Pharos - Leaderboard - May 2024

Events

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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 our project directors, managers and site crews’ delivery of amazing events on behalf of clients.”
Arena’s structures team is already well underway with the build for Europe’s largest temporary triple-decker hospitality structure for the 2022 Cheltenham Festival and next year will also

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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 area and projection surface.
The key challenge was engineering a heavy steel structure that will remain balanced in a cantilevered state on a floating pontoon. This was achieved through judicious structural and marine engineering and a hefty serving of ballast. To allow the disc to revolve, it wa

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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, managing director, Integrated Systems Events comments: “It is very heartening to see that globally, events and exhibitions are returning to strength. We are delighted that we already have 700+ exhibitors confirming their presence at ISE 2022 and we expect more to confirm in the coming days. With a vibr

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World - A not-for-profit body set up to promote safe crowd management practices globally has been launched. The Global Crowd Management Alliance (GCMA) brings together crowd managers, organizations, businesses, academics, and individuals with a shared interest in safety from across the globe.
The initiative is spearheaded by the United Kingdom Crowd Management Association (UKCMA), the Event Safety Alliance (ESA) and Event Safety Alliance Canada (ESAC), with board members from Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK and the USA, and a list of supporters and advocates spanning over 15 countries on five continents.
The alliance will also create and deliver learning opportunities for crowd management practitioners at all experience levels, in all geographic locations, and regardless of financial means.
Eric Stuart, UK Crowd Management Association’

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Spain - Cyclists of all ages and abilities are invited to take part in BikeFest Spain 2022, a three-day fundraising ride from Valencia to the ISE tradeshow in Barcelona.
Taking place from 29-31 January, the route spans 360km along the Mediterranean coast and all proceeds will benefit live events, entertainment and AV professionals who have suffered financially due to the pandemic.
BikeFest has become a tradition in the UK in recent years, with cycling enthusiasts riding from various points in the UK to Olympia London in the build-up to the PLASA Show. Iin 2021, BikeFest, in partnership with #WeMakeEvents, raised funds for industry colleagues impacted by the pandemic and in support of the live events supply chain.
BikeFest 2022 will be in Spain in time for the ISE convention. Two industry charities - Backup in the UK and AAA in Spain - will benefit from the fundr

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France - PlugFest, the technical event for entertainment lighting interoperability, returns to Lille in France from 29-31 March 2022 following a two-year hiatus. Organised by PLASA, the popular event welcomes manufacturers, developers and technicians from across Europe to test their products and learn about the latest protocols.
PlugFest is an opportunity for participants to collectively test and demonstrate device and system interoperability with the aim of improving reliability, resolving compatibility issues and ultimately improving connectivity between all entertainment lighting and related technologies.
The event’s expert hosts, Hamish Dumbreck (JESE Ltd), Peter Willis (Howard Eaton Lighting) and Wayne Howell (Artistic Licence) will host a series of workshops and technical break-out sessions and will also provide individual support and guidance. Attendees will

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The Netherlands - This year’s in-person edition of the broadcast and electronic media industry tradeshow IBC has been cancelled. The event was set to go ahead on 3-6 December at RAI Amsterdam, but a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases in the Netherlands has forced the organisers to change their plans.
The decision was made following visitor and exhibitor feedback and with the view to prevent people from travelling to the country in these uncertain ttimes. Instead of the in-person event, the organisers are set to use IBC’s online platform IBC Digital to bring the community together.
Peter White, CEO of the international trade association for broadcast and media technology (IABM), comments: “IBC exists for the industry only. Unlike other events, it is entirely owned by the industry and, thanks to its success over the years, has contributed a great deal through this struct

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USA - The 2022 New World Rigging Symposium, produced by ESTA and USITT, will take place online 5-7 April 2022 whilst the USITT Conference and Stage Expo will take place in person early March. “We’ve heard from presenters and attendees alike that continuing the NWRS conversation virtually is the best choice,” say the organisers.
“The 2022 virtual symposium will allow the widest range of entertainment technicians 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 three-day symposium will also include breakout rooms where attendees can get in-depth information from sponsors as well as virtual networking opportunities with attendees and presenters. The symposium will carry ETCP education renewal cr

