Nexo - Main Banner - June 2024

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Arts Education Funding - Youth dance and music schemes will benefit from an increased £109m in government spending in the coming year, after the Department for Education pledged its support for cultural education programmes. A number of projects - including the National Youth Dance Company and the BFI Film Academy - will be granted a share of £4m in the 2015/16 financial year. It was also revealed an extra £1.1m with be spent on In Harmony programmes - which aim to engage children in deprived areas with orchestral music - as well as National Youth Music organisations such as the National Youth Orchestra and Music for Youth's Schools Prom concerts.

The Music and Dance Scheme, which provides financial assistance to applicants for specialist arts schools, has also had its financial support bumped up by £1m - bringing its total funding to £29m. In addit

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UK - When London's Royal Opera House decided to measure the electricity consumption of the Linbury Studio's stage lighting equipment, they opted for a MeasureMyEnergy system, provided by industry consultancy :entertaining sustainability. The modular nature of the MeasureMyEnergy system proved ideal for monitoring 36 key circuits across two separately located major distribution boards to monitor - plus mains incomers at 630 Amps per phase.

Tim Atkinson, technical director at :entertaining sustainability, said: "After a site visit to establish exactly what needed measuring, we put together a package that allowed the Lighting Systems Team to monitor the electrical consumption of the Linbury Studio in real time over the internet."

A 12- or 24-channel Power Distribution Monitor (PDM) with network access sits alongside each distribution board, with current clamps feeding d

Nexo - Main Banner - June 2024

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UK - Registration for the fifth European RDM and sACN Developers Conference and Plugfest is now open.

The event will run Wednesday 22nd, Thursday 23rd and Friday 24th April 2015, in the UK, at Gatwick Manor, London Road at Lowfield Heath, just south of Gatwick Airport.

The Developers Conference provides a European forum for manufacturers, designers, consultants and prospective users to discuss and learn about the various control protocol standards emanating from the PLASA Technical Standards program, and aims to ensure that the adoption of these new standards achieves desired levels of interoperability and reliability.

Conference sessions will cover the use and implementation of the published RDM, sACN and ACN standards, together with other projects in the current PLASA Technical Standards Program such as "E1.33 : RDMnet".

The "Plugfest" is a hands-on o

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UK - With Colette Carter having recently joined Stage Electrics as sales manager with responsibility for developing growth in hire, Colette has been swift to act by restructuring the customer facing hire team.

Based at the company's headquarters, Colette brings a wealth of experience to the Stage Electrics London and Bristol operations, having worked for more than 20 years within the engineering and distribution industries.

Previously, Colette was branch manager at Buck and Hickman, one of the UK's leading distributors of tools, maintenance and health and safety equipment. Prior to that she had moved up 'through the ranks', holding a number of key management positions.

On joining Stage Electrics she was tasked by Adrian Searle, head of technical & hire operations to re-focus the company's hire sales team.

"My background is predominantly in people management and develo

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UK - The Theatres Trust has welcomed Tim Eyles as its new chair, appointed by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Rt Hon Sajid Javid MP.

Responding to the announcement, Tim Eyles said, "I'm genuinely thrilled to take on this role. It is a great privilege and a real honour. I'm also energised about working with such an excellent group of trustees who serve the Trust with such dedication and creativity. The Theatres Trust fulfils an important national purpose and I will give my best efforts to lead the Trust through the next exciting chapter of its evolution."

Tim Eyles is managing partner UK and international board member of leading international law firm Taylor Wessing, chair of The Jerwood Charitable Foundation, one of the UK's leading arts charities, and a director of the Jerwood Space. Taylor Wessing has strong cultural connections with the arts w

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Half Time News - Katy Perry used a giant tiger, Lenny Kravitz and backing dancers dressed as sharks to wow the crowds with her Super Bowl half-time performance. The singer rattled through a medley of hits during a 12-minute concert that also included a guest appearance from rapper Missy Elliott. It ended with Perry singing Firework as actual pyrotechnics exploded above her. According to The Guardian, the result was a "high-octane show [as] notable for its surreal camp as for its tunes". The New York Times said she "held her own, navigating a handful of her smashes and three wardrobe changes in a performance that resisted bad mood". "Even if you weren't a fan of Perry's music, you had to be impressed with her spectacle," agreed USA Today.

Stage Awards - The Young Vic and Park theatres in London, Southampton's Nuffie

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South Africa - Johannesburg-based DWR Distribution will be hosting Avolites training sessions this month, with a one-day Titan One training session on 24 February, followed by a three-day Basic to Advanced course from 25-27 February. The training will be presented by DWR's Gareth Chambers.

Nick Britz from DWR comments: "Gareth Chambers hosts regular training sessions which are well received by the industry. He has a great knowledge on lighting and control, having formally worked in the rental market. He is also very passionate about sharing this knowledge."

