UK - JLLighting and JLLive are joining together under one single brand identity and comprehensive offering. JLL will be a ‘one stop shop’ full-service technical production partner.
JLLighting was founded in 2009, adding JLLive as a second arm to the business in order to expand the services the team could offer event agencies, in-house corporates and exhibition clients in 2020.
JLL has built long-standing relationships with a list of brands, including most of the major television production companies in the UK, as well as event agencies and corporates to execute live events to and support their corporate film needs. These have included BBC, ITV, Pico+, Amazon Prime Video, MCI, The Walt Disney Company, Netflix, 2Heads, Toucan, YouTube, RenewableUK, Financial Times, GES and Spiro and countless more. This has allowed JLL to complete projects across the length and breadth of the UK, as well as internationally.
Jack Linaker, managing director at JLL, comments: “From day one, we have prided ourselves on being a forward thinking and dynamic business which has continued to invest, develop, and evolve with the industries we work so closely with. When we re-evaluated the two sides of our JLL offer we identified enhancements that could be made to ensure our clients received an elevated level of service from us, and to facilitate internal team efficiencies. We see this evolution as an opportunity to build on what we have achieved so far, to grow the industries and sectors we work within, and to secure and refine the JLL offering – moving into more effi

UK - Long serving director of operations at the Birmingham Hippodrome, Mike Bradford, has joined Push The Button (PTB) as chief operating officer. Mike has been at the Birmingham Hippodrome for 21 Years and before that worked at Alton Towers as technical manager.
PTB managing director, Nick Ewins, says, “Looking ahead into 2023 and beyond, I am keen to ensure that we have the best possible standards in our business systems and operations which Mike will deliver. Mike’s arrival will also allow me to continue working with our customers, designing and delivering projects as PTB continues to grow.”
Mike adds, “I’ve worked with Nick and the team at PTB for more than two decades now, so I understand the business and I am delighted to be able to bring my experience to the company.”

Europe - MDG has announced the appointment of RM Multimedia as its new, exclusive distributor for Italy. The new arrangement takes effect from 20 February 2023.
RM Multimedia was founded in 2007 by Marco Bartolini, Ermanno Tontini and Paula Poroliseanu all of whom brought many years of industry experience to the company. Based in Cattolica (Rimini), RM Multimedia exclusively distributes many top brands of entertainment technology across the Italian market. Its 20-strong team is united by the same desire and ability to enhance the company's philosophy of providing the best quality service to each and every client.
RM Multimedia is present throughout the country with the support of a network of 10 trained commercial agents who support local customers at every stage of the sales process. Added to this is the undisputed quality of the brands, making RM Multimedia a point of reference in the Italian market.
“Having the opportunity to distribute MDG in Italy is for us an honour and a new challenge,” says Paula Poroliseanu. “We are extremely happy and positive about this great new start.”
“We are so very happy to welcome RM Multimedia into the MDG Family as our new distributor for Italy,” says Nicolas Duhamel, MDG marketing director and European business development. “RM Multimedia has been distributing high quality brands for many years. They are known in Italy for their seriousness and the support of their customers in their projects. MDG's line of atmospheric effects products will be a perfect match. We are looking forward to an exce

The Netherlands - Today, the clang of hammers and buzz of milling machines can no longer be heard at the Rotterdamsche Droogdok Maatschappij (RDM Grounds), but the site still resonates with powerful, soul-shaking sounds as the home of the Rotterdam Rave festivals.
The same characteristics that shipbuilders prized in the RDM Grounds, make them ideal for reflecting the raw, industrial power of rave music. At the recent Rotterdam Rave festival, Berend Janssen of Powerproductions drew on this heritage to transform the entire building into one immersive and very intense panorama. Helping him to do this, RF Shows supplied Berend with 42 Chauvet Professional fixtures, along with six Vesuvio foggers.
Jeroen Kwakernaak, who has designed Rotterdam Rave events in the past, knows the technical producer and lightning designer, Berend Janssen, very well. They've been working together for a while. “This is a great venue, but you have to create intensity inside this room with a great lighting plan to do it justice, while at the same time creating an intimate atmosphere,” Jeroen said. “Berend did excellent work creating layers in the plan by playing at different heights with colour mixes and, of course, bumping to the beat of the music.
“Berend wanted to be able to emphasize the height and the free space as much as possible,” continued Jeroen. “As a result, a fairly simple rigging plot was required, but this still called for quite a bit of work. The lights make the show but integrating this in the high truss pillars gave it an extra dimension.”
K

