UK - Leicester-based provider of specialist electrical LED lighting installations, Ventola Projects, has completed a major project at the newly re-launched Cheshire Oaks Tenpin bowling centre near Ellesmere Port. Cheshire Oaks has invested more than £1m in the recent transformation which includes the latest technology, new attractions and will create more than 25 new jobs.
Ventola Projects has helped to implement some of this latest technology. Managing director, Mick Ventola and his team have assisted the venue in achieving its ultimate objective; to change the dynamic of the ex

China - Work Pro Audio, the installation and pro audio division of Equipson, has made an inroad into the Chinese market by supplying the country with its first SL210A Line Array system.
The system has been delivered to Freelancer Production Company, a theatre and event production company that specialises in audio equipment rental to theatres in Hong Kong and touring artists on the mainland China. Since its delivery in September it has already been used at the 3,000 seater Queen Elizabeth Stadium in Hong Kong for a musical theatre production celebrating the 70th anniversary of the

USA - In January 1922 the Orpheum Theatre in Marion, IL, opened its doors for the first time. The flagship location of a vaudeville chain, the theatre offered locals a wide array of entertainment options, even hosting stars like Harry Houdini and the Ziegfeld Follies who performed before standing room only crowds.
Although the Orpheum is long gone, having been purchased by the city and renamed from a variety of genres. Only today, performers on its stage are supported by a modern LED lighting system that would have been unimaginable in the Orpheum’s incandescent era.
Anch

USA - When Texas country artist Aaron Watson was planning the fall leg of his current Red Bandana Tour, the decision was to go native with Houston-based production company LD Systems.
It was a “natural” decision and an “easy choice,” says lighting designer Anthony McCoy, who recently worked with the company with Watson’s shows at the Houston and San Antonio Rodeos, plus a few festivals.
In business since 1975, LD Systems specialises in turning a sketch or key concept into a workable, real-world solution - be it for festivals, corporate events or concert tours. So

UK - James Bond tribute band, Q The Music is currently touring theatres across the country, accompanied by an Allen & Heath SQ digital mixing system and 13 “game-changing” ME-1 personal mixers.
The current 13-piece band has been performing the 007 hits across prestigious venues, including the West End’s Adelphi Theatre, since 2014. Warren Ringham, who founded the show in 2004, opted for the SQ system after becoming frustrated with the lack of flexibility and reliability offered by other systems. “Our show and the demands on the production were getting bigger so we nee

UK – Australian three-piece alt dance group Rufus Du Sol headed to London’s Alexandra Palace for the headline performance of their Solace tour and their biggest UK show to date.
In a statement, the band said: “We wanted to find somewhere big enough to host a night of electronic music with all the bells and whistles.”
TSL Lighting was brought in to make this happen, specifying their latest investments to provide the pizazz befitting of Matthew Smith’s ambitious lighting design and production manager Jonathan Nelson’s requirements.
Senior TSL project manage

UK - Audiovisual production supplier SFL provided a custom-built 10m wide projection screen and stage monitoring for Senbla’s latest film season - starting in September with Star Wars and finishing in December with Love Actually - which sees films screened in HD in venues around the UK, with live orchestras performing the films’ scores.
“We supplied a 20m truss screen and our brand new 10m wide custom-built AV Stumpfl screen,” says SFL’s video and projects director, Craig Lawrence, who worked on the project alongside the company’s Sungho Jeong, Sam Wheel

UK - Shure worked with Wigwam to install a new audio system into the magnificent York Minster building.
The Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Saint Peter in York, more commonly known as York Minster, is one of the largest of its kind in Northern Europe. The historic Minster building is justifiably seen as a national treasure and unsurprisingly boasts Grade 1 listed status with Heritage England.
Church leaders have been refurbishing and maintaining the building and an important part of the project was for the audio in the building to be crystal clear -- both for music an

