France - Nikki Beach Saint Tropez is a restaurant and beach club located on the Pampelonne beach on France’s Côte d'Azur. Part of an international group, Nikki Beach Saint Tropez ‘attracts a celebrity crowd with laid-back poolside sets from leading international DJs’.
Local AV technology specialists Colorsonic have a long-established relationship with Nikki Beach and know the venue well. To achieve powerful, full-range sound for guests without disturbing neighbours, president and CEO Gérard Giraudon and technical director Christophe Orlando proposed a Nexo ID84 system to sound designer and acoustician Claudio Fabiani.
A total of 18 of Nexo’s ID84 column speakers are discreetly positioned around the venue, with bass extension provided by four ELS400 1x12-inch subs, in a design that achieves excellent coverage of the club, without bleeding into the surrounding

UK - The recent Channel 4 reality show Don't Look Down brought together nine celebrities for a thrilling six-week adventure in support of Stand Up to Cancer. The show, hosted by Paddy McGuinness, followed these stars on a journey to conquer their fear of heights through vertigo-inducing high wire training.
The grand finale took place at the iLondon Stadium, where the contestants faced a heart-pounding tightrope relay challenge, 100ft high and 650ft across. Limelite Lighting installed a large number of Showtec Helix S5000 Q4 LED washers to provide light throughout the stadium’s grandstands and around the pitch.
The cast included soap actress Beverley Callard, footballer Anton Ferdinand, presenter and Pussycat Doll Kimberly Wyatt, sports presenter and Love Island finalist Chris Hughes, French footballer David Ginola, motoring expert Charley Boorman, TikT

Canada - Metal music fans who packed venues in 33-cities for Motionless in White’s just-concluded Touring The End Of The World tour of North America enjoyed galactic themes. Channelling his fascination with all things galactic, Alex Mungal opened a window to an array of looks in support of the band’s 18-song set by drawing inspiration from Star Trek’s Romulan and Klingon warships.
“I grew up watching a lot of Star Trek and Doctor Who, so it’s no surprise that I draw on the architecture and set design from those stories,” said Mungal, owner of Alien Lites. “For this tour, we based our overhead truss configuration on the wing-shaped warships. This gave us a lot of different angles to direct light from. We had glowing light coming in from the sides of the giant wings. Also, the control centre of the ‘space craft’ in this configurati

UAE - Italian luxury fashion house Bulgari recently relied on the power, brightness and reliability of Digital Projection’s Titan and M-Vision range to give Dubai’s Gate Building a serpentine makeover in celebration of the 75th anniversary of its Serpenti collection.
Founded in 1884, Bulgari is famous for its luxury jewellery, watches and accessories. This year, the brand celebrates the 75th anniversary of Serpenti, a snake emblem that has exalted almost every Bulgari watch and piece of jewellery, with a worldwide tour.
Between 15 and 24 September, Dubai played host to Serpenti: 75 Years of Infinite Tales, a celebration of the grandeur of Serpenti’s heritage. At the heart of the milestone event held at the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) gate, was an immersive projection mapping show, implemented by Dubai-based projection mapping expert company Artabe

France - K System beaconless 3D tracking system for live experiences earned positive reviews from performers, technical staff and visitors alike this summer at various festivals, and the popular Poupet Festival, with its 100,000 punters over 14 days was no exception.
Taking place in the idyllic surroundings of the Vallée de Poupet (in western France’s Vendée), Festival de Poupet launched in 1987 and has grown into one of France’s best-loved boutique festivals. The 2023 edition took place over June and July and featured performances from leading French and international acts, including American singer-songwriter and two-time Grammy Award winner Ben Harper, jazz trumpet prodigy Ibrahim Maalouf, and rap royalty Orelsan.
Thomas Maindron, director and programmer of Festival de Poupet, explains that he was first introduced to K System, developed by French start-up Naos

Germany - The 2023 Lollapalooza Berlin event at Olympiapark in the heart of the city was notable for an impressive artist line-up as well as being a major Robe moving light installation, with almost 500 Robe fixtures - over 75 on the Alternative Stage, over 125 on Main Stage North and over 250 on Main Stage South, plus some on Perry’s stage.
Lighting production was delivered to the Main Stage North by rental specialists TSE, Main Stage South by Media Resource Group (MRG), Alternative Stage by Sound Projekt (SPS) and Parry’s stage by Colour Sound Experiment.
Robe’s On the Road show truck was also on site, located backstage left at Main Stage North, as for the first time at this event, TSE located their WYSIWYG pre-vis studio in the truck -offering all lighting designers access to the service. With all-day personal support by Thomas Heydthausen from Berlin-based pr

