USA/Europe - TMB has launched an initiative to help production companies in Ukraine. As Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine continues, Zinteco Productions, a cornerstone in Ukraine's entertainment production community for over 25 years, needs help.

The ongoing conflict has brought the Ukrainian entertainment industry, like all normal life, to a standstill, and Zinteco’s operations have been severely impacted. TMB has collaborated with Main Light LLC to make some of Zinteco’s Solaris Flare Q+ fixtures available to cross-rent in the U.S. market. One hundred per cent of the rental revenue generated will pass on to Zinteco, whose principals, good friends of TMB for many years, still live in Kyiv and whose time is now 100% devoted to supporting Ukraini

Poland - Originally making its name for accompanying film screenings with live music performances, the Kraków Film Music Festival has grown to become one of the most highly regarded events of its type worldwide.

Taking place at venues throughout the southern Polish city, the 16th Festival included a special immersive sound event at the Teatr Lasznia at which composer, musician and lecturer Gary Marlowe performed the world premiere of his concert Echoes of Space, and Grammy award-winning film composer Simon Franglen presented his experimental work Sunrise | Sunset,

UK - The biggest night in the UK’s televised music awards calendar was supplied by Britannia Row for the 29th year.

The multi-artist live music event - which sits within a televised awards show - requires the audio team to ensure the overall production comes together cohesively, a task Britannia Row is well versed in.

Head of engineering – event support, Josh Lloyd, who also acts as the BRITs audio designer, comments: “People like to remain involved in this show as it has always been an annual milestone in the UK music calendar and has generated some

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ETC Hyperstar

ETC introduces the High End Systems Hyperstar: a new, companion to the popular Lonestar automated luminaire. Powerful, compact, and optimized for projection versatility, Hyperstar will help create uniquely beautiful designs for a variety of venues. Hyperstar is the same size as Lonestar, and is just as bright, compact, and affordable.

UK - TV, broadcast and event lighting rental specialists, Version 2 Lights has announced the promotion of Joe Marter to general manager.

Marter joined V2 four years ago this week as a project manager, and has since worked on a number of high-profile productions, most notably the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II.

"Interestingly it was also this week, 10 years ago that Joe joined Aurora as a technician," the company says. "The progression is a testament to Joe's hard work, dedication, broad skill set and attention to detail which has seen him come thro

UK - Designed to meet the demanding need for robust yet flexible content visualisation at exhibitions, concerts, conferences, sporting events, and other commercial activities, the new Leyard LN Series LED displays deliver quality visual effects and information to any temporary event or occasion. With a user-friendly design, ‘effortless’ maintenance, and swift setup, the LN Series flexible LED displays boast a modular and lightweight structure. They are easily assembled and disassembled, offering hassle-free transportation and setup for diverse events and venues.

USA - Audinate Group has announced significant new additions to Dante Connect, its cloud-based Dante audio transport solution for broadcasters. New features and capabilities include remote contribution options, native Dante software integration, cloud deployment platform options, and new resellers.

Dante Connect is a suite of software applications that facilitate cloud-based broadcast production and is a powerful platform for A1s and mixing engineers, combining the familiarity, ease of use and tight synchronization of Dante audio with seamless connectivity to cent

Portugal - 512 LiveDesign, a prominent lighting design studio specialising in live events, dance, theatre, and live performances, has announced its continued dedication to using CAST Group’s WYSIWYG in their creative process.

Led by Rui Daniel and Marco Dias, the company has been at the forefront of innovative lighting design for the past decade in Portugal and abroad, consistently relying on WYSIWYG as an indispensable tool in their projects. WYSIWYG technology has significantly streamlined the workflow at 512 LiveDesign, empowering their team to deliver immers

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Strictly FX Highlights

Strictly FX was founded in 1996 by industry veterans Mark Grega and Ted Maccabee. Our expertise and knowledge of the world’s leading pyrotechnic, laser, and flame manufacturers allows us to curate astonishing live events. With over 500+ shows performed a year, there’s good chance you’ve seen some of our work!

France - Things do not always go as planned with outdoor affairs, and the Kandahar, Chamonix FIS World Ski Cup was no exception. Unseasonably warm weather caused the cancelation of the widely anticipated downhill competition that was scheduled to take place over the first two days of the three-day event.

However, not all was lost. Those who stayed for the entire three-days got to enjoy the breathtaking scenery of this resort, located at the base of Mont Blanc, the highest summit in the Alps. They also enjoyed a breathtaking bit of skiing history, at the La Verte d

Italy - Viola Park, a new modern sports centre and home to ACF Fiorentina football club, recently underwent a full AV system integration including comprehensive K-array audio systems. Nestled amidst the rolling Florentine hills, Viola Park is dedicated to nurturing the next generation of professional footballers at what is thought to be one of the best training facilities in the country.

With 26 hectares of sprawling landscape, Viola Park is the largest sports centre in Italy and one of the largest in Europe. The facilities at the site include 12 regulation pitche

Austria - Currently riding high in the Bundesliga - the top tier of Austrian football - Linzer Athletik-Sport-Klub (LASK) recently relocated to Linz’s futuristic new Raiffeisen Arena. Constructed as a UEFA Category 4 venue, LASK’s new ground is now among the largest and most modern sports facilities in the country, with over 80 Genelec Smart IP loudspeakers delivering quality sound to the fans.

