UK - PLASA ran a second online programme from 10-13 May, covering the most vital topics and trends for those who work across live events and entertainment sectors.
Following the successful debut PLASA Online in October 2020, PLASA Online 2021 attracted thousands of industry professionals who signed up to watch the four-day programme which featured expert panels, technical sessions, and presentations on creative projects and products.
The ABTT partnered with PLASA Online to host popular presentations each day. These included a panel of Health & Safety and production experts who discussed the challenges of returning to work; a talk with CREATEBritain co-founder Richard Woods who introduced the new features of the online platform for creative professionals; the 2020 updates to the Technical Standards for Places of Entertainment and Volume 1 of The Theatre Green Book, a collaborative publication for making theatre sustainably.
Electrical expert James Eade topped the bill yet again, this time looking at the myths and misunderstandings of electrical safety. He answered several questions and detailed the importance of electrical qualifications, PAT testing requirements, earthing and phase separation.
LSi magazine delivered two well-attended sessions diving into pioneering stage technology: James Simpson, author of the popular LSi column Future Tech, shared some of his favourite recent stories, including light fidelity, spatial displays, the Internet of Things and haptic soundwaves; plus Rob Halliday and Ryan Metcalfe

USA - The outdoor stage at the Avondale Brewing Company was smaller than the ones Pigeons Playing Ping Pong normally plays on, probably not much more than 30ft in length. But adaptation is the order of the day as live music gradually returns throughout much of the USA.
The popular jam band improvised their way through two upbeat sets filled with unbridled energy, antics and original musical turns when they played the Birmingham, AL venue.
Flowing with them on this freewheeling journey was their longtime lighting designer, Manny Newman. Described by the quartet as “the fifth member of the band”, Newman also proved that limited space is no obstacle to limitless ideas. His expansive show filled the stage and the entire venue with visual delights that included swirling custom gobo patterns and colour combinations that moved from dreamy pastels on white, to bold edgy mixes.
Helping him achieve these looks were the 18 Chauvet Professional Rogue fixtures in the band’s own touring rig. He arranged six Rogue R1 Spot fixtures across a 16ft truss as part of the ground package, and hung 12 Rogue R1 Wash units on four Global Truss Quick Grids. Working this road package with the house rig, he unleashed a stream of looks across the stage’s backdrop that invited imagination.
“Usually during the second set I like to do psych looks on the back wall for certain jams,” he said. “At Avondale, I did this with light and gobos rather that video, because I don’t like to shoot media in people’s faces. I want people to create their own mental image of

UK - Austrian Audio and UK distributor Sound Technology have announced availability of the new Hi-X65 headphones. Building on the popularity of their Hi-X55, the Hi-X65 headphones are designed as professional monitoring headphones for mixing and mastering, the open over-ear design and the high excursion driver ensure transparent sound for sound engineers and audiophiles alike.
The development of the Hi-X (High Excursion) technology results from “decades of experience and today’s state-of-the-art technologies”, and it’s the key to the detailed sound of the Hi-X65 headphones. All Austrian Audio Hi-X headphones feature a 44 mm driver and a ring magnet system. This design allows for improved airflow and includes the strongest magnetic field in its class.
The ring magnet, combined with a copper-clad aluminium voice coil, reduces the weight of the membrane and the voice coil connected to it, allowing the membrane to move or change direction faster, providing a more responsive impulse reaction. The result is great bass imaging and superior low THD at low frequencies, a linear frequency response, and open, precise, high-resolution sound that simplifies error detection and makes mixing and mastering a pleasure.
The Hi-X65 ear pads provide a high level of comfort. The ear pads are made of soft memory foam and have been completely redesigned to provide more space for the ears without increasing the external dimensions.
The breathable construction ensures excellent ventilation, while supporting the acoustic design. The soft memory foam padding of

