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Press releases from ILDA Members

ILDA Members have submitted these press releases about their shows and services. We have listed a brief excerpt, plus a link for the full release.

In addition to the press releases below, you may also want to check the New products and services page and the Laser shows and projects page to find additional news from ILDA Members.

(Members: If would like to add your release, please send it to ILDA's Executive Director.)

 

November 2011

Lightline Lasertechnik of Osnabrück, Germany, received an award from Coherent for the 400th Taipan laser sold. The certificate was presented to Marco Stümpel at the ILDA Conference in Moscow, by Peter Vogt and Andreas Zuck of Coherent.

April 2011

New "Beyond" laser show software from Pangolin; to be released July 16 2011

ILDA Member William Benner signs deal to co-author "Win!" business strategy book

Orlando, Fla. – April 11, 2011 – Hardware and software development expert William R. Benner, Jr., recently joined a select group of leading experts on a broad array of subjects, from around the world to co-write the forthcoming book "Win!: Winning Strategies From Today’s Leading Experts." Celebrity Press recently signed a publishing deal with each of these authors to contribute their expertise to the book. It will feature top advice from some of the most successful experts from around the world.

Benner’s most recent book, "Game Changers: The World’s Leading Entrepreneurs – How They’re Changing The Game & You Can Too!" recently reached #1 on Amazon’s best seller list in the Direct Marketing category.

More information on Benner and his company, Pangolin Laser Systems is below in the December 2010 press release. (Added to this page April 25, 2011. The full "Win!" press release is here.)
 

Coherent celebrates 1000th Taipan European entertainment laser; LaserAnimation Sollinger sells almost 300

Coherent celebrated the occasion of the shipment of the 1000th Taipan laser into Europe for entertainment uses, by awarding the best selling integrators with a special Taipan unit. LaserAnimation Sollinger GmbH sold almost 300 Taipan lasers and received the " 250+units " award.

Peter Vogt and Arnaud Lepert of Coherent handed the award to Mr. Sollinger on the first day of Prolight + Sound in Frankfurt.

Taipan is the tradename for Coherent's OPSL (optically pumped semiconductor laser), which provides excellent wavelength selection, output power and beam quality in a compact package. Taipan entertainment lasers are only available through Coherent System Integrators such as LaserAnimation Sollinger. (Added to this page April 25 2011.)

Manick Sorcar Laser Animation Laboratory established at Calcutta university

ILDA Award-Winner Manick Sorcar of LaserLight Magic has donated Rs 5,000,000 (USD $112,000) to establish a laser animation lab at Jadavpur University in Calcutta, India. Sorcar is a multi-talented engineer and artist from the United States, who often performs in India, and whose art is based on Indian themes.
     At the new Manick Sorcar Laser Animation Laboratory (see photo), second year M.Tech students studying illumination engineering will have the opportunity to "use the beams of light as a paintbrush." Sorcar himself will be a visiting professor, to help guide the students in the technical and artistic challenges of laser animation. The laboratory is the first of its type in India, and one of only a handful ever established in the world.
     The eldest son of famed Indian magician P.C. Sorcar, Manick grew up with stage lighting and performance, which he brings to his laser works. His life and art is profiled in two books, "World of Manick Sorcar" by Roma Sur, and "East Meets West: The Animation of Manick Sorcar" by Wendy Luna. Within ILDA, his award-winning Reflection appeared on the cover of the Summer 2008 issue of The Laserist. That issue also included a profile of Sorcar.
     More information on the laser lab is in an article in the Calcutta Telegraph entitled "Wizard of light brings magic of laser to JU." Additional photos are in a Facebook album. (Added to this page April 5 2011)

December 2010

ILDA Member William Benner Hits Amazon Best-Seller List As Part of New Book, “Game Changers”

William Benner, President and CTO of ILDA Member Pangolin Laser Systems, recently hit Amazon.com’s Best-Seller List with the new book, "Game Changers: The World’s Leading Entrepreneurs – How They’re Changing The Game & You Can Too!". The book was released on Thursday, November 18th and reached best-seller status in three Amazon.com categories: Communications, Direct Marketing and Entrepreneurship. The book reached #1 in the Direct Marketing category.

Benner and a select group of America’s leading entrepreneurs and businesspeople co-wrote the book, which was published by Nick Nanton, Esq., and business partner JW Dicks, Esq. under their Celebrity Press® imprint. It features anecdotes, business strategies and real-life solutions to many of the challenges faced by small and large businesses across the country, in a rapidly changing economy.

Benner authored a chapter in the book titled, “From Idea…To Product…To Market.”

Pangolin is a multi-national organization with offices in the United States, Central Europe and China. Benner sets the general strategic direction for the company and oversees all company operations, including hardware and software development as well as research and development on new products, which tend to strongly influence the future direction of the laser display and text message software industries.

