showcasing the UAE’s heritage and the history of Qasr Al Hosn Fort. The content was delivered across three buildings, the Musalla, the Cultural Foundation and the Qasr Al Hosn Fort. The projection covered such a large area of the event that the

UK - At the end of 2017, Pete Tong, Jules Buckley and the Heritage Orchestra, treated UK fans to a live production of his acclaimed album, Ibiza Classics. Such was the reception that dates for the outing in the run up to Christmas 2018 were booked almost immediately. While the essential elements of last December’s tour remain the same, changes have been made.
“For me, what has made it different this time around is the change of musicians, with different players in the orchestra; their physical technique affects how it looks and feels and consequently where I place the cameras,” explains video director Mark Davies, pointing to one area that has been refreshed. “That’s a subtle distinction but when you get to an instrument the size of a cello posture and playing technique has a big influence.” Paddy Hocken Productions are once again using the services of Vi

Canada - Solotech has named Daniel Méjean as vice-president (strategic sourcing) effective 14 January 2019.
In this new position under the direction of Nicolas Lavoie, chief financial officer, Méjean will actively contribute to the performance of the rapidly growing sourcing department as a key player in strategic planning, as well as long and short-term alliance building with suppliers and partner.
Méjean has over 20 years of experience in strategic sourcing management and direction in large-scale companies.
(Jim Evans)

Canada - Solotech has announced the appointment of Mitchell Sadofsky as sales director, effective 10 December.
Sadofsky holds a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice and Business Management (Double Major) from the University of Massachusetts. He has been working in business management for about 15 years. His areas of expertise include, among others, account management, and sales growth planning and analysis in large-scale companies such as Peerless Electric and Alico Lighting.
“Thanks to his solid experience in business development in Ontario, Mr Sadofsky was the natural choice for this position. We are looking forward to engaging his skills and leadership,” says Philip Giffard, president, sales and integration division.
(Jim Evans)

Canada - Solotech has announced the appointment of Nicolino Iannotti as vice-president, finance, effective 7 January, 2019.
Iannotti holds a bachelor’s degree in commerce from Concordia University, and the CPA, CMA and CA professional designations. He has 20 years of experience in accounting, external reporting, audit, and financial planning & analysis in large-scale companies such as Gildan and Deloitte.
“As a leader in financial management in the United States and Canada, Mr. Iannotti will be a great asset to support Solotech’s growth on a global scale”, said Nicolas Lavoie, chief financial officer.
(Jim Evans)

USA - With two hospital locations, 12 primary care clinics, six rehabilitation centres and nine specialty care sites, Children's Minnesota is one of the largest paediatric health systems in the United States. Star Studio is the hospital's in-house television studio with production spaces located on both the Minneapolis and St. Paul campuses. Star Studio programming is shown on Children’s own 24-hour television channel. In addition to pre-recorded programmes, Star Studio also produces 12 live and interactive shows a week.
To increase production efficiencies and to provide better audio quality for the studio's interactive game show programmes and recorded content, Ben Diger, Star Studio broadcast engineer at Children’s Minnesota, began using Dante-enabled equipment and the Dante Via software for the multi-channel routing of computer-based audio.
"With live and pre-re

Europe - Absen has appointed Alex Couzins to the newly created position of head of brand and marketing for Europe in a move that sees the company underline its commitment to the region.
Alex, who joins from systems integrator AVMI, will be part of Absen’s corporate marketing team where he will be responsible for European brand marketing and providing local marketing support for the group’s VAPs (Value-Added Partners), referring to Absen’s ecosystem of highly trusted and experienced distributors and systems integrators.
The role will involve collaborating with peers across the business, including China and the US, to develop and implement the company’s marketing plans and brand strategy at a European level.
On his appointment, Alex commented: “I’m excited to be joining Absen at this exciting time. The company has a fantastic reputation for high-qualit

UK - The Green Hippo training team took to the road to deliver a week-long residency at Backstage Academy in Production Park, Wakefield, as well as a private training session in Lithuania.
October was another packed month for the Green Hippo training division, involving a week-long residency at Backstage Academy in Production Park and a successful private training session into the Baltic region.
Green Hippo is renowned for its commitment to training excellence - its Hippotizer training sessions, known as HippoSchool, have been running for over 10 years, visiting over 38 countries and training over 2,000 students, freelancers and professionals - and October 2018 marked the beginning of Green Hippo’s new partnership with Backstage Academy, the Production Park-based centre of excellence that specialises in degree courses, short courses and training programmes for the li

UK - Stage Electrics has won a contract to supply production lighting and AV solutions to Croydon’s Fairfield Halls as a part of the venue’s highly anticipated redevelopment.
Working with the Contractor, Vinci Construction, and the theatre consultant, Sound Space Vision, the Stage Electrics team, will be starting on site this month. “Stage Electrics has a long-standing relationship with this venue,” comments Richard Phare, Stage Electrics regional commercial manager. “I was personally involved with Fairfield’s last technical refurbishment over 20 years ago. It’s fantastic that Stage Electrics can, again, play a part in this venue’s continuous development.”
The Stage Electrics team are completing works within the venue’s three main performance spaces; the 1800-seat Concert Hall, the 750-seat Ashcroft Theatre and the Arnhem Gallery - plus a new multi

