Japan - Cats, one of the most successful musicals to be staged in Japan, has returned with the Shiki theatre company to Tokyo after an eight-year absence. Shiki's Masakazu Kanamori explains: "This is an open-ended production; we are looking for it to run for approximately three years. Current ticket sales run up to November 2005."
The 1,900 capacity theatre, known as the Cats Theatre, was purpose-built, with construction beginning in July 2004. Interestingly, the central stage area is circular and not only the stage, but the first four rows of seating (360 seats) rotate as the performance commences.
Sound design for the production, managed by Masakazu Kanamori, took a year to complete and incorporates a large L-Acoustics sound reinforcement system. Kanamori explained: "We had successfully used theL-Acoustics ARCS speakers on the Cats tour of Japan and really liked the sound. Consequently, we wanted to use them here in Tokyo. With a new stage, new machinery and new audio system we implemented V-Dosc into the design. The other reason for choosing L-Acoustics was the impressive polar response of the system, which we need due to the shape of the stage."
Main left and right arrays consist of four V-Dosc cabinets with a main centre array hidden behind the stage backdrop, which consists of three V-Dosc cabinets and a single high-power DB218 subwoofer. An additional two SB218 subwoofers are positioned on each side of the upper stage area. A centre-cluster of five ARCS is also flown above the stage area providing additional fill, especially to those
UK - A curious amalgam, MPH '04 is The Motor Show with Top Gear attitude; but then with presenters Tiff Needell, Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond it would be (sharp intake of breath, adopt voice of God) 'like a B52 parking in your driveway'.
This was just the second year of the show at Earls Court, and already it's growing; PMI and Simon Aldridge appear to have brought a new and burgeoning marriage of live and static presentation into the exhibition world, a marriage that will surely have others looking frantically for an eligible partner.
Steve Sinclair has been part of the presentation team for the past two events and describes the differences between this and conventional car expo: "Some content elements appear familiar, there's a gallery of 90 or so vehicles, sponsored by HR Owens, but these aren't ordinary cars; we're talking testosterone motoring Ferraris and Maseratis, Bentley Turbos and TVRs. The big difference is the visitors can get inside them; it's very touchy-feely." But what of the live element?
There's a driving area, but it's more a show floor and everything presented there is very theatrical. One of the big attractions of this year's show was a straight copy of the TV show, where an old car is fired through the air and crashes onto a caravan, crushing it."
Sinclair revealed that the cannon used to blast the car skywards uses a combination of old and new technology. "It's propelled by 80% compressed nitrogen, firing the car approximately 10m into the air. When the H&SE inspector came in he asked the operator 'have you c
UK - Tower Productions' Oxford office received a late call to provide temporary power, heating and lighting to a series of marquees (from Field & Lawn) built within the Millennium Dome to house London's homeless over Christmas. With a site meeting on Wednesday in the week before Christmas, the job confirmed on the Thursday and the load-in starting on the Friday, this was something of a challenge at a very busy time of year, say the company.
As no fuel was allowed within the Dome, heating was provided by 36 18kW electric heaters (each requiring a 32A three-phase supply) from Tower's own stock and supplemented by others hired from Aggreko. Generation was by two 500kVA sets with 3900-gallon tanks, which powered four 400A three-phase distros from which approximately 3500m of mains cable of varying sizes supplied heating, lighting, site power and show power. Approximately 140 house and emergency light fittings were installed overnight prior to the marquee linings being hung the following day. The final challenge for the company was to clear the site (of everything) in one day on the 30 December.
(Lee Baldock)
The Netherlands - Avesco company JVR supplied one of the largest LED screens ever fielded for three 28,000 capacity Christmas shows at the Arnhem Gelredome by Dutch superstar Frans Bauer.
The video screen formed the 'set': similar in proportions to the system used on U2's legendary Popmart tour, this consisted of 500sq.m of Barco's D7 outdoor product assembled into arguably the largest and highest resolution display ever built in Europe and even worldwide, discounting fixed installs, say JVR.
Sales director Jeroen Jongenelen commented. "The Barco D7 is the only system that offered the resolution required and was available in sufficient quantities to enable us to pull of a project of this scale."
