UK - When the Royal Opera House installed Unison architectural lighting control for the stage and side stage areas as part of the original 1999 refurbishment, it was recognised that lighting control systems will be eventually replaced as new and better products are developed. When senior lighting manager Nick Ware and his team members decided it was due for replacement, they looked first at the updated version of the product: Unison Paradigm.

Lighting systems Manager Paul Hornsby explains, "The system has remained on 24 hours a day, seven days a week for the last 11 years, and has served us well. But it was time to consider replacing it.

"We talked to colleagues at other venues across the country, doing extensive research into the systems they were using and discussing whether a different system might serve our needs better, but always came back to ETC's updated arch

Czech Republic - The 130-year old Mahen Theatre in the Czech Republic has recently installed a full Yamaha DME-based Ethersound network, complementing its existing Yamaha digital mixing consoles.

One of the cultural hubs of Brno, the second largest city in the Czech Republic, on its opening in 1882 the Mahen Theatre was one of the first public buildings in the world to be lit entirely by electric light. This was in response to a spate of fires in gas-lit theatres across Europe.

Installed by Prague-based Audiopro, the latest upgrade adds an Ethersound audio network which features four Yamaha SB168-ES stage boxes, four DME4io-ES digital mixing engines and an NAI48-ES Ethersound interface to work with the theatre's twoM7CL-48 and 01V96V2 digital mixing consoles.

"The theatre's main auditorium uses the two M7CL consoles and a second, smaller stage which uses the 01V96V2,&qu

UK - The new Westfield Stratford City retail and leisure destination in East London, which opened its doors to the public last September, is the largest urban shopping centre in Europe. Boasting over 250 shops, 70 places to eat and drink, three hotels, a 14-lane bowling alley, and a 17-screen all-digital Vue cinema, not to mention the UK's largest casino. Westfield Stratford City is also the prestigious gateway to London's Olympic Park for the forthcoming 2012 Games.

Systems integration and project management company, Media Powerhouse were the elected contractors for the supply and installation of all the audio systems throughout Westfield Stratford City's Events Spaces, which included two systems from UK loudspeaker company EM Acoustics.

In fact, Westfield used the successful audio installations at the Westfield London site as the blueprint for Westfield Stratford City. Follo

UK - TV chef Gordon Ramsay's latest venture is Bread Street Kitchen in London's East End. Drawing inspiration from its industrial surroundings, the 250-seat gourmet temple is aesthetically reminiscent of a warehouse.

Since Gordon Ramsay conceives of a meal as a feast for all the senses, he attaches serious importance to the sound distribution systems installed in his restaurants. Responsibility for the system design and installation in the Bread Street Kitchen was entrusted to CGA Integration, specialists in sound, light and video integration.

"Russell Sage's restaurant design posed a real challenge," says CGA's Chris Gunton. "Very high ceilings and a monopoly of hard surfaces are treacherous - especially when the restaurant is full. The sound system we installed needed to focus on eliminating the reverberation characteristic of large open venues such as warehou

UK - The design team at London lighting rental company Colour Sound Experiment (CSE) have installed their new proprietary BT36 LED screen as well as a new Anolis lighting scheme for the latest ice sculpture installation at the Icebar By Icehotel London in Heddon Street, London W1.

The lighting is project managed by CSE's Steve Marley. The company has worked with the venue for three years and the lighting spec and site fit-up is overseen for CSE by Jon Rickets, who works closely with the Icebar By Icehotel London team, including general manager Matthieu Bourgogne.

The elaborate and intricate ice sculptures - created by designers from the original Icehotel in Sweden - are changed annually along with the lighting, which is an integral part of the whole vibe of the space.

During the second year lighting the ice, CSE added 21 Anolis ArcLine RGB 36 battens to up-light the main ice

UK - Newly formed installation business, Push the Button Ltd (PTB), launched in January 2012, is the brainchild of Nick Ewins.

"PTB's full time staff members, alongside our team of skilled specialist electricians and engineers, bring a friendly, expert approach to the demands of entertainment installation projects. Whether it's a top West End theatre, a cruise ship or a multipurpose arts venue, PTB understands the client's needs and has the ability to respond productively and positively every time," says Ewins. "This philosophy has brought work to our doors from the moment we opened them for business."

Push the Button's mission is "to bring an intelligent and sympathetic approach to its clients' projects". The business covers the fields of electrical design, installation, project management and test & inspection.

