Robe - LEADERBOARD - Feb 2025
Doughty - Banner - from 15 May 2025

Events

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UK - A group of associations have launched the #EventsForTheFuture initiative in a bid to amplify the calls for better government support for the hard-hit events sector during the COVID-19 crisis.
#EventsForTheFuture is a collaboration between the Association for British Theatre Technicians (ABTT), the Professional Lighting and Sound Association (PLASA), Production Services Association (PSA), the Society Of London Theatres (SOLT), and UK Theatre. The bodies, which together represent over 3,000 businesses and individuals, have issued a joint call to events and entertainment industry professionals asking them to write to their MPs to highlight the government support needed in order to safeguard the future of the sector.
“The overall aim is to ensure events and entertainment are protected in the long term," says a statement. "Providing consistent messaging to government

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Europe - As much of the world follows safe-at-home and social distancing guidelines and mandates, the Audio Engineering Society is bringing the AES Europe Convention directly to attendees.
Originally scheduled to take place in Vienna, Austria, the AES Virtual Vienna Convention in now set for 2-5 June 2020, with an online format.
The event is billed as “a front-row-seat to the AES event experience, utilising live streaming, on-demand audio/video/multimedia presentations, interactive Q&A and forum dialogues to realise the personal connection and emotional feedback that is at the heart of AES live events”.
The AES Virtual Vienna Convention will explore “a gamut of audio engineering science, application and technology with presentations from some of the leading minds in the industry”.
Further details on the AES Virtual Vienna Convention, which will
Doughty - Banner - from 15 May 2025

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UK - Martin Audio plans to host ‘a dedicated virtual tradeshow’, putting the spotlight on the new additions to its portfolio.
Like the company’s Open Days, the virtual event will offer an overview of the portfolio suitable for end users, distributors, rental companies and integrators. The event will be webinar-based across a number of time slots on Wednesday 20 May to ensure that people in different time zones can come together for the show.
“These are unprecedented times for the pro audio industry, and we want to play our role in helping industry professionals to stay active, connected and informed,” says Dom Harter, managing director at Martin Audio. “The webinars will last for about 90 minutes, and I will be joined by colleagues to talk people through our portfolio and to help attendees find the right product for different applications and budgets.”

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UK - Fairport Convention’s annual Cropredy Convention in Oxfordshire and The Eden Sessions in Cornwall are the latest major music events to fall victim to the coronavirus pandemic. Both are being rescheduled for 2021.
Since its first staging in 1980, the Cropredy festival has taken place annually since on farmland near Banbury, Oxfordshire.
This year’s three-day event had been scheduled to take place on 13-15 August. It will now be staged over 12, 13 and 14 August 2021 (the equivalent weekend) on its usual site.
The line-up of acts will be carried forward: artists booked to appear this year have agreed to switch to 2021. Highlights include Trevor Horn Band, Clannad, Steve Hackett – Genesis Revisited, Richard Thompson, Matthews Southern Comfort and host band Fairport Convention.
Tickets purchased for Cropredy 2020 remain valid for the rescheduled fest

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South Africa - Days before lockdown, thousands of fans gathered at the Voortrekker Monument in Pretoria to celebrate the 2020 edition of RAMfest, South Africa’s music festival for all things alternative.
This years’ line up included some of South Africa’s most popular alternative bands, including Facing the Gallows, Peasant, Man as Machine, Newtown Knife Gang, The Valley, Stoker, and Truth & It’s Burden. Highlights of the event included a much-anticipated reunion show by South African rock legends, The Van Coke Kartel and USA-based death metal giants, The Black Dahlia Murder, who headlined the one-day festival.
Festival organisers Real Alternative Music (RAM) once again contracted Stage Effects and Blue Array Productions to provide technical services for the event. Stage Effects’ Erik de Bruin has been working with RAM on the festival for several years a

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UK - The 2020 edition of Edinburgh Festival Fringe - the world's largest arts festival - has been cancelled due to public safety concerns arising from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Also cancelled are the Edinburgh Art Festival, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Edinburgh International Book Festival, Edinburgh International Festival and the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.
"Just a few months ago, the idea of Edinburgh without the Fringe and our sister festivals would have been totally unthinkable; now, like so many other aspects of our day-to-day lives, we must pause and take stock in the face of something far bigger," said Shona McCarthy, the chief executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society.
"Our hearts go out to the doctors, nurses, health and social care professionals on the front line, to everyone working to keep the country going, and to those who have

