Creative Solutions and freelance production manager Eddie Campbell teamed up with Blackout Triple E at the Birmingham ICC in September to create a staff convention, complete with fashion shows and party, for the TopShop and TopMan stores for client The Arcadia Group. The brief to designer Stuart Stanley was to develop a scheme offering two different looks for two retail brands, achieved primarily through the choice of drape fabric, lighting treatment and subtle scenic changes with the turnaround time between the two looks being very tight.

Delegates were seated on a block centred around a catwalk, thrust from a wide stage area that served as both a business meeting forum and a scenic entry-exit point for the models. Blackout Triple E was responsible for providing trussing, 28 electric chain hoists, the tracking system for a huge rear-projection screen and the suspension for the lighting, sound and video equipment. Further projection screens were suspended on truss portals and a large quantity of rental black drapes was used for masking purposes. A significant number of custom-made white drapes created the perimeter walls and divisions for specific zones, whilst voile drapes created a lavish texture for the lighting designer Quentin Jarman. To close the conference, the nine metre main screen was tracked off the stage and a live band riser traveled downstage to allow for a performance by Toploader.

The assembly took place in a mere 40 hours and Blackout Triple E project manager Eric Porter headed a team of 12 who worked in four shifts of 10 hours. "All aspects of the

Following the events of 11 September, PRG companies have contributed their support to US relief efforts by filling several requests to provide equipment and crew to charitable and commemorative productions. On Friday, 21 September, the nationally televised 'America: A Tribute to Heroes' became the most widely distributed television production and the most successful charity fund-raiser in history. Fourth Phase's New York and Los Angeles facilities provided scenic projection equipment, film and crew for the projection imagery designed by Jean Doherty under production designer Roy Bennett's direction, while Fourth Phase New Jersey supplied both intelligent and conventional lighting systems to the East Coast portion of the production. Yankee Stadium hosted several thousand people on Sunday, 23 September for a commemorative service. PRG supported this event by providing a variety of services and equipment, and even recruiting other theatrical vendors for the cause.

Scenic Technologies furnished crew and equipment for stage platforming and railings, stair units, truss, and other support elements. In addition to the individual employees who volunteered, ProMix Electrotec made a large donation of equipment for the speaker system, as well as on-stage monitors, in-ear monitors and feeds for the television broadcast. Fourth Phase New Jersey provided perishables along with some power distribution gear. Another notable PRG contribution is lighting equipment supplied by Fourth Phase New Jersey to 'Remembrance and Reflection: An Observance to Remember New Jersey's Victims and Honor Our

Luminaires purchased from Vari-Lite Inc by John Conti Lighting Inc will be used by NBC on a new, syndicated version of the quiz show, ‘Weakest Link’. Lighting designer John Conti purchased the Vari*Lite automated lighting equipment, consisting of 22 VL2202 spot luminaires, 14 VL2416 wash luminaires and a Virtuoso DX console for the syndicated version of the show.

"Basically, I loved the gear so much after seeing it, that I went out and bought it," Conti said. "We’re using the same, purchased set of luminaires and console on the syndicated version of the show as we're using for the primetime version. The 3D programming you can do with the Virtuoso DX console is great, and it's a real time-saver."

It's clear that lighting and other effects greatly enhance the intense moments on the most popular game shows," said Rusty Brutsché, chairman and chief executive officer of Vari-Lite. "The Virtuoso DX console allows lighting designers to intensify the suspense by pre-programming the luminaires to work alongside the host, contestants and sounds of the show. Using this tool on the 'Weakest Link,' the lighting designer can increase the pressure as the number of contestants dwindles and the jackpot grows."

The Weakest Link began in the UK last summer on BBC2. The new, US daytime version of the show is scheduled to air in syndication, beginning in January 2002.

The Production Factory, the Netherlands-based lighting and production specialist, has announced that the company headquarters is moving from Utrecht to a new home in Arnhem. From the end of October, you can contact the company at the following address:

The Production Factory BV, Delta 46, 6825 MS Arnhem, The Netherlands.

