Europe - This summer saw industrial rockers Nine Inch Nails (NIN) on their first European tour in six years, with an array of Clay Paky Sharpy and Sharpy Wash 330 fixtures delivering striking brightness and moody colours to help bring the band back with a bang.

Lighting designer Paul Guthrie specified the Clay Paky fixtures, supplied by Ampco Flashlight, to hold their own against the elaborate production, and provide maximum impact.

"With Nine Inch Nails, we wanted to give the audience an incredible show, that went from dark, moody and soupy to face-welding annihilation," explains Guthrie. "We see it as: if they're not convulsing afterwards, we're not trying hard enough. The Clay Paky fixtures allowed us to achieve this with their rapid movement and intense brightness."

"The Clay Paky Sharpy fixtures were specified by LeRoy Bennett for the original d

The Netherlands - Dutch sound and lighting rental company, DSL Geluids & Lichtverhuur has extended a long tradition of running premium Martin Audio PA systems in its fleet by becoming the first operation in the country to invest in the manufacturer's new MLA Mini.

This is the latest, scaled down version of Martin Audio's award-winning Multi-cellular Loudspeaker Array technology, and is in line with the small footprint required for a large proportion of their work.

Set up by brothers Ad and Gert-Jan Gomes in 1983 (originally as Disco'83 Sound & Light) by early in the new millennium they were ready to upgrade from their own 'home-brew' PA stacks to branded products. "And we recognised a lot of riders were mentioning Martin Audio."

Starting with Blackline they moved onto W8C/CS Wavefront Compact subs, WSX subs, and then W8LC Compact line arrays and WS218X subs. "

Millennium Money - Wales Millennium Centre has claimed to have sold £100m worth of tickets since its opening a decade ago. The centre, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this week, has released an impact report revealing that 13.5m people have visited the centre, and more than three million attended its theatre. Artistic director Graeme Farrow said: "Wales Millennium Centre has made a tremendous impact over the past decade . . . Over the next decade we will surprise people more regularly and throw open the doors to all the spaces within this amazing site and let the air in."

The venue, which is home to Welsh National Opera, BBC National Orchestra Wales and the National Dance Company of Wales, has also revealed that it used 996,790 tea bags over the last decade.

The Truth Is Out There - Gillian Anderson and Tom Hiddleston took the top acting honours at

UK - Impact Production Services (IPS) has joined the growing list of top-flight hire companies who have added SGM's powerful P-5 wash light to their inventory. Owner James Mason, who set up the Milton Keynes-based company 16 years ago, took the decision after sub-hiring in some of the high output heads for a project, which also gave him the chance to evaluate them. As a result, he placed the order for 24 P-5 RGBW fixtures with SGM UK.

"We had been looking at various IP-rated outdoor washes and P-5 had come up a few times on specs," he explained. "For us it's the next generation; it's compact, neat and you can use it indoors, whereas other IP-rated washes are often big and bulky."

In order to get the maximum impact from the fixtures he purchased 21° and 43° lens options.

Mason said the decision to back the Danish brand followed the recognition that

Canada - Nestled in the heart of the city of Camrose, in Alberta, Canada, is the Jeanne & Peter Lougheed Performing Arts Centre (PAC), a 4,100sq.m multi-venue building. Equipped with nearly 100 ETC Source Four LED Series 2 Lustr luminaires - the largest number installed anywhere in the world - the venue earned a prestigious level four Green Globe distinction for its energy efficient building design and commitment to green technology before its doors even opened in October 2014.

Camrose is home to a blossoming arts community, and the city desperately needed a new, large-scale performance venue. "There weren't any venues within a 45 minute drive of the city that could accommodate touring Broadway shows and large scale dance or theatrical productions," explains Nick Beach, technical director and operations coordinator of the Jeanne & Peter Lougheed PAC. The primary goal f

Indonesia - It was back in 2013 that the Ismaya Group, owners of Jakarta's legendary Blowfish Nightclub, first decided to carry out a complete technology upgrade, integrated with a new AV system, in order to refresh the club's image.

PT Citra Intirama, Martin Audio's long term distributors, have also enjoyed a relationship with the operators, and first introduced them to the British loudspeaker brand at one of their other elite clubs, the Dragonfly, back in 2006.

Martin Audio was then installed in the Blowfish Bar & Nightclub - but with the recent overhaul came not only replacement drivers for the existing system but a complete new complement of AQ and Blackline series full range systems and subwoofers.