USA - Audinate, developer of the Dante media networking technology, worked with Utah State University to implement a Dante audio network that helps offer a series of online courses and live, interactive broadcasts where students can remotely attend live classroom presentations - and also communicate with the instructor. This is mission critical for the university in its effort to serve rural areas of Utah, where students may be unable to travel to campus for instruction.
A major component to successfully bringing these presentations to all students is utilizing the latest AV techn

USA - St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church of Newport Beach, California has added Ayrton Khamsin-TC profile luminaires to its equipment inventory for worship services and special events.
St Andrew’s has been in the Newport Beach community for about 70 years and is known as a neighbourhood church with global impact. It holds three weekend worship services, both modern and classic, and maintains a staff to handle AV production needs.
“It’s been our long-term goal to offer live streaming on the internet, and our recent camera and lighting purchases are designed to aid us in

South Africa - Few holiday traditions are more treasured in Joburg, South Africa than the annual pantomime, held at The Mandela Stage at Joburg Theatre in Braamfontein.
This year, writer, director and South Africa’s queen of pantomime, Janice Honeyman has brought to stage the story of country boy Jack the Joller, and his adventures with a family cow, some magic beans, an enormous beanstalk, an unfriendly giant and an enchanted hen that lays golden eggs.
Long-standing technical manager at the Joburg Theatre and industry veteran, Enos Ramoroko, points out that the panto is o

Austria - Now in its 19th year, the three-day Krone-Fest has been running in the Austrian city of Linz since 2001. This year, once again the free event saw more than 70 acts appearing on 13 stages in different squares spread throughout in the city centre.
Promoted by KOOP Live-Marketing and Upper Austrian Kronen Zeitung, a total of around 400,000 people gathered across the duration to hear artists such as Darius & Finlay, Status Quo and Milow headline on the respective days.
Last year, a Martin Audio Wavefront Precision Compact (WPC) loudspeaker array featured on the sec

Germany - The German theatrical tradition has always relied on colourful and vivid productions to convey the intricacies of the nation’s intricate language and rich culture. For more than two centuries, this tradition has flourished at the Stadttheater Aschaffenburg, which has played host to countless seminal productions since first opening its doors in 1811.
As part of a long term renovation of this bastion of German theatre, Siegbert Blattner, technical director at Stadttheater Aschaffenburg, oversaw the creation of a modern and versatile lighting system that is comprised ent

UK - Antony Gormley Studio enlisted the expertise of Unusual Rigging for the sculptor's recent exhibition at the Royal Academy. Gormley's retrospective, which ran until 3 December, has wowed art lovers and novices alike, having been designed to put 'the visitor centre-stage'. It was spread across 13 rooms, all calling for physical and imaginative participation from those who visited the Academy to see his work.
Robin Elias, technical director, Unusual Rigging, comments: "This was Unusual's first foray into the Royal Academy. Antony Gormley Studio contacted us based on previous su

USA - As the year draws to a close, Bandit Lites continues its annual tradition of giving back to its local community by participating in the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree programme. It is an event the entire office enjoys, as it builds comradery and refocuses the season on giving to those less fortunate.
Bandit Lites team members are provided funds and time to come together to shop for those in need. HR Coordinator Cori Link organises the efforts in Nashville by coordinating the staff, transport and Angel Tree drop off, while Lisa Fodge spearheads the Knoxville staff’s efforts

Denmark - Nanna-Karina Schleimann has become one of the first sound designers to make use of DPA’s new 4560 Core Binaural Headset Microphone, which gives sound technicians, vloggers, film makes and YouTubers “an accurate and reliable tool to capture authentic 3D audio in realtime”.
This new headset allows film, theatre and online content creators to capture exactly what each ear is hearing so that those consuming the content on headphones can experience full immersive sound. The headset features a pair of 4060 Core Miniature Microphones that are mounted on ear hooks and sit