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Europe - With the health and safety of our attendees, membership, exhibitors, and staff being of utmost concern during the global Covid-19 pandemic, and following weeks of discussions with the host Austria Centre Vienna, the Audio Engineering Society has officially cancelled the live, in-person components of the AES Vienna 2020 Convention scheduled for May.
AES leadership, the convention organising committee and headquarters staff members are working to organise the logistics of a virtualisation of the convention technical programme into “an engaging, compelling, educational and productive online experience”.
“Details on the virtual convention, which are being developed to include video presentations of papers, workshops, tutorials, tech tours and other technical programme content along with live- and forum-based dialog with presenters, will be shared as they b

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USA - Pro AV tradeshow InfoComm 2020 has been cancelled as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The event was due to take place on 12-18 June at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando.
AVIXA, InfoComm's organiser, says in a statement: "Like many, we had remained optimistic that the show would go on and we continued to monitor recommendations from the local health authorities, the WHO and CDC, but the extreme circumstances of today’s reality have led to a different path forward. While we explored the option to postpone the event until later in the year, this was not realistic given InfoComm’s size and the lack of possible venues. Both the current and likely future environment of economic hardships, travel, spending freezes, and uncertainty with the Covid-19 virus made it clear to us and our partners that not proceeding with InfoComm 2020 was the best decision

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UK - The Isle of Wight and Download, due to take place in mid-June, have become the latest music festivals to be cancelled due to the coronavirus.
Duran Duran and Lionel Richie were due to appear alongside Supergrass and Kaiser Chiefs at Seaclose Park, Newport on the Isle of Wight. At Download, Kiss, Iron Maiden and System of a Down were the headliners due at Donnington Park. These cancellations follow the earlier news that Glastonbury 2020, also scheduled for June, will not happen.
“The Isle of Wight Festival will no longer be taking place this year,” says the event’s website. “This decision hasn't been taken lightly and we have tried our hardest to make it work, but it was unavoidable given the current status. The whole team was excited to welcome everyone to the island for another fantastic festival and we extend our sincere apologies to everyone who was lo

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UK - The Knight of Illumination (KOI) executive committee has come to the decision to postpone the 13th annual awards ceremony and gala dinner due to the ongoing Coronavirus crisis and the enormous implications it is having on the entertainment industry.
A statement from co-founders Durham and Jennie Marenghi on behalf of the KOI committee reads as follows:
"The Knight of Illumination committee has taken the considered decision that this year's KOI Awards ceremony will not be held on 6 September as planned, due to the uncertainty of the times in which we now live. The event will be held as a celebration of our industry and to bring people together, once the current situation has been resolved and it is safe to do so.
"Meanwhile, we will continue to appraise the work already submitted and we ask designers to please continue to nominate via the KOI website.

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World - Industry professionals looking to make use of any downtime caused by the coronavirus disruption across the events industry can now access various web workshops and seminars for free.
Lighting professionals can look to the Avolites website for upcoming online tutorials, webinars and support on the company’s Titan and Ai platforms.
Ambersphere has added ‘free for freelancers’ grandMA2 user training and network introduction classes, details of which can be found at training@ambersphere.co.uk. The grandMA2 user course will be 24-26 March and the grandMA2 Network course will be the 27 March.
Meanwhile, ETC has made its Learning

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UK - PLASA has announced the cancellation of its popular PLASA Focus Leeds tradeshow, which was scheduled to take place on 12-13 May 2020 at the Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds.
The Association said in a statement: "Following the concerning developments of the Covid-19 outbreak over the past week, PLASA has come to the disappointing yet inevitable decision that we must cancel PLASA Focus Leeds. This decision was made in order to ensure the health and safety of both our exhibitors and visitors, as without all of your continued support, the show wouldn’t be the success it is today.
"We regret that we cannot now share the incredible programme we had planned, as well as two sold-out show floors full of industry figureheads. However, we are pleased to announce that PLASA Focus Leeds will return next year, taking place from 11-12 May 2021, bringing with it the usual vibran