In addition to having received more than 20 international awards for technical achievement, Benner’s products are used by some of the best-known companies in the world, including Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, DreamWorks, Boeing, Samsung, and Lawrence Livermore Labs.

The book is available at Amazon.com. For more information, contact Pangolin or Celebrity Press. The original press release, in Microsoft Word .docx format, can be downloaded here. (Added to this page December 10 2010.)
 

LOBO launches a new multimedia tourist attraction with a "sparks" laser system in the ancient Persian city of Hamedan.

With roughly 5000 years of history as the capital of the Meder empire, Hamedan ranks among the oldest cities in the world. It is said that the three Magi set forth for their long journey to Jerusalem from this city which is located 2000 meters above sea level in the Zagros foothills.

Thanks to its historic heritage, Hamedan offers a huge variety of interesting historical sites. Unique monuments and relicts from ancient times can be seen all around the city. In the outskirts of the city, a large-scale touristic project is currently built with various attractions embedded in park-like developments. As one of the most experienced solution providers and the most awarded company in the industry, ILDA Member LOBO was inquired to participate in the design of an outdoor show area already in 2009.

The show arena for up to 2000 spectators which directly adjoins to a war memorial was especially created around a purpose-built lake and offers laser and video projections onto a 40 m wide Water Screen and a sophisticated 100 m wide musical fountain system with individually controllable nozzles and numerous moveable water effects which reach height of up to 60 meters.

LOBO‘s Creative director Alexander Hennig: "The venue is really impressive and offers perfect conditions for a show. The project team of this project has done a perfect job regarding the size and orientation of the lake and the optimal position of the seating gallery towards the projection surface."

During the first on-site visit of LOBO‘s engineers, the system was put into operation and the three show programs which are mainly dedicated to the touristic attractions of the city were installed for entirely automated operation on the basis of LOBO's media control system LACON-5.

Alexander Hennig: "As a European, I was virtually overwhelmed by the vitality, openness and hospitality of the people here. We really wanted to express this attitude in our shows. And obviously, we were quite successful, as large crowds were gathering during the rehearsals along the streets above the venue every night."

LOBO's press release page, with additional photos and project details, is here. (Added to this page December 3 2010.)
 

AixiZ lasers and components now on GSA schedule

ILDA Member AixiZ is pleased to announce that their lasers, laser modules, optics and other related products are now on the General Services Administration schedule.

This is an open, 5-year contract listing the prices the U.S. federal government has agreed to pay for products and services. GSA schedules are the main way in which the federal government buys commercial goods in over 60 categories covering everything from industrial products, vehicles, and office supplies, to most categories of professional services. 

To be an approved supplier under a GSA schedule, AixiZ went through an arduous application process. Negotiating fair and reasonable prices for the products or services to be delivered is the most important aspect of the application process.

According to Chuck Maricle, Ph.D., president of AixiZ, the company appears to be "the only pure laser component supplier" on the GSA schedule. AixiZ products are now available to federal government purchasers under GSA Contract #GS-07F-0144X. (Added to this page December 3 2010.)
 

November 2010

Laser Visions for BMW: LOBO‘s ultra-bright "sparks" lasers stage BMW‘s latest eco sports car in Leipzig

A droning heartbeat breaks the silence. All of a sudden, a lightning strikes the air. With every further heartbeat, lasers flash through the darkness in hall no. 1 of the Leipzig Exhibition Center. Accompanied by spherical sounds, two pulsating, dazzling and endlessly appearing planes of pure light spread up. At first, it is not more than an unreal shadow. But then you recognize BMW‘s new revolutionary sports car study "Vision Efficient Dynamics" rushing silently towards the audience.

This press event was a bombshell for BMW, which even for the German Chancellor Angela Merkel was worth attending. From this day on, it is clear that this technically innovative study with its dynamic exterior design, which caused a lot of sensation during the last IAA motor show, is about to become reality. 328 horsepower and the silent acceleration of a classy sports car at stunning 33 g of CO2/km only are the incredible benchmarks of this eco-car whose fully functioning prototype the press could experience now for the first time.

On behalf of the technical solution provider "Neumann & Müller", LOBO staged the presentation of the vehicle with two of the multi-awarded "sparks" laser systems – probably the world‘s brightest multi-color laser systems today.