"It was a natural progression to continue with the same brand," said PT Citra Intirama's Eric Haslim. "Martin Audio has a well-established reputation as one of

Belgium - Initially aimed at the post-production market, Yamaha's Nuage system is also being adopted by music recording studios and composers, thanks to its fast, intuitive workflow and powerful features. Leading dance music producer Sammy Merayah is one of the latest to invest.

Sammy's Yamaha legacy goes back well over a decade. Starting with an 02R digital mixer, he later upgraded to a DM2000, but has recently made a major investment in a Nuage system for his studio near the Belgian city of Aalst, near Brussels.

Sammy works as a composer, producer, remixer and arranger and has enjoyed major collaborations and remix work with high profile DJs and artists like Wolfpack, Flo Rida, Katy B, Akon, Coolio, Jason Derulo, Dimitri Vegas and Like Mike, Jetlag, T-Pain, Missy Elliott, Timbaland, Ginuwine, Chris Brown, Hooverphonic and others.

Having worked with Steinberg's Cubase DAW f

USA - If you have been thinking about testing to become ETCP certified, now is the time to apply, as fees will increase $50 per exam on 1 January, 2015. You have up to one year from your acceptance date to take your examination, so sign up today to save. Applications that are postmarked before January 1, 2015 will receive the discounted rate.

ETCP Certification is a fundamental aide to employers who are looking for qualified technicians for lead positions. It guarantees a reliable level of expertise and skills because the exams are specific to this industry and a fair assessment of your knowledge.

Questions concerning certification and testing may be directed to Meredith Moseley-Bennett, Certification Manager at etcp@plasa.org or 212.244.1505, ext. 705.

(Jim Evans)

USA - LDI 2014 in Las Vegas lived up to pre-show expectations for LDI premier partner Elation Professional with an extremely busy booth, a Best Large Booth accolade and more industry recognition for the award-winning Sniper.

"We expected a busy show based on our pre-show appointments and it certainly didn't disappoint," said Elation sales director Eric Loader, who split his time between a busy Elation booth and a just-as-busy demo room. "Our booth was crowded from start to finish and based on the quality leads generated it gave us a lot of opportunities to continue our growth."

Like at the PLASA show one month earlier, the Sniper was recognised as an innovative product at the show, this time receiving an honourable mention as Best Debuting Product presented at an awards ceremony on Saturday, 22 November on the LDI show floor. The company also won the Best L

USA - Against Las Vegas' glittering backdrop, Ayrton's display of technical innovation on the booth of its exclusive US distributor, Morpheus Lights, shone as brightly at LDI 2014 as in any casino or show on the Strip.

Ayrton exhibited a plethora of new products from Ayrton's new Radical and NandoBeam series, videos of which were already causing excitement on social media. Many of these were presented for the first time to the American market, exciting visitors who were treated to spectacular lighting displays which caught the eye and fired the imagination.

Ayrton's Radical Series, consists of WildBeam-R, MagicPanel-R, MagicBlade-R, MagicRing R9 and IntelliPix-R, with MagicRing R1 being the latest addition to the Series.

The Radical Series, which takes its name and inspiration from the world of high-performance vehicles, exhibits a honed and streamlined appearance, a very na

Denmark - For the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's gathering in Copenhagen, Greenpeace saw an ideal opportunity to emphasise the need for the world to change into 100% renewable energy in the future and demonstrate how this is actually possible.

While the panel wrote and published the latest research on impact of human made climate changes, and their solutions how to mitigate and counter these impacts, Greenpeace launched a highly visible and eye-catching campaign, projecting the official Danish targets of 100% renewable energy by 2050 onto four wind turbines, with the assistance of AF Lighting and SGM's G-Spot LED moving head.

Greenpeace's project leader Esben Sloth explains: "We wanted the light projection to be very accurate, with sharp lines and figures, in order to make the wind turbines look like a graph."

ÅF Lighting were optimistic in their acce

USA - The first annual New York Festival of Light (NYFOL) came alive 6-8 after dark in Dumbo, Brooklyn, attracting crowds so large that the family event had to turn away people Saturday night. NYFOL utilised numerous Clay Paky fixtures on the main stage under the Archway of the Manhattan Bridge, and Clay Paky's new Supersharpys created the spectacular Beacon installation at The Pearl Street Triangle.

NYFOL offered visitors a curated collection of lighting installations created by local and international lighting designers, performance artists and technologists - all working with the medium of light. The event was presented by The New York Festival of Light Organization, a non-profit art group. Its vision is to create and provide a unique and delightful experience for residents and tourists by enhancing New York City's architecture through interactive, static and projected lighti

UK - Heathrow Airport and Fisher Productions worked together to bring some Christmas magic to travellers over the Christmas period at Terminal 2: The Queens Terminal.