Czech Republic - Dance music fans returned to the O2 Arena in Prague, the home of popular trance party Transmission, to enjoy a line-up of Ferry Corsten presents System F, Blastoyz, Darren Porter, Thomas Coastline, Giuseppe Ottaviani, Key4050, MaRLo, Cosmic Gate and many more.
Adding to the occasion was lighting designer Bas Kemper, who likes a dynamic and flexible palette of lights. For this show his spec’ featured over 100 Robe moving lights, with 72 MegaPointes, 19 BMFL Blades and 48 LEDBeam 150s incorporated into the rig.
Kemper works closely with a diverse team

Switzerland - Pop-rock band Hecht entertained 13,000 fans at Zurich’s Hallenstadion in an energy-fuelled visual and sonic extravaganza which included zip-lining keyboardists, crowd surfing, inflatable pink flamingos and several tons of confetti.
Show and lighting designer Roger Staub was asked to create a big, vibrant and memorable show to end their current touring cycle riding high on their chart-topping third studio album Oh Boy and assisting him to make a massive impact were 98 Robe MegaPointes and 60 Pointes.
Roger is also a video content creator and his elegant

Italy - Every October for the past five years, over a thousand musicians have gathered together in Italy to perform as the ‘biggest rock band in the world’. Yamaha digital mixing has featured each time, with a Rivage PM10 digital mixing system making its debut in 2018. This year the event moved to Linate Airport, Milan, where a Rivage PM7 system was added for the first time.
The scale of Rockin’1000 That’s Live means that the sound has to be managed by a highly professional team. Yamaha Music Europe’s Italy branch were on site in Milan as technical partners, with Alessan

USA - Keeping pace with Andrew Peterson’s gently winding performance of Behold The Lamb Of God as it weaves its way through a mix of words and music is a supple lightshow designed by Winn Elliot and operated by Jessica Sanders.
Elliot and Sanders’ blend of brightness, colour and shadows was on full display Sunday 1 December when the 20th edition of the popular holiday tour played to a sold-out crowd at the Von Braum Civic Centre in Huntsville. Helping them create their flow of evocative looks was a collection of 16 Chauvet Professional Maverick MK2 Spot fixtures supplie

France - The Abbey of Mont Saint-Michel, the well-known islet in Normandy, provided an enchanted venue to Laurent Voulzy’s concerts in September.
The popular French singer and song-writer performed here for the first time accompanied by a keyboard player and harpist.
Lighting designer John Artonne enhanced the atmosphere by using Prolights Starkbar1000 to illuminate the stage and create a set of aerial effects.
“Choosing Prolights Starkbar1000 fixtures was a no-brainer for me,” says Artonne. “Among all the products I have seen were those who convinced me the mo

USA - While he officially retired from touring after his 2012-2014 Cowboy Rides Away tour, George Strait was one of the first headliners at Fort Worth’s new Dickies Arena, playing two back-to-back, sold-out shows in late November.
With those shows and others now being mixed on a DiGiCo SD12 96 desk at front of house, Strait stays at the forefront of live sound technology. Commissioned by Epicenter Productions of Dallas, the console was acquired by George Olson, who has been with Strait since 2004.
“It was the SD12’s compact size, and the power that it packs in

USA - Although Louisville residents have long associated the term ‘Triple Crown’ with Kentucky Derby thoroughbred horse racing at their own Churchill Downs, this year’s Trifesta may well pose a legitimate threat to that reigning royal trio title.
Produced by Los Angeles-based Danny Wimmer Presents (DWP) - the concert promoter behind popular US music festivals like Sacramento’s Aftershock, Columbus’ Sonic Temple and Charlotte’s Epicenter - a Trifesta pass served as the golden ticket to get into three large Louisville music festivals held on consecutive weekends during S

UK - Silent Disco King, a leading provider for wireless headphone events, helped deliver the biggest ever silent disco event at Lowlands festival.
Back in 2017, the festival organisers wanted to increase the size of their silent disco to 10,000 headphones and needed a suitable supplier. Having visited the company’s UK head office, Lowlands turned to Silent Disco King, who, in August 2018, delivered a silent disco for the festival with not 10,000 headphones but 20,000 headphones.
In August this year, the supplier provided 30,0000 headphones to light up an arena w

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