Even so, the screen modules were sourced from numerous different suppliers, and the two weeks leading up to the show saw a steady stream of sea and air shipments from around the world into the company's Roosendaal base.
Using 2,496 Dlite 7 tiles, the screen was 44m wide by 12m high. Even without the benefit of the D7's virtual pixel technology (switched off on this occasion) the display had an overall resolution of 3072 x 832, resulting in over 2.6 million pixels, or 12.8 million LEDs. The system was assembled in six hours by three JVR crew and 40 stage hands, and took another 36 hours to cable prior to switch-on. The schedule then allowed two further days for alignment andtesting. Supported on a purpose-built base and scaffold support (from Stageco), the 55-tonne screen, consuming a massive 850kW on peak white, was built in a giant curve, requiring a 13.3mm
Japan - Cats, one of the most successful musicals to be staged in Japan, has returned with the Shiki theatre company to Tokyo after an eight-year absence. Shiki's Masakazu Kanamori explains: "This is an open-ended production; we are looking for it to run for approximately three years. Current ticket sales run up to November 2005."
The 1,900 capacity theatre, known as the Cats Theatre, was purpose-built, with construction beginning in July 2004. Interestingly, the central stage area is circular and not only the stage, but the first four rows of seating (360 seats) rotate as the performance commences.
Sound design for the production, managed by Masakazu Kanamori, took a year to complete and incorporates a large L-Acoustics sound reinforcement system. Kanamori explained: "We had successfully used the L-Acoustics ARCS speakers on the Cats tour of Japan and really liked the sound. Consequently, we wanted to use them here in Tokyo. With a new stage, new machinery and new audio system we implemented V-Dosc into the design. The other reason for choosing L-Acoustics was the impressive polar response of the system, which we need due to the shape of the stage."
Main left and right arrays consist of four V-Dosc cabinets with a main centre array hidden behind the stage backdrop, which consists of three V-Dosc cabinets and a single high-power DB218 subwoofer. An additional two SB218 subwoofers are positioned on each side of the upper stage area. A centre-cluster of five ARCS is also flown above the stage area providing additional fill, especially to thos
UK - Deep Purple recently completed the UK leg of their world tour with support from guitar legend Peter Frampton and UK metal band, Thunder. ML Executives supplied audio equipment for the UK tour, while PRG supplied the lighting.
Engineering for Deep Purple was Doug Hall, long-time FOH engineer for Iron Maiden: "I first used this system on Iron Maiden's Brave New World tour about four years ago. I'd tried out different options, but the KF760 gave me everything I needed in terms of pressure, headroom and sonic quality. Being horn-loaded, it's more sensitive than competitive systems, and the slightly narrower dispersion means you can fly the boxes closer to each other without interference. Above all, I love the potency and clarity of the sound from such a small box. It has all the throw you need and I've never run out of headroom or felt I was overdriving the system. With Deep Purple, we were just cruising with it - it sounded fabulous."
The system was configured in two main left and right hangs of 12 EAW KF760 long/medium-throw cabinets and three EAW KF761 downfill cabinets per side, plus outer left and right hangs of eight KF760 and three KF761s per side. The low end was handled by 12 EAW SB1000 subwoofers per side while nearfield coverage was via four EAW KF300z cabinets.
Both Hall and Frampton's engineer Steve Cross were using the purple Midas Heritage 3000 consoles for FOH duties, while an XL3 looked after monitors. Hall said: "It sounds great - the EQ is extremely musical, yet surgical at the same time, and it has great mic preamps too.
I
UK - The presence of Sting at any opening gala is indicative of a significant event, if not a worthy cause. This gala was different; while Sting wasn't overshadowed, he was at pains to keep his presence muted for there was a bigger star on offer. The accolades heaped upon Newcastle College's School of Music and Performing Arts - the Performance Academy - are many: Britain's education inspectors, Ofsted, have repeatedly awarded it Grade 1 status. That alone is perhaps good enough reason for £21m to be spent on a new purpose-built home for the Academy in the college grounds on Rye Hill.