Europe - Andrew Liddle, the longstanding designer for New Order since the band's emergence from Joy Division in the early '80s, turned to Elation’s powerful Proteus Excalibur narrow-beam moving head to create stunning, laser-complementary lighting on the band’s recent tour across mainland Europe and the UK.
Recognised as one of the most influential bands of its era, New Order continues to enhance its legacy, captivating audiences with a timeless fusion of music and visually gripping performances.
Andrew specified the Excalibur for the tour and says the choice came from a chance suggestion from Ryan Knutson at Brown Note Productions in Denver that eventually led to New Order utilising the fixtures on a short US tour this past March. “Since then, they have become an integral part of the show,” the designer says, “working to expand into the audience the looks b

Germany - Since its opening in October 2023 in the presence of German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the German Film exhibition has been on display at the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site at the Völklingen Ironworks in Saarland.
The industrial hall on the grounds of the UNESCO World Heritage Site is dominated by gigantic blowing machines and flywheels and presents more than 125 years of German film on 100 large screens, combined with over 350 original exhibits. In order to provide flexible lighting for these - and future - exhibitions, the Völklingen Ironworks' sponsoring organisation invested in a modern lighting technology setup consisting of Cameo P2 FC LED profile spotlights and Zenit W300 LED wash lights.
“The Gebläsehalle is an extraordinary industrial hall with a very special atmosphere,” explains Udo Treimetten, who, together with Mario Es

Romania - One of the country’s most popular festivals, the three-day Summer Well event, recently celebrated its 12th edition in spectacular style.
Promoted by SC Livada Advertising and held annually on a picturesque 24-hectare meadow and forest site outside Bucharest, Summer Well peaked last year when Arctic Monkeys were headlining. However, it emulated this success in 2023 when Florence and the Machine, Röyksopp and Yungblud headed a line-up of 30 artists, featuring both international bands and DJs.
Production manager since the first festival is a self-confessed fan of GLP lighting fixtures, Vlad Darie, who runs Film Location. So impressed was he when the JDC1 hybrid strobe first came out that he decided to invest personally for smaller shows he was producing, later adding Fusion Stick FS16 Z, followed by Fusion X-PAR 12Z and impression FR1. JDC1 in particular had

Australia - BBC Earth Experience is an immersive exhibition that promises to transport visitors on a journey through the natural world, narrated by David Attenborough. Following the popularity of the inaugural BBC Earth Experience in London, the attraction has recently opened a second site at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. HIVE’s BeeBlade and BeeBox products were chosen to bring this captivating experience to life through seamless media playback.
“We are introducing a new technological era into the industry with the BeeBlade series, and when TDC in Australia contacted HIVE for the BBC Earth Experience in Melbourne we could not have been any more excited,” recalls Mark Calvert, co-founder at HIVE. “The natural world, preserving it and the beautiful documentaries of David Attenborough have inspired the entire HIVE team for many years.”
Produced

China - Nanxun Ancient Town, one of China's six renowned ancient towns south of the Yangtze River, is a repository of cultural riches. Considered one of the best-preserved ancient towns in the region, Nanxun dates back to the South Song Dynasty and is home to over 750 years of history and architecture.
Both international and national tourists flock to Nanxun to experience the magic of yesteryear, and a recent night tour project aimed to elevate the visitor experience through the installation of a light and sound solution. Kgear, part of the Italian-based K-array group, was chosen to provide an audio solution that could deliver reliable, high-quality audio in an outdoor environment.
The project, led by leading culture and sports audio and video integrator, Dafeng, was multifaceted, demanding a comprehensive sound system to cover an extensive tourist route extending appr

USA - Located outside Philadelphia, PA, Sesame Place is a theme park and water park based entirely on the Sesame Street TV series. It is one of 12 theme parks operated in the US by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment.
One of the main attractions, popular for hosting a variety of shows, including meet and greets with the characters, is Abby’s Paradise Theatre.
It is here that system integrators Illuminated Integration - based across the State in Harrisburg - recently installed a Martin Audio CDD solution to meet the request for a comprehensive upgrade to the theatre’s aging PA that was failing to meet the requirements for either coverage, output or clarity. At the same time, Sesame Place asked the integrators to carry out an assessment of the audio in other event spaces and theatres, as well as a parade route.
At Abby’s Paradise Theatre the client required a