USA - Lighting designer Tom Kenny utilised nearly 400 Robe moving lights on his lrig for the debut of Triller Fight Club, a new PPV entertainment and sporting concept partnership between US video sharing and social network, Triller, and rapper Snoop Dogg.
Embracing the pro boxing league, live music performances plus celebrities and social media personalities, the first Triller Fight Club event was staged at the Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The four-hour broadcast was conceived by multiple Oscar-nominated Alex Kavanaugh and Emmy Award-winning filmmaker, Bert Marcus.
Star power on the entertainment stage included Justin Bieber, The Black Keys, Doja Cat, Saweetie, Diplo and Major Lazer who punctuated the various boxing bouts with short festival-style sets, together with the first appearance of Snoop Dogg’s new supergroup Mt. Westmore, featuring Ice Cube, Too $hort, and E-40. The rapper was also in fine voice as one of the main fight commentators.
The event was staged behind closed doors due to Covid regulations. One hundred lucky ‘golden ticket’ holders got to experience the live show, chosen via promotional contests on the Triller app.
Tom was invited to create an epic high-octane production lighting design by music stage director Alex Kolb. “It was absolutely fantastic being there – like being at a big rock concert,” stated Tom. “It was just the tonic that all of us involved needed.”
He and Alex have worked together on other major TV productions over the years and for this, Alex specifically wanted Tom to capture th

USA - On 5 May, ANSI's Board of Standards Review approved two ESTA documents as American National Standards. The following day, ANSI's BSR approved four more. All six are now published and available on the ESTA TSP website for download at no cost at http://tsp.esta.org/freestandards. You also may buy them from ANSI and IHS Markit for $40 each.
ANSI E1.2 – 2021, Entertainment Technology - Design, Manufacture and Use of Aluminum Trusses and Towers describes what the title says, and also the associated aluminium structural components, such as head blocks, sleeve blocks, bases, and corner blocks, used in the entertainment industry in portable structures. It's a revision of and supersedes the previous version.
ANSI E1.28 – 2011 (R2021), Guidance on planning followspot positions in places of public assembly, offers guidance on the planning of permanent followspot positions, including recommendations on the locations of the followspot positions within the venue, the power likely to be needed, the waste heat generated, the amount of space likely to be needed, and the fall protection and egress issues to be considered for the followspot operator's safety. This is a reaffirmation of the 2011 edition.
ANSI E1.39 – 2021, Entertainment Technology - Selection and Use of Personal Fall Arrest Systems on Portable Structures Used in the Entertainment Industry establishes minimum requirements for the selection and use of personal fall arrest systems (PFAS) on portable structures in the entertainment industry. In addition, the standard establ

Canada - Powersoft’s Ottocanali amplifier platforms have been chosen by Solotech as one of the cornerstones of the new audio system at Canadian casino and hotel resort, Caesars Windsor.
The venue – part of the Caesars Entertainment empire – had its original audio system installed in 2008, but with the supplier having sent an end-of-life notice in 2018 and Caesars Corporate changing its minimum standards, it had to act decisively.
“As well as the end-of-life notice, we soon realised that we couldn’t upgrade the Windows portion of the old system without upgrading the hardware to match,” said Brian Drouillard, manager audio visual at Caesars Windsor.
Drouillard had already been working with compatriot company Solotech on upgrading the audio systems in hotel ballrooms and meeting rooms, and so spoke with its on-site technicians first to determine if they had any recommendations for alternate systems.
“We did a cost/functionality analysis to determine what would be best for us, then contacted Solotech as soon as we were ready,” said Drouillard. “Solotech has been a wonderful working partner already, having completed a number of jobs for us in the past, both on time and on budget, with the design and functionality demanded of a world class venue.”
Drouillard was then tasked with providing senior systems designer / Q-SYS software programmer for Solotech, Peter Lima, with all of the functionality requirements, as well as all of the documentation on the old system and any changes made throughout the years.
“My first

Spain - The town of Altafulla on Catalunya’s Costa Dorada, in Tarragona province, is the spectacular seafront setting for the Pleamar Vintage Market.
As well as a host of stalls selling all manner of vintage clothing, antique furnishings and other second-hand goods, the market hosts an entertainment stage, featuring live music, DJs and a programme of events, alongside a children’s area and numerous terrace restaurants and bars.
Local event AV hire company Solucions so i il·luminació SCP provided various sound reinforcement systems for the annual two-day event in April, exclusively from Amate Audio’s contemporary Nitíd self-powered loudspeaker series.
The entertainment stage FOH system comprised eight N208 line array cabinets and two N218 subs, with eight N12 2-way systems for front-fills and stage monitors. N12 systems provided the audio in various other locations throughout the site.