While the new building is not unattractive, you have to conclude that most of the cash has been spent on the interior. What resonates most strongly as you enter the atrium foyer is how little like an education establishment it feels, and how much it reflects the style of a typical modern performance venue. Peter Hardy, the Academy's leader of music, says: "We'll have something like 200 live shows here a year. Our theatre seats 250, while the music room is licenced for 300 standing." These new facilities for Newcastle appear timely, Hardy revealed that Newcastle's famous City Hall may need to close its doors to live shows as the Disability Discrimination Act comes into force, as they simply won't be able to make the required physical changes - an issue that must be haunting many UK venues presently.
Beside the two performance areas already mentioned, there is a 60-seat studio theatre, 10 recording studios, 10 rehearsal rooms, a television studio, nine sprung floor drama an
UK - New Year's Eve 2004 saw the British Airways London Eye become the focal point for a spectacular light and fireworks display for 150,000 Londoners on Westminster Bridge and the Embankment - plus a nationwide television audience.
Although tempered by news of the Asian Tsunami - a two-minute silence was held before the display and certain elements of the projection and light show were removed - the overall reaction from audience and press was that London had got this New Year's Eve event absolutely right. Jack Morton Worldwide (JMW) designed and produced the entertainment and managed the logistics for the event. JMW project director Jeremy Garbett and his team worked for months in advance to co-ordinate and accommodate the various council and public safety concerns.
Fireworks were obviously the major element of the show and French designer Christophe Berthonneau and his team from GroupeF did not disappoint: they produced a stunning 10-minute Theatre of Fire, culminating in what on television looked like an alien attack! The ordnance was laid out on barges on the Thames, plus many effects fixed directly to the steelwork rim and spoke of the Eye itself, and fired by a computer triggered by the first chime of Big Ben.
Lighting designer Durham Marenghi called upon associate LD Paul Cook to add his years of experience with the Eye to the event. Lighting was carefully co-ordinated with Christophe to synchronize the colour and dynamics of the firework sequences, producing a seamless fusion of light and fire. The lighting system included 100 Vari-Lites to uplight the
UK - Bandit Lites is supplying equipment and a crew of five for R.E.M.'s European and UK tour, which kicked off in Lisbon last weekend, continuing the company's long working relationship with the band. Lighting designer Susanne Sasic, one of the most innovative and original contemporary LDs, started working with R.E.M. four years ago. As with all Sasic's shows, the core of the design features several one-off 'specials', created to give the show a series of unique visual elements.
Her imaginative starting point for this tour was 82 panels of 6ft x 2 ft polycarbonate 'Polygal' greenhouse/conservatory glazing material, manufactured by Pentaglass. This is double-walled and has a honeycomb cell structure which both reflects and refracts the light. The panels are lit from front, rear and the floor, creating an upstage wall of textured lighting. The panels are extremely lightweight and tough, and are suspended on a series of catenary wires devised by Bandit Lites in the US at the start of the tour. Other 'specials' include 51 Color Kinetics iColor Accent low voltage exterior architectural tube fittings - a combination of 4ft and 8ft lengths. These are also suspended on catenaries of varying lengths, Bandit customised their hanging brackets allowing them to also be rigged on catenary wires, which allows them to dangle randomly above the stage. Bandit also built flightcases for the CK tubes and the Pentaglass panels, and wrote a fixture personality for the iColors so they could be controlled by Sasic via the Hog II console.
The third effect is a Starstrobe curtain, made
UK - Simon Curtis of D&M Pro Europe has left the company to join Sennheiser UK as director of sales. Curtis started in the industry selling audio/video components and accessories for Bandridge before joining Hayden Labs in 1990 to successfully grow sales and distribution of Denon Hi-Fi. For a short period this also included Sennheiser, prior to the change of distribution to Sennheiser UK.
Paul Whiting, MD of Sennheiser commented: "Simon's experience of integrating different markets and operations is a strength we want to bring to our diverse operation. We are looking forward to working with him and welcome the additional experience he brings to Sennheiser UK."
In 1995, Curtis set up the Denon Pro Leisure Division as sales and marketing manager, in response to Denon's growing interests in the Contract Installation and DJ sectors. In addition to building strong distribution in the DJ market, Curtis was heavily involved in product specification for pro products. In 1999 he was also instrumental in amalgamating Denon Pro Audio/Broadcast with Pro Leisure to form the consolidated entity of Denon Pro, which he managed until 2003.