The Titan One DMX USB Dongle allows the user to output one line of DMX with the full functionality of Avolites Titan Software. Users are able to access powerful features such as Pixelmapper, Quicksketch, Media Clip Select, Attribute Control-Blades and ShapeGenerator. Titan One allows unlimited usage providing unin

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UK - Technical events specialists Broadsword Productions, Crossbow Media and TM Audio Visual (TMAV) have rebranded under one name, the Broadsword Production Group. The move makes things even simpler for clients, who can choose from a range of creative, technical and production event services from one organisation, the company says.

The trio of departments has worked in partnership for a number of years to offer a broad mix of creative, production and technical event services. A sharp increase in demand from clients for a more integrated approach combining all three services, was the main catalyst behind the re-brand, which coincides with the 10-year anniversary of Broadsword Productions.

"We were already working together as a tight unit, so it was a logical step to rebrand under one name. And what better time to do it than when we are celebrating our tenth year in busines

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Australia - Stephen Dallimore has joined the Show Technology team as business development manager. He was previously at ETF where over a period of four years, he was responsible for the rebuilding of Entech and the development of his idea of Entech Connect.

"I am excited to have a professional like Stephen join our team, I have the utmost respect for his approach to business and his interpersonal skills are second to none," commented Emmanuel Ziino, managing director of Show Technology. "I feel he will help Show Technology immensely in continuing to provide industry leading sales and service support."

"One of the hardest things in business is getting the right people in the right spots... and in my dealings with Stephen at ETF he has always impressed me with his integrity, enthusiasm and dedication to tasks," remarked Mark McInnes, national sales

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USA - Syncrolite has announced the appointment of Paul Rabinovitz of PMRi LLC as its director of product sales and marketing. In his new position, Rabinovitz is responsible for managing Syncrolite's new product sales and marketing on a worldwide basis. Using a combination of public relations, the web, traditional and social media outlets he will oversee marketing efforts in addition to being the main contact for the sale of new and used products.

"I feel like I am coming home," remarked Rabinovitz. "After spending so many years, first at Xenotech and then at Strong Entertainment lighting working with high-intensity Xenon lighting products I could not be more excited to join Syncrolite and continue that tradition. Clearly, Syncrolite is without a peer in this field and if you will pardon the pun the future looks bright."

"Paul brings with him a wealth o

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South Africa - Lighting designer Francois van der Merwe will present Vectorworks Training during March at DWR Distribution, Johannesburg. There are four different courses to choose from, all of which will include training notes and lunch.

A Basic One Day Training course takes place on 9 March. Subjects include Basic Fundamentals, Layouts, Pallets, Basic Tools, Classts & Layers.

The Intermediate Two Day Training will be hosted on 10-11 March. Topics include Preferences, Workspace, Basic Spotlight, Basic Renderworks and Intermediate Tools. The cost is R1 500.00 incl. VAT.

The Advanced Two Day Training will be held on 12-13 March. Subjects include Working Planes, Advanced Modelling and Advanced Renderworks.

Alternatively, delegates may prefer attending all of the above-mentioned dates for Full Vectorworks Training Week held from 9-13 March.

(Jim Evans)

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USA - Lighting designer Betsy Adams, and her husband, theatre consultant Bob Murphy, are the newest members of the Ghostlight Society, the Behind the Scenes charity's legacy giving program. Betsy and Bob have made provisions to remember Behind the Scenes in their wills, thus ensuring their colleagues and the next generation of entertainment technology professionals will receive assistance if they become ill or injured.

Betsy and Bob commented on their reasons for joining the Ghostlight society: "We really believe in Behind the Scenes and wanted to do what we could to make sure the program thrives long into the future."

All members of the Ghostlight Society receive a beautiful sterling silver pin designed and handcrafted by award-winning, New York jewellery designer Susan Barth. Each pin is individually numbered.

There are several ways you may become a member of the

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UK - Since launching back in September 2014, over 250 rental businesses in the AV, lighting, events and broadcast sectors are now signed up to Current RMS, quickly identifying the benefits of cloud rental management software.

At the end of January 2015, Current RMS officially became a partner of the popular cloud accounting software Xero, offering seamless integration with this easy to use product, streamlining the rental cycle that one step further.

Prior to launching Current RMS, rental experts came onboard to test the system, working with the team to ensure it was entirely ready for launch. The same process took place for the Xero integration. One of the testers, Steve Lucas, owner of Soundbite Productions, has quickly seen the benefits of operating his rental business entirely in the cloud.

"Current is a must have for rental and hire companies, especially for those

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UK - Jonathan Djanogly MP, made a special trip to officially open Le Mark's new super-efficient office & warehousing expansion in Cambridgeshire.

The new extension allows Le Mark's UK & export teams to expand even further, with almost double the original floor space.

The new development also includes a showroom for its global brand-Dirty Rigger Gloves & Accessories and an in-house photography and video studio. The studio will be there to support Le Mark's global distribution network, offering on-demand, customised product demonstration videos and marketing material.

