Canada/Europe - Long standing North America distributors (and fibre network specialists) Optocore NA have been accoladed by the German parent company, who have presented them with this year’s Best Distributor Award.
The presentation to Bill and Brandon Coons was made by Optocore founder, Marc Brunke, during the ISE2024 expo in Barcelona recently.
Optocore sales manager, RadhaMohan Rajani, said: “From their base in Canada, Bill and Brandon have been our longest serving partners, educating and serving the whole of North America. And having enjoyed a record year, they are s

UK - Christie has announced this year’s National Film and Television School (NFTS) Most Promising Student Award, an award Christie has sponsored for 19 years. The winner of this year’s award is Creative Business MA student, Cody Updegrave, who was praised for his hard work, commitment, and leadership qualities.
Previous award winners have gone on to make stellar introductions to their careers, gracing the global stage at international film festivals and winning further awards for their work. “Cody has poured his heart and soul into the life of the school, leaving an indelib

Norway - Outdoor mapping specialist ProjektorPøblene has invested in eight Tempest Typhoon projector enclosures to expand its outdoor events capabilities. The enclosures enable the AV and rental production company to use its fleet of Epson 20,000 lumen projectors to support a range of clients at impactful outdoor projection mapping events, as well as power its own productions.
“Being a small company specialising in outdoor projection, we need to be flexible, mobile and have a low footprint. We need to be able to get into places that other companies don’t want to do,” says

USA - Sphere Entertainment and Hitachi Vantara, the data storage, infrastructure and hybrid cloud management subsidiary of Hitachi, have released new details on how the two companies leverage Hitachi Vantara’s data processing software to help power the LED screens at Sphere in Las Vegas.
Both Sphere’s 160,000sq.ft interior LED display plane and 580,000sq.ft fully programmable LED exterior - the Exosphere - utilise Hitachi Vantara’s software as a key tool to stream high-resolution immersive content.
“Sphere is home to many firsts, one of which is streaming immersive

UK - Touring musicals I Should Be So Lucky and Just For One Day have one thing in common – both utilise Brompton Technology LED processing and INFiLED displays provided by audio visual equipment rental company, Stage Sound Services (SSS).
The combination delivers a noticeable difference in colour reproduction, especially at lower brightness levels. SSS worked with system designer and engineer, Dan Trenchard, and video designer, Andrzej Goulding, on both productions to deploy LED equipment to great effect on these highly successful shows.
Phil Hurley, SSS’s

UK - Richard Cuthbert has assumed an associate role working solely with specialist installation contractor and systems integrator, Push The Button, bringing with him three decades of experience in lighting and engineering within the entertainment industry.
Cuthbert comments: “I am keen to focus on what I enjoy doing the most, delivering innovative solutions and immediately thought of Push The Button. I worked with Nick (Ewins, Push The Button managing director) when I was starting out in the industry, and I have the utmost respect for his client-focused approach. I’m really l

USA - Disguise is partnering with UK House to bring a virtual production studio to SXSW for the first time. Visitors to the venue at Downright Austin can hop on a motorbike from the UK to the US in an immersive experience created in partnership with the UK Advertising Exports Group (UKAEG).
Visitors will also experience first-hand how a commercial can be filmed using a virtual production studio in the Accelerator course taster for advertising along with other special events and talks.
“Disguise sits at the intersection between technological innovation and creative storyt

UK - Dark winter nights in the northern English city of Leeds were brightened by a series of ‘magical’ animations recently, when visuals were projected onto the façade of The Queens Hotel driven by tvONE's Green Hippo brand of Hippotizer Media Servers.
The elegant architecture of the historic hotel - which has hosted notable guests including Princess Grace of Monaco, Cary Grant and Nelson Mandela - served as a huge canvas for the projections, which were designed to give audiences a glimpse through the doors of the hotel during the winter season.
The project, entitled <

Austria - Gerdon Design, based in Mainz, Germany, specialises in show, content and lighting production. In late 2023, the team at Gerdon Design were approached to work together with client, Revolution Event, on the upcoming Nukranox Festival, a celebration of hardstyle music, which was to be held in December 2023 at an arena venue in Salzburg.
“Revolution Event had come up with an idea for an immersive festival experience,” recalls Marek Papke, CEO at Gerdon Design. “They wanted to take a holistic approach and provide a narrative for the upcoming show and future shows in th

UK - Racquet Studios, a Sussex-based operator in the realm of virtual production, celebrated a successful student open day with East Sussex College at their Eastbourne facility on 22 February, offering more than 120 attendees from a range of creative courses a ‘deep dive into the transformative world of virtual content creation and filmmaking’.
The event, which was hosted in partnership with Canon Cinema EOS Cameras and Croatian specialist manufacturer, stYpe, illustrated the evolution of virtual production, highlighting its significant advantages over traditional filmmaking

China - This year marks a significant milestone for Brompton Technology. The opening of the Shenzhen office in March 2019 strategically positioning the company in High-Tech Industrial Park, Nanshan, was prompted by customer demand and the city's status as a hub for LED panel manufacturing.
Brompton’s decision to establish a dedicated office facilitated seamless communication and support for local clients. Fast forward five years, and the company’s Shenzhen team support Brompton’s customers with account and project management, calibration, operations, technical product queri

UK - Playing at London’s Old Vic Theatre, Just For One Day is a new musical which tells the story of Live Aid and those who came together to create this event. Penned by John O’Farrell (Mrs Doubtfire), it features the songs of Bob Dylan, David Bowie, U2, Queen, Elton John and Paul McCartney among others. The show also features a lighting design by Olivier Award-nominated Howard Hudson, who approached White Light (WL), a d&b solutions company, to supply his lighting rig.
Just For One Day is an insight into the origins of the history-making concert held

