USA - Organisers of the New World Rigging Symposium has announced the 2022 edition of the event will take place online on 5-7 April. The symposium will carry nine ETCP education renewal credits for re-certification, and the admission cost is $99.
“We’ve turned the table on the ever-popular session featuring some of the industry’s top structural engineers - Bill Gorlin, Dan Louis, Miriam Paschetto, and Jeff Reder,” say the organisers. “Instead of getting to ask your questions, they are going to tell you the things they want you to know. There was so much we’ve given th

UK - SLX has launched a new website and logo as it undergoes a complete rebrand. This follows a successful 2021, in which the Bristol-based hire and events company doubled its workforce and added more than 2,000 lighting fixtures to its stock. The rebrand is intended to reinforce the business’ brand identity and outline its core values.
The new website emphasises SLX’ all-in-one approach to event production and its ability to handle all aspects of design, equipment hire and delivery. The site also c

Spain - Cycling enthusiasts have raised more than €6,000 for entertainment technology industry charities after riding along a 400km stretch of the Spanish coast for BikeFest Spain 2022.
Cycling from Valencia to Barcelona in just three days, a team of 10 industry professionals overcame challenging mountain terrain en route to the final destination - Fira de Barcelona, where the now-postponed ISE 2022 tradeshow was set to take place earlier this month.
For the riders, the arrival was bittersweet - although a small group of industry colleagues had gathered to celebrate the t

Europe - Shure has partnered with Crestron to support the upcoming Crestron Next Road Trip Europe, a tour with a mobile experience centre that will visit 38 stops in 19 countries. The truck will provide every attendee with a safe environment in which they will be able to get hands-on, one-on-one demos of the most recent audio technology from Shure and Crestron.
The mobile experience will cover Shure and Crestron’s collaborative conferencing technology as well as the whole Crestron ecosystem of solutions for hybrid workplaces, classrooms, government organisations and more.

UK - Following a two-year hiatus, PLASA Focus Leeds will return to the Royal Armouries from 10-11 May, with free registration now open.
Across the two days, visitors will be able to see products in action and gain insights from industry leaders. And with two years of catching up to do, the 2022 edition of the show will serve as a vital crossroad for the live events, entertainment and installation industries.
Spanning two halls, the showfloor is home

China - Clear-Com will be attending Prolight + Sound Guangzhou (PLSG) this year, from 22-25 February. Clear-Com will show its latest innovations - Arcadia Central Station and FreeSpeak Edge Base Station - as well its market-proven solutions.
“We are especially excited to attend this show as live events have begun to come back online,” comments Jeffrey Wu, Clear-Com’s regional sales manager and chief representative for China. “Clear-Com products have been critical to the live market for over 50 years, but we are still developing new and innovative products that we know wil

UK - HireHop Equipment Rental Software has released its route planner plug-in, which allows users to plan vehicle schedules and optimise routes for deliveries, collections and services call-outs.
Via the plug-in, routes, destinations and depots are visually displayed on a map, with the ability to easily allocate single or multiple jobs to vehicles. You can also include additional hired in or temporary vehicles into your fleet on a daily basis when needed, with an unlimited number of deliveries, collections and services per job. Journeys can also be assigned to purchase orders, ena

World - Over 1,200 people representing more than 60 countries around the world have already registered for ETC’s 2022 CUE conference. The 24-hour event is slotted for 17 February and starts in Asia at 11:00am HKT with a keynote address from ETC’s vice-president of marketing David Lincecum. This is followed by the European sessions, which will take place from 10:00am to 5:00pm GMT.
ETC staff and other industry experts follow with a series of sessions

France - Organisers of Showlight have announced that plans are underway to reinstate Showlight 2023 which, after a two-year postponement due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is now scheduled to take place between 20-23 May 2023. The venue for this much-loved lighting quadrennial will be the Théâtre Municipal in Fontainebleau, near Paris, France, the original destination for the postponed 2021 event.
“The Showlight committee is now planning for the next live Showlight in May 2023 and we hope this time nothing will de-rail it!” says Showlight chairman, John Allen. “We are delighted

UK - PLASA and #WeMakeEvents have published a detailed global survey report on the current position and future recovery of the live events industry.
The survey ran from 1 November to 21 December 2021 and was completed by 1,948 respondents in over 40 countries in five different languages. “The data provides strong and clear evidence of the challenges currently facing the sector, with the vast majority currently reporting delays, shortages and cost increases,” say the organisations.
The outlook is mixed, with the majority of respondents lacking confidence in industry reco

UK - Production services company Full Production has appointed a new director of live events and touring. Marc Thornton steps into the role after several years as lighting director and programmer for artists including Foals, Charli XCX and Goldfrapp. He will be overseeing the live events and music arm of the business.
Marc is a BRIT school graduate who began working alongside Full Production MD Steve Richardson early on in his career, whilst they were both working at White Light. Marc worked with Full Production as part of a successful freelance career for the past eight years, b

USA - The 2022 New World Rigging Symposium, taking place virtually on 5-7 April, will bring together professional riggers, engineers, manufacturers, venue managers, educators and students to further their rigging knowledge, hear about challenging projects, get up to speed on new technologies, discuss current industry challenges, and get their questions answered.
The session line-up features an array of subject matter experts sharing their knowledge on: Rope 201, Load Monitoring Systems: Know Your Limits, Rope Access in Entertainment: Training and Usage, Performer Flying Case Study