World - The programme of events for Virtual Showlight has been announced.
The online event, taking place on 25 May, gives delegates the opportunity to hear industry-leading lighting designers talk about their work, ask them questions and network with others from across the industry, for a flavour of the full Showlight experience.
The programme is as follows (all timings are BST):
15.00 - Introduction & welcome from Showlight chairman John Allen
15.10 - Paper 1 - The Disco Lighthouse - Hamish Jenkinson
15.45 - Break
16.00 - Paper 2 - Lighting a Comic Book Movie - Birds of Prey Case Study - Mike Bauman
16.45 - Sponsors Breakout Rooms
17.35 - Paper 3 - Lighting Around The World Without Leaving Home: The Story of Waitress in Japan - Ken Billington, Rob Halliday, Aaron Porter
18.15 - Networking, Sponsors Breakout Rooms & Meal Break
19.15 - Panel Discussion with Q&A - A Panel on Diversity - to celebrate, to listen and to learn
20.15 - Break
20.30 - Paper 4 - From Shipyard to Street Art Museum - Floriaan Ganzevoort, Isabel Nielen and Mike Evers
21.15 - Break
21.30 - Paper 5 - BBC Strictly Come Dancing - David Bishop
22.15 - Breakouts and Networking
23.15 - Conference finishes
For further information on each Showlight session, visit: www.showlight.org/vsl-programme
Tickets can be obtained via the Virtual Showlight website here: test

Thailand - Over the last five years, owner Mr. Nicha Uengkhao has built Jab Pae Chon Kae restaurant into a success by providing a fun, modern dining experience alongside live music entertainment that varies from pop and rock to EDM.
Recently, when the lease expired on the Bangkok-area location, he took the opportunity to relocate to a new location in a high-traffic area adjacent to a popular community mall. The move proved to also be the perfect moment to upgrade the restaurant’s sound system, to provide patrons a better, more dynamic entertainment experience.
A live music enthusiast, Mr. Nicha had been admiring the L-Acoustics sound at live events and festivals around Bangkok for years. In 2016, when he first opened Jab Pae Chon Kae in the original location, he had hoped to install L-Acoustics Kara, but was not yet able to make that dream a reality. But he kept in touch with Vision One, L-Acoustics certified distributor and integrator for Thailand, over the years as the restaurant grew and flourished.
In 2019 when L-Acoustics launched the flexible, affordable A Series constant curvature line source, Vision One hosted a launch event and demo. It was there that the Jab Pae Chon Kae team began to discuss the possibility of upgrading their sound. Then, in 2020 when they made the decision to move to a new location, the time felt right. “We knew that the new location, close to the popular The Circle community mall, but also not too far from our original space, would give us a unique opportunity to widen our audience,” explains Mr. Nicha. “We knew

UK - Christie has announced a new UK partnership with Visualization. The UK-based company will be joining Christie as the UK’s technical distribution partner, offering a full system design, build and supply of services and products, to the integration and dealer channel.
Visualization is an associate company of AV Rack Build and is able to draw on a long-established relationship with Christie and its products. The new arrangement gives integrators a one-stop-shop for system pricing, orders, and an opportunity to take advantage of additional AV engineering services and technical expertise each step of the way.
“Christie products are respected across the AV world and their reputation speaks for itself,” comments Nick Pidgeon, managing director at Visualization and AV Rack Build. “We have enjoyed an excellent working relationship with Christie since early days with the first Dolby Cinema deployments and the move to formalise our relationship is a mutually beneficial step for both companies. From our side, we’ve put together a great account team including industry stalwart Chris Brittan, who can draw on extensive experience of Christie solutions over the years. This is a very exciting time and I’m very much looking forward to the future.”
“As business starts to open up again, it’s an exciting time for Christie to be partnering with Visualization,” adds Miles Donovan, senior channel development manager at Christie. “Its particular focus will be on our Pandoras Box, Spyder, and Terra products, the demand for which is likely to be on

