USA - Global design and BIM software solutions provider Vectorworks has announced its fourth annual Vectorworks Design Scholarship is now open for entries.
The scholarship enables undergraduate students and recent graduates to gain professional recognition by sharing their work and win up to $10,000.
“The Vectorworks Design Scholarship is an incredible opportunity for up-and-coming designers to promote their work and win funds to support their future endeavours,” comments Alice Lowy, marketing programmes director at Vectorworks. “We look forward to seeing what these up-and-coming designers think up next.”
To apply, eligible students must submit their best individual or group project and answer three questions. A panel of judges will evaluate submissions based on design integrity, originality, the effective use of computer technology and communication of design vision. Submissions are due by 29 August and the winners will be revealed 16 October.
First-round winners will each receive $3,000 and will be entered for the chance at the grand prize Richard Diehl Award, worth an additional $7,000. Scholarship award winnings may be used as winners see fit. Additionally, winners’ schools will receive free Vectorworks Designer software and complimentary training for faculty and students.
During the last scholarship campaign, Vectorworks received nearly 1,000 submissions from around the globe, including the United States, Germany, Switzerland, China, Belgium, the UK, the Netherlands and India.
Morgan Lindsay Price, a previous winner

The Netherlands - ISE 2019 saw LED video processor manufacturer Brompton Technology showcase its new Tessera Processor Software for the 4K SX40 processor, demonstrating its enhanced feature set that follows the easy-to-use style of its intuitive user interface, as well as giving its customers a preview of its forthcoming HDR capabilities.
The SX40, Brompton Technology’s highest-ever capacity processor, offers support for full 4K screens at 60Hz with 12 bits per colour output, a zero-latency up/down scaler that matches the source to the screen, plus all of Tessera’s industry-leading processing features such as ChromaTune colour correction, On Screen Colour Adjustment (OSCA), and more.
By updating the SX40 to the latest software, users can now access a suite of handy new features such as Panel On Screen Display (OSD), Processor Redundancy, 90 degree rotation and Chinese language support in the user interface.
“We enjoyed a busy show last year, but the response we had to both the new software and the sneak peak of HDR at this year’s show has been very gratifying,” says Brompton’s business development manager, Rob Fowler. “Both existing and potential customers were full of praise for the additional functionality we are delivering with the free software upgrade to 2.2. Additionally, the feedback we received on our HDR system, which we will be releasing later this year, was phenomenal and generated a real buzz during the four days on the booth.”
Brompton will be revealing more information about HDR at InfoComm this coming June.

Belgium - At the annual Zoute Grand Prix event on the Belgian coast, some of the world’s most exclusive vintage cars transform the seaside town into a prestigious spectacle.
Stow International, one of the main sponsors of the event, installed an industrial piece of art on the dyke, showing what they do, industrial racking, and serving as pitlane for the participating cars. For this year’s edition, the Stow racking construction was even higher, including two lanes for the technical scrutineering and control to highlight the Zoute Pitlane.
Stow commissioned event agency Bevas Events for a lighting concept that includes 280 Chauvet Professional ÉPIX Strip IP fixtures. The lighting transformed the pitlane construction into a lattice of linear geometric illumination so that the Stow racking was highlighted from both sides of the dyke.
In order to transform the industrial racking structure, with its quadratic metal trussing, Bevas Events’ designer Jeroen Van de Velde utilised the 100 LEDs on each of the 1m long ÉPIX Strip IP fixtures to create a quiet, stylish linear effect congruent to the structure’s form.
“We specified the 280 ÉPIX Strips to be placed on the contours of the construction because of their incredibly slim design,” comments van de Velde. “The coupling of fixtures and one cable connection enabled us to create unbroken lines of light to really accentuate the structure while also awarding an element of depth and grandeur to the event.”
(Jim Evans)