UK - Outdoor Digital Productions (ODP), a collaborative enterprise between ADI, JA Productions and Outdoor Places Unusual Spaces (OPUS), has been chosen to deliver the official Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Festival Live Sites.
ODP aims to transform multiple city locations from large capacity venues, such as Smithfield, to civic and community green spaces, into accessible hubs for cultural placemaking and collective celebration during the 2022 Commonwealth Games. The Live Sites will include showpiece creative staging, participatory activations and live arts performances with

Europe - After consultation with the ISE exhibitor and visitor community and in the light of the increasing impact of the Omicron variant in Spain, Integrated Systems Events has announced that ISE 2022, scheduled for 1-4 February, has been postponed and will now take place on 10-13 May 2022 at the Fira de Barcelona Gran Vía.
Mike Blackman, managing director of Integrated Systems Events, says: “We’ve been closely monitoring the conditions in Europe and have been working hard on your behalf to balance health and safety concerns with the need for commerce and in-person interacti

UK - The Back Lounge founder and Tour Production Group (TPG) facilitator, tour manager Suzi Green, is spearheading a new series of free workshops for the live music industry.
Following the strong response to the Resilience Workshops in summer 2021, Green is combining the core principle areas of the TPG - sustainability, mental health and diversity - for a three-part, community-focused series.
Green, whose clients include Placebo, PJ Harvey and Katie Melua, is passionate about both personal and wider industry wellbeing, having founded mental welfare digital support group Th

UK - With government advice putting the decision-making onto the shoulders of the public and consumer confidence eroding as a consequence, the live events sector is stressed to the limit, says industry organisation #WeMakeEvents (WME).
Despite a devastating 2020 and a challenging 2021, businesses in the industry have worked hard to exceed revenues last recorded in November 2019 by the same month in 2021. But, says WME, the current climate has already eroded this by 80% during December 2021 and is forecast to continue through January.
From the UK’s first lockdown in Spring

Spain - ISE has announced details of its 2022 programme of conferences, education offerings from AVIXA and CEDIA, and show floor stages and networking lounges.
Seven conferences will target key vertical markets served by the pro AV industry. Topics that will be covered include creating safe, sustainable, smart buildings; re-shaping the workplace; the new agenda in digital signage and exploring the strategies, learning models and trends that are driving the deployment of digital learning technologies in universities, schools, corporate bodies and training facilities.
Presente

UK - #WeMakeEvents is calling on central government and local authorities to urgently provide sector-specific support for the UK live events industry in light of the omicron variant.
Since the UK’s emergence from lockdown in July, the events sector has made great progress, says the campaign. “Whilst it was not plain sailing nor 100% recovered, theatres, gigs and events proved their resilience, and many were looking forward to the boost of the traditionally strong December trading when most generate around a third of annual revenues.”
#WeMakeEvents states: “We are see

USA - Registration is now open for the 2022 New World Rigging Symposium, which will take place online on 5-7 April 2022. Produced by ESTA and USITT, the NWRS brings together professional riggers, engineers, manufacturers, venue managers, educators and students to further their rigging knowledge, hear about challenging projects, get up to speed on new technologies, discuss current industry challenges, and get their questions answered by a host of subject matter experts.
The NWRS also offers valuable information to those working in other areas of the industry who want to further the

Europe - Creating a sonic environment that can have a positive influence on customer spend and repeat business will be the subject of a free webinar organised by Yamaha this week.
Taking place on Tuesday, 14 December at 2pm GMT (1pm CET), the session will look at how to set up effective audio systems for commercial and public spaces using the company's Commercial Installation Solutions (CIS) range. Scott Coltham, UK application specialist and Reece Stead, business development manager, will present the hour-long Zoom webinar which delivers a high-level overview of the CIS range,

Gremany - Prolight + Sound 2022 will offer ‘a new, interactive experience zone for companies and visitors from the fields of audio production, DJing and digital live performance’.
From 26-29 April 2022, the Performance + Production Hub will feature product presentations, demos, live performances and workshops with artists and experts from well-known brands. There will also be live visual showcases. The area is being created in cooperation with the makers of the Sample Music Festival.
“With extensive new offerings, we are strengthening the audio section as a mainstay of

UK - Ross Robertson has joined Arena UK MEA as managing director of the structures division, based in Arena’s St Ives headquarters.
Arena chief operating officer EMEA Tom Evans comments: “Arena Group is taking on a new look as we bounce back from the pandemic, and I am sure that Ross is the right person to steer the structures division, bringing great experience to achieve ambitious expansion beyond our core events sector.
“Arena’s structures division is gearing up for an incredibly busy 2022 across a wide range of events, and we are investing in our team to support

UAE - Stage One Creative Services delivered stage engineering for the hero centrepiece at UAE’s 50th National Day celebrations. The show, which took place on 2 December, marked the country’s Golden Jubilee as the largest celebration to date.
The floating theatrical experience, designed by award winning artist, Es Devlin, is situated on Hatta Dam in the Hajar Mountains. Stage One engineered, fabricated, installed and operated the hero rotating stage which hosted the cast. The floating disc-shaped sculpture, which is 19m tall at its highest point, doubled up as a performance are

Europe - Exhibitors are signing up in significant numbers to take part in ISE 2022 in Barcelona in February. Over 700 exhibitors have already committed, including Barco, Crestron, KNX, Kramer, LG, Panasonic, Samsung, and Sony. The show floor has been redesigned and will also feature new Discovery Zone, highlighting 40 new companies exhibiting for the first time.
Taking place at the Fira de Barcelona Gran Via, the large, modern facility features wide aisles, an easy-to-navigate layout and industry-leading brands showcasing technology innovations and more.
Mike Blackman, manag

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