AV Alliance Partner News Round-Up | May-June 2024

In this article we have collected some of the latest social media news and updates from the esteemed Technology Partners of our global network, ranging from new products and services, personnel updates, significant projects, and much more!

Panasonic Connect

Our Platinum Sponsor Panasonic Connect has supported the Olympic Games as a Worldwide Partner since 1987, and the Paralympic Games since 2014. This year, to the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris, France, Panasonic will be delivering state-of-the-art AV equipment including broadcast and professional video systems, professional projectors and professional displays as the TOP Sponsor of the Olympic Games in the AV equipment category and the Official Worldwide Partner of the Paralympic Games.

Panasonic has been providing official projection technology to both the Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort since 2017. Now, as part of EPCOT’s transformation, Disney has brought an otherworldly showcase pavilion to life, featuring the family coaster-type attraction, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. This immersive experience utilizes over 80 Panasonic projectors to fully transport guests into the cosmos. With a stunning output of 120 frames per second, guests can enjoy a seamless video journey even while experiencing high-speed coasters.

Barco

Our Platinum AV Alliance partner Barco is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year, and they are now looking back on their remarkable history that started back in 1934 under the name Belgian American Radio Corporation (Barco). Since then, the company’s vision has not changed: they believe that truly great engineering starts with a clear vision, and at Barco technology is utilized to transform the quality of life: from improving health outcomes to changing the way people work and creating compelling experiences, ultimately with the aim of building a better, smarter, healthier world for all.

Barco has made it onto the Europe’s Climate Leaders 2024 by Financial Times and Statista, a shortlist that spotlights European companies that take relevant action to mitigate climate change. Barco has received the highest score of all Belgian companies and ranked 11th out of 36 in the Technology & Electronics sector.

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Further strengthening Barco’s committment to sustainability and their dedication to reducing harmful effects on the environment is their recently published Sustainability Report 2023. According to the company, their ambition is “to design and act towards sustainable outcomes for our planet, people and communities” through various initiatives and programmes. As a result, Barco has already made significant steps towards reducing their carbon footprint since 2015, by a whopping 54% in the span of 8 years.

But the successes on the sustainability front do not stop here, as Barco’s efforts have been recognized through two prestigious honors: the 2023 EcoVadis Gold Medal and the CDP Supplier Engagement Leader 2023 award. These accolades underscore Barco’s ongoing commitment to setting higher standards for their sustainability efforts.

Yamaha

This year’s Kraków Film Music Festival created an immersive 3D audio experience to showcase the world premiere Gary Marlowe’s “Echoes of Space” and Simon Franglen’s “Sunrise | Sunset” in a fully immersive sound space, using the state-of-the-art Rivage PM5 system of our Platinum AV Alliance partner Yamaha.

In May 2024, global superstars Twenty One Pilots played five secret club dates in Berlin, London, Mexico City, New York and their hometown of Columbus, Ohio, in anticipation of their upcoming album release and worldwide arena tour. Their sound engineers Cliff Skinner and Kenny Sellars were faced with the challenge of how to shrink the band’s arena-sized audio system into small clubs without compromising audio quality. The answer was built around Yamaha’s DM7-EX digital mixing console. Read more

Elation Professional

Platinum AV Alliance partner Elation supported the British Music Embassy (BME) stage, a showcase for the UK’s best emerging acts run on behalf of the UK Government International Department for Business and Trade, at this year’s South by Southwest (SXSW) music festival in Austin, Texas. As a long-standing partner of the Academy of Live Technology (ALT), a unique higher education institution providing specialist degrees, short courses and bespoke training for the next generation of live experience professionals, Elation supplied 18 PROTEUS LUCIUS, 18 PROTEUS RAYZOR BLADE S, and 8 RAYZOR 760 for use on the BME stage, all provided by Elation’s US office. Ant Forbes, Studio & Events Manager at Production Park, and a professional production crew complemented by a team of ALT degree students, built and ran the BME stage over the course of the SXSW week. Read more

Elation Professional has taken yet another significant step to increase its environmental sustainability and reduce its carbon footprint consumption by installing a massive solar power system at its worldwide headquarters in Los Angeles. This new solar array, which features a staggering 840 solar panels mounted on the roof and a further 135 panels supported by a carport structure, supplies the majority of the power required to run the complex. This new system has the capacity to generate 439 KWs of electricity (amounting to approximately 689,231 kWh per year), and helps offset the production of 923,570 pounds of carbon annually.*

Disguise

The prestigious European Capital of Culture accolade can be a game-changer for host cities, offering a chance to boost international visibility, support the local community and foster lasting change. When the Hungarian city of Veszprém was chosen to be one of 2023’s celebrated hosts, the visual art collective Glowing Bulbs were brought in to put on a dazzling display for locals and visitors alike. Using Platinum AV Alliance partner Disguise‘s seamless workflows, Glowing Bulbs realized an ambitious vision. Read more

ROE Visual

AV Alliance Gold Partner ROE Visual has appointed Sam Swerts as the new Business Development Manager for Belgium and France. With a distinguished career in the light and sound industry spanning over two decades, Sam brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the ROE Visual team.

ROE Visual has recently opened its subsidiary office in Melbourne, Australia, designed to function as a local service center, showroom, training center, and repair and maintenance hub, serving the increased business demands and client base in the APAC region.

We will be back again soon with fresh news on the technology partners of our global network.