UK - Women’s Aid, the charity working against domestic abuse, is hosting a fundraising event on 6 March (Wednesday) at Skylon in London. Supported by Women’s Aid patrons actress Julie Walters and Spice Girl Mel B, the event will include a fashion show, dinner and dance, with all proceeds going towards the charity. Blitz will be providing event production for the evening which takes place at the Skylon Restaurant at Royal Festival Hall. Faye Connelly, fundraising manager at Women’s Aid, comments: “We are so incredibly grateful to Blitz for all of their wonderful support: providing the production for the fashion show. This event is a dream come true for us, and without the incredible generosity of companies like Blitz it would not be a reality. Every penny raised will go towards our vital work supporting women and children to escape domestic abuse and rebu
Spain - The Cisco Live EMEA customer conference landed in Barcelona in January for a week of discussions, education and debate. Visited by 16,000 people each year, the 2019 event was once again organised by marketing agency George P. Johnson (GPJ) alongside the Cisco Live team. Highlights included keynote speeches from leading IT pioneers and among the many super-sized elements of the event were the lighting solutions for the Keynote space and the Customer Appreciation Event (CAE) area. Christie Lites UK was chosen to deliver a full lighting solution, including fixtures and crew for both the Keynote space and the CAE area, which took place in the striking Gran Via Convention Centre in Barcelona - one of the largest and most modern venues in Europe. GPJ’s technical director, Mark Bannister, oversaw the realisation of the project, along with GPJ production manage
UK - The Society of Light and Lighting is marking 25 years of its annual Young Lighter competition with a revised entry criteria. The contest is open to anyone under 30 with an interest in lighting, with the Society set to cover flight and accommodation costs for overseas candidates attending the finals and the awards, taking place during LuxLive this November. Deadline for entries is 10 May. The winner will be named SLL Young Lighter 2019 and receive a cash prize of £1,000. Iain Carlile, SLL president and senior associate at dpa lighting consultants, comments: “It’s always great to see the next generation of lighting professionals demonstrate their talent and passion for lighting, be that through the presentation of novel project application, social study, technological development, lighting research or any other lighting related topic. I very much look forward t
UK - PLASA has announced it’s hosting its Annual General Meeting and Members' Day on 1 May at the Royal College of Physicians in London. The daytime event enables PLASA members to network and soak up the latest industry developments. Roger Martin-Fagg, an economist and business strategist, has been confirmed as a keynote speaker. He will discuss Brexit and its potential impact on businesses in the UK and abroad. PLASA members from an array of sectors and special interest groups will also be speaking at the event, whilst attendees will see presentations on the Association’s recent activities. There will also be Q&A opportunities with the PLASA executive staff and board. The location The 2019 Members’ Day is again taking place at the Royal College of Physicians near Regent’s Park. A lunch will be served and refreshments pr
France - PlugFest, the annual event for lighting protocol interoperability, commenced today (Tuesday, 26 February) in Lille, with a public Ecodesign update scheduled for this Thursday. Taking place 26-28 February at Hôtel ibis Lille Centre Gares, PlugFest welcomed lighting developers and manufacturers from across Europe, including representatives from Artistic Licence, Chauvet Professional, ChamSys, Claypaky, ETC, GLP, Robert Juliat, Swisson and TMB. The programme is focusing on the latest protocols and standards from ESTA and ANSI, with an array of break-out sessions discussing protocols including DMX512, RDM, DALI, RDMnet, Art-Net, sACN and LLRP. Nicky Greet, PLASA’s Membership, Skills and Technical director, comments: “We are delighted to present PlugFest 2019, alongside expert hosts Hamish Dumbreck of JESE Ltd, Peter Willis of Howard Eaton Lighting and W
South Africa - Vectorworks training, presented by Francois van der Merwe, will be hosted in March at DWR Distribution in Johannesburg. Delegates can choose to attend the basic, intermediate or advanced training session while some individuals may prefer to be at all three. The basic course, priced at R750, is held on 25 March and will cover fundamentals, layouts, palettes, basic tools, classes and layers. The intermediate course, held from 26-27 March, will focus on preferences, basic Spolight, basic Renderworks and Intermediate Tools. The cost is R1 600. The advanced training, held from 28-29 March, will cover working planes, advanced modelling and advanced Renderworks. The cost is R1 600. Delegates are requested to supply their own desktop or laptop with Vectorworks installed and a valid ID. (Jim Evans)
