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PLASA announces 2010 Innovation Award recipients


Earls Court, London, UK — The winners of the 2010 Awards for Innovation and the 2010 Gottelier Award were announced Monday Sept 13 at a special presentation a PLASA 2010 (Professional Lighting & Sound Association) following a hotly contested nomination process that saw 62 products entered and six contenders for the Gottelier Award.

Seven Awards for Innovation and one Gold Award were presented by PLASA CEO Matthew Griffiths. This year’s prestigious Gottelier Award went to Electronic Theatre Controls founder Fred Foster in recognition of his work on many legendary products including the company’s control desks, dimmers, and the Source Four family of spotlights.

2010 PLASA Awards for Innovation
Martin Audio Multicellular Line Array (MLA) – Gold Award
Each and every driver in each and every line array element is controlled individually by its own channel of amplifier and its own channel of DSP processing. The judges commented, “Coupled with the calculation software and the built-in networking, these features allow Martin Audio to take array tuning and deployment to new levels previously unobtainable using the human ear.”

d&b audiotechnik B4 Subwoofer
The judges were exceptionally impressed that, rather than using traditional DSP active technology, the B4 uses PSP “plywood signal processing.”

Outline Audio Mini Compass i-Mode
This loudspeaker’s combination of generic IT and innovative line array technology, the judges found, represents a step forward for the industry in systems integration.

Clay Paky Sharpy

In the words of the Judges, “we never thought we’d see a 170W light that we could use in Wembley Arena.”

Robert Juliat Aledin
The Judges felt that Robert Juliat’s usual high standards have not been compromised in the search for a usable LED profile spot. The design allows the LED module to be retrofitted to the manufacturer’s existing tungsten fixtures.

Coemar Spa Reflection FullSpectrum

By locating rear facing LEDs at the front of the fixture, the unit’s reflector creates a homogenized beam that the judges felt successfully eliminates many of the problems associated with existing LED wash lights, especially the issue of multiple shadowing.

LumenRadio CRMX Nova Flex
This device was noted for its recent use of RDM in an architectural application, giving feedback from external sensors — thereby providing an energy efficient outdoor lighting solution.

CAST BlackTrax – First Phase
This product uses WYSIWYG as a host platform to provide real-time three-dimensional object tracking data to feed into a variety of position-dependent lighting, sound and rigging control systems.

The judges also made three special commendations:

Shure PSM 900 in-ear wireless monitoring system, commended for a combination of flexible technologies.

Clay Paky Alpha Profile 700,commended for the high level of engineering embodied.

RevEAL CW color-mixing LED washlight by Prism Projection, found to have “notable color rendering, particularly in the natural and pastel colors, which makes it viable for use in theatre.”

The presentation followed a busy day on the show floor, with over 350 companies launching more than 500 new products. A total of £12,000 of the awards nominations fees was, as in line with PLASA Show tradition, donated to charitable causes. Matthew Griffiths commented: “The recipients of these awards showed once again how the most innovative thinkers in our industry continue to push the boundaries of what can be achieved by combining technological insight with exciting creativity.” PLASA 2011 will be held September 11-14, 2011 at Earls Court, London.

Photos: Fred Foster, ETC; Matthew Griffiths, PLASA. Courtesy PLASA.

Judith Rubin
Judith Rubin
Judith Rubin ([email protected]) is a leading journalist, publicist, strategist, blogger, content marketing specialist and connector in the international attractions industry. She excels at writing about all aspects of design and technical design, production and project management. Areas of special interest include AV integration and show control, lighting design and acoustics, specialty cinema, digital video and world’s fairs. Judith has ties to numerous industry organizations. From 2005-2020 she ran communications, publications and social media for the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA). In 2013, she was honored with the TEA Service Award. She was development director of IMERSA, and co-chair of the 2014 IMERSA Summit. She was publicist for the Large Format Cinema Association in the 1990s, now part of the Giant Screen Cinema Association (GSCA) and has also contributed to the publications of PLASA, IAAPA and the International Planetarium Society. Already making her mark as a magazine and book editor, Judith joined World’s Fair magazine in 1987, which introduced her to the attractions industry. Launching as a freelancer in the mid 1990s she has contributed to dozens of publications and media outlets including Funworld, Lighting&Sound America, Sound & Communications, Urban Land, The Raconteur and The Planetarian. She joined InPark in 2010. Judith earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Pratt Institute. She has lived in New York City and the San Francisco Bay Area, and now makes her home in Saint Louis, where she is active in the local arts and theater community.

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