UK - On Friday, 29 March 2019, HRH, The Princess Royal, was the honoured VIP visitor to Le Mark Group, there to open its new high-tech international warehouse facility. HRH, accompanied by HM Lord-Lieutenant, Mrs Julie Spence OBE QPM, was greeted by senior Le Mark staff members and noted dignitaries from the Cambridgeshire County Council, Huntingdonshire District Council, Cambridgeshire Constabulary and the High Sheriff’s Association. After touring the sales office, HRH was provided with a manufacturing demonstration of the multi-award winning BlackTak light masking foil. HRH heard of the work undertaken by the company and which countries it sells to. Linda Gibbons, joint managing director, said: “We have an amazing performance flooring department and one particular project I was proud to present to HRH was our printing and fitting of the world’s largest pr
UK - Tourflex Cabling has invested in new state of the art machinery to provide customers with a service that offers even more customisation options for their cabling and connectors, including overmoulding, engraving and different colours. Cabling and connectors can be overmoulded and sealed in a thermoset material, making them highly resistant to fluids – suitable for outdoor use. The overmould makes products more robust to withstand shock, vibration, and continual flexing without damage to the termination point. Customers can also opt to have their company logos moulded onto their connector to clearly identify it as their property. Tourflex Cabling now has the capability to provide customer personalisation by laser engraving, allowing the customer’s logo or other information to be etched onto the side of a range of connectors. Engraving provides a perma
Toronto Inquest - The stage collapse that killed a Radiohead drum technician caused lasting "immeasurable pain and grief" for the band, a Canadian coroner's inquest has heard. Radiohead drummer Philip Selway told the inquest that the 2012 incident still haunts the band. Scott Johnson died at Toronto's Downsview Park when the stage collapsed an hour before the gates opened. An Ontario coroner is conducting an inquest into the deadly incident. In testimony in Toronto, Selway described the "anger and frustration" felt by the UK band, its crew members and Johnson's parents in the wake of the incident. He said they have been left with a sense of a "complete failure of the justice system" in the case. "The system has failed Scott, his family and other industry workers," he said. Radiohead was set to perform a sold-out show in Toronto when the stage's metal scaffold roofing -
Killer Cure - The Killers and The Cure will top the bill at the 2019 Glastonbury Festival this June, it has been confirmed. They're among more than 60 acts joining this year's line-up, including Janet Jackson and Lauryn Hill. Stormzy had already been revealed as the Friday night headliner; while Kylie Minogue will play the legend slot on Sunday afternoon. The Cure's headline performance is their first since 1995 and their fourth overall, meaning they tie with Coldplay as the festival's most-frequent headliners. The Killers previously topped the bill in 2007; while Kylie was booked for the top slot in 2005, before breast cancer forced her to pull out. The Prodigy had been booked to play prior to frontman Keith Flint's untimely death. Survival Fund - An independent London music venue that has hosted acts including Arctic Monkeys, The Chemical Brothers, Adele and F
UK - Leading international theatre consultancy Theatreplan has strengthened its team with three appointments. Architect and theatre planner, Anniek Wasser, broadcast and AV consultant, Joel Hauxwell, and architect and BIM expert Carlos González Martín, all joined the team within the last few months. Anniek Wasser is an experienced architect and theatre planner and arrives at Theatreplan after ten years at AEDAS Arts Team (formerly RHWL Arts Team). She has a broad range of experience working on performance spaces including, the Victoria Palace Theatre; Watford Colosseum; Queens Theatre, London and the Music Hall at Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Joel Hauxwell has a comprehensive background in broadcasting studios and systems installations. Whilst working as installation design manager for audio visual contractor, Hawthorn, Hauxwell worked alongside Theatreplan o
UK - Backup’s first event of 2019, the inaugural Bike-Fest takes place 18 May, a day of two-wheeled action and fun for all levels of rider to raise funds for the industry charity. For the more hardened cyclists, including the lycra-loving ‘Mamil’ (Middle aged man in lycra), there is a glorious 100km ride through the Sussex and Surrey countryside, which will take in much of the famed Olympic and Prudential RideLondon-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. For the less lycra inclined, there is also a 50km route, again taking in much of the lovely Surrey countrysi
