Lighting designer Ken Billington has recently used the award-winning Selecon Pacific on his latest Broadway triumph - Noel Coward's Waiting in the Wings. Billington used the 90 degree Pacifics on the show, and commented: "As well as everyone else working on the show, I was blown away by the Pacific's performance." Popular for its cost-effective, safe and reliable qualities, the Selecon Pacific recently won the Entech 2000 Innovation in Lighting award in Sydney, Australia, and is gracing venues all over the world including City Recital Hall, Sydney; The Promenade Shopping Centre, Singapore (architectural version) and in the UK, the Blackpool Grand Theatre.

Business and Industrial Trade Fairs Ltd has announced that the third International Amusement Facilities and Equipment Exhibition (China Amusement Expo 2000), scheduled to take place in May, will now take place from June 28 - July 1 at the China World Trade Centre. The postponement by the organiser is a strategic response to the recent policy of the State Council of the People's republic of China in extending the Labour Holiday on May 1 until May 3.

Pulsar has announced that the Lighting Technology Group has been appointed a new Clay Paky and Pulsar reseller. Following the amalgamation of existing resellers, Cerebrum Lighting and Sound Electronics, becoming part of the Lighting Technology Group, natural progression has led to this appointment. LTG's sales and marketing director Garry Nelsson told PLASA Publishing: "Lighting Technology is moving into the next exciting period of its evolution and we are thrilled that a closer working relationship with Pulsar has been developed. The two companies are industry thoroughbreds that will learn, gain and profit from one another."

Virgin Radio has upgraded its studio headphones to beyerdynamic DT 150s - with a distinctive orange finish to fit in with the company's corporate 'Ginger Media' image. The story started with Chris Evans and the breakfast show crew discussing the virtues of football sponsorship and looking around the studio for a product that they themselves could attract sponsorship for. They picked out the beyerdynamic DT 100 headphones being used for the morning show. The challenge was broadcast, live on air, for a headphone company to come forward and meet the challenge. The Virgin offices received a number of headphones for consideration, and beyerdynamic chose to send the specially-finished orange DT 150s - the high performance version of the DT 100s already in use. Chris Evans exclaimed 'delight' at the new headphones and promptly had more pairs ordered for the rest of the crew.

Following the success of LMC's Spirit 324 Live Workshops at the recent Live! Show, LMC have decided to hold two further seminars at its Birmingham and Leeds branches. The workshops are designed to be technical hands-on training sessions with both Spirit and LMC technical experts on call to answer any of your questions. Each session is expected to last an hour and should leave you fully ready to confidently mix a gig on a Spirit 324 Live.Admission to the workshops is free and by ticket only - both sessions are to be held on Thursday 30th March 2000, the Birmingham branch workshop at 10.30am, and the Leeds workshop at 4pm. To register, please call Saffron Wynn-Jones at LMC Audio Systems on 0208 743 4680 or alternatively email her on swynnjones@lmcaudio.co.uk

MAVCO has been awarded the contract to design, supply and provide project engineering services for the complete local entertainment, shipwide broadcast and PA/BGM systems for AMCV's Project America newbuild programme - for two 1,900-passenger cruise ships for service in Hawaii - the largest cruise ships ever built in the United States. The vessels will begin service in 2003 and 2004 under the United States Lines brand. The contract, which includes the design and preparation of complete engineering specifications for lighting, audio, video, rigging and show control systems for 15 venues, is being undertaken at MAVCO's recently-opened Design and Engineering office in the UK under the direction of Rob Shuard. Other current assignments include Costa Cruises' newest and largest ship, the 2,680 passenger Costa Atlantica currently being built in Finland. MAVCO is providing complete audio systems and project engineering from its new workshop fabrication and production facilities in Turku. The 84,000-ton Costa Atlantica offers seven bars, a two-level restaurant, cafe, gym, casino, conference room - and three swimming pools.

Tannoy Dual Concentric have been installed into Bateaux London's 350-capacity restaurant cruiser The Symphony by London-based Terry Tew Sound and Light. Tannoy speakers are used for both vocal and music reproduction and were specified for their sound quality and compact size. The speakers were installed into The Symphony to improve sound quality in the dance floor area and include a pair of T12 full-range multi-purpose speakers featuring Tannoy's Dual Concentric drive units. The T12s are used in conjunction with a single T40 compact sub-bass system to provide effective sound reinforcement on the dance floor area.

Pete Brotzman's new company, Crystal Pro Audio, undertook its first Walkabout Inn fit-out recently, using a Crest CA modular amplifier series (supplied by Sound Dept) with 'overbuilt' power supply to power the complex live and playback audio system, distributed across two floors. Brotzman used the CA series to run a Martin Audio Wavefront 8C PA and LE400 stage monitor system at the Swansea venue, along with a number of EM series boxes for delays and infills. The three sections of the Wavefront 8 were driven by CA2, CA6 and CA18 amplifiers respectively, while further CA4s, CA6s and CA9s power the EM boxes. A pair of BSS Omnidrive Installs are used to crossover the system, and the settings are programmed into a pair of BSS 9088 Soundwebs and fed to the relevant zones. Playback is sourced from a Rolec Hard Disk system and Tascam five-CD multi-changer.