Key players in this project were Saw IT Consulting, Genelec distributor Audio Pro, and local integration company Contech – who were responsible for the central distri

UK - Audiences are being treated to ‘an immersive visual feast’, thanks to RCM’s approach of combining real-time 3D generative content, utilising Epic’s Unreal Engine, with live cameras.

The creative content for James Arthur’s Bitter Sweet Love World Tour, which hit the road in March 2024, was fashioned by RCM’s team, headed up by Video Designer Alex Vipond. They collaborated closely with the artist, along with Pete Hutchison and Edd Croft of design collective Mangata to bring the client’s aspirations to life. The visuals add energy to the s

UK - Brompton Technology has appointed Sebastian Kanabar as technical sales consultant, focussing on the broadcast and film industries.

Based at the company’s headquarters in Chiswick, Kanabar brings over two decades of experience in senior technical, sales and product management roles at Prokit Europe, Holdan (part of the Midwich Group), NM Productions, and Pixel Engine.

He has had the opportunity to work with many well-known companies including Panavision, Sky, NBC Universal and CNN, as well as leading lighting and camera manufacturers like ARRI. Most

USA - Disguise will showcase its latest broadcast and virtual production (VP) solutions at this year’s NAB. Show visitors will be the first to get an early preview of Disguise’s latest release of its Porta broadcast graphics controller, which has been upgraded for Unreal Engine 5.4, and get hands-on with Disguise’s end-to-end xR and VP technology at six exhibition stands across the show floor.

Disguise and its Creative Services division, Meptik, will also be part of several speaker sessions on topics including digital twins, AR graphics, virtual production a

USA - RDL has announced its latest creation, the RU-NMP44, a cost-effective, network mixing processor that delivers ‘the flexibility of network audio for any system size or budget’. Designed to be versatile, and to support a wide range of system designs, the RU-NMP44’s performance specifications make it suitable for the most demanding installations.

The RU-NMP44 can add volume control, mixing, switching, and ducking to existing network audio systems. The digital signal processing offered in the RU-NMP44 often fulfills all the requirements for an audio system

UK - DiGiCo has announced the release of its latest software update, Version 1742, designed for all SD and Quantum consoles. Now available for free download from the Info and Downloads section of the DiGiCo website, found under the Support tab at www.DiGiCo.biz, V1742 replaces previous version V1619, which was rolled out a year and a half ago.

Of particular note, the installation of V1742 enables Quantum338 and Quantum225 owners to purchase and harness DiGiCo’s optional new Pulse software extension, revealed this January, increasing their number of input channel

Portugal - Lighting designer Patrick Woodroffe recently held a workshop on lighting at the Teatro Ibérico in Lisbon.

In the tenth edition of the seminar Lighting The Stars, Patrick Woodroffe, who has designed the lighting for the Rolling Stones, AC/DC, the London Olympic Games and numerous other events of international significance, shared his most notable and thrilling experiences, including a touching tribute to Michael Jackson, with whom he was preparing a tour mere days prior to Michael's early demise.

He then proceeded with a live practical

Ireland - PSI Production (PSI), a lighting, visuals and rigging production specialist with offices based in Belfast and Dublin, recently made a significant investment in Martin Professional MAC Ultra Performance fixtures through Ireland’s official Martin distributor, Entedi.

This new addition to PSI's inventory complements last year’s investments in the MAC Aura XIP, MAC Aura PXL, and MAC One.

"The acquisition of the Martin MAC Ultra Performance units not only elevates our portfolio but assures our clients that they are working with a company at the fo

Spain - Ibiza Rocks recently replaced its aging sound system with a comprehensive Harman Professional live audio solution consisting of JBL Professional loudspeakers to ensure high-impact audio for its guests while minimising disturbances to local residents.

Originally conceived as a live music night at Manumission, Ibiza Rocks aimed to introduce a performance dynamic to the island, initially emphasising live bands. Over time, this focus evolved to include both live bands and DJs as headliners. In 2008, Ibiza Rocks transitioned into a hotel, featuring an iconic po

USA - CAST Group of Companies has announced Visual Endeavors (VE) as a creative solutions provider for BlackTrax in the United States.
Based in California, Visual Endeavors is headed by Aron Altmark and specialises in technical producing for XR, live events, and immersive experiences, integrating BlackTrax into its tech stack to enable clients to ‘leverage the power of real-time tracking and automation across projects’.
Aron, having first encountered BlackTrax in 2018, has since utilised the technology in various projects including installations with over 500 moving ligh

UK - PLASA Focus Leeds returns to the north from 14-15 May, along with a programme dedicated to delivering knowledge and inspiration for all those working in the live events and entertainment technology industry. Sponsored by Vectorworks, this year’s programme is the biggest ever, and the first wave of seminars has just arrived. Register for PLASA Focus Leeds to gain unlimited access to all these sessions, and more.
Lighting design and sustainable tech
Jonathan Haynes and Stuart Porter from White Light will discuss the processes and challenges of enhancing your lighti

UK - The Profile Awards, a new lighting design awards programme, has launched in the UK. Created and coordinated by Durham and Jennie Marenghi in association with the ABTT, the ALPD and the STLD, the awards recognise lighting design excellence in Theatre and Television in the UK and will take place at the Alexandra Palace theatre on the 6 June 2024.
Alongside eight Theatre awards and six TV awards there will be a Student Virtual Lighting Design competition and the Richard Pilbrow Lifetime Recognition Award in the name of Richard Pilbrow, by kind agreement with Richard’s

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