The Netherlands - Chief has announced a new suspended ceiling lift that claims to make installation up to 10 times faster than a conventional lift.

The SL220 features a quick three-step installation method that simplifies adding automation into an installation. It no longer requires two or more people to install; you only need one person and one ladder. No floor lift is required.

The lift measures 600 x 600 mm (2ftx2ft) to snap easily into ceiling grids and is made of lightweight aircraft-grade alluminium for easy handling. You can use this lift with any of Chief's popular projector

UK - When Northern Light won a competitive tender to provide an advanced technical infrastructure for the new £35 million Aylesbury Waterside Theatre, the company set out to design a fully-integrated system that was versatile, reconfigurable and provided the facility to carry out remote system diagnostics over a LAN via the resident PC.

Working to a specification devised by Carr & Angier Theatre Consultants, evenly dispersed sound was of paramount importance, since there are three audience tiers (including fixed-seating balcony and upper balcony levels), and optional ground floo

UK - Theatre planning and design practice Fisher Dachs Associates has announced the opening of its new office in the UK. The Stratford-upon-Avon office joins FDA offices in New York City and Seattle, Washington, and will be led by Flip Tanner who comes to FDA directly from a 19-year career at the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC).

Over the last nine years Tanner has been instrumental in developing both the temporary Courtyard and the permanent Royal Shakespeare Theatre for the RSC, where his work culminates when the company opens its new facility in January.

Joshua Dachs, FDA's princi

China - Robert Juliat has supplied a large quantity of profiles and followspots to the newly built Guangzhou Opera House in China.

Designed by London based Zaha Hadid Architects, Guangzhou Opera House has been created as a leading 'palace of art', and a landmark of both the city's new development and Guangzhou's cultural status.

Based around a 'twin boulder' design, the venue consists of an 1800-seat opera house and 400-seat multi-functional theatre. These will run a broad programme encompassing ballet, symphony orchestral music, experimental drama and artistic and cultural exchange

Argentina - Opened in 1908, Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires is considered one of the most prestigious opera houses in the world. Renowned for both its architecture and magnificent acoustics, it has hosted such stars as Maria Callas, Richard Strauss, Arturo Toscanini, Igor Stravinsky, Enrico Caruso, and Luciano Pavarotti.

Over time, the opera house began to show signs of its age and was in need of a technological update. When Mayor Mauricio Macri gave the approval to move forward with the redesign, Teatro Colon turned to lighting designer Ernesto Diz who enlisted the help of Stage Tech S

Malaysia - A K.M.E. Pano line array system has been installed in the banquet hall of the Kingwood Hotel in Sibu, Sarawak.

The Kingwood Hotel is the only four star hotel in the state of Sarawak and owns the largest banquet hall of the region with up to 2.500 seats. It is used for conferences, industry events, balls and banquets. Recently the 12th Senior Citizen Fellowship Conference and the 7th Biennial Union of World Liu's Association Convention took place, two important Malaysian events with each up to 2.000 international guests.

Wah Lee Hong of Kuala Lumpur decided on four QL 906

Spain - Ateis Europe's public address technology played a key role in the service of consecration at the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, 128 years after building work on the church began. In a sombre, yet impressive ceremony on 7 November, Pope Benedict XVI blessed the altar and bestowed basilica minor status on Antoni Gaudi's unfinished masterpiece.

A comprehensive PA system installed by Ateis' Spanish distributor, Optimus SA, ensured that the congregation of more than 6,500 people heard every word of the Pope's blessing. The installation was challenging for many reasons: because const

The Netherlands - ShowTex Netherlands manufactured and installed all stage draperies and tracks to finish off the total renovation of the historic DeLaMar theater in Amsterdam. Opening this month, the extensive construction was made possible by the VandenEnde foundation.