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UK - Bristol-based SLX has been appointed as the official broadcast lighting provider for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. The company will provide more than 2,000 LED fixtures to a wide variety of sports over the course of two weeks, at more than 15 competition, non-competition and training venues.
The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games will see around 4,500 athletes from 72 nations and territories compete from 28 July until 8 August 2022. As the biggest event ever to be held in the West Midlands, it is expected to attract more than one million spectators to the city and have a global TV audience of 1.5 billion.
SLX will provide lighting solutions, ensuring the demanding requirements for both sport and broadcast are met. Project director Russell Payne will be working with lighting designers David Lewis and Nick Collier, both of whom have decades of experienc

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Germany - Prolight + Sound Frankfurt is set to return from 26 to 29 April 2022, with emphasis on sustainability.
With the Green Event Day on 27 April, the fair is offering for the first time a theme day all about the responsible use of natural resources. Companies and associations will present their green initiatives and underline that commitment to sustainability can also pay off economically.
Among the players who have already declared their participation in PL+S 2022 are ADJ, Area Four Industries, Ayrton, B. & C. Speakers, Bosch Rexroth, Bütec, Cast, Chainmaster, Chauvet, Clay Paky, ComputerWorks, dBTechnologies, DTS, Elation, ETC, Eurotruss, FBT Elettronica, GLP, Highlite International, HOF Alutec, InEar, JB-Lighting, Kling & Freitag, König & Meyer, KS Audio, Kvant, L-Acoustics, Lawo, Layher, LEDitgo, Lightpower, Link, MA Lighting, Meyer Sound, Moveca

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UK - PLASA and #WeMakeEvents have launched a survey to investigate how the live events sector is recovering with the easing of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The survey aims to draw a detailed picture of the events, entertainment and installations industries following 18 months of disruption. The results are hoped to provide an insight into the challenges still facing the industry and will be used as an evidence base to better inform lobbying.
The surve contains questions about the supply of components and finished goods, the availability of skilled workers, and the year-on-year changes in terms of revenue and income.
Once all the data is collated and analysed, a full report will be published on both the PLASA and #WeMakeEvents websites.
From freelancers and sole traders to manufacturing companies and venues, all types of industry professionals are invited to ta

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UK - Scotland-based event production and site management specialists, Rogue City Productions has appointed Graham MacIntyre as business development manager.
Graham has consulted on and managed projects across the UK including Edinburgh Hogmanay, Mela Festival and Social Bite’s Sleep in the Park, as well as developing growth with international live production suppliers. Graham is known for his ability to build strong relationships and drive strategic growth.
Director of Rogue City Productions, Shane Grieve states: “We are very excited Graham has joined our growing team. He brings with him vast knowledge and experience of the live event industry across the country. I’m confident his positive attitude and can-do approach will work well with our existing and new clients.”

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Spain - AFIAL 2021 closed one of its busiest editions in Madrid on 7 October, the event’s organisers have reported. Three intense days before, the trade show highlighted, once again, the capacity of unity, strength and resilience of the AV industry.
AFIAL 2021 was attended by PLASA in the framework of the collaboration that it recently has signed with AFIAL after more than one year of joint effort in the #WeMakeEvents movement - a relationship that will be expanded in the near future with new projects and initiatives.
One of the success stories of this edition was the AFIAL Conecta space, where visitors had the opportunity to attend a powerful panel of conferences, in addition to a comprehensive programme of activities complemented by demonstrations of outdoor sound carried out in the Pavilion of Crystal esplanade, which welcomed visitors interested in knowing first-