France - PRG and MADO XR has launched Virtual Production Studio-xR, a 360-° LED facility powered by Brompton Technology Tessera SX40 4K LED processing. The space “brings the power of virtual production to any type of pre-recorded or live production” and features ROE Visual LED panels, with multiple Tessera LED processors running the entire set-up.
“Situated on the outskirts of Paris at the historic TSF Studios, we designed a modular studio of approximately 800m2 to provide full control over both the lighting and the filmed scenes in a realtime recording environment. We have put a team together that is fully dedicated to the studio and is composed of PRG and MADO XR staff who will be able to advise and guide you in the realisation of your projects,” comments Thierry Kra, managing director of PRG France.
Louis De Castro, CEO and co-founder of MADO XR, utilised over 10 years of experience working with some of the biggest fashion houses, including Valentino, Yves Saint Laurent and luxury brands such as Cartier and Baccarat, to merge his creative industry knowledge with PRG’s global reach and technical expertise to create a top notch XR studio.
“Our studio is 15m wide by 5m tall and 7m deep, meaning it has an LED backwall, a ceiling, a floor and front panels, which is a unique offering in France,” comments Yves Winand, PRG’s senior video project manager & technical advisor. “Together with MADO XR, we pulled together a set of technologies for real time tracked images to be rendered with extremely low latency, allowing the actors to

UK - AV and entertainment technology company Anna Valley has acquired event technical support provider Production Plus. The purchase will provide Anna Valley with additional staff and technical capabilities to support the company’s portfolio of venue clients.
Production Plus has provided technical services to the events, hospitality, corporate and private markets since 1985. The company supplies video, audio, lighting, rigging and set design, build and staging services and equipment from a 20,000sq.ft facility in Hertfordshire and is the preferred supplier to a number of five-star hotels and venues.
Like many suppliers in the sector, it has recently experienced difficult trading conditions due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Over the last 12 months, the owners were forced to reduce the company’s full-time staff and re-evaluate the business, ultimately deciding to approach long-time industry associates, Anna Valley, with an offer to purchase Production Plus.
“This purchase will not only expand Anna Valley’s technical inventory and strengthen our capabilities as an audio-visual provider to event venues,” comments Anna Valley MD Peter Jones. “It also means that we’ve been able to take on 17 highly-skilled staff members who would otherwise have faced redundancy through no fault of their own. We’re thrilled to welcome the Production Plus team into the Anna Valley Group.”
This is Anna Valley’s second acquisition since the company underwent its own management buyout in 2015. In 2018, Anna Valley purchased live event specialists, Matri

UK - Preevue and Race Furniture have announced a strategic partnership, bringing together Race’s decades of experience in theatre seating design and Preevue’s venue scanning and sightline analysis technologies.
While the two companies will remain separate, they will collaborate closely on future projects where skills and resources can be shared, with Preevue services being integrated into Race’s offering to new and existing clients.
Lucy Stokes, managing director of Race Furniture comments: “I am thrilled to announce this key partnership between Race and Preevue. Race has over 75 years heritage within theatre and venue seating and continues to grow. We view this partnership with Preevue as a major step forward not only in Race’s evolution but the evolution of the entire industry - for the first time ever seating design, layout and manufacturing expertise will be combined with cutting edge technology in 3D venue visualisation and sightline analysis.
“This past year has highlighted a need for a much more remote based technology service, allowing the software to be utilised for multiple smart benefits including remotely, digitally & accurately viewing your entire venue and how maximizing capacity and therefore revenues is possible.”
Ryan Metcalfe, managing director of Preevue adds, “I’m really excited to announce this strategic partnership between Preevue and Race, a company with such an illustrious history in theatre seating. I see this partnership as a great way to further streamline the efficiency of projects within the