Europe - Lightware Visual Engineering has announced the opening of its new French and CEU business hubs, covering France and the French overseas territories, Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Romania.
Lightware France, located in 13 Avenue Morane Saulnier, in Vélizy-Villacoublay, just outside Paris, will be a meeting point for partners, consultants and end users, with plans to incorporate in the next couple of months a User Experience Centre room and a training room fully equipped with Lightware products and solutions.
The CEU office, located in Warsaw, will serve the professional AV audiences of the Central European region, increasing the brand awareness and familiarising the Central European AV industry with Lightware’s technologies and products, offering a demo room for local training and technical support.
Leading these geographic expansions and also point of contact for French and CEU markets are Dominique Bonneau, country manager of France, and Piotr Dębski, regional director, respectively.
Dominique is an experienced and respected team leader, and he joins from Kramer Electronics where he spent 15 years. He previously enjoyed extensive sales and senior management roles at Fnac Video Enterprise. Piotr has been working in the industry for more than 25 years, and he was the regional manager for the Central European region at Kramer Electronics for 16 years.
Bonneau explains: “Leading Lightware’s new office will be an exciting opportunity to expose Lightware’s market leading techno

USA - Bandit Lites has announced the complete overhaul of its website, www.BanditLites.com. Bandit’s team sought to revamp the online experience for both current and potential clients as well as its team members.
With a robust social media following and engaged online community, the web team focused on redesigning the main website, seeking to build a space that would showcase the company’s continued dedication to both progress and excellence.
The new user-friendly website features insight into servicing tours, special events and system integrations as well as information on Bandit’s locations, in-depth specs for Venue One, Bandit’s rehearsal space as well as peruse open job listings and extensive company benefits. Visitors can also learn about Bandit’s 55-year history, its values and commitment to its employees and clients.
“Our new website emphasises the visual appeal of Bandit Lites’ work through a comprehensive image-based layout,” said Bandit Lites business manager Chase Strickland, who worked as the website’s chief developer. “The new banditlites.com will now serve as a functional and aesthetic online presence for our team members, followers and customers.”

Spain - IFELOR is a large, new trade fair and conference centre recently opened in Lorca, a city in the region of Murcia in the south-east of Spain. The new building includes the Margarita Lozano auditorium, which benefits from lighting by Showtec and Infinity thanks to supplier Soniles Technology. Industrias Maquiescenic (Retom) took care of the installation.
The official opening of IFELOR took place on 30 December 2022 with a sold-out performance in the auditorium by the 70-strong, Film Symphony Orchestra who performed their show Krypton. Many important figures attended the opening including the mayor of Lorca, Diego José Mateos, who stressed the new building’s importance to the local economy.
A total of 14,823sq.m containing three exhibition halls, three conference halls, an auditorium and a large terrace make the venue suitable for all sorts of events. For the Margarita Lozano auditorium, Soniles Technology supplied a total of 220 pieces of lighting equipment by Showtec and Infinity.
Showtec products included 42x Performer 1500 Fresnel, 28x Performer Profile 650 Q5, 12x Performer 2500 Fresnel, 28x Zoom Lens, 54x Barndoor and 20x Glass gobo holder. Infinity products include 12x TFLD-7 Floodlight, 12x TS-300 Profile Engine and 12x TLT-1535 15-35° zoom. All of the lights were installed by Industrias Maquiescenic (Retom) to ensure that IFELOR’s inaugural event got off to a flying start with impressive music and lighting.