Building on Terminal 2's vision, in conjunction with Heathrow, The Fisher team have designed and installed a giant vinyl Christmas tree which stands over 90ft high in the covered courtyard to T2, close to the Slipstream sculpture by renowned British artist Richard Wilson.

Fisher have added a very modern interactive touch to this traditional looking tree, overlaying it with festoons of lights that can be triggered to flash and dance by passengers who tweet Christmas greetings to #T2Christmas. After dark the tree will come alive with a gentle wash of light giving it an enchanting glow.

(Jim Evans)

UK - Leisuretec Distribution has selected Chauvet as a preferred supplier and strategic partner, reinforcing the existing relationship between the trade distributor of audio, lighting, video and special effects, and the lighting manufacturer. The announcement comes as a result of Leisuretec's decision to focus on a selection of hand-picked brands with strong customer appeal.

Cliff Dounting, managing director of Leisuretec, says: "What's nice is a manufacturer recognising a true trade distributor. We have a relationship built on strong teamwork, and it's a great pleasure to be associated with such a growing team at Chauvet Europe."

Leisuretec founder director Mike Henden adds: "Having a really good relationship between the key people in each company is fundamental to a strong, long-term partnership."

Leisuretec will continue to offer sales and support for

UK - Applications are being sought by Rose Bruford College for its Junior Ready Steady Light 2015, a lighting design competition which offers teams the opportunity to win an amazing prize - to chance to redesign the architectural lighting of the National Theatre on London's Southbank.

Philips and the Society of Light and Lighting continue to sponsor Rose Bruford College of Theatre and Performance's hugely successful Junior Ready Steady Light competition for 2015. Rose Bruford College aims to attract eight teams from state schools, further education colleges and art organisations working with young people, made up of five year 12 and 13 students, or those similar in age, to participate in a full day of activities that lead up to the final competition and prize-giving ceremony.

This is an exciting opportunity for young people interested in science, art, design, technology and te

UK - S+H Technical has supplied specialist draping and 'soft' lighting effects lighting to several high profile TV shows recently including Strictly's Blackpool special as well as for the regular weekly show broadcast from Elstree Studios; the main Children In Need telethon studio; popular talent competition Stars in Their Eyes back on air in 2015 after a nine year hiatus; new ITV talent show Get Your Act Together and Bette Midler's first ever ITV special One Night Only.

Another blockbusting Strictly season for the BBC sees S+H working with BAFTA Award winning set and scenic designer Patrick Doherty - a regular client - for whom the Ilfracombe, Devon-based company is supplying around 6000 Pea-Lights for the regular weekly episodes broadcast from Entree Studios. The Pea-Lights are integrated into the set walls of Patrick's impressive ballroom de

UK - Liverpool based technical solutions provider Adlib has supplied audio and lighting design, equipment and installation to three venues run by the Liverpool Guild of Students (LGoS) as part of a major £14m refurbishment and upgrade project spearheaded by the University of Liverpool.

This ambitious investment plan was executed over two years to improve the utilization of space, functionality and to enhance the overall student experience at the Guild & Reilly Building which is central to the university campus.

For Adlib, this has included design and installation of a comprehensive power & cabling infrastructure, provision of L-Acoustics and Coda audio systems, together with production lighting rigs featuring more premium brands like Robe, Martin by Harman and ETC and the development of a custom IGUS cable management solution with Lift-Turn-Move (LTM), also based locally

USA - Slipknot headlined its own musical festival, Knotfest, on 24-26 October at the San Manuel Amphitheater in San Bernadino, California, and then kicked off its Prepare for Hell world tour, both using rigs that include Elation Professional's new hybrid Platinum SBX luminaire along with Elation Cuepix Blinders and a video centerpiece made up of Elation EPT9IP LED video panels.

The grisly-masked heavy metal rockers are out on an 18-month world tour in support of their first album release in six years, .5: The Gray Chapter, which debuted in October at number one on the Billboard 200 album chart. The tour sees the band playing dates in the US, Japan (at Knotfest Japan), Europe and Australia with more legs expected to be added.

Slipknot plays an aggressive style of music with energetic live shows that have been described as 'choreographed chaos'. Production designer

UK - Masters of metal Motorhead returned to the UK after the festival season for a limited special run of autumn shows. To kick these dates up a notch, lighting designer Caio Bertti started from scratch, devising a simple yet extremely powerful lighting theme, with an ultra-versatile Avolites' Sapphire Touch console as the ace up his sleeve.