UK - January and early February saw Britannia Row Productions start the year in robust, if slightly inverted fashion. “Within two weeks of the Christmas break we had three arena tours out and one of the UK’s most exciting acts, Jorja Smith playing festivals,” explains sales director Lez Dwight. “The clue is in the word ‘festivals’, no-one is playing festivals in the frosty Northern hemisphere right now, but along with Jorja at the festivals, Mumford & Sons and Phil Collins have all visited arenas in Australia and New Zealand.” While the balmy reaches of the Antipodes are seeing most of the action, Brit Row is not neglecting the UK market. “We are supplying system and support for Cirque du Soleil’s annual visit to the Royal Albert Hall and we are already gearing up for the Brit Awards which has quite a fundamental new look this year.” But it’s
UK - Yamaha Commercial Audio and London’s SW19 Studios are joining forces in mid-March to host a two-day Welcome to the World of Rivage event. Taking place on 7-8 March at SW19 Studios in Wimbledon, it comprises a free series of technical training seminars which offer professional and aspiring sound engineers an opportunity to get up close and personal with Yamaha’s Rivage PM7 and PM10 digital mixing systems. Day 1 will focus on showcasing Rivage PM7 as the solution for reliable sound for live venue and festival engineers, sculpting audio for today’s touring bands. Yamaha product specialists and SW19 staff will be on hand to deliver an overview of the system, highlighting key features and demonstrating its applications in a rehearsal environment. Day 2 offers opportunities for those with some experience of Rivage and/or those who want to delve deep into t
USA - Behind the Scenes reports that Gray Matter Visual has become a Pledge-a-Service Partner by pledging to donate a percentage of their design fees to the charity. Gray Matter Visual is a lighting and production design firm working on corporate and special events, concerts, television, benefits, and more. Founded in 2010 by Brendan Gray and based in Brooklyn, New York, GMV works with clients all over the US and beyond to realise their visions. Brendan Gray, principal designer and president, states: “I became aware of the Pledge-a-Service programme through fellow designer (and friend) Herrick Goldman's involvement. Joining sounded like a great idea, but one that sat on the back burner for a while. The recent sudden loss of a friend and colleague prompted me to take action. I hope that other designers and business owners will follow suit and support this worthy cause."
UK - Edinburgh Castle and the medieval Old Town offered a magnificent backdrop to Edinburgh’s Hogmanay celebration for thousands of revellers who welcomed the new year immersed in a city centre-wide high quality pro audio installation. In collaboration with the sound designer Dan Jones, Catalyst Event Production Services was tasked with specifying, installing and operating a sound solution for much of the event that would envelope partygoers, leading them to "a complete d&b audiotechnik loudspeaker, amplification and R1 control software solution". UK-based live entertainment company Underbelly, which has produced the event on behalf of the City of Edinburgh Council since 2017, bills Edinburgh’s Hogmanay as “one of the biggest celebrations in the world”. The famed Street Party showcased Scottish and European musicians, street theatre artists, dancers, choir
UK - Industry charity Backup has revealed a busy fundraising schedule for 2019. First in a line-up of events is the inaugural Bikefest, kicking off on 18 May with a day of two-wheeled action and fun for all levels of riders. There will be a 100km ride through the Sussex and Surrey countryside, which will take in much of the famed Olympic and Prudential Ride London-Surrey 100 route, including Leith Hill, the highest point in Surrey, and the famous Box Hill Zig Zag. “Whether you’re riding as an individual, with friends or as a company Peloton, this will be a great day out to sport your finest padded shorts, have an excuse to shave those legs and pack as many bananas in your cycling top as possible,” says Backup. The event will also feature a 50km route across the Surrey countryside, past a number of isotonic watering holes en route to allow riders to
UK - Free registration is now open for PLASA Focus Leeds, PLASA has reported. The sold-out event, taking place at Leeds' Royal Armouries Museum on 14-15 May, will feature 120 exhibitors and is ideal for professionals working across live events, concert touring, production, performing arts and installation. Present will be lighting companies including Elation, Robe and Philips Entertainment Lighting; pro audio firms including d&b audiotechnik, Funktion-One and Shure; and rigging, staging and production specialists including Area Four Industries, Gerriets, Hawthorn and J&C Joel. The trade show will also welcome several new exhibitors, including loudspeaker manufacturer Wharfdale Pro Audio and US sound masking company, Cambridge S