USA - A recent concert by Israeli trio of tenors Kol Esperanza at the Spanish River Church in Boca Raton, Florida, featured guest artists, and an orchestra, performing a far-reaching variety of songs, ranging from Disney medleys to Jewish folk classics, and Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah.
Adding to the performance was a Clifford Michael Spulock lighting design that reflected the spirit of each song with an elegantly balanced mix of colours.
Using a collection of Chauvet Professional Rogue R2X Spot fixtures supplied by Nick Sallah, and the team at Steadlight, Spulock covered the stage with a rich variety of hues that complemented the lush images shown on a central projection video wall.
“Each song had its own theme and videos that went along with it,” he said. “I used the projections as a template to choose my colour palette in order to compliment or contrast what was being projected on the screen. This show has many different types of songs, working with the video imagery my lighting was able to convey the essence and personality of each one, whether its was the energy of the Disney pieces, or the deep emotions of the Jewish compositions.”
Spulock positioned his Rogue R2X Spot units in the air on electrics and on the deck. He used the flown fixtures for down and back lighting, while those on the floor were relied on for aerial effects and specials. By doing this, he immersed the entire room in colours, often contrasting different shades of monochromatic hues, while at other times blending complimentary palettes.
“I love th

Finland - The Snow Queen premiered at the Nokia Arena in Tampere, an ‘ice ballet’ extravaganza produced by the Tampere Hall & Kantelinen Company.
The brainchild of Melissa A. Thompson who has worked as a creative lead for Cirque du Soleil, director / choreographer Reija Wäre, composer Tuomas Kantelinen, costume designer Erika Turunen and set, lighting and projection designer Mikki Kunttu, a talented creative team was involved in the delivery and imagineering of this production.
Prominent on Mikki’s lighting rig were 105 x Robe BMFL moving lights, a combination of BMFL Blades and Spots which he used for key lighting, specials and effects throughout this fast moving and highly visual show which finally premiered on 30 December 2022.
Postponed from the previous year due to last minute covid restrictions, the time arrived for ice fans to enjoy five performances, with the New Year’s Eve show going out on live television via national broadcaster YLE’s Channel 1.
Mikki’s brief included creating video projections onto the ice and scenic elements, which combined with the lighting to bring the frozen magic and sub-zero beauty of Lapland right into Tampere Arena.
The task of visuals involved reinforcing the narrative, highlighting the various skating skills, and adding drama and depth to the bigger picture, along with perfect key lighting for TV, all of which needed a combination of Mikki’s experiences from multiple lighting genres.
The BMFLs were a core ingredient of Mikki’s lighting and were positioned on six t

USA - Following on from a successful launch of its new EL product range last month, UK-based Ventola Projects, a provider of experiential, LED lighting, displays and technology solutions, has seen its new range come to life after the first order was shipped and installed immediately after its launch.
Installed in the Rock n’ Bowl FEC venue in Paoli, Indiana USA, the team at Ventola Projects worked to integrate the new technology into the facility, working closely with the owners and applying years of knowledge to ensure a seamless and successful plug and play in-house self-installation.
Included into this same project, Ventola Projects also developed and Beta tested its new VAvR PC-less control system, whereby the technology is controlled by a tablet, connected to the facility’s Wi-Fi and pushed through a web browser.
This was introduced to help simplify the controls for facility owners, whilst offering another innovative way to reduce costs and provide a budget-friendly and easy to install solution. Ventola’s recent successful in-house development, is now fully launched and operational in the facility.
Mick Ventola, founder and managing director of Ventola Projects, says, “After developing these new products, we’re delighted to see it put into practice, especially in such a great facility friendly. We’re looking forward to implementing the new EL product range into more FEC venues around the world.”

