UK - Sennheiser headphones have been chosen to compliment an innovative on-train entertainment system that has been introduced by Volo:TV for First Great Western Trains. With this technology, customers in a dedicated coach can take part in interactive seat-back entertainment.
Volo employed Hi-Fi reviewer and audio consultant, Chris Thomas to advise on sound set up and headphone selection. As a result, Volo uses Sennheiser MX300 in-ear units.
Customers can navigate their own menu of options using touch screen technology, and choose what they want to watch and for how long. Like the latest airline systems (albeit very few), the Volo system offers choice and control, via on-demand services, of how they want to be entertained, informed and educated. Also, the system's high bandwidth enables wireless communications, news, weather and sport to be regularly updated throughout the day.
(Jim Evans)
UK - Soundcraft continue to make the mid-level mixing market their own patch with the hugely popular MH3 console - as evidenced this month with the opening of the latest Carling Academy in Newcastle.
Academy Music Group's contractors, Marquee Audio - asked to create a top quality infrastructure for the company early on in their relationship - had opted for the MH3 as the centre of a top-spec monitor set-up. Since standardizing on the 32-channel MH3 at the stage end they have been specifying 40-input desks at front-of-house. "With the exception of Islington, every Academy venue now has an MH3 out front, as well as for monitors," observed Marquee Audio MD, Spencer Brooks.
AMG decided to pioneer high-level referencing a number of years ago, providing an enviable technical infrastructure for visiting bands. Brooks continued: "We backed the MH3 as soon as it was released because few desks can match the number of features for the money. It was a natural decision to build the Academy's monitor section around this solution - as it is a solid, reliable desk, supported by the Soundcraft name, which everyone recognizes. The MH3 is perfect for this level of performance and does the job very well."
The MH3 offers complete console flexibility and 'one-touch' operation to place either Groups or Aux Masters onto faders. The characteristic Soundcraft sonic signature is delivered via a new high-headroom mic amp, classic British EQ and rigorous circuit design.
Spencer Brooks' endorsement is matched by the venue's technical manager Mark Boyle, who has moved d
USA - Australian production engineer Phil Markey, and his company Kaos Lighting, has joined forces with US-based American DJ to create a new DMX-controlled centerpiece effect called the Streamer. Combining fibre optics with LED technology and RGB colour mixing, the Streamer produces thread-like beams, and will debut at the ETS-LDI show in Orlando next week.
"The Streamer is totally different than any other special effects light out there," said Scott Davies, general manager of the American DJ Group of Companies. "With its fiber-like beams, it's a truly unique visual phenomenon. Plus, it offers so many other features - from DMX control to LED technology to custom color mixing - that its applications are virtually limitless."
Markey first used fiber optic technology on a much more basic fixture called the Mirrorlight, powered simply by a small halogen light bulb. Dubbed the "modern mirrorball," the Mirrorlight quickly found a following among DJs, nightclubs and discos across Australia, the company says.
But its inventor saw even larger, more global possibilities. With assistance from the Australian International Trade Office (Austrade), Markey conducted a search for a partner who could help develop his creation into an automated DMX fixture with advanced features that would be suitable for larger clubs, concert halls, special events and architectural applications.
During the course of the Austrade-sponsored search, lighting manufacturers from around the world were interviewed, one of which American DJ. "I liked the whole team
USA / South America - Theatrical Concepts Inc (TCI) has been appointed the exclusive US and South American distributor for German manufacturer Coolux GmbH, whose range of products includes the Pandora's Box digital media engine and a diverse collection of digital content.
Based in Agoura, California, just outside of Los Angeles, TCI has significant experience in both video production and lighting rental markets. "It's really exciting to be part of making Pandora happen in the US," says TCI's president, Steve Gilbard. "The Pandora's Box Media Server is an amazing range of products in itself, along with some really quite spectacular content, and Coolux has a number of other interesting new products, which we are looking forward to helping them market to the industry."
Coolux's Pandora's Box Digital Media Engine V2.0 was first launched at PLASA in 2004 and since then has seen use on the musical We Will Rock You, the comedy telethon Red Nose Day in Germany, this year's Country Music Awards in Las Vegas and numerous other television and theatrical productions across Europe.
"Steve and his team have a tremendous amount of experience - both in video and in live entertainment," says Jan Huewel, managing director of Coolux GmbH and a partner in Coolux, Inc. "We'll continue to have a presence in the US through Coolux Inc - however, TCI is the perfect team to introduce our products to the market, particularly Pandora's Box."