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Europe The latest major events cancelled because of the coronavirus outbreak include Glastonbury Festival and the Eurovision Song Contest. In the UK, Brighton’s annual arts festival will not take place for the first time in 53 years, while organisers of major festivals such as Reading, the Isle of Wight and Cropredy are monitoring the situation closely.
Taylor Swift, Sir Paul McCartney and Kendrick Lamar were due to appear, alongside Diana Ross and Dua Lipa at Glastonbury’s 50th anniversary gathering at Worthy Farm in Somerset in June. "We're so sorry the decision to cancel has been made," a statement said. "It was not through choice." Just six days ago, organiser Emily Eavis said she had "fingers firmly crossed" the event would go ahead. But after the government advised people to avoid mass gatherings on Monday, cancellation became increasingly likely.
Fans who h

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UK - A petition has been launched urging the UK government to offer economic assistance to the events industry during the on-going COVID-19 pandemic. Instigated by Matt Rakowski of DBpixelhouse, the petition’s aim is: “For the UK government to provide economic assistance to businesses and staff employed in the events industry, who are suffering unforeseen financial challenges that could have a profound effect on hundreds of thousands of people employed in the sector.”
To-date, the petition has been signed over 131,000 times – surpassing the 100,000-signature threshold required for the issue to be considered for debate in parliament.
Rakowski comments: “The response has been phenomenal so far, we’re at just over 131,000 – whic

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World - Huntly Christie, CEO of Christie Lites, has released the following statement in light of the current COVID-19 pandemic: “Like every other company in our business, Christie Lites is not immune and at the end of last week I enacted some difficult measures to counter the effects of the ‘shock-stop’ the industry has endured as a result of the COVID-19 virus. Sadly, this included laying off approximately 200 staff globally. This has definitely been the most difficult situation I have experienced in the company’s 35yr history. We’ve worked extremely hard to build and assemble a great global team and it was a really painful process to see some of our people lose their jobs.”
He continues: “As such, I feel it is important to speak about this publicly and this past week have taken several interviews with mainstream media outlets in North America. I have given an

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UK - ISCEx 2020 (Coombe Abbey Hotel, 17-18 March) is to take place as scheduled this week, with certain modifications to the event schedule and social programme.
“Following the government’s recent announcement, we have made some updates to our coronavirus (Covid-19) statement in relation to ISCEx 2020 and the additional steps we are taking, which is published on our website,” says show organiser ISCE. “As a further measure, and in consultation with the catering team at Coombe Abbey, we have amended the networking dinner arrangements to allow for guests to enjoy a fine meal with drinks with an option to either stay at the dining tables or return to a more private area if they prefer. We will also be changing the usual self-serve buffet to serving a selection of individual hot food bowls for the lunch during the exhibition.
“As we write, there are currently mo

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Germany - Prolight+Sound will not be held in 2020. A statement from Messe Frankfurt, the show’s organisers reads: “On 12 March, the Hessian Ministry for Social Affairs and Integration issued general decrees prohibiting large-scale events expected to attract more than 1,000 visitors. At the present time, it cannot be assumed that the current situation will have changed by the time the postponed event was to have been held. Therefore, Messe Frankfurt has decided to cancel the event.”
The event was originally scheduled to take place 31 March - 3 April but was postponed to May due to the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).
Detlef Braun, a member of the executive board of Messe Frankfurt, comments: “We did everything we could to hold Prolight+Sound 2020 as soon as possible after the original dates and would like to extend our thanks to the response and support from n

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Europe - ACME Lighting and Highlite International are the latest companies to announce that they will no longer be exhibiting at the postponed Prolight+Sound in Frankfurt this May, due to the health risks posed by Coronavirus (COVID-19).
“At this moment, the entire entertainment industry is experiencing huge challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the response to the virus,” says Marco Galli, EMEA sales director at ACME Lighting. “We take the health of our staff and customers very seriously. Well-being and containment of COVID-19 is our duty and priority, and therefore, regretfully, we are forced to cancel plans to participate in Prolight+Sound 2020.”
Meanwhile, a statement from Highlite reads: “We have decided not to participate in Prolight+Sound 2020. The new dates after the postponement of the fair do not fit within our plans and vision of the industr

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USA - InfoComm’s organisers have issued a statement revealing that, at present, the show is ‘proceeding as planned, June 13-19, 2020 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.’
The statement, posted on the show’s website, continues: “The show management of InfoComm and the executive staff of AVIXA are continuing to monitor the evolving situation around the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on a day-by-day basis, and our thoughts continue to be with those affected across the world.”
Stay up-to-date with the very latest on InfoComm's status regarding coronavirus via this page on the show’s website.