USA - Garrett McConchie experienced a brief moment of disorientation recently and was both confounded and excited by what he saw. The project manager of CNXN Live, a real-time in person and livestreamed corporate event that took place simultaneously at two sites, McConchie was watching a panel discussion occurring at the Armory in Manchester, New Hampshire, when, for a fleeting second, he thought he was looking at the monitor for the stage in the Palm Beach Convention Centre, 1,465 miles to the south.
It was at that point that he fully appreciated how well the team at Events United had achieved the seamless connectivity they were after for this ambitious four-day conference, which involved extensive use of broadcast and communications technology, as well as 111 F2 video tiles and 185 LED lighting fixtures from Chauvet Professional.
“Everyone at our company, from our CEO Tim Messina on down, didn’t want this to feel like a choppy zoom meeting,” McConchie said of the event, which was an annual sales kick-off for Connection, a Fortune 1000 IT Solutions provider. “Our goal was to create the kind of look that made everyone feel like they were in the same room, regardless of if they were in New Hampshire, Florida, or watching on their computer. It was very gratifying to see that we achieved that level of consistency in this simulcast.”
CNXN Live, took place on two stages at once: the one in Florida measuring 56ft by 16ft with varying heights, and its New Hampshire counterpart, coming in at 24ft by 12ft with a 24-inch trim. Tying the two stages t

USA - Richard Cadena, technical editor of Lighting&Sound America and Light and Sound International has joined the 3LR Design team as senior consultant. His focused discipline is lighting design, control systems, and electrical design and implementation, with a knowledge of multiple technical systems. His career has covered a variety of industry segments including concert/touring, television/film, theatre, architectural, and corporate events.
"As we continue to grow our global reach, we are absolutely thrilled to have Richard join the team," says 3LR Design global director of design, Joshua Allen. "His extensive experience and passion for design -- and guiding others through the design process - will be extremely valuable assets to our company and our clients."
In his role as senior consultant, Cadena will be collaborating in the design of architectural, marine, and performance/technical systems, and management of projects for clients, as well as serving as a mentor for new associate consultants and designers who are coming on board with 3LR.
"I am excited to join the 3LR Design team to contribute my skills and experience to the company," says Cadena. "I look forward to working with the team and with our clients to continue to bring to life some amazing new projects."

UK - Production Resource Group (PRG) has announced the relocation of its London offices to a new space within the heart of the city’s West End. Less than a five-minute walk from Piccadilly Circus tube station, PRG Golden Square offers staff and clients 24/7 access to a light and airy, modern, and private office and meeting space within an 18th century Georgian terrace managed by Boutique.co.
The property is based in the centre of Soho, one of the busiest and most vibrant areas of the city centre, while also offering a shared break out space and café facility for all staff. As part of our membership with Boutique.co, colleagues and clients can also enjoy flexible working spaces across the group’s network of offices in London and Birmingham, providing accessibility to several workspaces within key locations in the UK.
PRG UK, CEO Richard Williams says, “By adding PRG Golden Square to our portfolio of locations in the UK, we are pleased to maintain our strong and steadfast presence in London while updating our facilities to what our teams need in this new post-COVID era. This new space gives our staff and clients a comfortable, flexible, and convenient place to work together, and we are looking forward to welcoming them through our doors.”

USA - LPS Production in Miami Lakes, Florida has invested in more than 60 Ayrton Perseo Beam fixtures, the first compact, waterproof multi-function beam effect LED luminaires. LPS offers a full range of live show and event production services, professional-grade equipment rentals, the latest in event technologies and a dedicated team experienced in some of the most demanding production environments. ACT Entertainment is the exclusive distributor of Ayrton lighting in North America.
“We needed a powerful fixture for outdoor use since the majority of shows we do here in South Florida are outdoors,” says LPS Owner, Jose Laria. “We initially added the Perseo Beams to our rental inventory then, having seen them at work, we’ve decided to phase out some of our other fixtures and acquire more Perseo Beams in the short term. We also plan to look at bigger Ayrton fixtures in the future.”
“We’re always looking at fixtures when we go to trade shows, and we ask for input from lighting designers and production managers who will be deploying our fixtures,” notes Juan Ugas, general manager of LPS. “Bradley Cronenwett at ACT is always on top of things and showed us the Ayrton product line; we’d never seen Ayrton IP65-rated fixtures. He told us there was no better demo than using the Perseo Beams, so we tried them on an actual show and everyone liked them. That sealed the deal.”
The Perseo Beams offered a number of attractive features, according to Ugas. “They are camera-friendly with no flickering, which is a plus for our broadcast work,” h