Bertti's design is traditional rock and roll, yet with a contemporary edge of LED and moving lights mixed in with ever-faithful Par Cans. Preferring to control the show on the fly, Caio specified the intuitive Sapphire Touch.

"With Motorhead, if you have music in your blood you'll have a great show," says the Brazilian designer. "There's no cue-list, there's no time coding, it's just in my head and fingers. You have to play the board, which is why I chose the Sapphire Touch. It gives me more freedom and I can run through the

Russia - With a style of its own that miraculously intertwined the best traditions of Russian and Soviet culture as well as new trends of the modern entertainment industry, the World Circus Festival - IDOL 2014 took place at The Great Moscow Circus from 10-14 September. Martin Professional fixtures played the main role in creating exciting lighting effects in accordance with the vision of the event.

Preparation time for the festival was limited as the event grounds had hosted another performance right before, so the technicians had to dismantle the previous installation and create a new rig for IDOL using 64 MAC 101s, 20 MAC Viper Profiles, 24 MAC Auras, 12 MAC III Washes, six MAC III Performances, 10 MAC III AirFXs, 12 Atomic 3000 DMXs with Atomic Colors, two Glaciator X-Streams, a Jem Hydra with 12 heads, and six Jem K1 Hazers with six AF-1 fans.

"The fixture park of Th

Sweden - The Göteborg Opera has become hooked on SGM P-5 technology. Since purchasing their first units 18 months ago, they have kept adding to their inventory and now own 34 P-5 wash lights.

Production lighting manager Kent Hellberg explains, "Since I acquired the first P-5, every production in the house seems to want them."

Currently being deployed for the production of Mozart's Le Nozze de Figaro by lighting designer Giuseppe di Lorio, the luminaires are washing the backdrop as an essential part of the opera. But Hellberg has other lighting designers also queuing up to utilise the P-5s. "Every lighting designer that I've shown the P-5 to has been impressed," Hellberg confirms.

The P-5s have therefore been used for different projects - for instance for a dance company, where the Japanese choreographer wanted a strong even colour output; and that

UK - Truss UK Ltd, sister company to Hoist UK Ltd, has announced that it has acquired 100% shareholding of AJB Precision Fabrications Ltd. The combined companies are now conducting business together under the name Truss UK Ltd, with their main office located at 2 Wrynose Road, Old Hall Estate, Bromborough, Wirral, Merseyside, CH62 3QD.

"This is a merger of two innovative and professional companies which have a history of successfully working together over the last six years," says Truss UK director Paul Jordan. "Both companies have a very high standard of products and services with very similar work ethic and philosophy for doing business, with a track record for providing excellent products and customer service."

Fellow director Tony Dickson comments: "This union reflects both companies' commitment towards sustainable growth creating a world class inn

USA - The Addison Theatre Centre, home of the WaterTower Theatre, has invested in ArKaos MediaMaster Pro 4.0 software which it recently utilised on the WaterTower Theatre Company's production of Bonnie and Clyde.

Founded in 1996, the multi-awarding-winning WaterTower Theatre is a not-for-profit professional theatre company that produces six main stage shows each season alongside award-winning educational and community outreach programmes.

Earlier this year Fred Mikeska and Darrell Barnes of A.C. Lighting (ArKaos' US distributor) took Arkaos MediaMaster Pro to The Addison Theatre Centre where they presented a full demonstration of its capabilities to technical director, Scott Guenther, and lighting designers, Dan Schoedel and Jason Foster. "The team at Addison Theatre Centre was evaluating different media server options that would meet the venue's diverse requiremen

Russia - Part of Russia for just 155 years, the Muravyov-Amursky peninsula is governed by Vladivostok. Home to the navy's mighty Pacific Fleet, it is Russia's most strategically important city on its far eastern shores. Remote in every sense, after years of isolation, Vladivostok has stepped robustly into the twenty-first century since its hosting of the 24th Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in 2012. The summit stimulated massive inward investment, two new bridges were built (Zolotoy Rog in the city centre, and Russky Island Bridge) and a distinct emphasis was placed on the development of resort entertainment facilities.

The Fetisov Arena is a crowning part of that entertainment emphasis. Opened in 2013, and built to accommodate 7,500 people (Vladivostok has a population of almost 600,000), it is home to the Admiral ice hockey team and also regularly hosts exhibit

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