LOBO president Mr. Bopp: "The decisive criteria for applying the new "sparks" laser technology was its incredible efficiency and eco-friendliness which can indeed match the ecological aspects of the presented product. Thanks to our innovative optical system, we do achieve an extreme brightness at a maximum power consumption of not more than 600 Watts. This corresponds to roughly 1 % of the power consumption of large-frame lasers just two years ago. So, in fact we turned lasers from electricity hogs to one of the most eco-friendly solutions in the entertainment industry." (Added to this page November 11 2010)

March 2010

LaserAnimation Sollinger/RTI is first to sell over 200 Coherent Taipan high-power lasers

The LaserAnimation Sollinger GmbH / Ray Technologies International GmbH group (LA/RTI) was recognized as the first company to sell more than 200 of Coherent's Taipan high-power (>3W) laser modules. This was achieved just four months after reaching the 100-unit mark. The photo below shows P. Vogt, Coherent sales manager for Europe, congratulating Michael Sollinger for this February 2010 achievement.

All Taipan laser heads have been integrated into PHAENON, NANO or BLITZ projectors.

Together with the history of more than 500 Jenoptik 5W/8W modules sold, LaserAnimation Sollinger GmbH / Ray Technologies International GmbH is the company with the broadest experience in high power solid state lasers.

The legendary field proven quality of the LA / RTI products, the unbeaten after sales service and the reasonable prices make LaserAnimation Sollinger GmbH / Ray Technologies International GmbH the prime choice for high power, high quality solid state laser projectors. (Added to this page March 10 2010)

October 2009

ILDA notable receives honor for encyclopedia article

ILDA Member and Career Achievement Award recipient L. Michael Roberts was awarded an Honorable Mention for an article on the "Google Knol" online encyclopedia. Google Knol is similar to Wikipedia except that entries are written by authorities in their field, are verified by Google, and can only be edited by the author.
     The Knol article, "How Magnetic Induction lamps work", can be read here. A press release with details on the award and on L. Michael Roberts is here. (Added to this page Jan. 21 2010)

December 2008

Pangolin offering holiday special prices

From December 1 2008 to January 10 2009, Pangolin Laser Systems is offering special prices on system upgrades and selected software. Products include Lasershow Designer 2000, LivePRO, and SMS Text Messaging for Video and Laser. To see the complete list and the special prices, visit this page at Pangolin's website. (Added to this page Dec. 10 2008)

March 2008

Phoenix Showcontroller adds MediaLas as a distributor

To the occasion of this year's international Prolight & Sound 2008 in Frankfurt, Phoenix Showcontroller GmbH & Co. KG gladly welcomes ILDA Member MediaLas Laserproducts GmbH from Balingen/Germany to their team of distributors.
     Including the Phoenix Showcontroller software into their line of products, MediaLas pays once again tribute to their future-oriented business style and demonstrates the innovative capacities of Phoenix Showcontroller. Users of Phoenix Showcontroller have an extensive range of applications to their disposal: Controlling full-color laser systems such as Mystique and Infinity, on-time triggering of DMX equipment, sound- and video-output via the integrated time line – not a problem at all with this exciting tool. Additional 3D modules extend the functions of the software far into the professional domain.
     MediaLas Laserproducts GmbH is an enterprise operating on the global market, and the initiator of many applications and innovations that are now the golden standard in the field. Many awards, registered trademarks, and international patents give further evidence of their technical capabilities.
     A staff of more than 10 people is working on the development, production, and distribution of parts and equipment serving and including laser technology for show and industry. As a certified apprenticing company, MediaLas started offering courses and trainings for Laser Safety Representatives already in the mid-90s. More than 1000 professional users were thus trained successfully in laser safety and know-how.

November 2006

Job opening at Cambridge's Lexel Laser division

The Lexel Laser division of Cambridge Lasers Laboratories Inc (CLLinc) has a job opening for a Technical Laser Sales / Engineering position. The position requires excellent communication skills, both written and verbal. It also requires a good understanding of ion lasers and electronics. The scope of the position is both varied and rewarding. The position is salaried and offers standard benefits such as health care, paid vacation and sick pay.
     Lexel products range from simple single phase argon and krypton lasers (Model 85/95) to state of the art frequency-doubled deep UV systems (85/95-SHG). These products are sold worldwide through a network of distributors and representatives, with applications ranging from cutting edge research labs to the high tech entertainment segment.
     CLLinc has a large inventory of ion lasers and associated equipment for use in the entertainment field and have recently created a "pilot division" (Cambridge Lightworks) to cater for corporate shows in the high tech businesses of the area (Silicon Valley).
     Please contact Brian Bohan for further information at (+1) 510-651-0110, or send resume to: brian@camlaser.com (Added to this page November 15 2006.)
 