Coolux GmbH can be found on booth 1127 at this year's ETS-LDI show in Orlando, Florida (11-13 Novemb
UK - Stage Electrics was very pink and fluffy on Friday 28 October, in support of the Breast Cancer Campaign. Marketing's Helen Gadbury and Marie Wilson organized the "pink day" by encouraging staff to wear something pink and donate money for the fund raising event. Costumes included everything from paisley pink pyjamas and lurid pink socks to the pink gossamer wings worn by David Whitehead's PA Jenny Redman.
"James Bull from the Projects team looked very comfortable in his pink pussy pyjamas and Anna Western had even more pink on than usual. The menu for the day at The Green Room café at Stage Electrics Bristol offered pink sponge dessert with pink custard, served by men wearing pink bandanas," said a spokesperson.
First prize for the best pink costume was won by Sandra Brimson, one of Stage Electrics' housekeepers, who herself is a breast cancer survivor of some 10 years. The event raised £166 and lots of smiles, say the company.
(Lee Baldock)
USA - Working with Upstaging Inc, Tomcat built 25 custom light frames to hold a variety of instruments, including projection that had to be precisely located, for Sir Paul McCartney's current US tour. A large projection wall is created using five independently flown modules with custom light frames to create a wall measuring over 60ft wide by 25ft deep.
Many custom hardware components were also fabricated for rigging equipment on this tour, some of which were constructed from one of Tomcat's specialised extrusions. Tomcat's design department worked closely with Upstaging to design and engineer the light frames for this custom application.
In addition, other custom brackets were fabricated to attach two sections of Tomcat's Swing Wing truss, to create moving lighting modules. "The McCartney tour required a fair amount of unique trussing and hardware elements," explains John Huddleston, managing director of Upstaging Lighting. "We knew we could trust Tomcat to fabricate and engineer a quality product for us."
The US tour is to support Chaos and Creation in the Backyard, the latest studio release from the former Beatle. It opened in Miami on 16 September with a total of 28 performances before the tour's conclusion on 29 November in Los Angeles.
(Jim Evans)
USA - Martin Professional has announced that Brian Friborg is to take on the role of president of Martin Professional Inc. Friborg, a Dane with a wealth of industry experience, has been with Martin for six years as managing director of Martin Professional Scandinavia A/S. More recently he has also held the interim position of managing director for Martin Professional Italy S.p.a.
Friborg will work closely with Martin US vice-president of sales and marketing Eric Loader in establishing and overseeing execution of the strategic plan for Martin US, as well as promoting key business relationships. He looks forward to meeting Martin's US partners and customers at the upcoming LDI trade show in Orlando.
Martin's statement says: "Troels Volver has decided to seek new challenges outside of the company and resigns his post as CEO of Martin Professional Inc".
Christian Engsted, Martin Professional President/CEO, commented: "We thank Troels for his contributions in working with a strong US team whose enviable commitment to excellence has established Martin's leading position in the US As the company looks forward to its next stage of growth, Brian is ideally suited to successfully work in partnership with this respected team to build an even stronger enterprise and secure Martin US's future success. We are extremely pleased to have him take the helm."
(Lee Baldock)
UK - Sound Division has recently completed a high quality AV installation at the exclusive Roehampton Club, a private members' sports club set in 100 acres of parkland close to Richmond Park in London. Originally established in 1901 as an Officers' polo club, it now offers among the finest range of sporting and leisure facilities in the London area including an 18-hole golf course, 29 tennis courts, five squash courts, four croquet lawns, indoor and outdoor swimming pools and a fitness centre, in addition to numerous leisure and relaxation areas.
Sound Division was called in to specify, design and install AV systems for Roehampton's new building which has been constructed around the existing indoor pool and houses a brand new, state-of-the-art gymnasium and aerobics studio, as well as the pool. Sound Division alsoprovided systems to cover the outdoor pool plus grass areas and terrace.
According to Sound Division's David Graham, this was an extremely comprehensive and sophisticated installation. A total of 34 loudspeakers from three different manufacturers plus requisite amplification, processing, source selection and remote control equipment were installed across six separate areas of the private club. The gymnasium and free weights area also had a full satellite television system installed with eight PACE receivers so that exercisers may select the channel of their choice from the individual TV screens that are integrated into each piece of cardio equipment.
"We used a selection of JBL Control Series loudspeakers throughout the gym, sports bar and terrace
UK - Joint directors Paul Butler and Ian Robson have completed the successful purchase of Northampton-based full service AV company Mushroom Event Services.