London Arts Board has awarded The Queen's Theatre £50,000 for core funding. The theatre plays as a producing venue for Outer East London and the £50,000 represents the entire allocation for 2000-2001 for LAB's new fund to develop Outer London Theatre. The Queen's is the only producing theatre in the country to regain funding from central arts sources after having been a victim of the national cuts in 1985 under the Arts Council of Great Britain's Glory of the Garden Review.

Status Quo is to be the subject of a major documentary by BBC TV. The band will perform a live concert, recorded at the Shepherds Bush Empire between 25-28 March, which will be included in the TV special. LD Pat Marks plundered his design from the band's tour at the end of last year. He will use the house Par system and the 12 Clay Paky Golden Scan HPEs the Empire possesses, plus Mac 500s, Mini-Mags, ColourMags and ETC Source Fours all supplied by LSD. Marks will also use an Avolites Sapphire for the moving lights, and put the conventionals on an Avolites Pearl. The band will play a 40-minute set in front of a live audience, which, sadly, is destined to be cut to just a two-minute insert for the documentary.

After more than three years in development, the new £10.6million 200-seat Soho Theatre and Writers' Centre has opened in Dean Street, London. It becomes the West End's first ever purpose-built theatre for new work. Until 1995, the Company had been resident at the Cockpit Theatre, premiering the work of over 35 writers. Homeless in the interim, it was not until 1997 that it was able to purchase, 21 Dean Street and appoint Paxton Locher as Architects to oversee the conversion. Work began soon after and was completed in January this year. The new building includes a comfortable, air-conditioned theatre, a studio, rehearsal room and also, uniquely, space for writers and facilities for seminars and workshops - alongside, on the ground floor, the award-winning bar and restaurant Cafe Lazeez.

Stagetec has recently completed the supply and the installation of the performance lighting control systems, sound reinforcement and communication systems for two new music performance spaces and a sound recording studio at the new Mick Jagger Centre in Dartford. The project involved the redevelopment of parts of Dartford Grammar School, including the existing school hall, old gymnasium and old school library. The new spaces were integrated into the existing buildings and incorporate new foyer and administration areas. Theatre consultants Carr & Angier designed all aspects of the stage technical equipment. Full story in April L&SI.

Barco's has signed a co-operative development agreement with Texas Instruments, giving Barco access to TI's new DLP Cinematechnology. The agreement will allow Barco to develop a completely new range of projectors that will have the capability of replacing 35 mm film projectors in cinemas around the worldand potentially opens a multi-billion USD market for the company as more than 100,000 cinema screens around the world convert from traditional film to digitally-based projection systems over the course of the next 10 to 20 years. DLP Cinema technology is a further enhancement of TI's Digital Light Processing technology which Barco is already using in its large venue projectors for the rental and staging markets. By comparison with these large venue DLP-based projectors, the DLP Cinema technology features even higher contrast, together with colour processing designed to replicate the visual experience of film.

Christie Lites has announced the opening of Christie Lites Dallas (CLD). The company's new operation will be headed up by Kevin Leckey (operations) and Alan Niebur (sales). The 16,000sq.ft facility, located minutes from downtown Dallas, will support the Christie Lites multi-office network, which already covers Calgary, Toronto, Vancouver and Orlando, serving both the regional and touring markets. The company can be contacted at 4801 Reading Street, Dallas, TX 75247. T: +1 (214) 352 5252, F: +1 (214) 357 5757.

From next spring, Bristol's visitors and residents will have access to one of the most sophisticated learning and leisure destinations in the world. An imaginative mix of science, nature and art, the £97 million at-Bristol landmark millennium project makes extensive used of advanced media techniques. The centre is home to two major attractions - the scientifically-led Explore-at-Bristol and Wildscreen-at-Bristol which will reveal the diversity of the natural world. The centre also includes an Imax large-format cinema and planetarium. As principal AV partner, Sony will provide a broad range of professional display solutions, including its PFM-500 professional flat screen monitors, VPL-S900 and VPL-X2000E LCD projectors, together with a range of monitors and LCD panels.

Giant outdoor screen specialist Screenco is celebrating its 15th anniversary this Spring . . . with brand new, much larger premises in Hampshire, UK. The company, which was founded in 1985, has grown to become one of the world's leading suppliers of giant CRT and LED outdoor screens and screen mobiles, with offices and associated companies based in the UK, Holland, Germany, Australia and the USA. The new HQ is at Fareham in Hampshire, around 10 miles from the former Eastleigh base. The 13,000sq.ft facility gives the company more than double the warehouse space of the old building and greatly improved office and workshop space. Screenco has also unveiled a brand new website which includes full details of the company's range of rental video screen, camera and portable production unit (PPU) services, equipment and key team members.

