Events

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21 August 2024

UK - The Hilton London Olympia is just around the corner from the Olympia Events convention centre. There, ChamSys will be conducting a series of learning sessions in the Warwick and Napier Rooms during the first two days of the three-day show.

The sessions will cover a variety of topics, from an introduction to MagicQ, to a guide to achieving faster programming with Group Cues and Group FX, as well as learning experiences with guest LDs like David Howard and Simon Horn. Some sessions will involve a nominal fee but will provide gift bags that include a MagicDMX worth £15. For a complete training session schedule and registration form, click here.

Visitors at the events centre are also invited to see ChamSys at Booth D10 to get hands-on experience with th

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20 August 2024

UK - Showlight 2025 will be exhibiting at PLASA Show London (1-3 September 2024) at Olympia London in Kensington.

If you want to know more about Showlight, what it is and how to attend, members of the Showlight Committee will be waiting to meet you on Stand A34 to answer all your questions.

Whether you want information on becoming a Showlight exhibitor, sponsor, speaker or student, or what to expect when attending as a delegate, here’s your chance to find out more.

Organised once every four years, Showlight is an event with a rich history. Aimed at anyone involved in the many disciplines of lighting design, each Showlight is organised entirely by volunteers, literally from the ground up - a new country, a new venue, every time.

Showlight 2025 will be heading to Dijon in France where lighting practitioners from across the world will

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20 August 2024

Malta - The Mediterrane Film Festival, hosted for the second consecutive year in Malta from 22-30 June, culminated with the Golden Bee Award Ceremony hosted by David Walliams at the Fort Manoel, Gżira.

Over a dozen awards were presented to international actors, directors and cinematographers across a variety of categories. The awards were interspersed with performances from artists including Mercury Prize winner, Heather Small, Britain’s Got Talent singer Calum Scott, Maltese opera singer Joseph Calleja and the Golden Bee Awards Orchestra.

BAFTA-winning writer-director Mike Leigh was awarded the career achievement award, and Maltese production coordinator Rita Galea was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award. The evening was rounded off with a speech from the President of Malta, Myriam Spiteri Debono, who emphasised the importance of

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19 August 2024

UK - The grounds of Eastnor Castle in Herefordshire hosted this month’s Lakefest 2024 where, once again, all seven stages at this popular festival featured Nexo sound systems.

Total Sound Solutions crossed the border from Swansea to rig the main stage with left and right hangs of 12 x Nexo Geo M12s and eight MSUB18s, plus two separate hangs of five Geo M12s for delays and a single hang of Geo M10 for the VIP side hang. Eight RS18 subs were deployed across the front of the stage with additional MSUB18s in a cardioid formation, with Nexo’s versatile P15 point source speakers used for front-fills.

Side-fill duties on the main stage were performed by a Nexo live sound veteran. “Artists and engineers were so pleased to see our Alpha E system on the stage,” reports Total Sound CEO Chris Hooke. “The fact that it’s 25 years old and still welcome

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16 August 2024

UK - In another creative bid to engage young people with the production industries, Production Futures recently staged a brand activation at Bludfest, which took place at Milton Keynes Bowl on 11 August. The lineup, curated by singer-songwriter, Yungblud, attracted a diverse range of fans, including many young people for whom the Production Futures pop-up provided insights into possible careers in the production sector.

The Production Futures stand was located in the fan-zone entrance, and as well as providing information about the organisation’s upcoming On Tour shows, ran a series of popular competitions designed to attract the interest of young people with limited knowledge of the wide range of opportunities in the sector.

Representatives from some of Production Futures’ brand partners not only helped construct the stand but also made themselv

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15 August 2024

UK - Martin Audio, with sister brands Optimal Audio, TiMax, Linea Research and OutBoard, are joining forces once again for their open-day programme over three days at their facility in High Wycombe.

Sessions run from 3-5 September, from 9.30am-5.30pm on the Tuesday and Wednesday with a half-day programme on Thursday. All brands will feature with either audio demonstrations or presentations and as part of a series of educational modules.

Martin Audio will be running a separate point source demonstration, constant curvature and line array demonstration, as well as a stage monitor demonstration, and will also have in-depth training on Display 3 prediction software.