USA - Prolyte’s Verto Truss system was used by Creative Technologies (CT) at three separate stands during the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show in December.
During the show, CT installed 3,200 linear feet of black powder-coated Verto truss to create booths for the new Genesis, Hyundai, and Kia automobiles. Prolyte’s Verto truss low self-weight allowed for more creative lighting options and flexibility in designing the stands. The Verto truss quick assembly, silent connection, and low self-weight also translated into a significant savings of at least 50% on drayage and labour costs.
In addition to the LA Auto Show, CT also relied on Prolyte’s Verto truss for a Volvo product launch at the new US plant in the Carolinas. CT built a stage inside the warehousing facilities to release a new car model for Volvo’s Worldwide management team.
Ian Dobson, project manager/lighting, Creative Technology Group says: “The Verto truss has worked so well for us that we now use it for all major US auto shows. It is lighter, more adaptable and quicker to assemble which resulted in incredible savings and flexibility.”
CT purchased the trusses from A.C. Lighting, the North American distributor for Prolyte. According to Prolyte executives, A.C. Lighting Inc. has been instrumental in the steady growth of Prolyte’s product availability, and they have created brand awareness in the North American Market. “It has been a pleasure working with Ian Dobson and the Creative Technology Group to find a trussing solution that would save them time and money,” commen

The Netherlands - German fibre network associates Optocore and BroaMan combined their resources at the recent ISE 2019 expo in Amsterdam as part of the portfolio of brands distributed in the Benelux by the Ampco Flashlight Group.
The stand was busy as it was visited by both recognised customers from the integration, event and broadcast sectors as well as newcomers seeking further information.
Optocore showcased its new Festival Box, reporting high interest from both distributors and rental companies. The Festival Box allows all protocols to tunnel over the same fibre, with hot-swappable SFP optical module transceivers providing different conversion options to add massive savings in time and cabling to multi-act festival bills.
As applications engineering manager, Maciek Janiszewski says: “While festival sound engineers can transport whatever signal protocol their console supports via just a single duplex fibre, the value of the device does not stop there. It has also become a reliable backbone for multiple signals without the complex and time-consuming set-up. In particular, our RJ45 SFP transceiver is something very special, as it allows multiple Ethernet-based protocols to run independently on the same fibre.
“We were able to demonstrate to the tremendous benefits of time and cabling economy between FOH and the stage in a variety of situations.”
As for BroaMan, their flagship product was the new standard version of their customisable Route66, which already exists in four versions. The platform itself provides single channel, no

Austria - The Vienna Metropol Theatre is one of the most tradition-rich venues in the Austrian capital. Today, the Metropol provides a stage for national and international music acts, cabaret and theatre productions.
The Vienna Metropol has three stages. The main stage with the big hall has an audience capacity of 700 standing or 550 seated. The stage is open on three sides and the hall has a comparatively low ceiling height. The audience sits around the stage in a 270° angle, which further complicates the sound reinforcement situation. The room acoustics are also unusual; It is characterised by a short reverberation time with pronounced diffusivity in the empty space. In short: a demanding task for every sound system.
After various modernisations were carried out in recent years, it was the sound system’s turn in 2018. The Austrian distribution partner of Alcons Audio, the Vienna-based company Pro Performance, could not only convince with outstanding performance and a seamless sound coverage across the audience, but even prevail against the entire competition; The demo featured a set-up of Alcons RR12 point source array systems and universally applicable Alcons VR12. The Metropol installed however only the RR12 with 120° dispersion behaviour for the main area.
"The main emphasis of those responsible in the Metropol Theater was on a very good speech intelligibility and resolution, which should be preserved even at high sound pressure levels," says Wolfgang Sauter, owner of Pro Performance who performed the demo in the Metropol and intensively ad