USA - Since the opening of the ICP Production Centre in Atlanta, In Concert Productions founder, Jay Rabbit, has been looking at expansion opportunities. The 30,000sq.ft facility is set to double in size by March 2024. The larger facility is predicted to offset production costs while creating jobs.
Rabbitt founded In Concert Productions (ICP) in the late 1970s. While the company was built on providing sound production and audio services, ICP quickly scaled into a full-service event production company. Its clients include the 1996 Olympics and Coca-Cola to long-standing television shows like Family Feud.
According to Rabbitt, ICP’s success stems from a commitment to being a one-stop service provider. “We provide an experience that the clients in LA and New York are used to getting. We make it easy for them,” he explains. The ICP Production Centre was inspired by a deep desire to provide focused, specialised audio services without scaling back ICP’s full-service capabilities.
The ICP Production Centre gives the Atlanta film and television industry access to local audio, staging, and lighting services. In-house partnerships include All Access, SoCal Rentals, and Atomic.
“Atlanta’s always been a strange market for production. It’s a big city, but it hasn’t really provided the level of production that people from New York, LA, Chicago, and around the world expected. One of the reasons we started the ICP Production Centre was so that there would be the people and equipment in stock, here in town, when people needed it,” sa

France - Ayrton has introduced Domino Wash, its first IP65-rated wash fixture, which has been developed for outdoor use. This professional, smart luminaire opens up a whole new world of versatility for concerts, performing arts, theme parks, and film shoots.
Domino Wash has a 210 mm Fresnel lens with a specific optical structure designed to accurately adapt the diffusion level according to requirements. This optical combination not only favours the use of framing shutter blades or geometric gobos, but significantly improves colour mix and can produce 10% more light than with a classic Fresnel lens F.O.S.
To cover all types of use, Domino Wash is available in three flicker-free versions, S, TC and the entirely new ST or ‘Stage & Theatre’ version. The ST version is fitted with a new monochromatic LED source that delivers a light output of 45,000 lumens and a D65 white point that allows perfect colour reproduction with a CRI greater than 80.
In common with many other Ayrton fixtures, the ‘Stage’ or ‘S’ version provides a cooler, metallic light with a record luminous flux of 52,000 lumens, a colour temperature of 7000 K and a CRI of 70. The ‘True Colour’ or ‘TC’ version offers a colour rendering index greater than 95 with extremely high TM30 values and a colour temperature of 6000 Kelvin to deliver perfect colour rendering.
Domino Wash’s proprietary optical system delivers a 12:1 zoom ratio and a zoom range of 6.2° at half peak to 75° at one-tenth peak. It shares the same complex colour mixing system with Hura

Lithuania - Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania celebrated its 700th anniversary this year. Amongst many different events, a revival of Joseph Haydn's oratorio The Creation was performed at Vilnius City Hall.
The oratorio was first played at the historic Vilnius City Hall more than 200 years ago and later performed in Vienna, Austria. The premiere was made possible with the installation of a new Prolights lighting system by Sonus Exsertus, a company with extensive experience in the field, and Prolights' distributor in the region.
According to the manager of Vilnius City Hall, Perlis Vaisieta, lighting plays a significant emotional role in creating an atmosphere for professional, high-quality events. The new lighting system, which includes 46 LumiPix 12UQPRO and 24 Smart BatPlus, will bring colour and dynamics to events at the City Hall, making it more versatile and flexible.
Vaisieta believes that the new lighting system will not only delight the spectators but also attract world-class artists to perform in the City Hall. Perlis said that until now, the City Hall could only offer basic lighting, and additional equipment had to be rented for more complex events, which incurred extra costs. The professional equipment available now will always be in place and serve even events that require exceptional lighting, such as theatre plays.
“The newly integrated lighting system at the Vilnius City Hall is a significant step forward in enhancing the experience for visitors and attracting world-renowned artists”, Perlis concluded. “The City Ha

