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28 April 2025

France - The Showlight quadrennial is a rare event that you do not want to miss. Three days of lighting professionals networking and exchanging ideas, listening to speakers at the top of their profession, all in the beautiful setting of Dijon, France. This gathering only happens once every four years – and it’s for everyone.

Historically, Showlight is conducted solely in English but this year is different. Located in France and supported by French lighting manufacturer and headline sponsor, Robert Juliat, we look forward to welcoming many French-speaking delegates as well as international attendees.

To make sure nobody misses a word, for the first time Showlight is offering simultaneous translation of the Papers and Q&A sessions across four languages. Delegates can choose to listen – and ask questions – in English, French, Italian and Spa

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28 April 2025

Europe - In a significant achievement for both consumer safety and intellectual property rights, L-Acoustics has successfully won legal judgments against two European counterfeiters of its professional audio equipment. These legal actions underscore the company’s unwavering commitment to ensuring audience safety and protecting the market for legitimate partners.

Working through its dedicated Anti-Counterfeiting Task Force, L-Acoustics pursued legal action in both Germany and Norway against companies that were acquiring and renting fake L-Acoustics products, including loudspeakers and electronics. Initial analysis of the seized counterfeit products revealed alarming safety concerns, including metal components only half the required strength of authentic L-Acoustics specifications – resulting in a 48% decrease in safety factor.

In Germany, the cour

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28 April 2025

Venezuela - Grupo Zónico, a leading name in event production and entertainment technology with over 20 years of experience, has been appointed as the official distributor of the Outline Newton audio processor in Venezuela.

Hugo Morillo, director of Grupo Zónico, states: “Newton has been a go-to solution for the most demanding live productions worldwide. Its exceptional audio quality and seamless integration with systems from any brand allow system engineers to overcome complex challenges with greater efficiency and reliability.”

Newton has been deployed at multiple consecutive editions of Glastonbury and Coachella, as well as world tours by artists such as Roger Waters, Tool, Snow Patrol, Sam Smith, Kenny Chesney, and Joe Bonamassa.

At the latest World Youth Day in Lisbon, the challenge of delivering Pope Francis’s message in

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28 April 2025

Denmark - Litecom has made a major investment in new Robe moving lights. The company is based in Copenhagen and has a branch in Stockholm, Sweden and works extensively across the two countries and throughout Scandinavia.

2024’s purchases include 50 x Forte Profile moving lights, 60 x Painte Profiles and 136 x Spiider LED wash beams, all delivered by Danish distributor, Light Partner. This was followed by a further investment of 24 more Fortes, another 50 x Paintes plus three BMFL FollowSpots.

“This decision was based on boosting our inventory with reliable stage lighting products that are universally useful across all our projects,” explained Litecom lighting designer Martin Wallin.

Wallin has been with the company for 19 years and oversees all the major broadcast projects, which have included supplying lighting to the Eurovision Song C

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25 April 2025

South Africa - Cape Town-based Flicker-Free Lighting Rentals is a new lighting rental and dry hire company headed by Jason Watts, geared towards offering the region’s buoyant film, TV, commercial and event industry premium lighting solutions.

Their seed investments included several Astera products – Titan Tubes, AX5 and AX9 LED PARS, LunaBulbs and HydraPanels – flexible, fully wireless, innovative fixtures that have been constantly busy and have helped contribute to the company’s immediate success since launching in 2024.

Watts explained that they are dedicated to supplying film productions, gaffers, DOPs and event lighting designers with quality kit – quickly and seamlessly. Their carefully selected inventory caters to multiple sectors and hybrid applications, with a strong focus on both direct rentals and dry hire to other rental companie

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24 April 2025

UK - IPS (Impact Production Services), specialist supplier in the delivery of staging and structures, technical production, and equipment hire to the events industry has announced that its new, purpose-built warehouse in Milton Keynes is now officially open.

This opening marks a significant milestone in the company’s continued growth journey and represents the realisation of a vision first announced in February. The new facility, located just a mile from the existing site, is now fully operational and already playing a key role in supporting IPS’s expanding operations across the UK and beyond.

“Opening this new facility has been long awaited, and we’re absolutely thrilled to see the warehouse up and running,” said James Mason, founder of IPS. “This is a major investment in the future of IPS, and as we prepare for the summer, we’re excit

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24 April 2025

Cambodia - Martin Audio has announced Luxury Supply Audio & Lighting – one of Cambodia’s leading professional audio and lighting resellers – as its new regional distributor.