UK - Attracting over 1000 attendees, the Women in Data conference features addresses from high-profile speakers plus a range of supporting events. Held within the grand surroundings of Central Hall Westminster, London, the event included presentations, development sessions and an exhibition, designed to inspire the WiD community.
Technical production specialists LFPS collaborated closely with the client and production manager Dave Parker to design the look and feel of the entire event.
Providing a complete production package covering both equipment and logistics, LFPS supplied lighting, audio, video, rigging and staging. Working to precise schedules beginning with a 6pm time slot for overnight load-in and build, the team were ready for rehearsal at 6am, with everything in place ready for doors open at 9am.
Commenting on working with LFPS, WiD co-founder Roisin McCarthy says, “The incredible team at LFPS worked tirelessly to bring to life our vision for WiD UK. The production quality and efficiency was truly remarkable. LFPS filled us with huge confidence from our first meeting, we simply could not have made WiD 2018 a success without their work.”
Transforming the elaborate hall with bold colours and a spectacular, branded stage set, the team created a contemporary look that contrasted perfectly against the ornate interior décor of the iconic venue. Designed in-house and constructed by the LFPS fabrication department, the set featured a variety of branded scenic elements including the giant 3D ‘W’ logo that swept across the entire stag

USA - Led by Pastor Jeff Crook, Christ Place Church in Flowery Branch, Georgia, has been serving the community since 1955 by providing a safe place for everyone to come together in worship. The church recently finished construction on their new sanctuary, designed to use the latest in technology to reach a growing congregation.
Requiring a theatrical lighting design that could create the ideal worship environment and front light for their high-definition video capabilities, the church worked with the AVL integration specialists PRODUCTION/co who designed a new lighting system using PHX 250W LED profile luminaires from Altman Lighting.
“We’ve worked with the church on everything from student camps to smaller jobs, so when they began with the construction of their new sanctuary, we were brought on board to oversee the complete audio, video and lighting integration,” comments Dustin Whitt, PRODUCTION/co. “We had seen the PHX LED in a fixture demo and were impressed with both its output and quality of light across the beam field, plus it has an attractive price-point as well.”
“We had reviewed a lot of the competing products, and while we found that some weren’t really reliable enough, we also didn’t like the white’s created by others,” adds Cason Cleveland, PRODUCTION/co. “When we saw the PHX LED profile luminaires, they gave us the ideal output, consistency and performance.”
“The stage itself measures between 42ft and 56ft from upstage to downstage, and is approximately 90-feet wide,” continues Whitt. “There are the

Germany - The roots of Rock gegen Rechts (Rock Against the Right) go back to the rise of Britain’s Rock Against Racism movement in in the mid-1970s. The 30 April,1978, Rock Against Racism concert in Victoria Park in East London was a seminal event that, by 1979, had inspired the first Rock gegen Rechts festival in Frankfurt, Germany.
Thirty-nine years later, Rock gegen Rechts was once again heard in downtown Frankfurt, in a one-day festival staged in the city’s famed Opernplatz. The audience enjoyed the advances in live sound since the 1970s as they listened to the day’s music and messages delivered with power and clarity by Linea Research amplifiers.
Nearly 90 organisations were involved in the event. Its patrons included vice presidents of the Bundestag Claudia Roth and Petra Pau, Lord Mayor of Frankfurt Peter Feldmann, and other city officials. Thirteen musical groups squeezed into the 10-hour show. Between the music performances various organisations and sponsors of the event delivered speeches and video messages with statements against racism and exclusion and in favour of peace, human rights, and diversity.
“The festival used culture as an ambassador of political content,” says Jörg Groh of Offenbach-based sound company Audiologic, who provided sound reinforcement for the show.
The show’s promoters were not certain how many people to expect but the crowd gradually grew until the square was packed with 10,000 attendees. The stage was a trailer platform 10m (32.8ft) wide, with wings on either side for the sound system and a co

