At Europalco, we are constantly engaged in research and development of new solutions. We strive to set trends and stay one step ahead of our competition with unique products and services. Our teams are continuously trained to maintain the highest level of expertise. We also work closely with several manufacturers to support the development of our solutions. We systematically listen to our clients, considering their feedback and ideas. Year after year, we invest significantly in acquiring the best equipment to provide our clients with unique, tailored solutions for their events. We also visit the major European technology trade shows to…
Author: Jacob Waite
The 68th Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) was organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster, Sveriges Television (SVT), and was held in Sweden for the seventh time. Facing numerous challenges, the ESC’s official slogan, #UnitedByMusic, resonated not only with the artists and audiences but also with everyone involved. Producing a live broadcast of this scale – reportedly the largest live broadcast in the world – demands immense teamwork and cooperation over a long period, even before the artists take the stage. Behind the scenes is no exception and under the experienced hand of Senior Technical Director, Ola Melzig;…
High Lights drew in a crowd of 7,000 during its inauguration at London’s Barking Park. London-based promoters Percolate enlisted design studio Lucid Creates to design and construct a ground-breaking events space that measured 60m long by 18m wide by 8m high, and saw electronic dance music heavyweights performing in and among the trees, kitted out with a d&b audiotechnik sound system. “I don’t think there’s another location in London like it,” began Chris Carr, Director of Lucid Creates. “Fred [Letts, of Percolate] was set on the design working within the trees, so our design process began by having to work…
Marking Justin Timberlake’s long-awaited return to the touring circuit after a five-year hiatus, the Forget Tomorrow World Tour hit the road in Vancouver on 29 April to widespread acclaim and has turned the heads of those in live entertainment industry ever since. Behind the scenes, a talented troupe of creatives, technicians, engineers and support teams work tirelessly to transform an ambitious vision into a reality. Conceived and created by Justin Timberlake in collaboration with Production Director, Baz Halpin of Silent House, the 26-truck strong tour is a testament to the singer-songwriter’s enduring legacy of providing audiences with never-seen-before moments of…
Sustainability has been a core focus for several years and is now a top priority for many companies. However, the tools and possibilities for driving change differ significantly across industries. The live event industry, in particular, faces numerous challenges and varying regional regulations. Increasingly, local communities and sponsors demand sustainability concepts for event funding. Additionally, sustainability is a key concern for millions of fans, festival-goers, sports enthusiasts, and tradeshow visitors. With d&b SustainSymphony, our vision is to transform the event industry by putting sustainability and carbon neutrality at the heart of the business. It’s the first free norm-conform sustainability service…
Last month, the live touring community received the shocking news that Fly By Nite’s David Coumbe had sadly passed away. Having established the company in 1989, Coumbe grew Fly By Nite into one of the world’s largest music production and logistics businesses, supplying specialised vehicles and dedicated drivers across the music, entertainment and exhibition industries. Coumbe led the company to achieve Favourite Trucking Company and Favourite Rehearsal Studios at the TPi Awards on many occasions and will be greatly missed by the entire industry. Matt Jackson, Fly By Nite’s Sales Manager, spoke to TPi about David’s legacy. “What can I…
“The Rolling Stones are always a band of the current time and not simply a nostalgia act. I’ve always seen them as a contemporary band,” stated Patrick Woodroffe, Creative Director for The Rolling Stones, as he spoke to TPi over the phone recounting his thoughts on the band’s latest touring production, Hackney Diamonds. Having worked with the group since 1982 on the Still Life tour, Woodroffe has been one of the key creatives responsible for establishing the high bar of production values over four decades alongside the late Mark Fisher. For this latest production, he joined forces once again with…
Taking place on the Costa da Caparica coast of Portugal from 29 May to 2 June, MOGA Caparica has become a mainstay in the Portuguese boutique festival calendar. This year, MOGA transitioned from a series of beach parties to a full-fledged beach festival with a single expansive site and three stages, while remaining a compact gathering for music and art lovers inspired by Atlantic vibes and aimed at connecting people from all over the world. As the sand settled on this year’s event, TPi sat down with founder, Matthieu Corosine and Executive Producer, Laura Seabra of Música no Coração to…
There has been a trend in recent years of Spanish-speaking artists playing to bigger and bigger audiences in the US. In fact, one such example was documented in TPi #278 – the stadium debut of Karol G in the United States. Another artist at the sharp end of this trend is Bad Bunny, whose collaboration with Drake and Cardi B saw him achieve a level of international notoriety that was previously considered unattainable for Spanish-speaking artists. For his latest production, Most Wanted, the Puerto Rican had a clear vision to ‘bridge two worlds’, which manifested in a two-end stage show…