Although PTB is effectively a st

Serbia - Studio B92 television station has upgraded to ETC. Early last year, technicians from B92 visited ETC dealer Studio Berar's open day to take a look at what was available; they were offered a demonstration, then lent a range of equipment to try out at their studio.

Lazar Josanov, marketing manager at Studio Berar, says, "B92 was looking to update and augment their lighting, dimming and control. We delivered 81 channels of SmartPack rack mount units, as they wanted compact, low cost, powerful dimming.

"We recommended a SmartFade and SmartFade ML control desk, because the studio had a limited budget with no need for the extra functionality which comes with Congo or Eos line desks. And they also took delivery of 12 ETC Source Four PARNel and six Source Four Zoom 15-30º beam angle luminaires to complement their existing rig. The equipment will be used across a va

Canada - MDG has been appointed Canadian distribution partner for the entire Anolis range of energy-saving architectural lighting products.

John Saunders, sales director at Anolis comments, "As part of the continuing expansion programme of the Anolis brand we are delighted to bring MDG on board. We believe the strength of MDG's own brand combined with their reputation for quality, reliability and excellent service will be the perfect compliment for the Anolis range, which itself is known for all these attributes. MDG's extensive local knowledge of the Canadian market is exactly what Anolis needs in order to further expand our brand.

"During discussions with MDG it was clear there was an excellent understanding of Anolis products and how they will fit into the various market sectors. With many projects already targeted, I am sure this will be the beginning of successf

Qatar - Fixtures from across the PR Lighting discharge and LED range of moving heads were deployed by TechnoPro, their distributors in the Gulf regions, for the recent Barzan Gas Project Stone Laying Ceremony at the Doha Sheraton Hotel.

The Barzan Gas Project's goal is to provide sufficient gas to the State of Qatar's domestic market to meet the country's growing need for cleaner natural gas well into the future, and the event was attended by His Highness the Heir Apparent Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

TechnoPro, a Dubai based technical production company with a branch in Qatar, provided the PR Lighting equipment - along with a Meyer Sound PA system.

Suspended from the truss were six each of the Chinese manufacturer's XL1200 Spot and Wash lights and 12 each of the XL700 spot and wash. These were complemented by 12 of the powerful Beam 300, offering three beam angle option

UK - The NEC in Birmingham has completely refitted its Skywalk with LED lighting to improve the visitor experience while saving energy and lowering carbon emissions.

The NEC asked MHA Lighting to devise a bespoke solution for the Skywalk that would reduce energy bills whilst improving light quality.

MHA Lighting were also selected to replace the traditional fluorescent lighting in their Concourse and Gallery suites with their LED lighting that uses wave guide technology to achieve energy savings of up to 80% with intelligent controls.

MHA Lighting installed 144 TiLites in the Concourse and Gallery Suites and 260 bespoke RodLites above the 400m long Skywalk that were designed to be match the NEC's corporate branding and to be in-keeping with lighting finishes in other areas.

The 30watt RodLites replaced 54watt T8 Tubes (58-60watts with ballast) - immediately creating energy

UK - Set in stark contrast with the widespread cutback in library services by cash-strapped local authorities is a rising tide of local communities determined that these hubs of town and village life should not suffer the fate of red telephone boxes and disappear forever from Britain's cultural landscape. It is a fight that is seeing communal spirit making a dent in an all-pervasive economic nihilism.

The former coal mining town of Newbold Verdon, Leicester, has the first fully funded library built by the National Lottery, where its manager, Christina Baker, has successfully created a community hub in a village without a community hall, by bringing in Stage Electrics to install a lighting, PA and video projection system in a bold attempt to breathe new life into a social facility often viewed as outdated. "It's hard work but the rewards are worth it," she says proudly

UK - Structure specialist De Boer has agreed an informal partnership with two industry-leading companies, broadening the range of services and products on offer to customers.

The agreement will see the Brackley-based business working in collaboration with Star Events Group, whose services include seating, staging and rigging, and with XG Group, a large-format printing expert - offering the opportunity for De Boer's clients to customise structures for specific shows, exhibitions or events.

The partnership was unveiled as the three companies jointly hosted a stand (pictured above) at IOEX, the International Outdoor Event Expo staged this week at London's ExCeL.