South Africa - With the breath-taking eastern foot of Table Mountain as a backdrop, British indie rockers James performed at the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens. The full technical was supplied by Audio Engineering, who used their new MA dot2 to run the spectacular show.
“What an excellent production,” says Marcel Bezuidenhout, owner of Audio Engineering based in Cape Town. “James rocked it out at the Kirstenbosch Summer Sunset Concerts playing favourite hits like Lose Control, Sit Down and material from their 15th studio album, Living in Extraordinary Times.”
Associated with the Kirstenbosch Summer Sunset Concerts for the past 20 years, Marcel has been pleased to watch the annual event take off as his company has steadily built up a retinue of professional gear, the latest being the investment of a MA Lighting dot2 console purchased from DWR Distribution. Bradley Bruchhausen James support when needed.
“We chose the dot2 to align ourselves with current industry trends in South Africa and more specifically Cape Town,” Marcel elaborated. “The size and capabilities of the console makes it very attractive for our small to medium events, however we made it work for James, an International show, pretty much straight out of the box, where it was used by lighting designer JP Willson.”
With an exceptionally busy season, the console’s first gig was for a film shoot, followed by the James concert, and was then used on 20 different shows during December.
“Marcel and his team at Audio Engineering are

Saudi Arabia - Golf’s European Tour made history this year when it took its tournament to Saudi Arabi for the first time in its 47 years. The event took place at the Royal Greens golf course in King Abdullah Economic City on 31 January and ran until 3 February.
Creative Technology (CT) were on hand to deliver all video aspects of this event on behalf of clients European Tour and IMG.
CT’s head of sport, Steven Purkess explains: “CT was contracted to design, engineer and fabricate eight bespoke LED structures, a big departure from the standard scaffold support structures traditionally used at golf events.
“The complete design and engineering service provided by CT not only included the design for each LED structure but also the foundations. The physical structure fabrication process was split across the CT group, and once delivered to site CT also installed and then subsequently de-rigged each structure.”
The eight bespoke LED structures were strategically placed to ensure spectators could follow the event no matter where they were. The structures consisted of six 9sqm outdoor leaderboard screens which were located around the course and two 18sqm outdoor video/scoreboard screens which were located on the first tee and 18th green.
Purkess adds: “We selected the 5mm high end black face outdoor LED as it gave the best resolution for the 3m x 3m Leaderboards. It is a great product and ideal for outdoor viewing in direct sunlight.”
CT was involved in developing the concept for the leaderboard / scoreboard structures and

USA - The Long Reach Long Riders and Behind the Scenes will host their annual fundraising raffle at the USITT Conference on 21-23 March in Louisville, KY.
This year’s raffle will celebrate the 16th anniversary of the Long Reach Long Riders annual charity motorcycle ride. The Riders, who have raised over $500,000 for charity in their years of touring, will be riding 7-13 July on the Altimeter Tour through the Colorado Rockies.
The prizes, provided by generous donors, are: Grand Prize, Spotlight with Renderworks from Vectorworks; Ghostlight from Altman Rentals; American Express Gift Card from Barbizon; Prostar 300lb capacity 115V, 10ft lift with chain bag from CM-ET; Event Safety Summit 2019 Registration from the Event Safety Alliance; Nespresso CitiZ Espresso Machine with Aeroccino Milk Frother from IA Stage; Stagehands Dream Kit from Monkey Wrench Productions; $250 Gift Certificate to musson.com from Musson Theatrical; $250 Gift Certificate from Sapsis Rigging; and a USITT 2019 Full Conference Registration from USITT.
Tickets for the raffle are an affordable $5 each or five for $20 and can be purchased at the Behind the Scenes' stand throughout the show. Winning tickets for nine regular prizes and one grand prize will be drawn at 1pm on Saturday, the final day of Stage Expo.
This year sees the introduction of the BTS Student Doubler, designed to double a student’s chances of winning. It’s a great way for companies to support the charity, get more prizes into the hands of students, and introduce your company to the next generatio