"Mushroom has always ticked along quite nicely and we already had a very solid client base," explains Butler. "However, Ian and I realised that to progress things, it was necessary for us to have full control of the company."
The first contract for the new regime at Mushroom was the Marriott Global Pursuits Event, held at London's Grosvenor House Hotel, where they supplied all the lighting and technical facilities for the in-house client based exhibition. "We colour themed the room, supplied the sound system and specialist lighting, which was mainly LED, as well as a colour changing wall and a boat that was used for a feature area," comments Butler.
This was followed by the PLASA Show at Earls Court, where Mushroom provided stand design and build for Studio Due, LED Lighting Distribution/Ayrton and Adamson/DV2 plus lighting for the DJ Lounge for the show organizers.
"PLASA is always very busy for us," adds Butler. "And things haven't slowed down since then. We successfully production managed the sound, lighting and AV elements of the RVM Awards at the Savoy at the end of September and forthcoming projects include the refurbishment of the sound and lighting installation at Prism restaurant, based in what was the London headquarters of the Bank of New York in the heart of the City of London, and a new lighting system for Northampton College."
(Jim E
UK - The new Opus 89 handheld vocal mic from beyerdynamic has a hypercardioid polar pattern offering "excellent isolation, allowing maximum monitoring volume with minimum feedback", say the company.
The Opus 89 is a premium microphone, delivering true uncoloured sound and a real sense of control for the performer, say beyerdynamic, offering wide frequency response for clear top-end and extended vocal depth. The Opus 89 is of heavy-duty construction, and robust enough for touring, say the company.
(Lee Baldock)
UK - Latymer Upper School in West London enlisted the services of Autograph to update the audio system in its listed Assembly Hall, as well as design and install a new system in the Sports Hall. The system design is based around EM Acoustics loudspeakers, MC2 Amplifiers and Allen & Heath iDR control units.
Due to the design brief for the Assembly Hall of discrete, low profile loudspeakers, and the ability to easily reconfigure the room for different settings, Autograph's project manager Lee Dennison specified the i-2 three-way compact fullrange loudspeaker as the main loudspeaker component of the Assembly Hall. He explains, "These are a true 90° x 20° box which can be rigged horizontally or vertically and have a rotatable horn coupled with 2 x 5" drivers. The box is passive and it just keeps going." The first six enclosures to come off the production line from EM Acoustics' Surrey factory were shipped straight on to site.
The Assembly Hall is processed by an Allen & Heath iDR-8 with infra-red remotes, and is powered by a pair of MC2 T4-250 amplifiers, with two spare channels earmarked for a further two i-2s early in 2006 when the Hall's organ is removed. In addition a pair of EMS-81 8" x 1" passive full-range enclosures are used for balcony fills.
The Sports Hall posed an entirely new set of problems, with its naturally reverberant space and the danger of cricket balls and the like flying around, plus the multi-purpose nature of the venue, Dennison designed a system that was as flexible and ball-proof as possible.
The system compris
Azerbaijan - PRG Europe has supplied lighting solutions for the grand opening of the $3.6 billion BTC oil pipeline linking Baku in Azerbaijan to the Turkish port of Ceyhan, via Georgia, in its first collaboration with oil company event specialist Neos Creative.
At the 'first oil' event, hosted by the Government of Azerbaijan and the pipeline's major shareholder BP, production manager and lighting director Steve Nolan actually worked on four events: one at the oil terminal at Sangachal 40km south of the Azerbaijan capital Baku and three in the city centre at the presidential Gulistan Palace. Neos Creative sent 12 40ft truckloads of equipment to the event, which included two full of lighting equipment from PRG Europe's facility in Greenford, west London.
At Sangachal Terminal on the shores of the Caspian Sea, the first oil event was marked with a ceremonial valve turn which set the oil pumping on its 1,110 mile journey through the pipeline. The oil is expected to arrive at Ceyhan at the end of the year.
The event at the Gulistan palace - a banquet for 500 people, including the presidents of Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Kazakhstan as well as a host of other foreign dignitaries which included HRH Duke of York representing the UK and various ambassadors - was followed the next day by a more informal event for BP staff. A third day, added at the last minute for local dignitaries, coincided with celebrations to mark Azerbaijan's independence day.
"In the city itself, the three events were at the palace where the president makes most of his speeches and announcements
UK - Audient highlighted the ACS8024 at this year's AES in New York. The Audient console on display at US distributor Audio Exchange International's (AXI) booth proved very popular and was sold to singer/songwriter Bill Champlin of Chicago fame.