John Cochrane, De Boer's sales director - events, said, "This is a truly exciting collaboration for all three businesses. It enables De Boer to build on its industry-leading reputation in the temporary structure ma

UK - The team at multi award-winning theatre design consultancy Charcoalblue is celebrating after three of the company's projects won prestigious gongs at this year's Civic Trust Awards ceremony.

The projects are: the radically transformed Royal Shakespeare Theatre, the dramatic Corby Cube, and the tranquil Hepworth Gallery in Wakefield.

The Civic Trust Awards scheme was established in 1959 to recognise the very best in architecture, design, planning, landscape and public art. Awards are given to projects of the highest quality design, but only if they are judged to have made a positive cultural, social or economic contribution to the local community.

From 306 national and international entries, 52 projects were recognised by the Civic Trust Awards at a ceremony held at The Hub in Edinburgh.

In addition to the Awards hat trick, the Hepworth Gallery in Wakefield was given a Specia

UK - Newly launched entertainment technology installation company Push the Button Ltd has installed a new ETC dimming and control system into London's famous Royal Court Theatre, with no disruption to the venues busy programme of shows and events.

Push the Button - or PTB - came onto the scene in January 2012 with a mission to provide "an intelligent and sympathetic technical approach to all of its projects and clients". With an inaugural job at what the New York Times calls 'the most important theatre in Europe', PTBs managing director Nick Ewins and his team certainly didn't waste any time making their mark.

Matt Drury, head of lighting for The Royal Court concurs: "The Royal Court receives and considers an extraordinary quantity of new work and each year presents an ambitious programme across its two venues. It's therefore of paramount importance to us that o

Iceland - Several Allen & Heath iLive and iDR digital mixers have been installed in the prestigious new Harpa concert hall and conference centre in Reykjavik.

The new venue has four main spaces to manage a busy programme of music and conference events. iLive systems comprising an iDR-16 MixRack and iLive-R72 Control Surface have been installed in the Norourljos recital hall and Kaldalon hall, whilst a combined FOH and monitor system,comprising iDR-16 MixRacks and an iLive-R72 and iLive-T80 surfaces, has been selected for the Silfurberg conference hall.

All systems use A&H's proprietary ACE (audio and control over Ethernet) link, and iDR-4 digital matrix mixers are installed in each venue to manage audio distribution. There is also a portable iLive system, comprising an iDR-48 MixRack and iLive-T80 Control Surface, available for any additional audio requirements around the buil

UK - PG Stage has worked for over 30 years designing, supplying and installing performance facilities and equipment in venues across the UK. Their most recent project, in association with LCC Lighting and Sony Broadcast, was for Middlesex University who were in need of a flexible and dynamic television studio for their Film, Media and TV students to work in.

There were various demands to fulfil for the television studio. The first requirement was that it needed to maximise the floor space available, which was 150sq.m. It also needed to allow for the quick and easy set-up and de-rig of studio lighting.

PG Stage used their team of professional technicians to design and produce technical drawings which were then used to define a specification for the University and, as a result, PG Stage designed power distribution and DMX systems to fully meet the University's needs.

PG Stag

UK - Illuminate Design has helped one of Britain's flagship dance theatre companies move to a new creation and rehearsal space in Ashford, Kent.

Illuminate Design already provides production management services to the Jasmin Vardimon company, helping organise the logistics of shows, both in the UK and overseas, so it made sense that, when the Company was looking for a new, permanent home, Illuminate would assist.

"We accompanied Jasmin on visits to a number of different properties," explains Illuminate Design's director Ben Payne, "and helped her discount several for logistical reasons - such as not being able to get trucks close enough for loading.

"One of the options we were offered was a disused 1970s gym space at the Stour Leisure Centre in Ashford. It was draughty and leaked, with very little natural light, but the size and location meant we were sur

Singapore - Madagascar: A Crate Adventure at Universal Studios in Singapore, the first attraction in the world based on DreamWorks Animation's film, has been nominated for the About.com 2012 Reader's Choice Award. The award honours the best new achievements for theme parks, amusement parks and water parks worldwide, with the winner picked by voters on the About.comwebsite.

Entertainment lighting specialist White Light, which supplied all of the lighting equipment to the ride, congratulates all involved with creating the ride, particularly lighting designer Jeremy Windle of Lighting Design Alliance.