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USA - US-based trade show USITT has been cancelled due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The event was was due to celebrate its 60th anniversary edition this 1-4 April.
A statement from the shows organisers reads: “The USITT Board of Directors, in an unanimous vote, has cancelled the 2020 Annual Conference & Stage Expo scheduled for April 1-4 in Houston.”
USITT executive director David Grindle said in a video message posted on the show’s website: “I have to let you know that we have cancelled this year’s annual Conference and Stage Expo. This is a very, very difficult decision. At USITT we talk a lot about safety and health and making sure our workplaces are safe spaces. Today, we had to make the hard decision to ensure the safety and health of our members.”
He conti

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France - The first sponsors of Showlight Quadrennial (Fontainebleau, France – 22-25 May 2021) have been announced by its organisers. Joining Headline sponsor Robert Juliat, the 100-year old, family-run, French manufacturer of lighting equipment are: Platinum sponsor, Ayrton; Gold sponsors, Eyetidy, Robe and SFL Group; Silver sponsors, ABTT, ACT Lighting and White Light, and Bronze sponsor, PRG. Media Partner for Showlight 2021 is LSI, with generous support from LSA and PLASA. “We are extremely grateful to all our sponsors, partners and supporters, but this list is just the beginning,” says Showlight. "It is a little-known fact, but Showlight is organised entirely by volunteers and would not be possible without the generosity of our sponsors. We are currently looking for more sponsors to make Showlight 2021 a success, so why not get involved? There are many ways to become a

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Germany - Following the announcement of Prolight+Sound 2020’s postponement until late May, MDG has moved its planned anniversary celebrations to next year.
MDG president and CEO Martin Michaud comments: “We are sorry to announce that, in view of the current situation regarding the coronavirus, (Covid-19), we have taken the decision to postpone MDG’s 40th anniversary celebration at the Union Halle in Frankfurt.
“We have given this careful consideration and strongly believe that the safety and security of our MDG Family comes first. Seeing the increasing measures being taken on an international scale to contain its spread, we feel a social responsibility to play our part in reducing the chances of transmission, and feel it is a prudent move to postpone the gathering.
“We are, of course, very disappointed but have no doubt this is the right decision for ev

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Germany - Prolight+Sound 2020 has been postponed due to coronavirus (Covid-19) concerns, Messe Frankfurt has announced.
The annual entertainment technology tradeshow was initially scheduled for 31 March - 3 April, but organisers have now said it will take place on 26-29 May. Musikmesse, the music industry show that runs alongside Prolight+Sound, has also been postponed, with new dates yet to be released.
Messe Frankfurt said in a statement: "The ongoing spread of Covid-19 in Europe called for a reassessment of the situation in close cooperation with the public-health authorities in Frankfurt who require that steps be taken to prevent event participants from high-risk regions coming to Frankfurt and visiting the fair when ill.
"Given that these participants could also be infected by Covid-19, it is necessary to conduct a health check to prevent the infection spr

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Security Measures - A new law proposed by the UK government will require venues to put measures in place to protect the public from a terrorist attack. Security minister James Brokenshire has announced plans for the new Protect Duty, following a manifesto commitment to improve the security of public spaces. The new law, which is to be consulted on this spring, would require owners and operators of venues and public spaces to consider the risk of a terrorist attack and take “reasonable measures” to protect the public from such an incident. Venues can include concert halls, stadiums and conference centres.
Measures could include increasing physical security, staff training and incident response plans in case of an attack. According to the Home Office, the Protect Duty “reflects lessons learned following the terrorist attacks in 2017, as well as more recent attacks”. Br
  1. Hawthorn puts BBC programmes centre-stage
  2. The north is heard at Rigger’s Voice 2020
  3. Chauvet shines on Worship Experience 2020
  4. Martin Audio open days set for March
  5. Sennheiser training courses now online
  6. Major exhibitors pull out of PL+S 2020
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GLP - MPU - Feb, Apr 2025

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