USA - Since he signed with Warner Music Nashville in 2021, Wyoming native Ian Munsick’s star has risen rapidly. He’s earned more than 100m global streams and been named one of Spotify’s inaugural Hot Country Artists to Watch.
This year, his rapid rise is reflected in his tour itinerary, which has taken him from a western honky-tonk bar one night to opening for Morgan Wallen in a stadium the next before headlining his own arena shows. You can also see that narrative written in how his tour sound has evolved. Beginning this year, Munsick’s sound team was bolstered by the addition of a dedicated monitor engineer, after they transitioned to a pair of DiGiCo Quantum225 consoles, supplied by Clair Global.
Seth Hewson was Munsick’s initial front-of-house engineer when the artist’s burgeoning career was still using what Hewson describes as a “Clair ‘band-in-a-

USA - Antonio Herrera Pérez, better known to the world as Mexican music superstar Junior H has released eight studio albums, four of which have reached the Top Ten on the Billboard charts.
Junior H’s talents are on full display on his current Sad Boys USA tour. Supporting his passionate blend of music is a lively and dynamic light show by Arturo Sanchez. Working for JCA PRO, its CEO Ignacio (nacho) Zamudio, and his son Josh Estrada, along with lighting tech Luis Fernando Marins, Sanchez has created a show that reflects the inspired style and stage presence of his gifted client.
Like the music of Junior H, the stage production is bold and engaging with immersive 3D video walls accented by bright colourful lighting. Contributing to the latter are over 100 Chauvet Professional fixtures. Included in this group are 24 Color Strike M motorised strobe/blinders, 24 Maverick

Denmark - The historic Østre Gasværk Theatre in Copenhagen is the first theatre in the world to secure the rights to produce, conceptualise and perform Another Brick in The Walls - Part 5 as a piece of musical theatre. Based on the Pink Floyd double album of 1979 - which is still the third largest grossing album in the US, almost 45 years after its release - Another Brick in The Wall, Part 5 is an extension of the three original album tracks - Part 1, 2, 3 - and Part 4 that was enacted as an opera in Montreal in 2017.
Having premiered to great acclaim in Copenhagen on Friday 22 September 2023, the new Danish staging is an ambitious one with a large cast of singers, dancers, musicians and aerial artists. The production will also be staged in Musikhuset Aarhus, with a premiere slated for 5 January 2024.
Lighting designer, Jeppe Lawaetz, cho

South Africa - Playing a dual role as a lighting designer and programmer for shows such as Idols, The Voice, RMB Starlight Classics and countless others, South African Andre Siebrits recently acquired an Ultimate Ears UE Comm, specifically the Ultimate Ears 11 Pro model, from DWR Distribution. The decision has been pivotal for him, particularly considering his concern for the long-term health of his ears.
Andre first became curious about Ultimate Ears Comm in 2017, starting the conversation with many people including Jaco Beukes from DWR. UE Comm is the result of a collaboration between UE and In-House Sound with features like noise-isolating in-ear monitors with a purpose-built microphone, guaranteeing crystal-clear communication in any production environment.
“Ultimate Ears are reputed for their outstanding sound quality, at least that's what I

USA - The first ever Power Trip music festival was considered epic before it even took place. Six of the world’s best known heavy metal and hard rock bands gathered to play on one stage, and 4Wall, Paradox and Elation had the honour of lighting the event.
Metallica, Guns N' Roses, AC/DC, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and Tool (subbing for Ozzy Osbourne) all played at the Empire Polo Grounds in Indio, California, 6-8 October, where up to 80,000 fans gathered each day. Power Trip marked the first concert in seven years from AC/DC.
Some 80 Proteus Maximus, 18 Proteus Excalibur, 84 DTW Blinder 700 IP and 80 DTW Blinder 350 IP luminaires from Elation, were all used by the lighting design team at Paradox Production and Design and 4Wall Entertainment, led by 4Wall account executive and production manager Dallas Gaspar. 4Wall also supplied additional lighting packages for the I

Hungary - Robe moving lights were used in three major locations for the massive 2023 St. Stephen's Day celebrations in Budapest, a public holiday celebrating the foundation of the Hungarian state more than 1000 years ago, which this year attracted over 1.5m spectators to the banks of the Danube watch the main large format projection and drone show.
Multiple events were staged throughout the country’s vibrant and beautiful capital city on the day, with technical production - lighting sound, visuals, staging - for the 2023 event co-ordinated and delivered by the Visual Europe Group (VEG), working with 12 sub-companies.
The three main areas in which Robe fixtures were used were the riverside Road Movie Live concert stage with an all-action line up of top Hungarian artists running over three days of the holiday weekend; The Parliament Building, where Robe Fortes support