Israel - The Israeli Opera House in Tel Aviv has invested in 27 x Robe Esprites moving lights – the first Robe products in the house – as part of a drive to invest in more LED lighting fixtures and future-based technologies, explained head of lighting Eyal Levi.
The Opera House runs an average of six or seven major productions per season, a mix of new and revivals, working with a series of leading international lighting designers and lighting directors, all known for their intricate work, critical eyes, and diligence. Opera is one of the most demanding performance genres to light.
The new investment had been on the cards for some time, and Eyal arranged various tests and shootouts with a range of different products, from which Esprite was chosen as “the best-performing fixture to meet all our needs”.
Assisting in making this choice was the venue’s lighting department, comprising three programmers, two chief LX and 10 technicians, plus some key consultant LDs.
There were four main criteria on which the luminaires were judged, the first being a good dimming system and the second being accurate shutters which were equally as important.
Colour mixing was also critical. Eyal elucidates that this tends to be a subjective category with different LDs having different preferences and opinions, however the Esprite scored consistently well with all their LD consultants who were additionally impressed with the range of tuneable whites and the excellent flesh tones produced by the high quality, high CRI output.
He adds that the olde

UK – Electric Airshows, the new company offering aerial drone light shows to the UK events industry, has announced its membership of PLASA, the UK-based Professional Lighting and Sound Association, and ARPAS-UK, the only trade association focused on the UK drone community.
Electric Airshows, which officially announced its arrival at the start of 2023, has been a long time in development. Headed by two well-known figures from the entertainment production industry, Chris Crockford and Ian Lomas, the company is now offering an initial fleet of 100 drones, purchased from leading Chinese drone show specialist, DAMODA Intelligent Control Technology. The company plans to reach a total of 500 drones – the limit allowed by the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) – by mid-2023, making it a major player in the UK’s emerging drone show market.
In being accepted by PLASA, Electric Airshows becomes the first ever dedicated outdoor drone show provider in the Association’s membership. Commenting on his company’s PLASA membership, Crockford says: “It’s quite something to be at the start of a whole new branch of the entertainment industry and to be welcomed and supported by the PLASA family that we’ve known for so long. We’re really looking forward to playing our part.”
As the leading international trade body for the world’s entertainment technology and production market, PLASA represents the top players in the industry, promoting best practice and skills development, publishing safety standards and industry research, and facilitating trade

UK - HireHop, the cloud equipment rental software, has been adding new features at a rapid pace and has just released their new maintenance module that can also be run as a progressive web app on any device. The addition is free and has been automatically added to the software.
The maintenance module allows you to track repairs, log tests and services, move assets to different depots, change what an asset is, and much more.
The maintenance module is fully adaptive to all mobile devices and can even use your phone camera as a barcode or QR code scanner. You can also use inbuilt or linked barcode scanners or an RFID reader.
Another feature is that it enables users to do batch tasks. For example, if you have 50 items that you have just tested, you can use the bulk scan feature (even with the phone camera) that will let you scan the barcodes of the 50 items and then at the click of a button, it will log the 50 tests all at once.
Other features include assigning tests or repairs to staff, logging of parts and labour, plus more. The maintenance module is available for free to all HireHop users, including users using the free version of HireHop.

Qatar – QatarEnergy’s architecturally striking new auditorium within Doha’s West Bay area opened in late 2022, offering the company a space for conferences, keynote addresses and lectures.
Its beehive-style ceiling is rigged with Vari-Lite VL2600 Profile, VL800 EventWash, Cantata LED and Leko LED luminaires from Signify to provide rich colours and contrasting looks. The lighting throughout is controlled by a Neo Console and Vision.Net system.
AV systems integrator and Vari-Lite’s Qatar partner Techno Q was appointed by the Arab Engineering Bureau to design, specify and install a lighting and control system for the auditorium during the design stages.
“We were approached to provide technical details, budgeting, riser diagrams and layouts for the lighting and control elements of the project,” says Techno Q’s K.P Afnas Muhammed. “We have been working with Vari-Lite for quite some time and being an exclusive dealer, we have executed several projects here in Doha, including the remarkable Qatar National Convention Centre. We were aware of the quality of Vari-Lite products, which was required for a high-profile project such as the QatarEnergy auditorium.”
One of the major challenges to fit and install the lighting fixtures was the intricate design of the ceiling, which sees a crosshatch of beams soar high above the central seating area to form a vaulted dome-like structure. To meet the demands of the space, a series of lightweight luminaires were needed, and the relatively compact Vari-Lite VL2600 Profile, VL800 EventWash fitted th