Founded in 2010, and based in Phnom Penh, Luxury Supply began as a systems integrator and has since completed numerous high-profile installation projects across Cambodia. Some notable projects include Koh Pich Theatre, Canadia Bank Tower, Bayon TV Media, Morodok Techno National Stadium, Won Majestic Casino Resorts and large-scale entertainment venues.

As a result of this latest brand acquisition, Luxury Supply has launched the Martin Audio Experience Centre in Phnom Penh where the full range of products can be demonstrated to its dealers and customers – whether for installation, rental or portable systems.

In January, Jeremiah Joseph (technical manager) and Ke

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24 April 2025

Europe - Lawo, developer of the Ravenna audio-over-IP technology, has announced Sound on Digital as the latest partner to the Ravenna community. Headquartered in The Netherlands, Sound on Digital specialises in the development of software solutions for the professional audio market.

Sound on Digital’s most recent product is Ravennakit – a cross-platform SDK designed to simplify and accelerate the integration of Ravenna audio networking into third-party software products. Ravennakit delivers a complete solution for OEMs and developers, offering low-latency audio transport, precise synchronization, and broad platform compatibility – including Windows, macOS, and Linux.

“We created Ravennakit to make it easier for developers to bring high-performance AoIP capabilities into their products without having to build everything from scratch,” says R

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23 April 2025

South Africa - After six years off the calendar, Mediatech Africa is back. The original and largest trade show for AV, broadcast, and live event tech on the continent returns from 3 - 5 June 2026 at the Johannesburg Expo Centre (Nasrec) – and it's bringing the industry back together to mark 25 years since the first show in 2001.

Mediatech Africa has been a cornerstone of the continent’s AV and broadcast industry since day one. More than just an expo, it’s a space for the industry to connect, share ideas, and stay in step with the latest tech. Its legacy is built on collaboration, community, and innovation – drawing top brands, global suppliers, and the passionate people who keep the industry moving forward.

Simon Robinson, co-owner of Mediatech, recalls: “Our first show was in 2001 at the Sandton Convention Centre. It was small, focused mos

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23 April 2025

USA - Shure will serve as the headline partner at InfoComm 2025 in Orlando, Fl. In this role, Shure will showcase its thought leadership and technical expertise across InfoComm stages and educational sessions.

“We are thrilled to have Shure as our headline partner for InfoComm 2025. Shure is an InfoComm staple that attracts attendees year after year,” said Jenn Heinold, senior vice-president, expositions, Americas, AVIXA. “Shure’s elevated presence at InfoComm 2025 will enrich the show and inspire the pro AV community to reach new heights.” 

As Shure gears up for this significant event, it reflects on nearly three decades of consistent participation and the enduring relationships built during that time. The company’s involvement in InfoComm has been a cornerstone of its engagement with industry professionals.

“Shure has been an

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23 April 2025

UK - In anticipation of a busy summer festival season, Martin Audio partners dBS Solutions has invested further in the Wavefront Precision line array series with the largest format speaker – the WPL – taking its total WP box count to an impressive 136.

The company had already increased its stock of Martin Audio’s compatible iK42 multichannel DSP amplifiers, enabling them to reconfigure larger racks for greater efficiency and faster load-ins – all in preparation for a busy outdoor schedule.

Explaining the underlying reason for the step up, managing director Chris Bogg said that having enjoyed two successful seasons with WPC, this year it was pre-booked on a summer tour. “This left us with a bit of a shortfall, so it was a question of whether we invested further in WPC or look at the larger box and prepare ourselves for our future.”

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22 April 2025

USA/Europe - Clair Global is expanding its global footprint by welcoming the Ampco Flashlight Group to the team. This partnership strengthens Clair's European presence and “enhances both companies' ability to deliver seamless, high-calibre experiences worldwide”.

Ampco Flashlight Group with its sister companies have been an established name in professional audio, lighting, rigging and motion for decades. The team delivers high-profile projects in live entertainment, theatre, broadcast, and events – both in the Netherlands and internationally. That focus remains unchanged. Clients will continue to work with the same people, receive the same level of service, and rely on the same name – now with the added strength of expanded access to key resources, technology, and expertise in more locations worldwide.