Chris Walsh, AXI sales director reports: "Champlin liked the ACS8024 so much that he bought it before the show had even finished! It was exactly the solution he was looking for."
The ACS8024 combines the feature mix of the ASP8024 with an additional control section bay with Command 8 fitted for ProTools control. This brings the control of ProTools right to the traditional listening position: the centre of the console.
Walsh comments: "With the advent of digital recording and expectations of engineers at an all time high, coupling Audient's high quality analogue design with the digital interface means they get the best of both worlds."
Control of other workstations such as Nuendo and Logic Audio is also possible using the Mackie Control, which fits into the same bay. Also included with the ACS8024 is a 15" TFT monitor display, keyboard and mouse work surface.
Champlin has recorded and toured with Chicago ever since he joined in 1981, whilst releasing the occasional solo album.
(Jim Evans)
USA - Color Kinetics Inc has published its results of operations for the third quarter of 2005. Revenues were a record $14.1 million, a 27% increase from the $11.1 million reported in the third quarter of 2004. Net income rose to $1.3 million, up 47% from the $853,000 reported in the third quarter of 2004.
"We are very pleased with our strong third quarter performance, which reflects a broad and growing base of customers worldwide," said Bill Sims, president and CEO. "Once again we achieved record revenues across both business units, driven in part by market adoption of new RGB systems, increased traction for the IntelliWhite series, and escalating licensing activity."
He continued, "As LED technology progresses, fuelling adoption in both new and existing markets, we believe that Color Kinetics is well-equipped to advance the intelligent solid-state lighting industry - both for the replacement of conventional sources, and for the completely new uses of light that our technology makes possible."
For the fourth quarter of 2005, the company currently targets revenues in the range of $14.0 million to $15.0 million with earnings of $0.05 to $0.07 per diluted share.
(Jim Evans)
UK - This month, Soundesign's new 12.5 ton truck is launched, complete with an audio spec comprising a Studer Vista 8 console and two Pyramix H/D recording systems. Designed and built by Conrad Fletcher, the truck has a fully floating control room which incorporates a moveable wall that means the rear can be used as a studio, edit suite, internet TX area or DVD copying suite, or pushed back for maximum space in the mix area; as well as a separate machine room.
"We set ourselves the task of building a true multi-use vehicle with a serious listening environment, but we needed a desk that would be user-friendly to guest engineers and excel in any role, be it a radio talk show, a simultaneous stereo and 5.1 broadcast of a music festival or an on-site dub of a TV show. The Vista 8 fulfils these criteria perfectly" says Fletcher.
Fletcher made his first acquaintance with a D950 Studer console at Pinewood Studios. "When Studer introduced the Vista Series I realised what potential it has. The Vista 8 combines the Vistonics operational interface with proven reliability and 40 bit floating point processing technology, which is exactly what you want from a digital desk." Soundesign's desk is a 52-fader version, with a fully-loaded core. Having up to 240 inputs, the desk can record to 128 tracks of 24-bit/96kHz audio via the two MADI-enabled Pyramix systems.
(Jim Evans)
UK - Dick Tee worked as production manager at The Baby Show at Olympia, designing and overseeing production of the exhibition's main stage.The Baby Show, now in its third year, brought together a selection of baby brands and products, mixed with parenting specialists and guest speakers to offer expert advice and fashion options for mother and baby.
Growing in size since the show began and adding a new city for each year it has taken place, this year The Baby Show visited Glasgow SECC, Birmingham NEC and London's Olympia. The live element of the show has also developed in line with the show's growth, with it now taking a 'main stage' position within the exhibition hall.
Creative consultancy Eight Freestyle managed the creation and choreography of the shows, bringing in production manager Dick Tee to design and oversee the production of the stage. The stage had to incorporate a catwalk built wide enough for buggies and children to perform on and a performance area for presenters, Sean Canning of Eight Freestyle explained: "I wanted the stage to have a new softer image this year, incorporating curves and different colours. Over the years, the exhibition has grown and so has the stage and performances, which has led to the need for a more professional production and a theatre approach, plus working with babies means health and safety is stringent."
Olympia's natural lighting meant minimal overhead lighting was needed, but instead the lighting was creatively designed to 'lift the set' and attract an audience, with DPL installing the lighting
UK - Kevin Madigan, monitor engineer for Eels has been working for the band since May 2004 on a fairly constant tour across most of the world. He is a recent convert to the DiGiCo D1 after playing with a D5 owned by Jon Lemon. "I love it, you can really give the guys the consistency they want. Everyday I start off from a good point. Little tweaks are needed, but I am not coming in and having to deal with different consoles everyday," Madigan enthuses.