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UK - “It’s a very welcome sight to see the return of The Showman’s Show this year,” says Shaun Pearce, MD of long-standing exhibitor Pearce Hire. “We couldn’t be happier to see the industry getting back on its feet and for us to all be doing what we love.”
Since the re-emergence of the industry from mid-July onwards, Pearce Hire has seen a very busy summer experiencing quite a boom following the extremely difficult conditions of the previous 18 months. “We were back in the thick of things - providing production services to some of our regular summer projects; some of whom were able to stick to their regular timeline; others who had booked dates later than usual to ensure they could go ahead,” explains Shaun.
“It was a pleasure to see these loyal clients return, whilst alongside this we had also taken on a significant amount of new work to help make

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USA - Italian professional lighting brand DTS will attend LDI for the first time since 2016 when the show returns to Las Vegas in November.
DTS had announced an exclusive partnership with American distribution company Apex technologies in July 2021, marking its official return to the American market. Members of both companies will be attending the event.
DTS will be stationed at booth 2748 and will showcase its latest wash moving head Alchemy 7, designed to meet the everchanging needs of theatre and television. A range of projectors from DTS’s entertainment line will also be at the exhibition like Synergy 7, profile moving head whose output reaches up to 55,000 lumen.
Carmen Savarese, international sales manager at DTS comments, “We’re very glad to be able to attend this year as our company’s return to the United States marks the start of a new chapter

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UK - Surfhire deployed a full-service complex comms package to the boutique Henley Festival held on the Berkshire bank of the River Thames.
After an unprecedented delay due to the pandemic, the Henley Festival of Music and Arts, famed for its strict black tie dress code, finally returned for a 2021event. With performances from Madness, James Blunt, and Sophie Ellis-Bextor, the five-day show had to deliver with perfect ambience.
In order to keep the event running as smoothly as possible – despite some of the site’s particular idiosyncrasies - production manager John Harris brought Surfhire, part of Britannia Row Productions, back once again to provide radios, internet backhaul, and site-wide network services for the festival.
“Surfhire have been involved for 12 years, but the role has expanded and contracted as time has gone on,” explains Surfhire’s Si

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USA - Shure supported the 74th Annual Tony Awards, welcoming the theatre community home after a year without Broadway. Broadcast on CBS and streamed on Paramount+, this year’s Tony Awards, hosted by Audra McDonald and Leslie Odom Jr., achieved cutting-edge audio for the entire ceremony and subsequent Broadway’s Back! event.
The night included performances from the cast of Jagged Little Pill, American Utopia, Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, John Legend and the cast of Ain’t Too Proud, and Lin-Manuel Miranda and the cast of Freestyle Love Supreme. Each act relied on the digital radio offered by Shure’s Axient Digital Wireless System.
“I wouldn't want to do the Tony Awards with any other wireless system than Axient Digital,” said Cameron Stuckey, RF engineer. “The layers of complexi

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UK - The Showman’s Show returns to Newbury Showground on Wednesday 20 and Thursday 21 October this week.
Event director, Jeremy Lance comments: “The Showman’s Show has always been an excellent opportunity to catch up with industry colleagues and share ideas and information as one season draws to a close and attention turns to the following year. Let’s be honest, there has never been a more important time for us to get together.
“Challenges around securing toilets, temporary structures and other event essentials have been well reported this summer. The show is renowned for being the best place to source industry staples, and 2021 definitely won’t disappoint. Whatever you need for your events next year, then a visit to Newbury Showground this week should take a lot of the headache away from the planning process.”
Fellow event director Johnny Lance add

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Europe - Visitor registration for ISE 2022 at the Fira de Barcelona Gran Vía.is now open.
A new development for 2022 is a paperless approach to visitor registration in the form of digital badges issued via the new ISE app.
Mike Blackman, Integrated Systems Events managing director, stated: “As an in-person event, we are uniquely placed to bring all elements of the industry together under one roof. In the build-up to our return to Barcelona, along with our co-owners AVIXA and CEDIA, we have worked hard to ensure that ISE 2022 offers the industry a truly worthwhile experience – showcasing innovation, becoming inspired by some of the brightest in the business, and most importantly, meeting up after so many difficult months apart.”
Spread across five halls at the Fira Gran Vía, the show floor has been organised into five technology zones to provide a much-im