Performances in the 950 seat theatre and 600 seat capacity hall will range from classical theatre to musicals, cabaret, and comedy. The cultural venue will also house a specially commissioned photography collection with works from prominent photographers like Koos Breukel, Hans Eijkelboom, Cuny Jansen, Erwin Olaf, Viv

UK - A.C. Special Projects has provided audio solutions featuring a fixed installation background music system and a separate high performance DJ PA system for the K West Hotel & Spa in London's Shepherd's Bush.

K West was looking to upgrade its existing bar and restaurant speaker system to increase the venue's appeal as a premier nightlife destination during evenings and weekends. They approached A.C. Special Projects to specify, supply and install a discreet audio solution providing high quality sound for day-time background music applications, as well as a more powerful PA system f

UK - Trussing specialist Milos UK has designed, manufactured and installed a super-grid with three moving sub-grids, a pile winding winch movement system and a full set of blackout drapes for Milton Studio One on the campus of the University of Huddersfield, West Yorkshire.

The venue is a magnificent Grade II listed theatre space within a former Methodist Church, now part of The Milton Building and home to the University's Drama, Theatre & Performance department.

Milos was one of eight companies invited to tender for the project by David Wainwright, senior technician and manager of

UK - Point Source Productions has supplied the lighting, power, control and smoke solutions for La Soirée, a new show on London's South Bank.

La Soirée presents a 'twisted take on cabaret and variety'. Playing to audiences of 900 people a night, the show takes place in a spiegeltent sandwiched between the National Theatre and Royal Festival Hall.

This is the second time Point Source Productions, working in conjunction with Dan Watkins of The Production Desk, has worked with lighting designer, Willie Suddon, having provided the lighting equipment for last

Peru - Twelve years and $20 million after it was destroyed by a disastrous fire, the Teatro Municipal de Lima has enjoyed a gala re-opening by President Alan Garcia Perez and Luis Castaneda Lossio, the Mayor of Lima. All eyes on the President, all ears on the new Nexo Geo D sound reinforcement system, discreetly installed stage side.

No expense has been spared on expert advice and the best technical solutions in the refurbishment of this prestigious cultural venue in Peru's capital. One of the city's most important theatres, it was home to the metropolitan opera, ballet and drama comp

UK - December sees the opening of a new Covent Garden venue, the fourth in central London owned and operated by the growing cocktail chain - Adventure Bar & Lounge. Light Bureau have provided architectural lighting design to the 160sq.m subterranean basement bar in Bedford Street close to the piazza.

Working closely with interior designer, Sophie Hibberd, Light Bureau produced a dramatic solution relying on some simple theatrical techniques whilst producing comfortable lighting to booths for customers to relax and drink.

This is quite an achievement as Light Bureau director Paul Nul

UK - With the official public opening of the new Royal Shakespeare Theatre (RST) on 24 November, Stage Electrics has completed its five-year-long role at the technical heart of this visionary transformation project.

The transformation was designed to create, in RSC artistic director Michael Boyd's words, "the best theatre in the world to perform the works of Shakespeare". It involved a massive reconstruction that created a new RST auditorium with a thrust stage and embraced the adjacent Swan Theatre, with a colonn

USA - First Baptist Church Cleveland (FBC) in Cleveland, Tennessee set out to build a new facility whose technical capabilities would support and enhance a variety of worship styles, including contemporary services with a strong sound and media component. To provide sound reinforcement in the new campus' 1700-seat worship center, FBC Cleveland chose an Electro-Voice PA system.

Phase One of construction was recently completed at the new 38-acre site, which features nearly 95,000sq.ft of worship, education, and commons/fellowship space. Development, design, and construction were handled

UK - The expanding Colombo Group, headed by former fabric head of promotion Steve Ball and Riz Shaikh, recently added its first live/dance club to a portfolio of London bars and gastro-pubs.

Occupying the site of the former Bardens Boudoir in Dalston, East London, is The Nest, where technology specialists Middlesex Sound & Light (MSL) were tasked with designing a flexible sound system around Martin Audio components.