Telephone: +31 (0)26 38 40 110, Fax: +31 (0)26 38 40 111.

Trantec Systems continues to increase its penetration of global markets with the appointment of leading international pro audio distributors for their products. The latest to join the radio specialists’ partner channel is MusicData. Based in the Czech Republic, the company negotiated the deal to become Trantec’s exclusive territorial distributors after discovering the award-winning systems at PLASA 2000. "We were searching at that time for a new supplier of wireless systems, offering a good value-to-price ratio," explained import manager, Tomas Pukl. MusicData is a major distributor, offering in its brand portfolio Crest Audio, Nexo, Hughes & Kettner, Audix, LA Audio and Audient, as well as a number of key lighting and accessories manufacturers.

Having announced a move to new premises to celebrate its 30th birthday during the 2001 PLASA Show, the White Light Group has announced the date of the move: White Light and the other members of the White Light Group will be open for business at 20 Merton Industrial Park, Jubilee Way, London SW19 3WL from Monday October 22nd 2001.

The new main telephone number for all of the Group companies, including White Light Hire, White Light Sales, The Moving Light Company, The Service Company, Modelbox and Colourhouse, will be +44 020 8254 4800. The new main fax number will be +44 020 8254 4801. The White Light Group's new home includes 35,000sq.ft of equipment storage and preparation space and 10,000 square feet of office space, allowing all the Group members to be brought together under one roof for the first time. The new building also offers ample parking and easy truck access, and is easy to reach by road or public transport.

Orchard Road in Singapore is the main thoroughfare of this City State. Rivalling Rodeo Drive as a retail nirvana, Ngee Ann City is its focal point, a modern shopping plaza filled by the world’s leading designer brands. It was also the site chosen by one of the most highly respected amongst them - Chanel - to launch its new collection to the Far-Eastern world.

One major problem though. Being the tropics, most afternoons the plaza is deluged by rain of unbelievable ferocity - not the ideal environment then for a fashion show. Which is why event producers Faber Image, and particularly director Robert Seah, began to give this conundrum some serious thought. "This was to be a big show, a reception followed by the fashion parade for a seated audience of almost 1,000. We needed a large, flexible structure, at least 40 by 20 metres, and it needed to be elegant as befits our client."

Step forward Winston Goh of Total Fabrications Ltd (TFL). He, together with TFL’s technical director Peter Hind, put forward a system based on the company’s award-winning safety truss, T2. "Seah immediately saw the advantages," said Hind. "As a major player in the world of corporate presentation, Faber Image would be in possession of an eight-mast tower system and substantial quantities of the safest truss available." There were other benefits for Faber Image: the structure is designed to be free standing and is still rated for 25 m/s winds and a four-tonne payload. Thanks to its design, it can easily be split into two separate, fully-enclosed units, a

Despite being one of Auckland’s oldest pubs, the Kings Arms Tavern - established in 1870 - is also one of the city’s most popular youth-oriented live venues. The room, which hosts up-and-coming bands during the week, headline acts at weekends and a varied line-up on Sunday afternoons, recently underwent a major upgrade of its house PA system. The new Proel system was sold by Junior Fitz of United Sound Agencies and installed by Proel distributor Jansen Professional Audio & Lighting in just two days, to accommodate the venue’s busy performance schedule.

The venue’s owners had been using a hired system for some years, and were anxious to replace it with a rig that would occupy less of the limited stage space and improve both audience sightlines and sound quality. The new system consists of two Proel TFL212P double 12" full-range speakers with 1.4" compression driver, hung from the ceiling along with four TFL215SP double 15" subwoofers incorporated into the stage rostrum setup. The four stage monitor wedges are TFL12Ps, with a TFL15P wedge as a drum-fill. Jansen has also provided the complete mixing, amplification and signal processing for all speakers and subwoofers. All cables, multicores, stands and racks are supplied by Proel.