UK - Version 2 Lights Limited (Version 2) has further invested in Prolights ArenaCob 4FC and has also added LumiPix 15IP LED fixtures to its extensive rental stock holding.
Version 2’s managing director, Nick Edwards comments: “When setting up Version 2, we were in the fortunate position of buying everything new. We didn't want to be burdened by the legacy of traditional tungsten technology, but at the same time wanted to keep the iconic look of the traditional fixtures. We were delighted by some of the LED alternatives from Prolights, which enabled us to keep the style and look desired by many LDs, but in LED form.”
Version 2 has been using LumiPix 16H for a number of years, in fact at year end, they were the most utilised fixture in Version 2’s inventory.
Edwards continues: “Thanks to its cost-effective price point, LumiPix 16H has always proved popular with LDs. We are excited to have just added the LumiPix 15IP RGBW LED Batten to our offering. We chose these because the units are low energy and IP rated, adding additional versatility, especially with a high number of upcoming outdoor events. I have no doubt they will prove a success with our customers.”
LumiPix 15IP delivers advanced brightness and colour mixing, as well as enhanced creative freedom with individual pixel control of each cell. The unit also has a demountable central omega bracket that makes it quick and easy to deploy in the air or on the floor.
Prolights’ ArenaCob 4FC is a full colour LED replacement for a traditional 4 cell DWE blinder, which ticked al

Russia - Fulcrum Acoustic, creators of professional loudspeaker technologies, has appointed Pro Audio & Light Systems as its distributor for Russia.
“Pro Audio & Light Systems has an extensive network and first-rate technical expertise,” explains Fulcrum Acoustic president and co-founder Stephen Siegel. “We are happy to have their support as we continue to expand our presence internationally.”
“We have been looking for an installation-focused loudspeaker brand for some time now,” says Elena Korovina at Pro Audio & Light Systems. “The technology behind the Fulcrum Acoustic product line is impressive and allows us to provide innovative solutions to our markets.”

Lithuania - Held annually in March, the Golden Stage Cross Awards is a night celebrating World Theatre Day by recognising the most significant productions, authors and professional artists in what has become Lithuania’s most anticipated performing arts awards.
Due to the health and safety regulations, no spectators were allowed at the event this year, with the awards ceremony presented and broadcast live on Lithuanian national television, LRT. NGR Service worked with show organisers to provide the sound system, deploying a DiGiCo SD12 96-channel console with D-Rack and D2-Rack to broadcast the audio “as it should sound”.
Traditionally held in a different theatre every year, it was decided to host this year’s awards in the same venue as last year, at the spectacular Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre (LNOBT), the largest theatre in the country. Most of the musical performances were pre-recorded to limit physical interaction, and for the few participants that attended the ceremony, testing negative for Covid-19 no more than 48 hours before the start of the awards was mandatory.
NGR’s relationship with LNOBT goes back a long way having worked on several projects together, so when NGR was chosen for this momentous event, they knew they had to go above and beyond to bring the creative concept of director Gediminas Šeduikis and his team into a reality. “We really enjoy working with Gediminas and the entire crew at LNOBT,” says Tomas Ždanovičius, NGR’s FOH Engineer. “They make our work even more interesting thanks to the alwa

UK - To mark Mental Health Awareness Week, Unusual Rigging has announced the creation of an on-site allotment at its Bugbrooke HQ. The initiative aims to promote mental wellbeing amongst the company’s staff who will be encouraged to take time out from the nine-to-five to tend to the plot.
The company has also recently undertaken an employee survey to gauge levels of satisfaction in the workplace and has launched the Unusual Hub - a new employee access only communication platform that has been developed by Unusual’s IT team and a source of shared information and news.
Unusual’s facilities and resource manager Lizzie Richmond explains: “As a company, it is vital we look after our staff and in an industry where the culture can involve long, unsociable hours and periods of time working away from home, we recognise that this can impact on people’s mental health.
“Over the past year, the situation facing all our staff has been particularly stressful with the entire live events sector in turmoil, there has been the added worry of job security, the survival of the industry, not to mention the impact that lockdowns and working from home or being on furlough has had. People have been isolated and those who have been working on site have had to contend with very different working conditions.”
Richmond adds: “We wanted to make sure that as we slowly return to a more normal working environment, we take into account and are sympathetic to everything that each employee has been through and understand that the pandemic has affected everyone in