The brand had been specifically requested by Steve Ball and Matt Monhardt, general manager of the 300-capacity venue. "Martin Audio is the best sound system we've h

UK / USA - North London-based VDC Trading has appointed specialist audio and lighting supplier, Group One as a key distributor of Van Damme cables across North America. VDC is the sole representing agent for Van Damme globally, and the co-ordination of all distribution deals is central part of that role.

The deal formalises a long standing relationship with Group One, which has been working with VDC on an ad hoc basis for some time. According to export manager, Andy Dennis, the agreement marks a significant step forward as VDC pursues a concerted international expansion strategy.

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Russia - As part of its current restoration, the Moscow Conservatory has purchased a Studer Vista 9 digital console for recording, post-production and broadcast from its Great Hall, as well as a Soundcraft Vi1 digital console for multipurpose use, including at front of house when required.

The Moscow Conservatory was founded in 1866 by Russian musician Nikolai Rubinstein. It has established itself as one of the world's most renowned institutions of musical education. In 1940, it was named after the great Russian composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky.

With a seating capacity of 1,737, the Great

USA - Opened in 1895, the University of Pennsylvania's Franklin Field has been designated by the NCAA as the oldest stadium still operating for football games. The stadium boasts a long list of history-making events, including the site of the nation's first scoreboard (1895), the nation's first two-tiered stadium (1922), the first football radio broadcast (WIP, 1922), the first football telecast (PhilCo, 1939) and Vince Lombardi's only NFL playoff loss (1960).

The University recently upgraded Franklin Field's ageing sound system with a new system based around R-Series weather-resistan

UK - Viewfax Multimedia has installed a Bose sound system in the new TGI Friday's themed diner in Meadowhall, Sheffield.

The Bose system is designed to provide even sound coverage throughout this particularly challenging venue. As well as differing ceiling heights, there is a mix of large open seating areas right next to smaller enclosed spaces, and music volume is programmed to rise and fall at set times throughout the day and evening.

The Bose ControlSpace ESP-88 audio management system with a CC64 control centre gives a flexible means of selecting input, controlling output and mo

UK - Yamaha's DME series of digital mixing engines is proving a major success in venues where multi-functional use is required. One of the latest examples is at Pavilion Dance in the English resort of Bournemouth.

Intended primarily as a development and performance space for dance, the £3.3m Bournemouth Borough Council and Arts Council England project had to be able to host an array of events, including interactive workshops, film showings, conferences, theatre and live music. This is a not-uncommon demand nowadays, to max

UK - A.C. Special Projects has provided a multi-zone audio solution for the Da Mario Italian restaurant. Located a short walk from Kensington Palace in London, the 120 year old building's architecture merges Venetian and Gothic styles and was commissioned by Queen Victoria. In addition to the main ground floor restaurant, the venue features a basement level separated into a bar, a DJ dancefloor used for disco music nights and private parties, and a further smaller dining area.

When Da Mario wanted to centralise control of separate sound systems in each zone, they approached A.C. Speci

Malaysia - ChasWood Resources, one of Malaysia's largest multi-concept operators in the restaurant industry, uses D.A.S. Audio loudspeaker systems.

Felix Paul is ChasWood's sound engineer. Throughout the company's various properties, his responsibilities include consultation, design, and installation of all sound systems as well as system maintenance and mixing for live and special events. Paul recently completed the installation of new loudspeaker systems at several properties, including Laundry, Italiannies, Malones, and T.G.I. Fridays. He discussed each system.

"Located at T

USA - XS nightclub at Wynn casino and resort in Las Vegas has upgraded its lighting control system with Martin's M1 lighting desk. The M1 was an appropriate choice for club lighting console operator Josh Packard and his style of operation, says Wynn lighting programmer and lead lighting technician, Brian Gysegem.

"It was obvious that he needed more playbacks at his fingertips and the M1 became the obvious choice. The board was ultimately chosen for its small footprint and abundance of playbacks on the control surface. Josh is equally adept at creating and mixing music as he is op

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