The new system has freed up the substantial stage area previously occupied by speaker stacks and improved the view of the stage for patrons at the side of the room. It is also providing a cleaner sound with a marked increase in the sound levels before any sign of distortion. The first main act to play in the

Sennheiser UK has sold the first DAS Audio Compact 1s in the UK to Audio and Corporate Event Management (ACM) Ltd. The corporate event and presentation company has expanded its extensive range of DAS sound systems with the addition of a pair of the very latest Class-D self-powered three-way full-range cabinets. ACM’s high profile corporate client list includes several motor industry dealerships for whom it regularly stages regional launch events for new models, including Vauxhall and Mercedes, as well as premier league football clubs. Director Tony Martin comments: "It’s actually quite a shock to hear such a big sound emanating from a genuinely portable system and we’re expecting to use Compact 1s at many of our forthcoming events - especially as we often need to keep sight-lines free from speaker cabs."

Such is their confidence in DAS Audio products that Tony, along with fellow directors Chris Perry and John Martin, have recently set-up a sister company Pro Club Installations, in partnership with Eclipse Lighting, to install club systems - an area where they have already achieved much success with DAS However, the new Compact 1s are stirring up considerable interest with a broad range of customers. "We’ve had the Compact 1s in our showroom for only a few days and they’re already being seriously considered for a number of applications including clubs, roadshow discos, theatres and bands - all customers who we believe have the budget for more expensive equipment but who are using their ears and have realized that DAS delivers wh

Top UK girl band, Atomic Kitten, performed their first concert to a sell-out crowd recently at London’s Shepherds Bush Empire, and supporting them at their debut show was an array of Martin Professional fixtures. Lighting designer Barry Halpin used Bandit Lites UK to supply the Martin fixtures, along with generic fixtures and control equipment for the show. Halpin chose MAC 600 wash lights, MAC 250s and his favourite, the MAC 2000. Barry commented: "I know the MAC 2000 and its capabilities well after using them with Westlife earlier this year. I knew that in a venue such as Shepherds Bush Empire they would really cut through and be very dominating - and sure enough they were. One of the girls in the band has an allergy which prevents me from using smoke or haze during the show, so the beams don’t look as pronounced as normal, but they still show up, better than any other fixture I’ve seen."

Halpin also used three TrackPod automated tracking systems on the show, one to track each of the girls. These were hooked up primarily to the MAC 250s for backlight and house fixtures for frontlight. Again, Halpin knew the TrackPod from the Westlife show in which he used five systems. He comments: "The TrackPod is a superb system - it provides solutions for difficult situations. In this case I needed a tracking front-on key light, and because of the awkward positioning of the followspots, the TrackPod allowed me to achieve this using moving lights, which obviously can be placed where followspots cannot. Because I had no production rehearsals for this sh

Trantec has appointed Helsinki-based F-Musiikki Oy to handle their award-winning radio mic systems exclusively in Finland. F-Musiikki Oy is the biggest MI/sheet music wholesale/retail company in the Nordic countries. F-Audio is the pro audio division, responsible for the distribution of Trantec and other brands, such as Yamaha (MI and pro audio), Steinway & Sons, Fender, Casio, Manley, DW, Hughes& Kettner, Sabian, Martin and many more. "We first saw Trantec products at last year’s PLASA Show," commented Petri Mäntysalo. "Our product portfolio covered all other areas of pro audio with the exception of radio mics - so now our roster is complete."

Petri says that Trantec IEMs have already found homes amongst the leading performers in Finland, including Children Of Bodom (S4000IEMs) and Tommi Läntinen Band (S5000IEMs). "We are now looking forward to broadening coverage into the theatre and broadcast worlds," he continued. "We will be showing the full UHF line of Trantec products at the forthcoming AV2001 trade show in November, and have already had some inquiries about Trantec’s new S6000 line."

