USA - Visitors to LDI will have a chance to demo Obsidian’s hardware and PC systems, including the NX1, Obsidian’s scalable, full-featured lighting console that has propelled the Onyx platform's popularity to new heights. A compact, motorised fader wing, the NXP, as well as a small USB-powered control surface for ONYX, the NXK, both companions to the NX1 console, will also be on display.
On display in Obsidian’s popular line of Netron signal distribution devices will be the world’s first line of IP65-rated data distribution products for entertainment, recent winner of a PLASA Award for Innovation. Utilising a custom-designed sealed chassis, IP ports and touch controls, Netron IP65 solutions are provided as a six-port RDM Splitter (RDM6 IP), six-port EtherDMX Node (EN6 IP) and an eight-port managed POE switch (NS8 IP).
Obsidian is also launching a comprehensive

UK - Held over two days at the Business Design Centre, LiGHT 23 - the trade show dedicated to lighting specification - saw a 43% increase in attendees from its launch event last year - closing its doors to ‘a buzz of positivity’.
The design community came out in force to support the show - with 4,776 attendees passing through the doors to see the latest offerings from more than 150 international lighting brands and engage with 22 talks and presentations from design experts working with light, all while making new industry connections through various networking opportunities.
Attended by a broad mix of designers working in architecture, interiors, lighting, and product design, as well as engineers, end-users, and specifiers, LiGHT 23 saw several new features introduced this year.
A particular highlight included the new darc space decorative area, which saw hig

Europe - Showlight has confirmed that it is back and will return ‘soon’. Following the enforced postponement of Showlight 2023 and a bumpy ride during the pandemic, the committee has reassembled and is working towards the next in the series of this industry networking event.
The Showlight committee is currently exploring new locations and actively seeking sponsorship for the next Showlight, the date and location of which will be confirmed in the New Year.
Many experienced committee members are joined by a flush of new members in organising what promises to be one of the most exciting issues of this quadrennial to date.
Incoming Showlight chairman, Jim Tetlow, who has moved from his previous position as papers chairman, says: “We are truly excited that Showlight is back with such energy and cannot wait to bring our delegates a fantastic programme of papers

UK - Creamfields festival has announced a new 30,000-capacity indoor main stage for Creamfields festival, set to become the largest indoor festival superstructure in the world according to the promoter.
The new stage, Apex, will extend the main stage opening until 4am on Saturday for the first time and will offer an additional main stage destination on Friday. The four-day Creamfields will take place on August Bank Holiday (22-25 August) next year in Daresbury, Cheshire. The line-up is still to be announced.

USA - SPH Engineering will announce the winners of the 4th International Drone Show Competition at LDI on 4 December at 6:15 pm at the Las Vegas Convention Centre during the LDI 2023 Expo.
In partnership with Sky Elements, SPH Engineering will host a Drone Show, showcasing the outstanding achievements of the Drone Show Competition. The evening will also feature an Award Ceremony, recognising and rewarding the exceptional participants of the competition.
The 4th International Drone Show Competition marks the culmination of a year filled with innovation in the drone show industry. Alexander Levandovskiy, head of drone show technologies at SPH Engineering, stated: "Our mission is clear: to unite the brightest minds from around the globe, showcase their mesmerizing drone shows, and foster a sense of the drone show community. This year, we are proud to extend the competitio

UK - Polar recently enjoyed a successful demonstration of HK Audio products at Com Church in Dunstable. Visitors witnessed live demos of the HK Cosmo line array as well as the brand’s Linear 5 MKII and Linear 9 systems.
Polar’s dedicated Pro Audio division, led by Andy Plunkett, staged the event in conjunction with Remedy Sound Limited, who assisted with the setup. This well-received demo day follows on from Polar’s roadshow events earlier in the year, and according to Andy Plunkett will be the first of many more in 2024.
“One of the main reasons that we decided to form a dedicated Pro Audio division within Polar is to facilitate customer engagement with our premium brands,” says Plunkett. “It's obviously vital to demonstrate high-performance loudspeaker technology; now that we have more capacity to do this across the UK, we’re planning more organised eve