USA/Europe - Ireland-based lighting and production designer Steven Douglas selected Claypaky Volero Wave fixtures and the Panify solution for Hozier’s Unreal Unearth tour, whose North American leg wrapped this month.
The bluesy rocker’s 27-date schedule kicked off in September in support of his new EP Eat Your Young and upcoming album Unreal Unearth. The tour moves to Europe and the UK for the rest of the year with more dates to follow in 2024.
Douglas took on his current role with Hozier for the artist’s previous album cycle. He was given a lot of creative latitude with the new show although Hozier was “heavily involved in how it looks since he’s quite artistic himself”, says Douglas. The album’s theme is based around Dante’s nine circles of Hell, he notes, which the show references. “We knew we wanted a moment in the show where

Europe - Designed by Axel de Beaufort and Guillaume Verdier and the first of its kind, Artexplorer is soon to set sail. As a project that encompasses both culture and environment, it aims to raise awareness of contemporary issues by utilising a revolutionary LED tunnel, made possible by visualisation technology specialists, Leyard Europe.
Since its inception in 1995, Leyard Europe has collaborated on many innovative and transformative assignments. However, Artexplorer presented the company with an opportunity to be a part of something different.
Artexplorer is a one-of-kind work of art, featuring Leyard Europe’s LED tunnel as the main event. At 46m long, it is currently the largest sailing catamaran in the world and built to the highest environmental standards.
Enlisted by Guy Butterati, Co-Founder of AV-IT systems integrator Akumendo, which spearheaded the t

Romania - The FIBA 3x3 World Tour 2023, hosted at the Constanța Masters in the City Park Mall, was illuminated by a lighting setup composed of Prolights products. For its inauguration in Romania, the FIBA 3x3 World Tour attracted 16 top-level teams from around the world who competed for the championship title.
In addition to the basketball matches, the event offered a variety of engaging activities, including a dunk contest hosted by the Dunk Elite team, a 2-point shooting competition, and a series of entertainment performances such as sports dances, street dance performances, majorette shows, and circus acts.
The diversity of the event required a lighting system capable of meeting various show needs. The FIBA 3x3 organisation relied on Audiovision, which provided a lighting setup consisting of 58 Prolights solutions: EclPanel TWC and EclFresnel 2KVW for variable CCT

Lithuania - Christie RGB pure laser projection and Vive Audio technology deliver powerful cinematic experiences at Apollo Kinas, a new premium multiplex at Vilnius Outlet shopping centre.
Christie partner BMK installed a Christie CP4425-RGB and five CP2415-RGB Real|Laser illumination technology, each accompanied by a Christie Vive Audio sound system, to immerse audiences in its six screens.
“This cinema is fully equipped with many innovations to elevate the theatre experience for Vilnius moviegoers, including three chair selections in each auditorium, comfortable recliners, food delivery, self-serve shop, and most importantly top-notch laser projection and immersive audio system,” says Donatas Ivoška, head of Lithuania marketing department, Apollo Kinas. “We are very happy that we chose Christie and BMK as our partners. They completed everything on time and the

France - Bière à Lille, a week-long festival in Lille celebrates beer and brewing with dozens of special events and samplings from over 80 different breweries. Among the highlights off the festival this year was Nuit du BAL, an electro pop show headlined by Martin Solveig, along with Upsilone, Miel de Montagne and Victor Flash.
These artists performed on Friday night 22 September before a packed house at the Zénith de Lille, adding electricity to the atmosphere for their shows was a dynamic fast-moving lighting design by Valentin Lemarquier.
Drawing on the intense output of 60 Chauvet Professional fixtures supplied by the Alive Group, Lemarquier created bold looks that reflected the music and personality of each artist.
Among the fixtures in his rig were 14 STRIKE Array 2 blinders that provided dramatic exclamation points of light throughout the evening. “Wi

UK - Virtual production facility Racquet Studios has partnered with Video Screen Services (VSS) to offer dynamic solutions for virtual productions of all types and of all sizes
Having launched in June 2023 and located in Eastbourne’s Devonshire Quarter, , Racquet Studios has been rapidly evolving to cater for a range of traditional and virtual productions across its facilities. Racquet Studios has been developed to support existing businesses and production companies through technical innovation to produce world-class creative content while creating a progressive creative economy, bringing investment, education and skilled year-round jobs to the region.
Having delivered market-leading solutions for films including The Batman, Barbie and The Marvels, VSS also provides installations for TV productions including Strictly Come Dancing and

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