In late 2003, Curtis was promoted to general manager of the newly formed D&M Pro Europe and successfully integrated the diverse business units of Denon and Marantz Professional across Europe. Commenting on his appointment with Sennheiser UK, Curtis said: "With D&M Pro Europe now a success, with sales up by 40% and profits climbing too and the back office structures are synergising along the lines of D&M Europe, my job is don
UK - Almost exactly one year after the shipping of the first batch of LR16's, Alcons is now shipping its LR14. The LR14 is a passive two-way ultra-compact line-array module, to be used in vertical arrays, either in stacked or flown configuration. The very compact design and a maximum SPL of 130dB per unit makes the LR14 the ideal system for small to medium-sized applications.
For HF reproduction, the LR14 is loaded with the patented Alcons RBN401 ribbon driver, the most powerful ribbon driver in its category. The all-natural cylindrical radiation of the RBN401 through the 'Morpher' wave-guide brings the active frontal radiation of the LR14 up to 94%, offering even and 'spike-less' dispersion with seamless wide coverage.
The 'Morpher' is mounted in a 120 x 15 degree HempHorn; Alcons' unique waveguide, made of hemp particles. The much higher internal damping of this new combination of composite materials with natural hemp fiber structures, make the waveguide inaudible.
The frequencies below 1200Hz are taken care of by two 6.5" Neodymium mid-bass drivers, making the system real full-range in most applications with its lowest usable frequency being 51Hz. The total system weight is 15kg/33 lb.
The integrated flying system doesn't have any separate/loose parts and has a unusual high safety-rating (24 cabinets at 7:1 safety-ratio). The Alcons line-arrays have one of the fastest rigging systems on the market. With the two-side usable bumper, the system can easily be ground stacked. The Alcons Ribbon Calculator (ARC) software calculates positions in 15 steps of 1
UK - The first few months of 2004 saw Stage Technologies engineers' busy commissioning the stage automation systems on board three Princess cruise ships. The year ended with an order for yet another Princess cruise ship.
The Crown Princess is the fifth 'grand class' cruise ship to be built by Fincantieri in its Monfalcone shipyard in Italy. Just days before the end of the year Stage Technologies was awarded a contract, by HMS Italia SA, for the supply of the stage automation control and the power flying system for this ship which will go into service in spring 2006. The system will comprise twenty-one fixed speed and forty-two variable speed axes.
All eight of the grand class cruise ships currently in service have Stage Technologies Acrobat control systems in the main theatre, and several also feature the Juggler control system in the aft lounges. All but the original Grand Princess also feature Stage Technologies BigTow winches (over 200 winches in total) together with the unique TanJent guidance system.
Stage Technologies has now supplied twenty-six stage automation control systems for five cruise lines with over 1000 axes now in service on board cruise ships, in addition to the many land based installations and rental systems.
(Sarah Rushton-Read)
The Netherlands - d&b audiotechnik's partner in The Netherlands, Audio Pro Nederland, will be exhibiting at the ISE exhibition and demonstrating its own integration skills alongside the integrated tools offered by d&b. Featured on the stand will be the latest d&b audiotechnik Remote network, ROPE C Version 1 software, the D12 amplifier and seen for the very first time d&b's latest installation range of loudspeaker products.
ROPE C is a PC based graphical drag and drop user interface enabling total control of d&b systems through a screen based virtual surface. It allows the D12 amplifier through its CAN-Bus interfaces to be remotely controlled and monitored and gives central access to its user definable four band parametric equalizer and delay functions. The D12 dual channel amplifier is specifically designed for use with d&b loudspeakers, it has both analog and digital signal inputs and inbuilt digital signal processing.
d&b audiotechnik's international marketing director, Simon Johnston commented: "The need for well designed integrated systems is growing all the time and is ably reflected by this exhibition, as well as by our highly skilled partner, Audio Pro. The fact that we are using this exhibition to showcase our latest range of installation products indicates our commitment towards this ever developing and growing industry sector."
d&b and Audio Pro will be on Booth number 2418 in Hall 8 of the RAI.