UK - PLASA recently hosted the 2023 Member AGM at the Victory Services Club in London, for an afternoon of friendly networking and business insights.
PLASA chair Adam Blaxill kicked off proceedings by sharing the association’s activities and plans. Plus, new board members and board positions were announced.
Following the official AGM, attendees enjoyed a virtual presentation from renowned behavioural economist, Roger Martin-Fagg. During which, Roger detailed the current economic position of the UK and provided his expert financial forecast for the year ahead.
Then record-breaking mountaineer Kenton Cool took to the stage for an invigorating talk in which he shared harrowing stories of survival and unbelievable feats.
To round off the event, members and guests enjoyed drinks and canapes into the evening, sharing industry experiences and anecdotes.
PL

USA - The Austrian AV technology manufacturer AV Stumpfl will present new Pixera 2.0 media server features and their Blackpeak projection screen surface at LDI (booth #783) in Las Vegas.
One of the highlights of AV Stumpfl’s Pixera version 2.0 is its multi-user workflow capability, which will allow media server operators to be much more flexible and efficient when working on complex installations or show environments.
Users now have granular control over how they collaborate on Pixera projects. They can opt to share only a single portion, such as a projection warp or editing a compositing timeline, or they can open up the entire project to the other users connected to the system.
Another upcoming Pixera feature highlight is Content Remapping, which makes it possible to define multiple areas within a content frame, and to position them separately in the composit

USA - ACT Entertainment will present multiple solutions from its various brands at LDI 2023 (Booth 365). This includes the debut of new products from Ayrton and the latest solutions from Visual Productions, a brand which ACT will be showcasing for the first time at this show.
“Each of these new products bring the kind of thoughtfulness and quality we expect to deliver to our customers, and we’re certain they’ll be invaluable tools for them going forward,” says Ryan Hindinger, market manager: concert touring & live experiences, ACT Entertainment.
“Since announcing our partnership with Visual Productions earlier this year, we have made great strides in familiarising our U.S.-based customers with the brand’s solutions. Additionally, Ayrton is already well-known to our customers, to whom we’re excited to show three new and very different lighti

USA - Elation will continue to push the boundaries in entertainment lighting at the upcoming LDI tradeshow in Las Vegas with a string of premiere product launches designed to empower the creative spirit. Lighting professionals are invited to Elation Booth #1342 at the Las Vegas Convention Centre to see first-hand ‘a line-up of trend-setting solutions that blend the art of light with the science of lighting innovation’.
Highlights in the Proteus series of multi-environmental luminaires include the IP66-rated Proteus Hybrid MAX, a hybrid fixture with pioneering technology that launches as the torch-bearing successor of the Proteus Hybrid.
Also on display will be the Proteus Odeon, a framing profile fixture with an industry-first completely variable CRI LED engine; and Proteus Radius, a high-intensity Beam FX fixture with Solid State phosphor-converted light engine f

France - As previously announced, Robe Lighting s.r.o. has now acquired lighting and digital media control brand Avolites.
In line with other Robe subsidiaries, Robe Lighting France will now co-ordinate sales and technical support for the Avolites brand throughout the French territory, starting from 13 November.
Bruno Garros, general manager of Robe Lighting France, commented: "Firstly I’d like to thank the teams at previous Avolites distributor Algam for their professionalism throughout the transition period.
“Going forward, this is a fantastic opportunity for us to work with a truly iconic lighting and control brand with a reputation for quality, ingenuity and accessibility, and this level of vertical development has always been part of Robe France’s overall strategy since its establishment in 2015."
He added: "Similar to the Robe and Anolis produ

USA - ROE Visual is promoting the fine-pitch rental solution, Topaz, among other products for the live events market at LDI 2023.
The ROE booth for the 2023 show focuses on the touring side of the live events space, with a comprehensive stage setup reminiscent of the many stage designs involving ROE Visual panels over the years. Attendees will have the opportunity to get up close and personal with the panels, with a multitude of configurations at their fingertips.
LDI is the first North American show to exhibit the new, all-purpose live events LED panel, Topaz. This new series comes in three versatile versions - Topaz flat, curve, and cube - allowing event organisers and AV rental companies to ‘unleash their creativity while still achieving a superior return on investment’.
In addition to Topaz’s unveiling, the show will be the locale for other technology