World - UK based A.C. Worldwide Group has announced a number of senior appointments as part of its strategy for continual growth.
In the UK, Phill Capstick, who has been with the business for 37 years, will step up to the role of CEO in UK based A.C. Entertainment Technologies and, following 25 years of success, Jonathan Walters becomes the company’s managing director.
In other UK news, Andy Dodd will be retiring from his executive role on the Board of Flashlight Ltd, but the Company says he has accepted a non-executive directorship so will still be helping the Flashlight team and their customers.
Across the Atlantic, the sales and distribution businesses operating as A.C. Americas (incorporating A.C. Lighting and A.C. Promedia) will be led by long-serving board member Phill Capstick who is appointed as CEO. Joining him on the board as president, after six years as vice president of business development, is Jean-Louis Blanchard, and following sales success for the company over the last 18 years, Fred Mikeska joins the board as executive vice president of sales.
The Group’s manufacturing operations in Canada, Spectrum Manufacturing is continuing to develop the successful Chroma-Q range of premium LED lighting products, and the company has announced that Gary Aird, who joined the business less than two years ago as vice-president of finance & administration, has been appointed to the board. All appointments are effective from 1 February.

The Netherlands - Located at the heart of Amsterdam’s night life, the former dairy, Melkweg (Milky Way), is a popular music and cultural venue that hosts major concerts, acts and performances. With four spaces under one roof and embracing all music styles, Melkweg’s variety of artists and audiences is well-known worldwide.
Recently, Melkweg celebrated a major upgrade to its lighting grids, adding 52 Ayrton Diablo profile fixtures to its inventory, supplied by full-service consultant Airlight of Utrecht, headed by Ruud Pouwels.
Pouwels, with his rich experience as lighting engineer, has for many years served as a lighting consultant for theatres and clubs, and provides a full and worry-free package of lighting services that includes 24/7 technical backup. Assisting his customers in the selection, commissioning and servicing of equipment, Ruud explains his choice of the Diablo for Melkweg:
“Besides Diablo’s obvious build quality, output and features, we faced two other important criteria: the fixture should be internationally accepted and rider-friendly, and, since the fixtures are hung on a fixed grid, they had to be so light that they can be handled by a single engineer using a manlift. The Ayrton Diablos ticked all the boxes, and so far they have been a real dream to work with in terms of lighting quality and reliability. That’s good news for the Melkweg, and obviously also for me as a full-service consultant!”
Supplied by Dutch distributor Ampco Flashlight Sales, the Diablo fixtures have now found their way to multiple venues in

UK - More than 30 years after they became the first metal band to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard charts in 1991 with Slave To The Grind, Skid Row still has plenty of highly combustible fuel left in the tank. This was evident on the last leg of their 2022 The Gangs All Here tour in support of their new album, and their first with their new lead singer, winner of Swedish Idol, Erik Gronwall.
Wrapping up 2022 with 22 shows in seven countries, the tour coincided directly with the release of the new album and saw the sold-out London O2 Forum show being filmed for a 2023 DVD release. Reflecting Skid Row’s high-octane sound during this performance was a raw, intense and fast moving lighting design by the band’s LD Will Furze, who once again enlisted Fineline Lighting to supply the touring package.
Featuring a complete package, including networking, power, and data distribution, as well as ground podiums, the Fineline kit provided a comprehensive solution night after night. Key to its potency were eight Chauvet Professional Rogue R2X Spot fixtures, which Furze relied on as the mainstay of his floor package.
“I need to deliver the same visual show every night, regardless of stage size or in-house infrastructure limitations,” said Furze. “Having had a very successful tour and great experience with these fixtures in 2019 with Fineline, I was glad to have them in my kit again.
“The R2X spots tick all the boxes, for bus tours where trailer space is at a premium,” continue Furze. “In these cases, we need fixtures that a