UK - With less than two weeks until ISCEx 2019, the Institute of Sound and Communications Engineers has announced a number of new exhibitors, including Shure UK, Sennheiser, Sound Network, Ambient System and Source Distribution, have signed up to the event alongside the 31 manufacturers and distributors who had already confirmed their presence. This means this will be the event with the highest number of exhibitors yet, says ISCE. Taking place on Wednesday, 6 Marchat Coombe Abbey Hotel, Binley, Warwickshire, ISCEx 2019 provides networking and learning opportunities. Leading audio manufacturers and distributors are on hand in the exhibition zone, whilst a programme of informative seminars is held in separate conference rooms throughout the day. ISCEx 2019 is open to members and non-members of the ISCE. Entry is completely free of charge and promises to be an opportunity
UK - TechPro, a lighting, video and sound services provider for live events, has given new responsibilities to its event services director, Mike Foyle. Foyle, who joined TechPro in 2012 as a project manager, had previously covered all aspects of marketing and communication, but with a focus on video production and live events. He will now solely focus on improving the company’s communication and collaboration with its clients. Foyle comments: “This is a new role designed to help us engage better with our clients and understand more fully what they hope to achieve from their events, which will determine how best TechPro supports each production.” TechPro managing director, Mark Stokes, adds: “The significant growth we have achieved in recent years has been driven in large part by our commitment to the flawless delivery of live events, regardless of size or complexity.
UK - Event production specialists Light Fantastic Production Services has introduced four new members to the team at its Borehamwood offices. Working across a number of different areas, the addition of Gareth Shippen, Angela DiTomaso, Leo Neilson and Svetoslav ‘Slavi’ Nikolov strengthens the range of creative production and technical support services provided by the company. Taking the role of scenic project manager, Gareth is a scenic arts graduate with extensive experience in all aspects of the creative set building and prop making process. Angela joins the production engineering department as video engineer, providing technical support to the diverse range of projects serviced by LFPS. A keen follower of new technology, Angela is highly experienced in both creative video design and systems engineering. Strengthening the operations team, Slavi and Leo join
UK - Martin Audio has announced a new series of open days, taking place on 19-21 March at the company’s High Wycombe HQ. Martin Audio will showcase the full line-up of Wavefront Precision line arrays, including the new WPL, while the subwoofers will be headed by the new cardioid SXC118 and SXH218. In addition, there will be point source BlacklineX and XD Series with VIA amplifiers and DX4.0 controller, the self-powered point source CDD-LIVE and a selection of LE and XE stage monitors. 3D immersive Sound Adventures in partnership with Astro Spatial Audio, demonstrate wide stereo imaging. Dom Harter, Martin Audio managing director, comments: “Coming off a high at ISE 2019 earlier this month, this will provide a further opportunity for rental companies, sound engineers, system integrators and installation specialists to increase their understanding of our system
The Netherlands - German fibre network associates Optocore and BroaMan combined their resources at the recent ISE 2019 expo in Amsterdam as part of the portfolio of brands distributed in the Benelux by the Ampco Flashlight Group. The stand was busy as it was visited by both recognised customers from the integration, event and broadcast sectors as well as newcomers seeking further information. Optocore showcased its new Festival Box, reporting high interest from both distributors and rental companies. The Festival Box allows all protocols to tunnel over the same fibre, with hot-swappable SFP optical module transceivers providing different conversion options to add massive savings in time and cabling to multi-act festival bills. As applications engineering manager, Maciek Janiszewski says: “While festival sound engineers can transport whatever signal protocol th
The Netherlands - ISE 2019 saw LED video processor manufacturer Brompton Technology showcase its new Tessera Processor Software for the 4K SX40 processor, demonstrating its enhanced feature set that follows the easy-to-use style of its intuitive user interface, as well as giving its customers a preview of its forthcoming HDR capabilities. The SX40, Brompton Technology’s highest-ever capacity processor, offers support for full 4K screens at 60Hz with 12 bits per colour output, a zero-latency up/down scaler that matches the source to the screen, plus all of Tessera’s industry-leading processing features such as ChromaTune colour correction, On Screen Colour Adjustment (OSCA), and more. By updating the SX40 to the latest software, users can now access a suite of handy new features such as Panel On Screen Display (OSD), Processor Redundancy, 90 degree rotation and Chin