(Sarah Rushton-Read)
Spain - Denon has danced its way onto a famous international salsa contest in Spain - the third Simposium Internacional de Salsa de Madrid. This major event featured four days and nights of pure salsa, and every piece of music mixed by the specialist DJs was done so using Denon equipment.
The convention was split into two distinct areas: the morning and afternoon dance workshops - held in the huge Moscardó Polideportivo gymnasium - were presided over by the best teachers in the world, while by night, the venue La Riviera featured some of the world's best dancers - and a host of international DJs.
This is where Denon came into its own. Spanish dealer, DBM Pro ES, was one of the sponsors and took advantage of demonstrating the scope and capacity of Denon products at both the workshops and the La Riviera show. For the latter they set up a rig comprising four DN-S5000 tabletop CD/MP3 players and a pair of DN-X1500 digital mixers.
In the two halls where the workshops were presented DJs were able to mix on a DN-D4000 dual CD/MP3 player and DN-X400 digital mixer in one hall, with a DN-D9000 CD player and DN-X800 (with X-Effect CD control) set up in the other. According to DBM Pro ES' Jose Maria Penalba: "The event was a huge success and reinforced Denon's presence in the world of Spanish DJs. It provided a great opportunity to establish contact with the salsa specialists - and we are convinced we will maintain a good relationship, judging by the 100% positive feedback we received after using Denon equipment."
Penalba said that his company had received
UK - International seating suppliers Arena Seating installed three grandstands into the Mauritius National Tennis Centre (MNTC). The centre is located at Phoenix on the island's central plateaux. Although it was already an excellent facility, the centre was not equipped to cater for major events. To accommodate such events, grandstands were needed around the central court, bringing it to a standard suitable to host world class tennis events.
Kamil Patel, one of the centre's founders and a member of the Africa Tennis Tour (ATT), has long felt that the global game needed events on the African continent that features top players from all over the world. Having attracted the first open tournament to Mauritius the need to increase spectator viewing facilities had to be addressed.
An internet search led Patel to Arena Seating, as the compnay's track record includes installing seating in prestigious tennis events including the Wimbledon Championships and the Stella Artois Championships. Arena was brought in to design and build three extra grandstands suitable for the Open Tennis Tournament.
Arena project manager, Kevin Cox was the lucky man charged with ensuring the clients' requirements were met. The area for the two stands at the side of the court presented no problems, however the third stand was a little trickier as its location moved from the initial plans on a level part of the centre to one that "resembled the surface of the moon"; Cox commented: "Two large excavators were required, after hours of intense work, clearing the site, we then had to b
UK - Lift-Turn-Move has added another member to its steadily growing team, with Jenny Hobday joining as sales administrator. She'll be working with John Jones, Paul Hadfield and Dave King, her appointment reflecting LTM's extremely healthy order book, the company says.
Hobday graduated from Stafford University with a Business degree and then joined industrial marine specialists Cosalt, where she worked in the lifting department, handling several major corporate clients. She brings her considerable knowledge in this specialist area to LTM as well as a new outlook and plenty of enthusiasm. "I'm really thrilled to be working with LTM," she says. "It's a different area with lots of new challenges and some excellent people."
LTM's John Jones is equally happy to be building his team this quickly after the company's launch at PLASA 2004. "Jenny is the ideal person for us - dedicated, hard-working and with plenty of positive energy." He adds that they're enjoying an extremely busy festive season, with orders are still coming in, and for once are also are looking forward to a busy January.
(Lee Baldock)
UK - According to company valuation specialist Plimsoll, there is good news for the UK sound equipment industry as we begin 2005. According to Plimsolll, 47% of companies in the industry have seen their values increase in the last 12 months, some by as much as 50%. David Pattison, senior snalyst at Plimsoll, maintains: "Having valued many companies in the UK sound equipment industry in the last two years, I am amazed that despite poor margins and low growth being commonplace in the market, so many of them have managed to increase in value. While 11% of companies saw no change, only 42% of the industry suffered a fall in value."
Pattison believes that the key to improving the value of a company in a highly aggressive marketplace is to get the fundamentals right: "In 2004, many companies in the industry focused solely on increasing sales at all costs. Ironically, it is the companies that chose instead to focus on improving their internal structures that have increased in value the most."