The Netherlands - ELC Lighting, manufacturer of the multi-award winning Ethernet-based digital intercom system for event production and broadcast applications, has announced the appointment of two new distributors. These latest appointments bring the brand’s global sales network total to 39 countries, as Green-GO continues to increase its market presence worldwide.
The new exclusive distributor for Green-GO in Slovenia is MK Light Sound, based in Ljubljana. The long-established and highly respected company provides top-end lighting, audio and multimedia equipment and systems as well as consultancy, engineering, installation and technical event production services.
In Thailand, Bangkok-based Broadcast Audio Service becomes the exclusive Green-Go distributor. A systems design and integration specialist founded in 2008, the company provides equipment and services to all major Thai broadcasting organisations.
Speaking on behalf of MK Light Sound, Dean Karov says, “We are very satisfied to begin this cooperation with Green-GO. Converged networking is becoming a standard in our industry and as a technology solutions provider, we needed a simple but effective and capable networked intercom solution.”
Green-GO’s Silvio Cibien says, “We are delighted to welcome Broadcast Audio Service and MK Light Sound to our growing worldwide family. Both companies are highly respected, multi-skilled experts in their fields, and we are confident that the unique offering of the Green-GO digital intercom solution will be a successful fit with all aspects of

Brazil - API has announced the addition of a new distributor in Brazil, Just Pro Audio. Distributing professional audio brands for Latin America, Just Pro Audio’s extensive product line will now include analogue sound of API.
Just Pro Audio focuses on musical production, broadcast, radio, and live audio, and offers a wide variety of services including consulting, systems design, integration, installation, training and technical support.
“API is honoured to have Just Pro Audio on board to help us expand our sales into the very vibrant and growing Brazilian market,” noted API’s managing director Gordon Smart. “Just Pro’s level of professionalism and expertise is an excellent match for the API brand, and their timing is perfect with the arrival of three new API consoles over the past 24 months.”
(Jim Evans)

UK - The first UK installation of Adamson Systems IS7 line array loudspeaker systems has been completed at Howden Park Centre in Livingston by Adamson Certified re-seller Live Systems Ltd.
West Lothian's premier centre for arts performances and events Howden Park Centre was transformed in 2009 by architects Nicoll Russell Studios. The Centre was awarded the accolade of Building of the Year from the Edinburgh Architectural Association.
Stephen Oakes and Cliff Carrie who form the core technical team at Howden Park commented: "Our existing sound system was failing and we managed to secure finance through West Lothian Leisure for a replacement. We demoed three major loudspeaker brands including Adamson, unanimously we decided that we liked Adamson the best.
“The system was clean, controlled and dynamic, it delivered constant sonic impact from low levels of sound all the way to the loudest level we can effectively operate at. Adamson made us smile, we kept wanting to hear different sounds through it and we wanted to keep it. Over the last couple of months the system has been used for panto, theatre and bands and it has performed wonderfully with many positive comments from visiting engineers and productions."
Live Systems utilised Adamson’s Blueprint AV software to design a system tailored to meet the requirements of Howden Park’s varied programme of theatre, music and conferences.
The resulting solution comprised of left and right hangs of six IS7 line array loudspeakers together with one IS118 Sub complemented by one IS119 sub per sid

UK - December saw the newly restored Alexandra Theatre at Alexandra Palace open its doors after 80 years of darkness to reveal not only a stunning space that has undergone the most sympathetic of restorations, but a comprehensive technical infrastructure that includes audio system that delivers purity of sound and capabilities that will satisfy any visiting production. At its core is a DiGiCo SD12 mixing console supplied and installed by HD Pro Audio.
The Alexandra Theatre was originally opened in 1875 and hosted pantomime, opera, drama and ballet. However, it struggled to compete with the might of the West End and its use as a theatre ended. Subsequently it was used as a cinema, a chapel, home of music hall stars and, more latterly, as a BBC prop store and workshop. In 2012 the decision was made to restore it to its former glory and with grants from the Heritage Lottery Fund and the London Borough of Haringey secured, work on the ambitious project to turn the crumbling Grade II listed space into a 900-seat working theatre began in 2016.
Head of production and technical for Alexandra Palace, Steve Brookes, was brought in part way through the restoration process to turn the construction project into a working theatre.
“Before my arrival, there wasn’t any kind of production infrastructure at Alexandra Palace – the Great Hall, which hosts many concerts, is a receiving house and doesn’t require any permanent facilities,” he explains.
Steve needed to specify a system that would not only satisfy engineers on arrival, but also help to attr