Rising Prices - Members of the House of Lords have expressed concern over the rising cost of West End theatre tickets and called on the government to investigate. Peers debated the issue in the House of Lords after the latest ticketing survey found the cost of top-price seats increased by nearly a fifth between 2017 and 2018. Liberal democrat peer Patrick Boyle, who tabled the debate, asked the government to address the cost of theatre tickets in London and the effect this has on theatregoers. “The main beneficiaries of these higher prices are not so much the producers of the plays and musicals, but rather those who control access to theatres: the theatre owners, the ticket sellers and the discredited secondary ticket market. “London theatres are already becoming too expensive for many regular theatregoers and I hope the government will take this issue very serious
USA - The work of rock‘n’roll photographer and author Neal Preston is coming to the USITT show, taking place on 21-23 March at the Kentucky International Convention Centre in Louisville, KY courtesy of The Lightpower Collection. Preston’s pictures will be displayed in the Behind the Scenes stand #1253 and his books Exhilarated & Exhausted and In the Eye of the Hurricane will be available for sale. Posters, including his famous images of Freddie Mercury and Robert Plant, will also be available for just $10 each. Sales of books, posters and prints will benefit the Behind the Scenes charity. The photographer will be present in the Behind the Scenes booth to sign books and posters on Thursday and Friday from 12-1pm and 4-5pm. Preseton’s client list is a virtual who’s-who of rock royalty and his archive is regarded as one of the music indus
UK - BECTU, the media and entertainment union, has launched a comprehensive set of standards for the live events industry to fight for better working conditions for its members in the sector. The campaign comes as more than three quarters (76%) of BECTU members in the live events sector felt pay in the sector needed to be improved by setting minimum rates. A further two thirds (69%) of respondents named long hours as their biggest concern in their roles, followed by almost half (46%) reporting lack of crew welfare facilities and one in three (30%) expressing concern over health and safety. Workers - often freelancers - who undertake contracts at entertainment events, festivals and conferences as lighting technicians, sound engineers and live events crew have reported widespread mistreatment including long hours, no breaks, bullying and harassment, says the union.
Catastrophic - Equity, the UK trade union for creative practitioners, has written an open letter to MPs urging them to prevent a no-deal Brexit, warning that leaving the EU with no agreement would be “catastrophic” for the entertainment industry. It states that no deal is “simply unconscionable” and “must be prevented at all costs”. The letter is signed by Christine Payne, general secretary of Equity, and is jointly written by other unions. It reads: “The political chaos of the last few years has led us to the brink of a no-deal Brexit that would have a catastrophic impact on our economy and society. The information we hear from our members in industries affected by Brexit makes it clear that no deal is simply unconscionable and must be prevented at all costs.” Harnessing Technology - Music teaching could be left behind in an outdated acoustic ag
UK - Power Logistics has vowed to provide power monitoring equipment and post-show energy breakdown reports to all of its 2019 projects as part of a sustainability initiative. The monitoring will provide clients with realtime data on energy consumption and help drive power and fuel efficiencies, acting to minimise carbon footprint at live events. Monitoring will be ‘live’ during events, with adjustments made where necessary. Once the event comes to an end, the data collected will be used to produce a report that will provide event organisers with a breakdown of the energy usage. Mike Whitehouse, Power Logistics’ managing director explains: “Offering an effective power monitoring solution to clients has been a key objective for the last few years. Having realtime information on energy usage across all areas of an event site is a powerful tool for event or
UK - On 27 February, The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama was visited by its Royal Patron, HRH Princess Alexandra. The visit marked the official opening of the School’s new North Block building and provided the Princess with an opportunity to meet staff and students and observe a variety of student work. Princess Alexandra was greeted by Central’s president and alumnus Michael Grandage, together with the chair of its governing body, John Willis, and its principal, Professor Gavin Henderson. She was then escorted on a tour of the new facilities where she observed classes from the School’s drama, applied theatre and education and movement: directing and teaching courses. The Princess and guests at the opening event were entertained by performances from the acting musical theatre course’s production of The Life, MA Music Theatre course’s producti