Plimsoll's Company Valuation Service offers a detailed valuation and analysis of your company. To put your valuation into perspective, the same exercise is conducted for your 10 closest competitors and the results presented in a bound, 80-paged analysis. A future 'business plan year' is also included for each company to show how it might improve in value, either under existing or new ownership.
(Lee Baldock)
China - Beijing's prestigious new Club Tango has been equipped with an elaborate Turbosound-based sound system. Predominantly featuring Turbosound QLight products, plus the company's TSW low-frequency enclosures, the installation utilizes 50 Turbosound loudspeakers in the club's dance-floor area, and a further 16 in the adjoining Mango Bar. Designed and installed by Hong Kong-based Phoenix Audio and Lighting Technology (Turbosound's exclusive distributor for the Chinese territories) the Club Tango project also includes TXD-121 units as DJ monitors, plus TCS-12M loudspeakers for stage monitoring.
Club Tango set out to be Beijing's leading nightclub, with a need for a best-quality sound system to match its up-market image. Already attracting top-name DJs and acts from around the world, including DJ Sasha as part of his Asian Tour, Club Tango offers its clientele up-to-the-minute dance and electronica programming, as well as a variety of live events. Phoenix Audio's design had to provide the necessary flexibility, as well as the capability to deliver a high-clarity, fatigue-free result at generous listening levels. To this end, 16 QLight TQ-315 bi-amped units provide mid-high coverage throughout the main club area, and the system includes eighteen Turbosound TSW-718i low-frequency cabinets - each with 2 x 18" bass drivers - to ensure no lack of bottom-end punch, whatever the material. The system design also includes further sub-bass units - the ultra-low frequency TSW-124 enclosures - to provide as wide an audio spectrum as possible. Loudspeaker control is handl
USA - Texan root rockers, Los Lonely Boys, recently partnered up with Audio-Technica, to ensure the band's sound on tour lives up to the energy, flair and virtuosity of their performances. The group, which recorded its platinum selling debut album at Willie Nelson's Pedernales Studios, by personal invitation, comprises brothers Henry Garza on guitar, Jojo Garza on bass and Ringo Garza on drums.
Bobby Filarowicz, currently monitor engineer on the road with Los Lonely Boys, discovered long ago that Audio-Technica mics make his job easier, and his bands sound better. A-T microphones are amazing and true," he says. "The A-T microphones sound great flat and give me an accurate picture of what the band on stage is hearing. The gain before feedback performance of all of the microphones is incredible, which also makes my job easier and the band's onstage sound better."
Filarowicz, who has used Audio-Technica microphones for several years with Vallejo, has three A-T AEW-T5400 handheld transmitters for Los Lonely Boys' vocal harmonies, employed in conjunction with the acclaimed Artist Elite 5000 Series Wireless System.
An AE2500 dual-element microphone is used on the kick drum. Three Artist Elite AE3000 condenser microphones are on the snare top and floor toms, while AE5100s are utilized for the snare bottom, high-hat and ride cymbals. Five of the renowned AT4050s are used on the guitar amplifiers (3) and drum overheads (2). The ATM35s are on the rack toms and high Leslie position, with an ATM25 on the Leslie low.," Filarowicz comments.
(Sarah Rusht
UK - tsg, the Chesterfield-based media programming and systems company, has promoted Ian Light to the position of media programming manager for its renowned music and media brand; candyrock. Light, who was formerly responsible for looking after tsg's shops and stores customers, will now be responsible for the running of the candyrock programming department which is based at Kings Heath in Birmingham. An important part of his remit will be the development of new programming styles and schedules, as well as the day-to-day relationships with the world's leading record labels.
Joining Light in the enlarged programming team will be a new recruit, Paul Kimberley, who brings a wealth of experience to the candyrock team. tsg's recent experience in satisfying the needs of the Madinat Jumeirah Hotel in Dubai has generated a whole raft of 'world music' categories, and Light and Kimberley will be working hard to integrate some of this content into candyrock's specialist music programmes.