UK - Production designer Tim Dunn has joined the UK’s nvisible Agency, a group of independent live production professionals offering a dynamic range of project management and creative production services for events worldwide.
The nvisible Agency’s other core team members include some true entertainment industry mavericks! Founder and MD Mark Bustard and chairman promoter Harvey Goldsmith are joined by show and event producer Jim Baggott, technical director Tim Spears and project director Luke Carr.
For 24 years, Tim was based in South Africa and worked extensively throughout the African continent, Asia, and the rest of the southern hemisphere on some of the highest-profile and most interesting productions, including dealing face-to-face with governments, politicians, and world leaders.
These include the 2010 FIFA World Cup Closing Ceremony, multiple SEA Games and Nelson Mandela’s Funeral. Returning to the UK in 2018, Tim has been involved in numerous creative and ambitious projects with plenty more on the horizon.
Harvey Goldsmith comments: “Tim is a very valuable part of the team. He is a perfect fit, bringing some unique skills together with exactly the right personality and can-do mentality to consolidate and reinforce our future visions, long-term goals and dedication to excellence in the creative planning and global delivery of international shows and events.”

USA - Founded in 1842, Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, is the oldest university in the Western United States. With nearly 2,200 students, it offers a range of undergraduate and graduate courses in the arts and sciences, and post-graduate schools of business and law.
When the pandemic hit last year, Willamette University looked for ways to expand and improve its remote learning capabilities. The school's 120-seat Paulus Lecture Hall in the College of Law needed a sound system upgrade to facilitate better remote and limited in-person lectures and discussions. Kyle House, the audio video specialist for Willamette University, worked with Cascade Sound in Salem, Oregon, to upgrade the lecture hall's sound system with loudspeakers from Renkus-Heinz.
“Before we implemented the new system, we were using a pretty rudimentary pair of trapezoid box speakers which were put into an alcove above the screen. It was really primitive and ineffective and caused a lot of issues with reflections and feedback and very low intelligibility," saysHouse. “We needed a way to integrate the students in-person with those who are attending over Zoom. We needed a high-quality, highly-controlled audio solution so that way our microphone arrays can work properly in the space so everyone can be heard.”
House and the AV team selected a set of Iconyx Compact ICC12/3 arrays from Renkus-Heinz. A 12-channel digital amplifier and DSP system powers the unit's 12, 3-inch, full-range, high-sensitivity drivers. Iconyx Compact utilises the full suite of RHAON II and Beamware, th

UK - Event catering and brand logistics specialist Global Infusion Group has launched the Tony Awards, an internal awards ceremony held in honour of the company's late founder and CEO Tony Laurenson, who passed away this January.
Established to bring the team together, the Tony Awards will be a celebration and allow everyone to have some fun after an incredibly difficult period for the business. The ceremony will be held on 21 May and t he winners of the tongue-in-cheek categories will be decided upon by Global Infusion Group employees who have all been invited to take part in a public vote.
Alongside the ceremony will be a formal presentation to Stagehand, the PSA’s Welfare & Benevolent Fund, for the ‘Donations not Carnations’ JustGiving page that was set up for those who wanted send tributes to Laurenson. Nearly £21,000 has already been raised.
Global Infusion Group’s management team reached out to partners, suppliers, clients and friends from across the industry to secure sponsorship for the awards. A host of recognisable industry names include Coldplay, who the company has supported on tour for almost 20 years, with the band sponsor

USA - Shure Incorporated is entering its 96th year in audio technology and is planning a number of celebrations of company landmarks throughout the next 12 months.
S.N. Shure started the audio company in downtown Chicago in 1925, selling radio parts kits. Since then, the company has grown into a global player, offering a diverse portfolio of wired and wireless microphones, personal and professional listening products, and conferencing and meeting solutions. Shure products are now sold in more than 120 countries, and through the decades, they have been trusted and used around the world by such luminaries as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Elvis Presley, Pope Francis, Nelson Mandela, The Beatles, and every United States President since Franklin D. Roosevelt.
“While our 95th year provided several challenges as it relates to the pandemic, we continued with our superior product innovation and customer support,” comments Christine Schyvinck, Shure president and CEO. “Our founder, S.N. Shure, would be proud of how our associates banded together to persevere during these difficult times - positioning our company for a 96th year of global success.”
Throughout the anniversary year, Shure will celebrate key milestones, including:
1996 - Rose Shure named chairman of the board. Sandy LaMantia hired as VP of engineering (he was later named Shure’s third President).
1991 - Shure opened Shure Europe GmbH, Heilbronn – the company’s EMEASA Headquarters.
1966 - one of the most recognisable vocal microphones, the Shure SM58, is introduced