USA - The Entertainment Services and Technology Association (ESTA) Technical Standards Programme (TSP) has launched a control protocols satisfaction survey project to gather public input from end users about their usage of control protocols in the entertainment industry. The survey may be accessed at estalink.us/survey. This survey was commissioned by the TSP’s Control Protocols Working Group (CPWG) and seeks to understand how well lighting control protocols are serving end-users. The CPWG is the working group that develops control technologies you use every day, like DMX512, RDM, and sACN, although the survey includes questions on other industry protocols as well. Survey questions determining what features are currently being used and what challenges have been encountered comprise much
Immersive Theatre - Further details have been revealed for a multi-million pound immersive theatre venue in London’s West End, which will be spread across seven buildings and 200 different rooms. Located in a former club and office block on Oxford Street, Space 18 will open on 13 April with immersive survival experience Variant 31. The producers behind it - Dalton Dale, producing artistic director of Big Dreamer Productions, and Stephen McGill for McGill Productions - have revealed more plans for the venue. According to Dale, Space 18 will include five bars and a nightclub and has a maximum capacity of 1,500 audience members. The project, which costs £2.5m, will become London’s first purpose-built immersive theatre complex. Last year, plans for another purpose-built immersive theatre, in Elephant and Castle, fell through, meaning when Space 18 opens in Ap
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 - In anticipation of a busy 2019 order book, Triple E has recently completed a move into larger premises, which has also included a complete restructure of the warehouse to improve efficiencies and production work flow. Triple E had outgrown its previous warehouse, having been there for the past 16 years, and the company has now settled into a larger facility which has doubled the square footage of their office, factory and workshop. The expansion has also provided for improved training facilities for distributors, installers and specifiers who visit Triple E, as well as dedicated meeting room spaces and improved office facilities. The increased footprint has enabled a more streamlined factory and warehouse layout with additional yard and storage facilities and a larger demonstration area for clients to see the products first hand in the factory setting. The
Creative Support - Projects funded by Creative Europe will continue to receive support from the government if the UK leaves the EU without a deal next month, thanks to new legislation. It is intended to put contingency arrangements in place in case no deal is struck before 29 March and the EU decides to cease funding Creative Europe projects involving a UK organisation. Creative Europe currently funds schemes across the creative industries through two programmes – culture and media – providing a total of €1.46bn to cultural projects. On exit day, it is estimated that Creative Europe will have between 160 and 200 projects involving a UK organisation. According to the government, about €18.9m has been awarded to British organisations through these projects, with approximately €8.9m left to be paid. However, this figure is dependent on the EU allowing all curren
UK - Television lighting rental specialists Version 2 has appointed Laura Byrne to its account management team. She brings considerable experience from the film, TV drama, commercial and music video genres to the company. Starting her career with rental giants Panalux, Laura was part of the rental desk team at the company’s’ busy Waxlow Road operation. A move to global lighting company Cinelease subsequently followed. Most recently, Byrne worked with equipment supplier LCA. As account manager at Version 2, Byrne will be liaising with DoPs, LDs, gaffers and production managers to offer support and advise on all aspects of the production process. Managing director Nick Edwards comments: "I’m excited to be welcoming Laura to our management team, I see many similarities between our career paths, her enthusiasm for the industry is clear. Laura has not only a p