The BEAB (British Electrotechnical Approvals Board) and The Lighting Association have joined forces to offer luminaire manufacturers quality ENEC testing and certification, enabling them to gain access to European markets and to international markets via the CB Scheme. The ENEC (European Norms Electrical Certification) Mark is a European Certification mark of Conformity, based on Harmonised European Safety Standards. Currently accepted by 20 European countries, the ENEC 19 Mark for luminaires demonstrates that a product has been independently tested by the Lighting Association and certified by BEAB. In addition to product testing, annual factory inspection and market surveillance are integral requirements of the ENEC Mark, providing maximum confidence to everyone in the supply chain.

International CB testing and certification is also available to manufacturers, helping them to access markets outside Europe and overcome the complexities of conformity to international standards. Together with the ENEC service, this will provide luminaire manufacturers with a one-stop shop for all their testing and certification needs.

In a joint statement, Mike Vint, managing director of BEAB, said: "The BEAB ENEC Mark projects a quality image throughout Europe. By working in partnership with The Lighting Association, we are delighted to be able to extend our expertise by providing a BEAB ENEC certification service for luminaires"

One of Amsterdam’s latest landmarks is its futuristic stadium, the Amsterdam Arena. Home to Holland’s most famous football club, Ajax, the Arena has also created a number of opportunities for developers. Since its completion in 1996, the surrounding area has fast become a hotspot of urban renewal, with an ever-widening range of restaurants, cafes and hotels, malls, cinemas, and business centers.

One such development is Amsterdam’s new design emporium, Villa Arena. Conceived as a stylish home furnishings center, the building includes over 70 designer stores, and is intended to address the growing reluctance of shoppers to spend time browsing in stores, and to counter the allure of the cyber mall by offering a degree of entertainment, and a range of ancillary, non-retail facilities. With this multi-functionality in mind, Villa Arena required a lighting design that could match the modern demands for versatility. Lighting designers Hans Wolff & Partners asked local lighting supplier Fairlight to help find a creative solution, particularly to enhance the interior at night. Having previously had success with the Martin RoboColor Pro 400 on another shopping mall project, the choice was made to use the Pro 400 with a 33-degree lens.

Key to the Villa Arena experience is its light, spacious interior. Its four upper floors are arranged around a central atrium and dominated by a transparent air-cushion ceiling. The roof is formed by two transparent, air-injected membranes and supported by a light steel structure, an attractive feature but unable to support the ori

Film, art, hosiery and fashion was the combined theme for Laser Grafix on 17 September 2001 with a spectacular film projection on to London’s Natural History Museum. The occasion was the first night of London Fashion Week and Julian Roberts, designer for the fashion label 'nothing nothing', was launching his label 'Julian And'. Laser Grafix of Royston used three DLP 10SX Digital Video Projectors and ran the show footage from a Beta Cassette - with the equipment installed within the (now famous) Laser Grafix projection vehicle sited directly in front of the Museum. A 2000W outdoor sound system was used to playback live mixing by a Japanese student who works for the Fashion agency nothing nothing. The film was art directed by Julian Roberts who described his featured collection as "based on all the ‘heroes and anti-heroes’ who influence my fashion world, whether I like them or not."

The stunning evening projection onto this landmark museum by Laser Grafix’ Richard Hawkins proved to be a real crowd puller and set London Fashion Week off to a spectacular start.

Color Kinetics Inc has announced the awarding of its fifth US patent (#6,292,901). This newest patent covers Color Kinetics' new Smartjuice intelligent power technology and encompasses methods and systems for multiplexing power and data over conventional wiring, allowing for control of intelligent digital light fixtures. Smartjuice technology can be found in the company’s Juice Box product, which is used to enable advanced control of the company’s award-winning iColor MR lamps.

Smartjuice is a new technology that adds a new level of lighting control and design options in many environments, such as retail, architectural, and residential. Producing advanced dynamic lighting effects before Color Kinetics Smartjuice technology meant adding a data cable to the existing wiring setup. But Color Kinetics’ patented Smartjuice technology multiplexes power and data on one wire so that data can be delivered over existing wiring, eliminating the need for separate wires. With Smartjuice technology, design professionals get sophisticated intelligent control of digital lamps with an easy, clean installation never before possible.