UK - Avolites’ lighting and video integration software, Synergy, debuted on Gary Numan’s Savage tour in November.
The flagship performance at London’s Royal Albert Hall saw the British synth-rocker’s dramatic end-of-days video content emerge from LED screens into the 3D space as the multitude of GLP and Vari-Lite fixtures pixel-matched its colour and effects.
Creative designer Luke Edwards’ two Avolites Sapphire Touch consoles and dual Avolites Ai Q3 media servers were loaded with the new Synergy software.
“Synergy is the future and as a designer it’s making me very excited,” says Edwards. “It’s not just lights anymore. In fact, the term ‘lighting designer’ is one day going to be a thing of the past - Synergy integrates lighting and video so beautifully, so simply, so powerfully, that ‘multimedia designer’ is the new thing. It

Europe - Swiss AV solutions manufacturer Merging Technologies has announced new distribution deals for its professional product range in Northern Europe.
The company has appointed Nordic Pro Audio in Denmark and AV Marketing Finland in Finland.
Nordic Pro Audio’s Frank Grønbæk (product specialist - live and studio) and Allan Holmberg (product specialist - field recording and broadcast) will be responsible for increasing sales across the market sectors addressed by Pyramix, Ovation, ANEMAN and networked audio interfaces Horus and Hapi.
Meanwhile in Finland, the appointment of AV Marketing will see Jyrki Mäkinen support the Swiss brand.
Chris Hollebone, Merging’s sales and marketing manager, comments: “These two appointments are symptomatic of the changes we see in the market we serve. From time to time we find that existing sales partners are out o

UK - North American entertainment technology supplier Solotech has acquired UK-based audio services company SSE Audio Group, thus forming one of the largest AV companies in the world.
SSE Audio’s founder John Penn will continue to head the organisation in the UK. The established brands of SSE Audio, Capital Sound, Wigwam and Sigma Products will also be maintained.
Martin Tremblay, president and CEO of Groupe Solotech Inc, comments: “This is the most important transaction in Solotech’s history. With the addition of SSE Audio, Solotech becomes one of the world’s largest AV and entertainment technology companies. The acquisition will generate growth opportunities and expand the services available to current and future clients on both sides of the Atlantic.”
Tremblay adds: “We are thrilled that SSE is joining the Solotech team, especially their well-known

USA - Created to be the Christian Music Broadcasters’ premier annual event, Momentum is a four-day conference which brings together radio and record industry professionals from around the world. Since its inception in 2009, Momentum has been dedicated to the success of Christian music broadcasting offering a showcase of the hottest musical artists today.
Held for the second year at the Loews Royal Pacific Resort at Universal Orlando, the CMB events team wanted to create an attendee experience “like none before”, so they called upon the Nashville-based production provider Elite Multimedia Productions who supplied three event stages using a full package of audio, lighting and LED video.
“We are a non-profit ministry, so when we start looking at the production design for the Momentum conference, we have to look at what will offer the best experience for our attend

USA - With over 250 million books sold – including The BFG, James and The Giant Peach and The Twits – few writers have made more impression on the world’s children (or their parents) than Roald Dahl.
Last year, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory opened on Broadway at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. It featured one of the movie’s most memorable tunes, with the evocative line: “Come with me, and you'll be, in a world of pure imagination”.
Creating such a world on the stage is notoriously more difficult to do than in a movie – which is why the musical relies heavily on staging company WorldStage and its well-established mastery of the technologies that can help turn a designer’s vision into a theatrical reality.
As well as providing an ambitious, custom-made Unilumin LED wall to tell the story of how the Golden Tickets were won, WorldStage also dep

UK - In 2012, Sound Space Vision beat all competition to become the theatre design and acoustics consultant for David Chipperfield Architects’ master plan to unite the Royal Academy of Arts’ 18th century Burlington House with its neighbour, Burlington Gardens, and transform the interiors throughout.
SSV’s brief was to modernise and equip Burlington Gardens’ 19th-century lecture theatre for 21st century presentation and performance, and this was later expanded to include acoustics advice on the new gallery spaces and the learning centre, as well as mechanical systems.
In collaboration with the architectural teams, SSV facilitated a design with minimal impact on the heritage features of the Grade II* listed building, yet provides a future-proofed technical design for the Academy’s planned lectures, debates, panel discussions, conferences, recitals, and hires. <

Germany - Green Hippo occupied a key role in its German distributor’s 2018 open day. A key date in the industry calendar, the event attracted an impressive 250 industry professionals. Hosted by Christian Pies, sales director at Cast, the day included a programme of talks from industry professionals, as well as, of regular stops for ‘kaffe and cookies’.
Green Hippo technology was a running theme throughout the day. Green Hippo’s Tom Etra, technical sales manager and product specialist Suzy Stenning travelled to the event and the venue included a space dedicated to demonstrating Hippotizer’s abilities with 3D projection mapping
Green Hippo technology also prominently featured in the lecture given by Thomas Gerdon of Gerdon design. Thomas, a Hippotizer owner and user, presented a practical lecture on the design and programming of lighting systems in the combinat

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