Madigan bought his own D1 through his company, EQ Audio, and tours it with the band. "The Eels is definitely the most pressure monitor gig I have ever had," he said. On the current show, Madigan has to deal with around 30 open sources, mostly acoustic, making feedback a real possibility. "With the analogue consoles, all the channels were open all the time because it was so much work to organise mute groups on the different desks. Now, with the DiGiCo, snapshots are used for different songs. What isn't being used gets shutdown, and it makes the whole stage a lot more stable," he said.
FOH engineer, Josh Paul is also a recent DiGiCo convert, after using and being a fan of analogue consoles his entire career. "At the beginning of this year we came over to the UK and things went really well. In the middle of the run, it came up that we were going to do a multitrack board feed to a hard drive recorder. The problem is, I don't have time to run 32 direct inputs to a hard drive recorder and then mess with it all day, so we came up with the idea to use a DiGiCo desk," Paul explained.
UK - Northampton-based sound and lighting installer Fabtronic has completed an extensive and flexible ElectroVoice sound system installation in the Barratts Club in Northampton, where a large sports bar and snooker hall have been created out of a former shoe factory.
Barratts' owners, the MacManus Group briefed Fabtronic designers to come up with a sound system that would fit in and around the multiple plasma TV screens that form the core identity of the sports bar. The objective was to have six discrete audio zones, allowing different sports to be shown in different areas of the bar.
Using Electro-Voice's EViD compact loudspeakers, Fabtronic has provided a system that is capable of far more than just background music replay. Powered and processed by Electro-Voice, with 8x 12.1 subwoofers in support, the EViDs are powerful enough to handle live bands, DJs and karaoke entertainment when required.
(Jim Evans)
UK - Leading London nightclub Pacha has recently upgraded its entire effects lighting system three years after opening. All apart from their Avolites Azure 2000 lighting console that is! Foresight and intuition in 2002 meant that no updating was necessary in the control department, as one of the reasons the Azure was originally specified was because it had more than enough headroom for future expansion.
The Azure 2000 console was chosen when the club opened by house lighting designer and technician Brian Kell. He chose it because it's "absolutely my favourite lighting console. It's perfect for club work, giving extremely quick access to lots of playbacks. It's also great for improvising and working 'live' - which is essential for any club environment." Kell knew at the time of the initial installation that the club would upgrade the lighting at some point in the near future. The Azure 2000 offers 50 instant access playbacks, right at the LD's fingertips.
Kell does all his prime-time Friday and Saturday night operating at the club on-the-fly. With six-to eight-hour board sessions not uncommon, it's essential to do it like this to keep the show flowing and looking interesting and stimulating. "I go with the DJ, the music and the mood of the moment" says Kell of his operating style, "the Azure is just ideal for this modus operandi."
The original lighting rig in Pacha was 12 Martin MAC 250s and four Martin Roboscan 918s, one Atomic strobe and 6 High End Trackspots. This has now been upgraded to include 16 Martin MAC 250 Kryptons, four
The Netherlands - In Holland, the Dutch police have adopted Marantz Professional's PMD660 Compact Digital Recorder to handle the critical job of recording interviews in interrogation rooms in police stations around the country.
17 of the PMD660 field recorders have been supplied so far by Niehoff High Tech Sound & Light, chosen by the Police because of three primary factors. The PMD660 offers exceptional recording time, three hours of mono recording on a 1GB card, but, by switching between different presets, over 17 hours of stereo MP3 and almost 36 hours of monaural MP3 audio is available. The unit will operate for up to four hours on four standard AA batteries. Due to its solid-state design, the unit has virtually no moving parts is therefore dramatically more reliable than cassette, DAT, or other tape/disc formats.
And it is simple to use. According to a police spokesman, "our experiences are very positive. The recorder is very user friendly, and this is necessary when many different people work with it. Even people who are not technical can instantly start to work with the PMD660."
(Lee Baldock)
UK - It is becoming increasingly common to find live CDs on sale at venues minutes after the band leaves stage, and FX Rentals has acted as technical consultants to the first British company offering this service, Live Here Now.
FX's technical manager Adam Pope worked closely with the live to CD company at its inception, recommending that the best way for Live Here Now to proceed would be to source a soundproofed, air conditioned truck into which duplication equipment could then be installed.