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UK - Event and brand logistics specialist Global Infusion Group has announced a change in its leadership. Bonnie May, previously GIG’s global operations director, takes on the role of CEO and Richard Duff joins the company as managing director as the business emerges from the pandemic.
Whilst continuing to lead the day-to-day operations of GIG and maintaining her hands on approach with clients, in her new role as CEO, Bonnie will shape the group’s strategy and vision. Rich, as managing director will be responsible for its implementation and lead all business functions including sales, finance and human resources.
Richard’s career spans sales, marketing and operational leadership roles within the FMCG, consumer electronics and homeware sectors. Over the last few years his focus has turned to the hospitality sector, and in his most recent role he was CEO of hotel

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UK - The programme details have been announced for the Theatres Trust’s Conference 21: Making Theatre Sustainable.
Scheduled for 4 November at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, the programme features a line-up of speakers including Lisa Burger (National Theatre), Lucy Davies (Royal Court Theatre), Andy Hayles (Charcoalblue), Dave Moutry (HOME/MAST), Melly Still, Alison Tickell (Julie’s Bicycle) and Steve Tompkins (Haworth Tompkins).
Lockdown discussions have led to the creation of the Theatre Green Book, an industry-wide collaboration that builds on existing guidance and draws on input from across the sector to form a shared standard for environmentally responsible theatre.
Conference 21: Making Theatre Sustainable will launch the Buildings volume of the Theatre Green Book and continue the industry-wide dialogue and sharing of

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UK - Specialist architectural lighting and dynamic control solutions provider Studiotech is participating in this year’s Design Crawl Manchester. Created as a collaboration between a group of interior experts, Design Crawl is a showroom-led design event, specially developed to ‘inspire and excite the design community’.
Taking place over three days, between 19 and 21 October, Design Crawl brings together a number of brands, who will welcome guests to their showrooms to see their latest products, host learning sessions and networking events, and run workshops. Design Crawl also features a Basecamp; a central location where several events will take place over the course of the three days.
Studiotech will be primarily showcasing the controls systems it offers through its product portfolio. As well as demonstrating the capabilities of the solutions, Studiotech will

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USA - The Event Safety Alliance has announced the initial agenda for its 2021 Event Safety Summit - a hybrid in-person and virtual three-day event that will take place 1-3 December 2021 on the campus of Rock Lititz in Lititz, Pennsylvania, sponsored by Take1 Insurance and Intact Specialty Insurance.
Registration to attend the 2021 Event Safety Summit, either in-person or virtually, can be found at //eventsafetysummit.com.
“This year’s agenda really does reflect the times we live in and the complex challenges that confront everyone involved in the production and staging of live events,” says Event Safety Alliance president Jim Digby. “From traditional safety concerns to the health and weather threats that have become part of the modern event industry, this year’s agenda is goi

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UK - Based in South Kirby on Production Park, XPLOR is a £9m research, development and innovation centre that aims to support SMEs across the creative industries from music, film and TV to sports, theatre, corporate events and the arts. The scheme secured grant funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
Circlesphere is Tschida’s first exhibition in Europe and is being hosted at Neon Workshops Project Space: 7A and The Art House in Wakefield from 29 September – 28 November.
Fred Tschida, retired Professor at Alfred University, New York, was one of the first generation of artists and professors to explore and teach neon for nearly 40 years, since the 1970’s, and - until now - his artworks have not been exhibited in Europe.
The exhibition was the brainchild of artist Richard Wi
  1. #WeMakeEvents launches supporter scheme
  2. #WeMakeEvents reaches £500,000 fundraising goal
  3. NAB Show 2021 is cancelled
  4. Martin Audio open days return
  5. High spirits as PLASA Show reunites the live sector
  6. A Light Walk supports Lumière and Backup
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