U.K. safety-professional association holds first meeting

A U.K.-based group, the Association of Laser Safety Professionals, held its first general meeting earlier this year at the Institute of Physics in London. The Association was founded in January 2005 by a group of nine leading experts in laser safety. Membership of the Association is open to experienced, practising laser safety professionals -- including those in laser display/entertainment -- who can demonstrate a sufficiently high level of knowledge of, and competence in, laser safety. The ALSP aims to:

• Provide a forum in the UK for laser safety expertise
• Establish, promote and maintain high standards in the provision of laser safety services in all application areas
• Award the qualification of Certificated Laser Protection Adviser to those who are sufficiently competent and knowledgeable in matters of laser safety
• Organise meetings, events and other appropriate activities relating to laser safety

The ALSP press release, dated 6 October 2006 (but only received at ILDA on 14 November) is available here. The ALSP website is www.laserprotectionadvisor.com. (Added to this page November 14 2006.)
 

New Method Laser president Bob Ash retires

Bob Ash, president of former ILDA member New Method Lasers, "has retired from the laser light show business, to focus on his medical software company" according to a Nov. 8 posting on the Laserist List. The announcement noted "Just a few of his many accomplishments in the laser light show industry over the last decade are: The first commercially available laser light show controller to run under Microsoft Windows (X29). The first controller to offer true 3D digitizing input via the MicroScribe 3D digitizing arm (FullAuto). The first demonstration of an electronically modulatable all solid state RGB laser."
     For current status on NML equipment that was previously sent to NML for repair (or new warranty repairs) call 727-465-6822, or email to NML@LaserLightShow.com. For new equipment purchases and service on non-warranty NML items, contact One Stop Laser Shop Inc. at 727-441-1805. (Added to this page November 2006.)

October 2006

LaserNet announces that their CEO, Tom Harman, celebrated 30 years in the laser light show business at this year’s Lighting Dimensions International Trade show in Las Vegas.

In 1976, Mr. Harman left the broadcast television industry and joined a traveling light show troupe doing light shows in planetariums. The company, Eye See The Light Show, grew to five simultaneous planetarium shows running across the United States in 1980. In 1983, the company moved to Miami, FL and changed its name to Laser Productions. As the company phased out of planetarium shows and expanded into corporate shows, the name became Laser Production Network in 1992.

Laser Production’s “Network” now has extends around the globe with expansion happening every time a system is sold. LaserNet now imports systems, as well as designing and building custom installations world wide.

As a founding member of the International Laser Display Association (ILDA) and still active in the organization, Harman supports the safe use of lasers and adheres to the principles set forth by ILDA. To learn more about Tom Harman and LaserNet, go to www.lasernet.com. (Added to this page October 28 2006.)

September 2006

Pangolin Laser Systems will be holding a Pangolin User Meeting in Amsterdam on October 11-12, 2006. It will include presentations with "tricks and tips"; sessions demonstrating advanced techniques with Lasershow Designer 2000, Showtime, and Lasershow Converter; and detailed instructions on the use of LivePro from Glenn Turner and Hugo Bunk.
     The Pangolin Prize competition will also be held, with prizes worth up to $3500.
    The user meeting is open to anyone, whether they currently own Pangolin products or are just interested. The cost is €45 to €225 depending on meal choices and whether attendance is for one or both days.
     For more information, visit the Amsterdam Pangolin User Meeting webpage.

 
August 2006

Spectrabeam.de announces laser show subscriptions for the Pangolin LD2000 system.  They are available in Trial, Annual and XXL versions which run for 6, 12 or 24 months.
     Founder Bernd Steinert (pictured at right) states: "Now we are offering in addition to single laser shows the so-called showware, subscriptions of shows from all our manufacturers and programmers....Our customers are on the safe side because payment is done monthly and not in advance for the whole subscription period. The subscriptions include all our showware and all music CDs.... Our customers can choose a show each month from our portfolio.... If there isn't a suitable show in our offer, our customers can suspend the subscription for one month."
     Spectrabeam.de is "the leading internet online shop for laser shows." For more information, visit the Spectrabeam.de subscription webpage or click here for the full press release. (Added to this page August 18 2006.)
 

July 2006

Image Engineering Inc. has been named a finalist for the Event Solutions "Spotlight Award", for Technical Support Company of the Year. This is the second year in a row that the company has been nominated for this prestigious honor. Voting closes July 23 2006; winners will be announced August 23.

March 2006

Bernd Steinert, the entrepreneur from Oberschleißheim has officially opened the doors to his laser show software online shop on the internet, www.spectrabeam.de, on March 1st, 2006. Under this address, he provides potential users such as discotheques and laser show operators with shows from various manufacturers and programmers on a single website....
    “Every developed show can be adapted to special wishes, and we design or arrange individually programmed laser shows on demand. Our specialty in this area is the customized programming of animated 3-D graphics shows for special occasions."
     Click for full spectrabeam.de press release. (Added to this page April 21 2006)
 

Orlando Sentinel story about ILDA

On May 29 2006, ILDA was featured in a brief story in the Orlando Sentinel, about new laser technology. Details are here.