After further research, and to supply the required CD output, Pope also advised Live Here Now to invest in 50 seven-bay Magellen CD duplicators, together with a total of 14 Tascam CDRW750 and HHB CDR830+ single CD-R burners for creating master CDs, plus outboard equipment including limiters and compressors. Working in partnership with Will Shapland Mobiles, a Live Here Now engineer mixes the audience mics and live material coming off stage before the masters are burned.
"After our recommendations had been made, Live Here Now wanted technical backup, primarily during installation of the equipment, and within their start-up period," says Pope. "FX was very involved in how all this would be put together logistically. It's a simple concept, but making the whole process happen quickly and efficiently took a bit of working out."
Live Here Now's technology means that within five minutes of the band coming off stage, CDs are available at points of sale around the venue, with up to 500 being sold within half an hour. "We're now looking to increase the num
UK - Specialising in event production within London's listed Unique Venues of London heritage sites, Wise Productions has become a leading player in this sector of the industry.
Coupled with Camco amplification, Nexo PS8's and PS10's - all supplied through Fuzion plc - have become David Wise's frontline solution for the high-end corporate market in venues like the British, Natural History, Science and Victoria & Albert Museums as well as Kensington and Hampton Court Palace.
"The control systems are pre-rigged off site because we generally only get 60 minutes set up time," says Wise, who started his company in 1992.
Most of the company's work is speech reinforcement, for which the PS series is ideal he says. "We tend to run these at low volume, and where there's a bit of punch needed we reinforce this with the LS500 subs. These are also great when we are doing Awards stings and require music inserts."
One recent event at which the PS8's were put through their paces was for the David Attenborough Studio Presentation, in front of an audience of 160 people in the Natural History Museum's Central Hall. As the capacity of the Hall is much greater than this, Wise Productions had to redesign the set up, deploying PS8's for infill and front fills.
Aside from this Wise Productions is currently working on developing a wireless lectern, for use inspecific venues, and will shortly invest in a compact Nexo GEO-S line array system - for a specific event - which will give improved sightlines and dispersion as well as further minimising rig
UK - Soundcraft reports strong worldwide sales over the past year for its GB4 and GB8 mixing consoles.
In Ireland, Redhouse's Vinnie Higgins has taken delivery of a 24-channel GB4, while over in Kilkenny Ray Brophy has added the same to his sound rig and engineer/producer Paul Gurney has installed a 16-input desk in his Longford sound studios.
On the other side of the world, Jeff Shoesmith at Jands in Australia reports that the GB4 is finding its home in a number of different locations, while inThailand, distributor, Mahajak, reports that a 24-channel GB4 has gone into Driftt Pub in Bangkok, and a similarly-configured desk has been sold to Ban Line Mai Restaurant in Phuket.
In Calgary, Canada, contractors Allstar Show Industries have been responsible for sales of GB4's and GB8's into tour sound companies, as well as equipping a live music venue in Calgary and the campus bar at SAIT (Southern Alberta Institute of Technology Student Association).
Back in Europe, Spanish distributors, Earpro SA, have supplied the Gomez & Barazal Prosoda orchestra of Ourense with two GB8's and a GB4, a GB4 to Josmarux (a rental company based in Cangas de Morrazo), the Gran Arabial Hotel in Granada, the Sonomusic Theatre in Manacor and Virtual Hotel theatre in Mallorca.
In Austria, Kain Audio-Technick have recorded many sales, including five GB4's to corporate rental company Wiener Eventtechnik.
Finally, in Iceland ID Electronic reports healthy GB4 trade, recording a high profile sale to the Hotel Nortica in Reykjavic.
(Jim Evans)
UK - Forge Europa has been named the winner of The Pride of Cumbria 2005 Business of the Year Social Responsibility Award. The award was presented to Forge Europa's Directors Peter and Julie Barton by former Blue Peter and Songs of Praise presenter, Diane Louise Jordan at a special awards ceremony dinner held at Carlisle Race Course.
Forge Europa, an electronics company from Ulverston specialising in the design, manufacture and supply of LED lamps, displays and lighting, was particularly pleased to receive the award as it acknowledged its community work, charitable activities, positive attitude towards the environment and commitment to social responsibility.
"The Social Responsibility Award reflects the importance Forge Europa places on putting something back into the community and it challenges the often portrayed image of business being uncaring and purely finance driven," says Peter Barton. "Forge Europa has been actively committed to supporting its local community through providing electronic workshops in local Primary Schools and supporting many schools' Physics departments."
(Jim Evans)