USA - The Long Reach Long Riders and Behind the Scenes will host their annual fundraising raffle at the USITT Conference on 21-23 March in Louisville, KY. This year’s raffle will celebrate the 16th anniversary of the Long Reach Long Riders annual charity motorcycle ride. The Riders, who have raised over $500,000 for charity in their years of touring, will be riding 7-13 July on the Altimeter Tour through the Colorado Rockies. The prizes, provided by generous donors, are: Grand Prize, Spotlight with Renderworks from Vectorworks; Ghostlight from Altman Rentals; American Express Gift Card from Barbizon; Prostar 300lb capacity 115V, 10ft lift with chain bag from CM-ET; Event Safety Summit 2019 Registration from the Event Safety Alliance; Nespresso CitiZ Espresso Machine with Aeroccino Milk Frother from IA Stage; Stagehands Dream Kit from Monkey Wrench Productions; $250 G
UK - Attracting over 1000 attendees, the Women in Data conference features addresses from high-profile speakers plus a range of supporting events. Held within the grand surroundings of Central Hall Westminster, London, the event included presentations, development sessions and an exhibition, designed to inspire the WiD community. Technical production specialists LFPS collaborated closely with the client and production manager Dave Parker to design the look and feel of the entire event. Providing a complete production package covering both equipment and logistics, LFPS supplied lighting, audio, video, rigging and staging. Working to precise schedules beginning with a 6pm time slot for overnight load-in and build, the team were ready for rehearsal at 6am, with everything in place ready for doors open at 9am. Commenting on working with LFPS, WiD co-founder Roisin Mc
Saudi Arabia - Golf’s European Tour made history this year when it took its tournament to Saudi Arabi for the first time in its 47 years. The event took place at the Royal Greens golf course in King Abdullah Economic City on 31 January and ran until 3 February. Creative Technology (CT) were on hand to deliver all video aspects of this event on behalf of clients European Tour and IMG. CT’s head of sport, Steven Purkess explains: “CT was contracted to design, engineer and fabricate eight bespoke LED structures, a big departure from the standard scaffold support structures traditionally used at golf events. “The complete design and engineering service provided by CT not only included the design for each LED structure but also the foundations. The physical structure fabrication process was split across the CT group, and once delivered to site CT also instal
UK - Video solutions specialist Production AV will be on Stand I2E at the Event Production Show at London Olympia on 26 and 27 February to showcase the Agile Arc Lite PTZ camera integration solution from leading media server company disguise. Based in Cheltenham, Production AV has been at the forefront of AV innovation for 14 years. It is inviting visitors to get hands-on with the new disguise and Agile kit at the show. In February, disguise launched the latest version of its award-winning software, used to design, sequence and control live shows and experiences. Version r15.2 now includes integrations with Agile Remote Cameras’ range of PTZ cameras, enabling live video feeds from the discreet PTZ cameras to be used as part of the visuals on impressive live events. “We’re thrilled to demo just what disguise’s new Agile integration protocol can do in
UK - East of England Arena Events Centre (EEAEC) has announced a collaboration with Pearce Hire. The EEAEC is one of the UK’s top event venues, hosting over 300 events, conferences and meetings a year. The multi-purpose events complex sboasts over 9,000sq.m of indoor space and over 250 acres of outside space. With significant and ongoing investment in the venue and its infrastructure, the venue has appointed Pearce Hire as a preferred contractor working throughout the complex. “With our HQ based in Peterborough we are ideally placed geographically to offer an outstanding level of service and support to the venue, to the organisers putting on events at the venue, and to the exhibitors at all the major trade and consumer exhibitions which take place here throughout the year,” observes Shaun Pearce, managing director, Pearce Hire. “Having provided services for man
The Netherlands - Building on its expertise, Christie continues to deliver end-to-end solutions for visual experiences coupled with service and support. For the first time, stand visitors will experience the new Christie MicroTiles. The Christie D4K40-RGB pure laser 3DLP projector will make its European debut at ISE. The Christie APS Series, launched in January, is being shown for the first time at a public show. The new 3LCD laser projector will be located in Zone 8. Featuring an efficient laser illumination system and patented optical light path design that uses only one motor, the APS Series provides up to 20,000 hours of reliable, maintenance-free operation at an extremely low cost of ownership. Christie has partnered with Da-Lite, which will provide the screens for the Christie stand while both the LANG AG and SDVoE stands are demonstrating interoperabilit