UK - inspHire has announced the appointment of Martin Bestwick as sales director. Martin’s promotion from general manager coincides with the rental software providers recent acquisition by Kerridge Commercial Systems (KCS) and is geared towards inspHire further strengthening its position in the UK and globally. When asked about his appointment, Martin says, “I’m incredibly excited and very much looking forward to the challenge. I’ve worked in the rental industry and have helped deliver value for inspHire’s customers for some time now. Whether that be through implementing solutions which introduce operational efficiencies, or helping prospects and customers discover the true value in any potential investment.” Graham Dobbs, inspHire managing director adds, “Understanding the wants and needs of rental businesses, being empathetic to the challenges they face
UK - Sparq, part of Saville Group, the technical event production specialist which underwent a brand transformation six months ago, is strengthening its senior leadership team with the appointment of John Moore as head of national operations. Moore has been brought on board to spearhead Sparq’s ambitious growth strategy and oversee the operational direction of the brand, as it continues to develop its 360 technical event production offering. Moore’s remit will focus on improving efficiency across the division, developing and implementing strategic change, together with growing the specialisms and expertise within the national operations team. Colin Nixey, managing director of Sparq, comments, “Following our rebrand in September, the last six months have been really momentous for us as a company. Our brand transformation formed part of a wider strategy to ensure w
Merging Venues - Venue operators AEG Facilities and SMG - which runs arenas in Manchester, Leeds and Newcastle - have announced a merger, creating a new company: ASM Global. The company will be based in Los Angeles and will operate more than 310 venues across five continents. SMG Europe, a subsidiary of SMG, currently operates venues such as the Manchester Arena, the First Direct Arena in Leeds, and Utilita Arena in Newcastle. AEG Facilities is the venue management arm of AEG and will own 50% of the company, with the other half owned by Onex, the parent company of SMG. SMG chief executive Wes Westley described the move as a “major step for our industry”. He adds: “We are excited to bring together these complementary businesses to further elevate the standard of excellence in venue management. We plan to accelerate innovation by combining our expertise to deliver
Record Takings - West End theatres enjoyed record box office takings of £766m in 2018, up 8.6% compared with the previous year. This was driven by ticket sales for musicals such as Hamilton, with revenue from the genre increasing by 15.4% in 2017 to £504m. The average ticket price paid for musicals was £53.27. A recent survey by The Stage revealed that the average top-price ticket for a musical in 2018 cost £153.54. As well as having the highest box office revenue since records began, West End theatres also had record audience attendances of 15.5m, up 3%. However, while audiences for musicals were up, attendance for West End plays dropped by 6.5%. Commenting on the figures, SOLT president Kenny Wax says: “London’s world-leading theatre industry is attracting larger audiences than ever after another record year. Increasingly, people seem to want t
Europe - MDG reports that Nicolas Duhamel has returned to the company full-time to become its marketing and European business development director. Duhamel, who worked MDG’s marketing manager part-time, will now be responsible for the company’s marketing activities globally and be the central point of call for European distributors whilst seeking out new opportunities to develop the brand across Europe. Duhamel had previously spent two years at MDG, overseeing the overhaul of its marketing resources including the creation of a new website. After returning to his native France in 2016 to take up a position in event management, he has now returned to MDG full-time. "Nicolas never left us completely as he continued to look after our marketing part-time, so we are delighted to welcome him back to the MDG family full time,” says MDG president & CEO, Martin Michaud
Europe - Typhoon is ER’s newest product, a CO2-free confetti blower designed to reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emitted in the industry. Typhoon is not only a ‘greener’ product but is compact, stackable, easy to control, adjustable and versatile, says the company. Typhoon’s adaptable design allows it to not only be rigged on top of truss but also flown, allowing for huge confetti hits at large-scale events. Typhoon works via a set of powerful but silent fans, which push confetti out through a specially-designed tunnel, and a controllable-hopper evenly distributes it. David Holmes, ER’s technical manager who designed Typhoon, comments: “I love the finished product. The brief from ER’s co-founder and director, Ryan Hagan, was to build a confetti blower that would be able to run on electricity, without using the harmful greenhouse gas, and we hav