TiMax will showcase immersive audio solutions and will also be offering introductory software training, while Optimal Audio will be demonstrating multi-zone commercia

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15 August 2024

UK - The Showman’s Show, Qdos Event Hire, and the National Outdoor Event Association (NOEA) have partnered to launch the Event 100 Club. The collaboration, borne out of the combined ages of the organisations, as they each celebrate significant anniversaries, will see the launch of an experiential events exhibition at The Showman’s Show this autumn, and the creation of a networking club for industry professionals.

This year NOEA, The Showman’s Show, and Qdos will celebrate their 45th, 40th, and 15th anniversaries respectively, and will work “to bring their collective experience together, in a physical form, where the industry can meet, network and use as an influencer space.”

Over the course of the event, NOEA and Qdos will be using the space to host senior business and governmental stakeholders to better understand the industry, its challen

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13 August 2024

UK - PLASA Show has announced the first confirmed sessions in a bumper programme of seminars, masterclasses and panels taking place throughout the show at Olympia London from 1-3 September. 

Being held in three sector-specific theatres with dedicated content streams covering lighting and production, AV and audio, and business and industry initiative, the industry-leading programme is once again sponsored by Vectorworks.

Sessions will include audio and comms specialist James Henry-Breward (‘Brew’) outlining the systems and kit deployed this year’s Wimbledon tennis championship; and Dan Crompton from Tate Galleries discussing advancements in AV technology and its impact on museums and galleries.

Other expert contributors will include visual artist Frankie Boyle who will discuss how lighting affects human behaviour; and Jon Burton present

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13 August 2024

South Africa - DWR Distribution hosted its first mini exhibition at its offices in Johannesburg on 29 and 30 July. The goal of the event was to provide an opportunity for industry professionals, system integrators, and students to meet with international suppliers, see the latest technology, and most importantly, network.

Exhibitors included: Barco, Chainmaster, DiGiCo, Doughty, DSpecialists, Fenix Stage, L-Acoustics, Layher, MA Lighting, Neutrik Group, Prolyte, Quest Engineering, RCF, Robe Lighting, Sennheiser Electronic SA, Sharp NEC, Theatrixx, RAM Mountaineering, Special Industrial Suppliers, and Visual Productions.

A new warehouse at DWR, recently secured as the new home for the DWR Workshop and Manufacturing departments, was quickly transformed into a venue to host the expo. Visitors could attend daily workshops, see demonstrations and discover

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12 August 2024

UK - Visitors to this year’s PLASA Show (1-3 September, Olympia London) can once again get up close to vintage technology used by iconic recording artists and theatre productions, courtesy of lighting designer and LSi journalist Rob Halliday, and Chris Hewitt of CH Vintage Audio.

In a special area of the show named after the popular, long-running LSi column, archive equipment will be showcased via a display of vintage consoles and fixtures. Additionally, a range of guest experts set to join Halliday and Hewitt on-stand throughout the event to share memories of tech-gone-by.

Kit set to be displayed includes:

• The custom Cadac mixing console created for Starlight Express in 1984, which pioneered the computer-controlled VCA mixing approach followed by all theatre shows since.
• The Strand Galaxy lighting console, which i

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05 August 2024

UK - 22live has become one of the first suppliers to achieve the AGF (A Greener Future) Greener Supplier certification. This certification underscores the company’s commitment to environmental sustainability and its proactive efforts to reduce emissions and waste across operations and services.

The AGF certification is an independently verified acknowledgment of green credentials, helping events, venues, festivals, and tours easily identify green suppliers. This recognition will save both suppliers and clients time and resources in evidencing their commitment to sustainability.

The journey to certification involved a thorough assessment of 22Live’s practices in various key areas of environmental sustainability, including energy management, food & beverage sustainability,

transportation efficiency, waste management practices, water con

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05 August 2024

Germany - Neumann & Müller Veranstaltungstechnik has been certified to the ISO 14001 and 45001 international standards in the fields of environmental management and occupational health and safety management. The criteria the company had to meet represent a further milestone in the implementation of a comprehensive sustainability concept.

Martin Hartmann-Schüler, sustainability manager at N&M: "These certifications mark a significant step for Neumann & Müller. They underline our commitment to sustainable business practices and protecting our staff. But they will also spur us on to constantly intensify and advance our efforts in these fields."