UK - Iluminarc will be on booth 45 during LiGHT23 at the Business Design Centre in Islington, London, this week. Centred around the theme ‘Building Beautiful’ the company’s exhibit will showcase a collection of architectural lighting products intended to ‘enhance the depth and quality of any design’.
Occupying a prominent position in the Iluminarc booth will be the Logic line of interior architectural lights. This series features three streamlined form factors: Logic Graze, Logic Cove, and Logic Downlights.
All fixtures in the Logic line are all driven by the Logic Drive 2X, a compact control unit that provides combined data and power over widely available Ethernet cables, using Power over Ethernet technology. Other features include comprehensive scheduling and calendar functions, as well as a wide range of control options.
Joining the Logic units at t

UK - Production Futures exists to create opportunities for young people to learn, train, network and develop real careers in production across every area of the live event, music, touring, theatre, TV, broadcast and film industries. The organisation runs a series of On Tour events throughout the year, where young visitors from all over the UK are able to directly connect with representatives of its brand partners to learn more about and explore employment opportunities in the industry.
Its next event will take place at Fly By Nite (FBN) Studios in Redditch on 9 February 2024.
Set to attract a wide range of young people from across the West Midlands, this free of charge event will promote employability, transferable skills, diversity, free training, networking, and will present more paid work opportunities than ever before to newcomers across the live event and broadc

UK - ISCVE’s successful Get Ahead event was held last week at the prestigious Rose Shure Experience Centre in London. The event was simultaneously broadcast live online to pre-registered attendees.
Featuring three presentations from industry experts, this year’s Get Ahead event provided valuable insights into the latest technologies. Attendees, including both members and non-members, enjoyed three presentations and lunch providing ample opportunities to catch up and chat.
The first presentation, titled The Challenge of Intelligibility in VA, was delivered by Pawel Zakrzeswski from Ambient System. Dr. Peter Mapp presented the second talk, titled Assistive Listening Systems - Access to Intelligible Audio is a Right, Not a Privilege. Greg Madge concluded the event with his presentation titled Surviving the Death of the High Street.
The feedb

USA - As part of the Behind the Scenes (BTS) Mental Health Initiative, BTS and LDI are bringing the Wellness Lounge to LDI 2023, (3-5 December) in Las Vegas. The Wellness Lounge offers attendees a safe space to learn about mental and physical health through daily presentations, activities, and one-on-one consultations.
Each morning will start with Cup of Coffee Yoga where no experience, equipment, or special attire is required for a brief yoga practice with ETC’s VP of marketing, David Lincecum. Immediately following, participants can sample the benefits of breathing and meditation with University of Tennessee lighting professor and licensed meditation instructor Kenton Yeager.
In the afternoons, all attendees are invited to experience short presentations by industry colleagues on a range of topics that can improve your mental and physical wellbeing.
E

Spain - High-tech innovation in Europe and Latin America is paving the way for unprecedented collaboration and commerce between the two vibrant regions. ISE 2024 will be exploring these opportunities in a summit on 30-31 January 2024.
The European / Latin American AV Summit (ELAS), supported by ACCIO-Catalonia Trade & Investment, promises to ‘unite government representatives, thought leaders, and industry giants to foster understanding, strengthen connections, and ignite innovation across continents’.
Integrated Systems Events managing director, Mike Blackman, says: “ELAS 2024 represents the epitome of cross-continental collaboration, offering a platform for technology pioneers from Europe and Latin America to exchange ideas and foster innovative partnerships. We are proud to host key speakers to address the inaugural summit, including Jaume Collboni, Mayor

UK - This year, the Association of British Theatre Technicians’ annual general meeting and council election announcement took place at the landmark venue Woolwich Works, London on the 31October.
Three vacancies on the ABTT Council came into being at the time of the AGM. The council, which is made up of 11 trustee-directors, each elected by the membership maintains the running of the ABTT Group, is responsible for the overall management of the ABTT and provides vital support in steering and advising the association’s work.
The ABTT received nominations for election as a trustee-director from Alexander Cann, senior lighting tutor at Mountview and Anton Woodword, managing director - AVW Controls (who had both completed their current three-year term of office and wished to reapply) and from Suzy Somerville, head of production at Birmingham Rep.
As three nominati