UK - The Art-Deco Grade II listed Queens Hotel has been a majestic presence on Leeds’ City Square since its construction in 1937. Designed by W.H. Hamlyn and faced with white Portland Stone, it is a striking landmark which over the years has hosted many notable guests. Princess Grace of Monaco, Cary Grant, Nelson Mandela and Laurel and Hardy, all chose the comforts of the Queens. During the recent festive season,
The Queens was the focus of a spectacular art installation which saw LeedsBID (Leeds Business Improvement District) collaborate with Barcelona-based creative studio On

Australia - Every January, when the sun is at its hottest, thousands of country music-loving people make the pilgrimage to the country town of Tamworth for the Toyota Country Music Festival which runs over 10 days.
The heat of over 40°C and the flies are no deterrent as the festival, presented by Tamworth Regional Council, is now in its 52nd year and is recognised as the second biggest country music festival in the world, after the CMA Music Festival in Nashville USA. The town comes alive with ticketed and free shows alike, and buskers that line the main streets.
The fest

UK - Production Futures recently staged another successful On Tour event at Fly By Nite Studios in Redditch. Young people from across the Midlands were able to connect with representatives of Production Futures’ brand partners to explore paid work opportunities and free training across the sector.
A feature of the event was the presence of a team of apprentices from global production specialists, PRG.
Having been engaged by Production Futures to build and equip the event’s TALKS Stage with audio, lighting and video provision, PRG, which places a strong emphasis on in-ho

UK - Event production and audio-visual Installation company, Spotlight Sound has announced that Ashton Gold will join the team as account manager.
Ashton comes to Spotlight Sound from The Lion Inn in Boreham where she was the event planner.
“I will be fundamental in liaising between the client and technicians from the planning to execution of their event,” says Ashton. “My role means that the technicians can fully concentrate on the production of the event and I can make sure everything else runs smoothly.”
Sam Dimond, director of Spotlight Sound adds: “We

UK - Based on the novel by Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray - adapted and directed by multi award-winning Kip Williams, artistic director of the acclaimed Sydney Theatre Company - tells this classic story through an explosive interplay of live performance and video.
It recently opened at the Theatre Royal Haymarket and stars Sarah Snook, who plays 26 roles. It features a lighting design by Nick Schlieper who approached White Light (WL), a d&b solutions company, to provide the lighting equipment.
Whilst there have been several stage adaptations of The Pic

Spain - Media group Mediaset España has revamped the news studios of its free-to-air TV channels Telecinco and Cuatro with Alfalite’s LED screens. Integrator Datos Media has been in charge of the sale and commissioning of the 844 LED panels supplied with Alfalite’s ORIM technology.
“We are very proud to have participated in this huge project,” says Luis Garrido, executive director of Alfalite. “We would like to express our gratitude to Mediaset España's engineering team and Datos Media for trusting us. We deeply appreciate the collaboration and the opportunity to contr

Australia - Creative Technology Australia and New Zealand opted for Data Strategy’s QC-Check to address three main needs in terms of product inspection: socapex cable testing, the safe inspection of twin-frame distribution boards, and the ability to set up the specific testing processes needed to be carried out by anyone in the warehouse.
Maintenance manager, Myles Barlow, explained that the company’s highest priority was to be able to test multipin connectors such as Socapex three-phase cables, as “there’s just no safe way to test them”.
In addition, he found that

Germany - A 4K CarbonLight VX LED screen from Leyard Europe forms the heart of a new inspirational and educational exhibition at the headquarters of the European Molecular Biology Lab (EMBL), a laboratory for research into life sciences, which explains and celebrates its work to better understand the building blocks of all life on Earth.
The World of Molecular Biology exhibition occupies 800 sqm of the double-height atrium of the EMBL headquarters in Heidelberg and tells the story of life through 45 AV exhibits comprising a mix of audiovisual, virtual reality, interactive and tact

UK - PLASA is running an industry-wide survey on sustainability. The association aims to understand how and if companies across the entertainment technology sector are tackling the important issue of sustainability and carbon reduction.
The survey was launched during the Member Business Forum on Sustainability and Carbon Reduction, which took place in London on 18 January 2024. However, the survey is now open to the wider industry until 29 March, in partnership with #WeMakeEvents, LSi, LIVE and PEARLE.
Even though there are no current legal requirements in the UK to implemen

Europe - Absen has strategically bolstered its European team with the addition of four individuals. Joining the team are:
Darren Jackson, UK business development manager, AbsenLive: Bringing 14 years of management and business development experience, Jackson will spearhead AbsenLive, a dedicated brand category catering to the high-end rental & staging and virtual production/XR stage segments. His expertise will be instrumental in shaping Absen's strategy and capitalising on the evolving LED display market.
River Harper-Boyce, marketing specialist: River's proven market

Australia - Hosted at The Hordern Pavilion in the heart of Sydney, last year’s B&T Awards revolved around the theme ‘Embrace the Extra-Ordinary’, with 40 categories presented during the night. Collaborating with their client, The Misfits Media Co., for whom Audio Visual Events (AVE) has been the preferred production partner for five years, a sophisticated LED structure powered by Brompton Technology’s Tessera LED processors was orchestrated.
“Before the B&T Awards, we assisted The Misfits team with their internal B&T & Travel Weekly programmes and agency

USA - InfoComm 2024, the largest trade show focused on pro AV in North America, set for 8-14 June at the Las Vegas Convention Centre has officially opened registration.
“InfoComm 2024 is the destination to bring together the pro AV industry - from manufacturers to integrators, dealers to end-users - to connect with each other, learn about the latest trends, and explore the newest technology,” said David Labuskes, chief executive officer of AVIXA, producer of InfoComm. “In a continuously evolving industry in a forever-evolving world, it’s critical for industry professionals

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