On 30 April, Shure hosted TPi and other industry professionals at The Rose Shure Experience Centre in central London. This event provided an in-depth look at Shure’s latest innovation, the Nexadyne Dynamic Vocal Microphone, continuing the sound specialist’s longstanding legacy of excellence in the microphone industry. After developing the world’s first single-element unidirectional dynamic microphone, the Unidyne, in 1939, Shure has become one of the most recognised microphones manufacturers worldwide; from the Unidyne to the SM58 which was developed in 1966 and is still used worldwide to this day. In line with this legacy, Shure doesn’t aim to replace the…
In 2018, some of the biggest names in lighting control – MA Lighting, Avolites and MADRIX – announced that they were joining forces to tackle the ever-growing issue of counterfeit products. These efforts saw some immediate results, most notably from the Guangzhou Entertainment Technology (GET) exhibition of that year where counterfeit products were taken off the stands of exhibitors with the full support of the tradeshow organisers. This sent a clear message that this blatant wrongdoing was not going to be tolerated. However, six years on, the companies have expressed that this is still a troubling issue within the live…
There were many takeaways from 2020 for the live events community, but one of the striking issues was the wider world’s lack of knowledge of what goes into live events – specifically, just how many people were now out of work due to the sudden closure of venues. One positive in these dark times was the number of communities that began to spring up online to foster a sense of support and a forum to share ideas. Two such communities that are still going strong are The Back Lounge, founded by Tour Manager, Suzi Green, and the UK Live Events…
Alongside celebrating their 10th studio album, Audio Vertigo, Elbow’s latest live production marked the band’s first arena tour since the COVID-19 pandemic and, as fate would have it, provided the Manchester group the opportunity to be the official opening act for their home city’s new arena – the Co-op Live. Having not covered the band’s live shows since 2018, TPi made the trip to Birmingham’s Resorts World Arena catching up with the band’s long-standing crew and learn about some of the production goals for Elbow’s latest outing as well as why so many of their loyal crew dropped everything to…
Despite becoming a very popular effect in live events from EDM to rock, the CO2 blast or cryo jet has been the subject of significant backlash due to its environmental impact and the rising costs of gas. To counteract this, the team at MAGIC FX has created a more environmentally friendly, cost-effective solution – the ECO2JET. “Resistance to the use of CO2 has certainly increased and we know about the problems with space and installations around stages when using CO2 bottles,” began MAGIC FX’s Bram Veroude. “We’ve seen the popularity of the SMOKEJET grow as an alternative, but the smoke…
Founded back in 1980, Pieter Smit’s eponymous logistics business has gone on to be one of the most recognisable trucking companies within the live events sector. With bases throughout Europe including the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany, Portugal and Poland, the company has been responsible for ensuring that everything from theatre productions to stadium-sized tours get from and to venues on time. Although perhaps most known for its trucking solutions, the company also has a fleet of rental cargo, splitter vans and nightliner busses along with offering rehearsal spaces for academy-level acts and storage facilities for their equipment. In short, it’s…
Following its complete renovation and reopening in November 2023, TPi was invited to Pécs, Hungary for a complete tour of Harman Professional’s dedicated Martin Professional space to get an insight into the freshly streamlined operation along with hearing how the company looks to reach its goal of carbon neutrality by 2040. TPi was greeted by Martin Professional Senior Manager, András Dobre; Product Manager, Henrik Kristensen as well as EMEA Sales Director, Ben Payne, at the gates of the Pécs factory. The facility is situated over 100 miles from the Hungarian capital and has been the regional home for Martin Professional…
Where do the four new speakers fit into the existing XPRS2 Series line-up? “The new eight-inch XPRS82 and 15-inch XPRS152 join the existing 10-inch XPRS102 and 12-inch XPRS122 speakers, while the two new active subwoofers – the 15-inch XPRS1152ST and 18-inch XPRS1182ST replace the two previous subwoofers in the range. Essentially, we’re providing our customers the widest possible choice, enabling them to choose speakers that align perfectly with the size and scale of their requirement.” Who are these speakers aimed at? “The XPRS2 series is perfect for any setting that requires premium sound from an easy-to-set-up, intuitive, plug and play…
What was the inspiration behind the creation of the Topaz Series? MP: “We wanted to bring a new, cost-effective product to the market. Design-wise, we drew inspiration from the integrated locks and sturdiness of the Ruby series, so we tasked our R&D team with creating an entry-level, rental product for mid-sized to larger rental companies, while maintaining the high-end quality associated with our product portfolio.” How has the Topaz Series been developed to serve the live touring and rental market? JvA: “With Topaz, there are many benefits for end users. Starting with the setup of the screen, we have corner…