(Lee Baldock)
UK - TPA 05 - the Graduate Exhibition and Trade Show of the Technical and Production Arts department of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (RSAMD) will take place on 22-23 March 2005. Once again, Graduating students from the BA Technical and Production Arts course will be showing their work over the past three years in the Academy's Chandler Studio Theatre. Supporting this in the New Athenaeum, the RSAMD's main house, the industry supporters of the course will be showing a large range of production equipment.
Triple E and Black Light have joined the list of course sponsors this year and will exhibiting alongside PRG Europe, Le Mark, Rosco, Rope Assemblies, White Light, Zero 88, Autograph Sales and Hall Stage. Also new to the show will be Lift, Turn, Move and Learn 2B Safe, as well as several industry organizations such as the ABTT, SMA, PSA, PLASA and the ALD, many of whom are arranging membership meetings during their visit. Other exhibitors have yet to be confirmed.
The event will also include seminars from a wide range of suppliers and organizations. RSAMD is involved in an EU Leonardo project in training for the technical side of the industry and a public meeting will be held by the project leaders on Wednesday 23 March. There will also be a demonstration of @Last Software's SketchUp Software on the same day.
(Lee Baldock)
UK - In November, 30,000 runners took to the streets of London for the fourth annual Nike Run London event. This was the first time the 10km run had taken place at night. "We organized a night run as it's something new, a first for the UK," says Nike's Carolyn Small. "The idea also came from the fact that if you like to run, you are more than likely to encounter wet, rain, cold and dark if you are running in the UK. The idea was to replicate conditions like that and also to act as a motivator so people don't stay in and hibernate on their sofas during the winter - to get up and go nocturnal, so to speak."
Making sure all the runners knew exactly where they were was lighting specialist Airstar, which provided its distinctive lighting balloons at each kilometre mark and the finish line. Airstar deployed two of its Crystal lighting balloons at each stage. Sporting a yellow cover with the appropriate kilometre number printed on it, the 1.6m diameter balloons were each mounted on a five metre high stand, ensuring maximum visibility for the runners.
Projector-type lights beamed on to unlit surfaces are never an ideal solution, while other sources like LEDs would be unnecessarily complex and expensive. The Crystal balloon was chosen because of its straightforward deployment and it was the ideal model for the wet and windy weather conditions. It also has an inbuilt pressure sensor safety mechanism.
Airstar got involved when Nike passed the company's details to the event's organizer Limelight Projects. Airstar's Russell Hager worked closely with L
Ireland - Waterford has finally got a club and live venue that any cosmopolitan city would envy. TEN at 10 John Street, owned by local entrepreneurs, Bob Tweedy and Willie Hanrahan, is designed by the John Duffy Design Group in Dublin and is married with sound, lighting and video specified and installed by Irish AV contractors, Dublin-based AVL Systems Ltd. At the heart of it all is an EAW sound system selected for its power and versatility.
TEN has rapidly become home to some of the biggest nights out in Waterford including Resistance, featuring names such as Steve Lawler, Mylo, French techno-wizard, Laurent Garnier and Resistance resident Phil Kieran; Ulysses, with an equally stellar line-up; and is soon to play host to MTV and Radio One superstar, Trevor Nelson and his Rhythm Nation tour. A number of live acts have also played the venue including Ian Brown, Ocean Colour Scene plus many more.
AVL's Kevin McCarthy explained that thanks to the dual-purpose nature of the club, the system has not been configured as a conventional dancefloor system with cabinets in each corner. "We've actually gone for a point source set-up on the stage itself with delays down the room, more in the manner of a traditional live set-up, but using cabinets from EAW's installation range that are powerful enough to handle the demands of a full-on club night."
Four EAW AS660e mid/hi cabinets have been split into two clusters left and right of the stage, while eight DCS2 bass bins from EAW's dedicated club range of Avalon loudspeakers take up residence under the stage itself fa
Canada - Adamson Systems Engineering has moved to a new head office in Port Perry, Ontario. The company advises that as of Monday 17 January there will no longer be support staff at the former Ajax location, and that all mailings, couriers and shipments should now be sent to the address below, and staff may be contacted at the new telephone and fax numbers. The company can now be contacted at 1401 Scugog Line 6, Port Perry, Ontario, Canada. L9L 1B2. Tel +1 (905) 982-0520, Fax +1 (905) 982-0609.
(Lee Baldock)