White Light were contracted by Resorts World Sentosa as lighting supplier, working closely with Jeremy Windle and his team and with local specialists Ptarmigan Integration to ensure that extensive rig was delivered and installed on schedule for the ride's opening last year.

Germany - Since being launched 18 months ago, Apex's Intelli-X² processors have become a fixture for a wide range of touring bands, musicals and festivals. Now the company has brought all the high end features of Intelli-X² to the installation market with the Intelli-Z², which is being launched at ProLight+Sound 2012.

Exhibiting in Hall 8.0, Stand C40, Apex recognises that processors for fixed installations, such as theatres and conference venues, are often located in amplifier or control racks which are not necessarily easy to access. Utilising the full power of Apex Intelli-Ware remote control software, the new Intelli-Z² system management processor is designed specifically with such installations in mind.

The Intelli-Z² features a four in / eight out configuration, integral mixer and selectable analogue or AES-3 I/O, but without the additional cost of unnecessary hardw

Russia - The historic stage of the foremost Russian theatre has reopened after six years of renovation and restoration. The original acoustics and the 'golden' curtain were restored, and the total area of the theatre was doubled to 72,000sq.m. The theatre has not only been given new life, it has become one of the most technically advanced in the world.

During his recent tour of the renovated building, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev used the word "fantastic" to describe the external architectural features and technological level of the equipment installed in the Bolshoi.

Clay Paky's Russian distributor DOKA played a key role in renovating the theatre. DOKA Center signed a contract on 10 August 2005 with the German company Bosch Rexroth AG, the general contractor for stage renovation technology, engineering, equipment supply, installation and stage lighting implemen

Belgium - Robe Robin 300 LEDWash moving lights have been purchased by Belgian national broadcaster VRT (Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroep) and installed at their studio complex in Brussels

The initial batch of 42 fixtures were delivered by Robe's Benelux distributor Controllux, in a package co-ordinated by Belgian sales manager Bram de Clerck, and specified for the TV station by their head of technical Johan Bosmans.

He had been impressed after seeing LEDWash 300s in action on shows, and they also came highly recommended by a number of others, including leading Belgian TV lighting designer Michiel Milbou, who specified them on his current design for popular prime-time entertainment industry chat show, Vrienden van de Veire.

(Jim Evans)

Russia - Green Hippo are making a substantial push into the Russian market with their recent sale of ten Hippotizer HD media servers to Big Screen Service in Russia.

Head of sales, Samantha Bailey, comments, "Big Screen Service are an important contact for us in Russia. They are involved in some major projects and we are very excited to have them on board as professional Hippotizer users in this area."

Based in Moscow, Big Screen Service was formed in 2001 and is a leading rental supplier of video display systems. The company deals with LED products, video projection and media servers and works with a range of TV channels, concert halls and venues as well as production companies to provide rental solutions in Russia.

Evgeny Marinichev of Big Screen Service explains, "Green Hippo's media servers fit perfectly into our current product range. The main advantage o

USA - It's not often a sound company is asked to specify a full PA system and backline for a US Navy aircraft carrier, let alone to look after it on its cruise from Hawaii to San Diego, but that's exactly what US audio providers Mambo Sound and Broadcast Support were tasked with last month, and they chose dBTechnologies for the job.

Specifying the light but powerful DVA T12 line array was not a difficult decision for Mambo Sound's Steve McNeil. "Our friends at Broadcast Support already have a DVA T4 rig, so we knew it was reliable. It also needed to be light weight to keep the freight costs down," he explains. "We flew the whole sound system to Hawaii, took it to Pearl Harbour and craned it on the USS John C Stennis active aircraft carrier, then craned it off again in San Diego seven days later."

The main PA comprised six dBTechnologies DVA T12 active three

Indonesia - The Phantom of the Opera made its first appearance in Indonesia in February and March after touring the world for the last 10 years and setting the world's weekly box office record.

The Phantom of the Opera is the first international musical production Jakarta has seen in a long time. Produced by the Joyce Agency Of New York City and promoted by Big Daddy Entertainment, the show was staged at the intimate Nusa Indah Theatre Hall and was reinforced by a Turbosound Flex Array sound system supplied by Indonesia's biggest audio rental company, Sumber Ria.

Turbosound's Flex Array met all of the production needs, including sound quality, efficiency and multiple configuration capability, necessary to qualify for the project. The TFA-600H three-way mid-high provides high SPL with moderate amplification, and has a small visual footprint which worked well for t

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