South Africa - The Soweto Theatre has become a river that has quenched the thirst of art devotees in the busy community of Jabulani in Soweto, near Johannesburg. Staging ongoing productions ranging from poetry to choirs, and beauty pageants to music festivals, the theatre has nurtured both professional and emerging talent.
More recently, the Soweto Theatre took delivery of 20 Robe Robin LEDBeam 150s supplied by DWR Distribution.
“Initially we considered the Robin LEDBeam 100s as part of our venue upgrade,” explained Lebugang Mnisi, technical manager. “Having chatted to Kevin Stannett of DWR, he advised us that the 150s would be a better match.”
According to Kevin Stannett, the Robin LEDBeam 150 is small fixture with a massive zoom range and sweeping beams. Lightweight and compact, it will be useable across all three of the theatre’s venues from the smallest to the largest.
To test their functionality and ability, the units went straight onto DVD recordings for gospel artists including Bishop Ledwaba Live DVD Recording, Joyful in his Presence, Thompho Ephraim Mutika and Hophethehile.
“It is said dynamite comes in a small package, and in this case, this is undoubtedly true,” said Nkululeko Mazibuko, a lighting technician at the theatre since 2012. “The lights may look small but they possess so much power and accuracy. They are easy to setup, easy to use, very light and portable, with sharp clean beams and crisp colour from open white to other colours.”
The theatre has enjoyed a busy calendar, from the Abantu Book

UK Equipment rental supplier Visual Elements has invested in a Vista 3 by Chroma-Q lighting & media control system featuring a Vista EX surface - taking its inventory to 18 separate Vista desks.
Established for almost 20 years, Visual Elements provides wet and dry hire solutions to live events clients across the world - including music festivals, theatre shows and film premieres. It is also the in-house supplier to leading London events venue, Tobacco Dock, whose diverse client list includes awards ceremonies, corporate conferences and consumer exhibitions.
A Vista user since the platform launched in 2004, Visual Elements has one of the UK's largest inventories of Vista systems, which range from full size all-in-one consoles to ultra-compact control surfaces.
Visual Elements director, Mike Townsend commented: "Visual Elements has been supplying Vista systems for nearly 15 years. We find it ideal for running large shows on a wide range of events, such as the Pavilion Theatre in Cromer's world-famous End of the Pier variety performances three times a year.
"It's so quick and easy to programme complex lighting designs, and the Timeline feature enables us to perfectly sync the lighting with audio and video running from timecode."
Mike wanted to take full advantage of the Vista 3 software's powerful next generation capabilities by investing in a Vista EX control surface, which is purpose-designed to be used with the new software.
He commented: "I've found it very easy to make the jump to Vista 3. It offers some really nice enhance

Taiwan - The third floor of Taipei’s Nan Shan Plaza - the second tallest skyscraper in Taipei after Taipei 101 - has been created as a vast and open exhibition space. With ceilings at an impressive 8.5m in height, the venue occupies a total of 56sq.m, but features no beams or support columns, creating a challenge to any sound design proposal.
With the prestigious space earmarked by Taipei City Government to host an event cooperative to the New Year fireworks countdown, the challenging space required a sound system that was compact and stable, offering excellent sound performance, which to audio installation company, Imagepro System Technology Corp., Ltd., signalled Powersoft amplification.
Working hand-in-hand with Imagepro’s Yung-Chin Hsu and the Plaza’s project leader Wen-Shan Tseng, Victor Shih of Powersoft’s distributor in Taiwan, Seapower Technology Co Ltd., planned and designed a discreet sound system in accordance with the requirements of the space, built around the efficiency of just three Powersoft amplifiers, controlled by Powersoft’s Armonía Pro Audio Suite software.
In just two months the team had created an audio environment with in-depth but simple control that delighted the customer. The event management team within the Taipei Nan Shan Plaza, are “very happy with high quality of the Powersoft products and the excellent sound performance”.
The main PA serving the exhibition hall is comprised of a left and right pair of Peavey VR-112 line-arrays featuring four cabinets per side, each flown with a VR-218F sub. This