New Zealand - The 328m-tall Sky Tower in downtown Auckland, New Zealand has had its grace and elegance further enhanced with an Anolis lighting installation comprising 154 x Divine 72 LED fixtures.
The high-profile landmark is also a vital telecommunications hub and a popular observation point sitting at the heart of and presiding over this vibrant metropolis.
The lighting design was created by Richard Bracebridge and Sam Walle from Light Works Ltd. Technical specification, installation and systems integration were the work of Nick Abel from LS Group, with lighting fixtures supplied through Anolis’ New Zealand and Australian distributor, Jands.
Light Works has been involved with lighting the tower since 2007 when it was first re-lit following the original metal halide installation which dated back to 1996 whilst it was under construction.
The 2007 floodlighting involved re-lighting the shaft – utilising positions on top of some conveniently located bus shelters along Federal and Victoria Streets below – and upgrading the upper part of the tower and mast using the best quality RGB LED floodlights available at the time.
Forward 11 years, and by 2018 the installation was – unsurprisingly – looking patchy and dated, and in that time, LED technology had advanced dramatically, becoming brighter, more efficient, hugely more effective, and better value.
The team faced several challenges, starting with the ongoing city centre and waterfront regeneration project, which saw the removal of the bus shelters and the installation of s

Italy - K-array has launched a new pro audio brand, Kgear, which aims ‘to bring the latest technologies and top-level performance into a sleek design, easy-approach package, with a special attention to budget-sensitive yet demanding applications’.
Kgear’s product portfolio is divided into two main areas - high performance and installed sound - and comprises column systems, line-arrays, ceiling and wall mount speakers, subwoofers and amplifiers for applications ranging from large venues and commercial buildings to room-sized, residential environments.
“Over the past two years we took the chance to re-focus ourselves and start dreaming and designing in a different, challenging perspective to draw the very essence of K-array and apply it to create a more accessible product line without sacrificing the quality and performance we have been worldwide known for,” says Alessandro Tatini (co-founder, CEO & president of R&D, K-array)
Co-founder Massimo Ferratti adds: “Kgear is an idea we’ve been carrying with us for many years now. Being able to invest and dedicate our time and effort to make it come true in such a special moment is the result of a deeper process we have undertaken a long time ago. We’re proud to make this addition to our path and give a new expression to our innovation.”
“In an unprecedented time for the professional audio industry, value has become the key aspect to look for in the market,” says Lorenzo De Poi, global sales & marketing manager. “Kgear is all about giving exactly what a listener - ei

Europe - LED manufacturer Absen is set to hold three online round table panels on immersive LED experiences. The sessions will cover immersive LED in virtual studios, retail spaces, and corporate spaces, with each round table session hosting a variety of expert brands in each sector.
Hosting all the roundtables will be Jessica Golding, Absen’s European brand manager. The first roundtable, upcoming on 19 May, will discuss the impact and rise of virtual studios on the AV industry over the last year. With a panel of the industry’s virtual studio experts, including Christian Czimny, Absen’s industry product director, the panel will discuss what virtual means in the industry, where virtual studios can be used, and what the benefits are of using LED over traditional ‘green screens’. The event will provide a multitude of perspectives, from end user to integrator, on the reality of virtual studios and the way they are perceived and used in a post-pandemic landscape.
The second roundtable on the 26 May will discuss the nature of virtual environments and why retailers should consider LED experiences in store. The panel, made up of brands such as Trison and Gensler, as well as Absen’s retail industry director, Ben Phelps, will discuss LED not only from a global retail market viewpoint, but will also analyse leading regions in LED adoption, such as China. The experts will give advice to retailers on how to create immersive spaces, and how to effectively use LED to their advantage to create experiences that customers will not forget.
The final sessio