"This feels like a very natural step," s

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22 April 2025

UAE - Powersoft is expanding its distributor network by welcoming Thomsun Trading Establishment (TTE) as its newest distributor in the GCC market, excluding Saudi Arabia. The appointment will solidify Powersoft’s footprint in the region, bringing its audio solutions to a wider audience across the GCC market.

Established in 1990, TTE has become a leading name in the musical and pro AV industry in the UAE. The company offers a diverse range of products and services tailored to meet the needs of musicians, bands, hospitality industry, as well as commercial projects. Powersoft is the latest addition to the company’s portfolio, which also includes Yamaha, Nexo, Unilumin and Univox.

“We came across Powersoft while researching innovative amplification solutions to enhance our product offerings,” says Bijo Kuruvila, Thomsun Trading’s sales manager.

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22 April 2025

Saudi Arabia - 1 Sound is partnering with 7Hertz to bring 1 Sound to the GCC, including Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, as well as Lebanon. 7Hertz will be debuting 1 Sound and its loudspeakers this May at the Saudi Light & Sound (SLS) exhibition 2025, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

"At 7Hertz, our commitment to serving clients at the highest level drives us to seek out the best solutions,” states Joe Khadra, CEO of 7Hertz. “We see immense potential for 1 Sound in the region, where scalability and flexibility are key across most projects. Our goal is to equip our partners with top-tier technology that elevates the end-user experience.

“Introducing 1 Sound to the Middle East market is a point of pride for us, as we deeply understand its needs. With its exceptional audio quality and innovat

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22 April 2025

South Africa - DWR Distribution recently hosted Oliver Ronshausen, service manager at MA Lighting in Germany, for a special in-house technical training session in South Africa. Ronshausen shared his expert knowledge with the DWR technical team, covering grandMA3 technical hardware and offering detailed insights into the zactrack system.

DWR Distribution staff regularly receive training so they in turn can always provide up-to-date support to clients when needed. Technicians from DWR’s Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban branches were invited to attend this session.

“I recently came to South Africa to help DWR’s technicians get up to speed with the latest MA Lighting service knowledge, so they can react quickly when a console needs repair,” said Ronshausen. “The goal was to show them how the grandMA3 and electronics work on the inside, then

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22 April 2025

Word of Mouth - A survey of West End theatregoers has highlighted trends among the ticket-buying public, with word of mouth, celebrity casting and familiar source material among top draws for audiences coming to see shows.

The survey found that word of mouth was the most common reason for booking a show, with some 83.4% of respondents to the Inside the Mind of the London Theatregoer poll stating that hearing rave reviews about a production from their friends and family members inspired them to purchase tickets. But 62.6% also cited the draw of a celebrity or actor, and 68.1% of those surveyed said they were often inspired to snap up theatre seats when they were familiar with a show’s source material.

The research, conducted by live entertainment digital marketing agency Situation UK in partnership with Society of London Theatre, elicited m

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17 April 2025

Turkey - LEA Professional has announced a partnership with Turkey-based AV distributor, Republik. The company will partner with LEA to bring its customers LEA’s technology catalogue

The Republik team is composed of industry experts with years of experience in the field. This partnership will allow Turkish customers to access LEA Professional’s Network Connect series of professional amplifiers and companion Dante Connect series featuring Dante and AES67 connectivity. These series allow integrators to utilize cloud-based remote control, monitoring, notifications, and more from any internet-enabled device, allowing them to stay connected anywhere in the world.

"As we continue to build our portfolio of brands, we’re proud to partner with companies with great reputations and technology portfolios,” said Kal Yener, Republik. "The LEA technology cat

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16 April 2025

UK - The live events industry is full of passionate, caring people who go above and beyond, and Backup Partners are a shining example of just that. During 2024, Backup welcomed three new companies to its list of partners – L-Acoustics, platinum partner, Chauvet, gold partner and Carallon, silver partners.

The contribution that all Backup Tech partners make is testimony to the spirit of the industry and each company has its own unique reason for joining. The end result is the same: helping continue the work Backup does to support industry family members when they need it most.