Britannia Row Productions masterminded the audio production for the BRIT Awards 2000 which took place at Earls Court 2 in early March. The Wandsworth-based company worked with sound designer, Derek Zieba, for the event. Chris Coxhead and Bob Lopez controlled the front-of-house sound, with Vince Sharpe and Andy Ray covering monitoring world. For the loudspeaker reinforcement Brit Row drew exclusively from its large Turbosound Flashlight inventory. The main system consisted of TFS-780 and 760 LCR clusters, with LCR delays and various audience and pit fills. This will be the fourth consecutive year that Derek Zieba has chosen Brit Row and Turbosound for the BPI's premier event.

Some 2,500 children from all over the country arrived at the Millennium Dome recently to celebrate Children's Promise. The event gave the Dome the opportunity to use its newly-installed Soundcraft K1 console, which is connected into the central show BSS 9088 Soundweb network.The day was rounded off in Skyscape, with a 'Voices of Promise' concert, with a Soundcraft Series 5 desk on monitors (mixed by Mark Crawley). As a full 57-piece orchestra, a band, and child choirs of varying vocal timbres all had to be mixed, the decision was made to split the FOH mixes. While the resident 48-channel Series 5 FOH desk was assigned to band, radio mic, Genex and VT mixes, one of the Dome's roving 32-input Soundcraft K3 desks was brought in to handle the orchestral mixes, with Pete Bartlett and Matt Napier on respective engineering duties. 10 Soundweb DSP networking devices are used in Skyscape, switched between surround sound in cinema mode and straight left/right. A Soundweb in each of the C Audio Pulse amp racks (using 2x1100 and 2x650 models) handled loudspeaker management for both the JBL HLA PA rig and floor monitors; the FOH processing was in conventional analogue, though the final output was sent to the stage via Soundweb down a single Cat 5 cable.

Application Solutions has appointed Peco Electronics as the exclusive UK distributor for the brand new Integra range of high performance amplifiers. The two companies worked together on the design of the new system, combining ASL's expertise in electronics with Peco's market intelligence. First to appear will be the Integra MA 6-120, a 120W mixer amplifier.

France's premier subscriber TV giant, Canal+, has launched i>television, a news-based channel offering news bulletins every fifteen minutes interspersed with lifestyle features and music slots. EVI Audio in Paris has supplied i>television with two Midas Heritage 3000s mixing desks, one for each of their studios. Mathieu Ninat, sound engineer and audio specifier for the new channelexplained his choice. "I was already familiar with the XL-3, having seen it in a variety of applications. I know that the preamp and EQ sections are excellent and obviously it¹s a highly versatile product, so when Midas launched the Heritage 3000 with even more features, I was extremely interested. EVI Audio arranged for me to visit the factory in Kidderminster where I was able to examine the desk in detail, and I must say I was extremely impressed."

HW International, sole UK distributor for Shure, have been awarded the title of International Distributor of the Year. Each year Shure honours one international distribution centre for its contribution to the company's global sales and marketing efforts. This year the award was presented to HW's managing director Dennis Harburn at a Shure celebration dinner held during the recent Winter NAMM in Los Angeles.

The ABTT is launching a series of lectures by people who are known for their contribution to the technical aspects of the Entertainment Industry. Organised by the North Region Committee of the ABTT, the lectures will be held in major venues across the North. The first of the lectures, accompanied by lunch, will be held at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester on Thursday April 27th. The first speaker in the series will be lighting designer Howard Eaton. Eaton has worked on several large shows with David Hersey including Cats, Song and Dance, Starlight Express and Nicholas Nickleby. As a lighting designer, he lit the first tour of Jesus Christ Superstar, and went on to work on productions in the West End and at the National Theatre. He started making lighting equipment for shows like Phantom in New York and all the motor control gear for the fledgling Unusual Rigging. From this work he started Howard Eaton Lighting (HELL) which manufactures a range of standard equipment and specials for the entertainment industry worldwide.

LA Audio has announced a new partnership with Expotus which aims to increase sales in major worldwide territories. LA Audio, owned by the SCV International Group, has coupled the change in distribution with the re-engineering of the British-based signal processing range, which will be on show at the Frankfurt Musik Messe. Martin Capp, MD of Expotus told PLASA Publishing: "Expotus made its name through being at the forefront of international exports for over 30 years. Adding LA Audio to our portfolio enables us to strengthen our distribution network and offer project solutions."

ARRI and Strand are among the first companies to take space at Showlight 2001. To date, 15 of the lighting industry's most famous names are taking advantage of the opportunity to be a part of the event which allows lighting designers, manufacturers and suppliers to meet and discuss ideas. The current list of sponsors includes ADB, ARRI, Avolites, Cirro Lite, DedoLight, DHA Lighting, ETC Europe, High End Systems/Flying Pig, Howard Eaton Lighting, Lee Filters, Northern Light, Optikinetics, Philips, Strand and White Light. Taking place every four years, Showlight is organised by lighting professionals for lighting professionals and allows attendees the opportunity to mix with some of the top names in theatre, film, television and architectural and themed lighting design.