Sustainable procurement that makes efficient use of resources, optimised transport logistics, regional crews and supplies, and less negative impact on the environment – these are just a few of th

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02 August 2024

UK - For one glorious day, on 11 July, the industry came together at the Backup Village Fete to raise much needed funds for supporting those working in the industry when they need it most. This year’s event smashed all expectations, raising a record-breaking £56,300 on the day. Even the weather could not resist a day out, as un-forecast sunshine made a welcome appearance for the duration of the event. “The Parish of Backup has its own micro-climate,” suggests chair of Backup and Mayor of the Parish Fete, Lee Dennison.

The Backup Village Fete is the natural evolution of KartFest into a more inclusive and engaging day out for the industry. Ten years after the first racing helmet was donned, straw hats are now a key item of apparel.

Since the event’s inception, the charity has benefitted from extraordinary donations and the industry has enjoyed

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31 July 2024

UK - An innovative event power solution was deployed by Energy Management Solutions to run the whole site from a large battery for the first time in the UK, reducing carbon emissions at Brighton’s series of On The Beach shows this month.

Sixty thousand people attended the concert series, featuring artists ranging from Bicep, Underworld, The Kooks, Sub-Focus, Carl Cox and The Libertines.

NW Live delivered the site planning and management and production, their project lead Joe Nichols, comments: “Having worked with Gerhard and James at Energy MS to introduce the solar panels for the production village last year, we were delighted to work with them again and be the first large event to run all of our site off a giant battery and be able to extend our carbon reduction protocols.”

Energy MS invested in a 275kVA battery with 500 kWh

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30 July 2024

UK - The countdown is on for the 2024 PLASA Awards for Innovation, with the early bird submission deadline fast approaching. Industry innovators are encouraged to enter their groundbreaking products by Friday, 2 August, to benefit from a 20% discount on the entry fee.

In partnership with LSi, the PLASA Awards celebrate products that exemplify new thinking, enhance technical practice or safety, introduce novel materials or techniques, or offer new commercial advantages within the live entertainment technology sector.

An independent panel of industry experts will evaluate each entry, with up to eight awards available. One of these may be elevated to the prestigious Gold Award, recognising an outstanding new product. All nominated products will be prominently featured in the Innovation Gallery at the heart of the PLASA Show floor and in

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25 July 2024

Europe - Neg Earth Lights has announced their partnership with British Ukrainian Aid (BUA), a UK registered charity. As part of their ongoing commitment to giving back, Neg Earth will be donating a truck through the donation scheme to support the work of this charity.

Since it was permitted from 15 March, British Ukrainian Aid (BUA) is operating the donation scheme with Transport for London (TfL) to donate vehicles to Ukraine through the ULEZ programme, where they would be used for medical and humanitarian purposes.

“Whilst Neg Earth Lights is not eligible for the for the scrappage scheme, they have decided to purely donate a vehicle through the charity,” says the company. “The donated vehicle is a Renault 16T rigid truck, the first of its kind to be contributed through this scheme.

“Our truck’s journey so far has been an adventurou

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23 July 2024

Europe - Showlight 2025 has sparked considerable interest. The papers committee is meeting to discuss the first raft of papers submissions for the central programme, the first sponsors are already signed up and visible on the Showlight website (www.showlight.org/our-sponsors), and 60% of the exhibition spaces have already been sold.

If you want to become part of Showlight 2025 as an exhibitor, don’t delay in contacting us to secure your space.

The exhibition area is the place to meet lighting designers, directors and delegates across all disciplines, in a relaxed and informal atmosphere, at morning, afternoon and lunchtime breaks. These breaks are a key part of Showlight’s networking opportunities and allow much closer contact with entertainment lighting users and specifiers than any of the lar

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19 July 2024

UK - The panel topics and first speakers at Vision: 2025’s Sustainable Events Summit (SES) have been confirmed, returning to the Showman’s Show for its ninth edition, on Wednesday 23 October 2024.

Supported by title sponsor Festival Republic and hosted by The Showman’s Show, the action-focused summit will present the latest research, tools and knowledge, and brings together leading outdoor event organisers, local authorities, suppliers, and sustainability experts, to shape the future of climate action in the industry - this summit will include roundtables on sector strategy for 2030.

The SES 24 morning is an invitation-only industry roundtable session, where green leaders will focus on national policy priorities and sector strategy. A sustainable lunch is being supplied by Eat to The Beat, which will frame later conversations around food impact

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17 July 2024

UK - The Arcadia stage at Glastonbury Festival, presented annually by a collective of creatives, engineers, programmers and technicians, is one of the most recognised festival stages in the world.