The first new partner to be introduced is L-Acoustics, a global leader in professional sound. Founded in 1984, L-Acoustics is driven by a singular vision: to connect people through the best shared sound experiences. This commitment to excellence has made it the preferred choic

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16 April 2025

Canada - SFM has announced its appointment as the exclusive Canadian distributor for Bosch Communications Systems. This strategic partnership grants SFM exclusive distribution rights for Electro-Voice, Dynacord, RTS, and Bosch Conference and Bosch Public Address throughout Canada.

The collaboration leverages SFM's extensive distribution network and industry expertise alongside Bosch's renowned engineering excellence, providing Canadian AV professionals, integrators, and resellers with enhanced access to premier solutions.

"This partnership represents an exciting new chapter for SFM and the Canadian professional audio market," said Sami Midani, director of business development at SFM. "By bringing these Bosch audio brands into our portfolio, we're uniquely positioned to deliver comprehensive audio solutions that meet the evolving needs of our customer

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16 April 2025

USA - Flock Audio has announced that the company has officially relocated to the United States with the opening of its new headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas.

Previously based in Kelowna, BC, Canada, the move is in response to several years of successful innovation and business growth that has seen the small, family-owned manufacturer become a major player in the world of analogue routing technology. The new headquarters puts Flock Audio at the bustling centre of some of the leading pro audio manufacturers in the United States.

The new 5,000 sq.ft facility includes updated workspaces, improved testing areas, and a full audio production suite, all of which enables Flock Audio to double its production and servicing capacity as well as provide increased space and resources for its growing product R&D division.

The company’s new location als

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16 April 2025

China - With the successful conclusion of the Guangzhou Entertainment Technology Show (GETshow) in February, the cooperation between Leading Audiovisual Technology Co and Guangdong Stage Art Society also came to an end.

This four-day event not only showcased the industry's top technology and artistic achievements, but also witnessed the in-depth cooperation and innovative practice between Leading Audiovisual and Guangdong in the field of technology and art integration.

GETshow has attracted professional buyers and industry elites from more than 100 countries and regions around the world. The 2025 exhibition was themed Guangdong Boundary - Breakthrough Space Power, focusing on multiple fields such as stage art, intelligent sound and light technology, and cultural tourism and performing arts, and fully displays the industry's cutting-edge tech

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15 April 2025

Europe - UK-based media control specialist Hive has appointed Cast as its official distributor in Germany, expanding its footprint in central Europe. The partnership draws on Cast’s trusted reputation, technical expertise and long-standing presence in the entertainment technology sector.

Based in Hagen, Germany, Cast (cast C.Adolph & RST Distribution GmbH) is a leading distributor of lighting, stage and media technology. The company works closely with lighting designers, technical directors, planners and creatives across theatre, corporate events, studios, architainment, cruise ships, trade fairs and convention centres. Cast supports both fixed installations and touring projects, offering a comprehensive portfolio for system integrators and live event professionals.

Cast will offer Hive’s full product range, built around the award-winning Bee

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15 April 2025

Europe - KLSTR, a developer of advanced technology for the entertainment and live events sector, announced at Prolight + Sound 2025 a strategic partnership with Ayrton, an international leader in innovative lighting solutions.

Through this partnership, selected new and upcoming Ayrton lighting fixtures will come standard with integrated KLSTR technology. Customers will benefit from seamless integration, more efficient operation, and significantly enhanced lighting experiences. Additionally, KLSTR offers full retrofit support for existing Ayrton models, allowing older fixtures to benefit from the latest technological advancements.

The agreement was reached at the Lab of Tomorrow innovation hub in Boom, Belgium, underlining both companies’ shared commitment to advancing technology and collaboration within the entertainment industry.

Roel Aper

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15 April 2025

Netherlands - M&S Showtechniek is a lively, ambitious and fast-growing full production – lighting, rigging, audio and video – and rental company based in Amersfoort, The Netherlands, run by Pim Muller and Jeroen van der Stap.

They started the company in 2011 while still at high school and formalised the structure as soon as they graduated, deciding to target the delivery of quality events wanting an imaginative approach and quality production values. From the outset, they kept ploughing profits into new and innovative equipment, a policy that soon led them to Robe moving lights.

The first Robes to join the M&S inventory were 24 x LEDBeam 150s in 2017. At this stage, M&S Showtechniek was among the first companies in the Netherlands to invest in these handy and powerful little moving lights, which have been a popular and successful prod