UK - EM Acoustics recently held a week-long demo event at their factory nestled amongst the scenic Surrey landscapes. The event, which took place in late October, focused on the launch of EM’s new R5 loudspeaker and was also a celebration of the brand’s 21st anniversary.
“We have the facilities here at the factory to host people and give them a first-hand feel for the capabilities of our products,” explains Mike Wheeler, operations director at EM Acoustics. “The launch of the latest addition to our Reference Series was a catalyst for organising the event, and we’re incredibly pleased with the number of visitors we’ve welcomed, some of whom travelled internationally to be here.”
Each day of the event was split into morning and afternoon sessions, with attendees invited to enjoy a full demonstration not only of the full Reference Series but also the rest

UK - Polar will stage a demonstration featuring products by HK Audio at Com Church in Dunstable on Monday 20 November. The HK Audio range attracted strong interest as part of Polar’s recent highly successful roadshow events across the UK, prompting its team to stage an event dedicated entirely to the brand.
Visitors to the event will enjoy a live demo of the HK Audio Cosmo integrative and highly flexible line array, as well as the chance to experience the brand’s Linear 5 MKII and flagship Linear 9 systems.
Polar’s Andy Plunkett, who will manage the event, comments: “Our recent run of roadshows left us in no doubt just how much our customers appreciate the chance to get hands-on with audio systems in ‘real-life’ settings. There’s simply no substitute for first-hand experience when it comes to making purchasing decisions.
“For us, it’s also a va

USA - At this year's Live Design International (LDI) from 3-5 December, Cameo - the lighting technology brand of the Adam Hall Group - will be presenting various innovations and product highlights that will significantly expand the range of professional lighting designers, operators and rental service providers.
In addition to the OTOS IP65 models SP6 (Spot Profile) and B5 (Beam) and the PIXBAR G2 IP65 LED bars, the focus will be on the new products of the AZOR series, which will be presented to the public for the first time at LDI. Cameo will be showcasing its product portfolio at LDI 2023 together with its North American partner Theatrixx at booth 1145.
Cameo can look back on more than 10 years of experience in the professional lighting industry and impresses professionals all over the world with lighting technology for live, event, theatre and architectural lightin

Japan - A significant highlight at this year’s Inter BEE will be the presence of Brompton Technology, featured on the stands of partners including Ark Ventures Inc., AOTO Electronics, Sony Marketing Inc., Ikegami, d&b audiotechnik, and Restar Communications Corporation. Notably, the team from Ark Ventures will introduce Brompton’s TrueLight technology for the first time in Asia.
As well as TrueLight, which enables full per-pixel calibration and control of the light spectrum emitted by an LED panel with a broader spectral output by utilising extra emitters in addition to the standard RGB format, Brompton’s partners will also present other leading Tessera features, such as Frame Remapping, that are utilised by some of the world’s most renowned broadcast studios.
"At Inter BEE, Ark Ventures will showcase state-of-the-art technologies from Brompton and other ma

South Africa - St Mary's School Waverley, located in Johannesburg, recently marked the return of the Battle of the Bands competition hosted in the school’s 540-seater theatre, The Edge.
The event, which has a history spanning more than a decade, was put on hold during the COVID pandemic from 2020 to 2022. This year the primary objective was to rekindle the competition and to offer young talents a platform equipped with lighting and audio to showcase their musical skills.
Sasha Ehlers is the head of culturals at St Mary’s and the technical manager at The Edge and has enjoyed being part of the Battle of the Bands, taking over as technical director for the festival in 2018. What she appreciates most about the competition is the inspiration she gets by helping young people gain confidence, find their “tribe”, and experience the joy of live performances.
This

UK - Staged at the conclusion of its recent On Tour event at Production Park in Wakefield, this year’s expanded format Production Futures Breakthrough Awards proved to be a major success.
The Awards recognise and mark the achievements of young talent within the production industries, with a mission to inspire the next generation. Designed in cooperation with Awards sponsors, the 2023 edition based the ‘prize’ around ‘opportunity and access’ in contrast to the customary ‘glass trophy recognition.
More than 200 people from countries including Germany, USA, Dubai and the Netherlands in attendance to witness 18 winners receive their awards in 20 categories.
Chief executive Hannah Eakins was thrilled with the response to the updated format: “It was hands-down the best thing we could have done. We loved the new concept because the recipients got so much m

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