This year, in place of its celebrated flame-throwing, laser-packed Spider, engineered from recycled heavy machinery, Arcadia unveiled The Dragonfly. The sculpture, which was built from a retired military helicopter and scrapped excavators, saw artists including Fat Boy Slim and Eric Prydz perform from its dazzling head. This, in turn, featured a pair of glittering compound eyes moulded from a tangram of video screens.

Video Illusions, as one of the Arcadia team’s long-term collaborators, was invited to design and manufacture a bespoke LED panel featuring a near-invisible structural framework and control. The brief further demanded that the screens be low-

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09 July 2024

UK - PLASA and LSi are calling for nominations for this year’s Gottelier Award. Named after the late lighting designer and innovator Tony Gottelier, the revered award recognises the invaluable contributions of the people behind the products.

Launched in 2007, the Gottelier Award aims to recognise product developers who have made a significant and sustained contribution to the advancement of entertainment, presentation, or installation technology over many years.

Last year’s winner was Howard Eaton whose self-named company, Howard Eaton Lighting Ltd, is known for delivering bespoke solutions to countless theatrical productions around the world – from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’s flying car, to the crashing chandelier in the Phantom of the Opera, to the flying Olympic rings at London 2012.

After his win, Eaton said: “It is quite somethin

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09 July 2024

USA - One of the premier roots festivals in the US, DelFest has steadily evolved the technical infrastructure at its Allegany County Fairgrounds site in Cumberland, MD, since the event was originally established 17 years ago.

Supporting the multi-stage event with sound reinforcement from the beginning has been Martin Audio partner Southard Audio. This year they fielded three Wavefront Precision systems - a WPL rig and two WPS hangs.

“We only switched to WPL and other Martin Audio systems at DelFest post-COVID (from 2022) and it really shines for these applications,” notes Southard managing partner, Jason Misterka.

Their three-stage Martin Audio deployment was headed by the large-format WPL line array. The Grandstand system used 24 WPL for main PA (12 a-side) with eight WPL out-fill stage right (to cover the grandstands), four XD15 front-f

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08 July 2024

Thailand - Powersoft has announced its participation in InfoComm Asia 2024. This marks the first time Powersoft will independently exhibit at the event. Show attendees can explore all the latest Powersoft technologies, including the new Maritime Kit for Unica amplifiers, Dolby Atmos Connect patching, the latest updates to its MyUniverso cloud and more, in Bangkok from 17 to 19 July.

First shown at InfoComm Las Vegas, Powersoft will introduce to the Asian market the new Maritime Kit for its all-in-one Unica amplifier platform, designed specifically for use on cruise ships and other marine vessels. Following rigorous testing to ensure compliance with key marine safety standards (IEC 60945 and IACS E10), the Maritime Kit, comprising an external A/C filter kit with ferrite components, offers robust performance and high-quality audio in maritime environments, add

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04 July 2024

UK/USA - Stage Precision, has announced its 2024 schedule of education training days. The sessions, open to users from a variety of industries and taking place in locations in both the UK and USA, cater for both complete newcomers to Stage Precision software, and those who have previously completed a Core Skills workshop in the past.

“Training is important to us,” confirms Kevin Li, technical solutions specialist at Stage Precision. “Not only does it help us to spread the knowledge of software such as SP and grow our user base, but it also creates an opportunity for Stage Precision to develop the skills of our users and strengthen our community.”

SP by Stage Precision is the brand’s most popular product, a ‘Swiss Army knife’ that can be integrated with leading production technology to unify workflows on even the most complex projects. H

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03 July 2024

UK - With over 4,000 registrations, this year’s ABTT Theatre Show at Alexandra Palace was busier than ever. This industry event drew a broad range of attendees at all stages of their careers alongside an ever-increasing list of exhibitors from all areas of the industry, say the organisers.

“Running once again over two days, the ABTT Theatre Show gave the industry an opportunity to meet face-to-face in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. The ABTT would like to thank all those exhibitors who returned, along with the many new exhibitors joining us for the first time. With a 10% increase of exhibitors on the show floor, this year’s event gave attendees over 165 brands with whom to speak, catch up and discuss new projects with.”

New exhibitors for 2024 included 2scale.shop, Acoustic Design & Architecture, Ascender, Cameo, Cell Pack Solutions, C