With energy efficiency and green credentials held paramount throughout the design and construction, Le Mark's new development offers 21st Century low-energy innovation.

From state-of-the-art intelligent air-sourced heating to multi-layer insulation, natural light tunnels and LED low-energy lighting, Le Mark's n

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Record Receipts - London's West End has reported its 11th consecutive year of record box office takings, measuring gross sales of more than £623m in 2014. Figures published by the Society of London Theatre also show increased attendance at London's major commercial and subsidised venues during 2014. However, some of the increase is due to the fact that the year was recorded as a 53-week period, rather than the usual 52.According to SOLT, 14.7m people attended the 52 London theatres in full SOLT membership in 2014, a 1.0% increase on 2013. Gross box office revenue was up 7% on 2013, rising from £585.5m to £623.6m. This is a 29% increase on the last 53-week year, which was in 2008, and an 82% increase on the 53-week period before that, in 2004.SOLT claims that the increase in revenue can be attributed to an improved seat capacity achieved across the year, which is

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UK - Greg Wood has been appointed to the Group Executive Board in the position of chief operating officer, further strengthening the senior management team.

Greg, a CIMA qualified accountant, joins the business from the Avesco Group, where he held senior positions including group finance and operations director for Presteigne Broadcast Hire.

"I have worked in finance for many years, predominantly with entrepreneur-led businesses such as Regus, Holiday Autos and lastminute.com, all of which were in particularly high growth or restructuring situations," Greg explains. "More recently, I joined the Avesco Group, which includes Creative Technology, mclcreate and Presteigne Broadcast Hire.

"Stage Electrics has a fantastic history and was a founder-managed business for many years," Greg adds. "It has gone through a successful management buyout and sign

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The Netherlands - Integrated Systems Events, the company that produces the ISE exhibition, has entered into a joint venture agreement with invidis consulting to take a majority share in respect to its Digital Signage Conference, an annual event that takes place in Munich, Germany.

The Digital Signage Conference, run in cooperation with trade association OVAB Europe, is taking place this year on 14-15 September at the Hilton Airport Hotel, Munich. It will feature a mix of presentations and workshops on digital signage and DooH technology and business topics.

Invidis is a research, and communications business specialising in digital signage and Digital-out of-Home (DooH). It launched the Digital Signage Conference in 2007. Invidis has been a regular ISE partner in recent years and has run several successful digital signage programmes and installation tours around the exhibition.

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UK - The challenge of environmental sustainability is prompting creative and collaborative responses. Increasingly, people are coming together through networks and associations to pool knowledge, expertise and resources, and enable a faster transition to low carbon and sustainable ways of living and working.

Inspired by Manchester City Council's A Certain Future strategy, cultural organisations from across the city have been working together under the banner of the Manchester Art Sustainability Team (MAST) since 2011, and have collectively achieved great strides towards the city's target to reduce emissions by 41% by 2020.

Making Creative Places Sustainable, set for 25 March, will discuss and showcase how MAST and other cultural networks from Newcastle, London and Wales, are addressing sustainability in inspirational ways, and contributing to greener, future-proof citie

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UK - If you find yourself in the London area next week, do drop-in to Ambersphere Solutions. Their newly refurbished showroom features all the latest products from Ayrton, Clay Paky, MA Lighting and Robert Juliat. The showroom is open from 16-20 February with snacks and refreshments available throughout.

Highlights include Robert Juliat's latest follow spots, the Merlin and Roxie which are coming straight from ISE in Amsterdam, along with the R range from Ayrton, the latest offerings from Clay Paky in the form of the Mythos, Super Sharpy and Stormys and the full line-up of MA2 Lighting consoles.

The days will be based around a relaxed format, with guests welcome to drop-in anytime between 11am and 5pm on Monday and 11am to 7pm Tuesday through Friday. The technical sales team will be on hand all week to discuss the products and offer help with any specific projects or challenge

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UK - Culture Liverpool has appointed REM (Richmond Event Management), to provide site and production management for all of the city's annual events in 2015.

REM will provide full site and production management for events including Three Queens, Mersey River Festival, On the Waterfront Concerts, Transatlantic, Liverpool International Music Festival, Bonfire Night celebrations and Chinese New Year 2016.

Culture Liverpool delivered a varied programme of events in 2014 with three major events attracting 1.4m attendees and generating £55m into the local economy. Having successfully delivered elements of different Culture Liverpool events over the previous eight years, REM's award winning team has now been entrusted across all of the events, drawing on its deep understanding of the local ethos and the aspirations of Liverpool City Council to combine best value with modern prod

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UK - Britannia Row Productions Training is now offering a new range of courses. From complete beginner, to professional wanting to progress their career, Brit Row is opening up more opportunities than ever to learn about live sound from a company with 40 years experience in the industry. Training is now based at Britannia Row Productions head office in Twickenham. Courses for 2015 include:

A Talk on Live Sound Industry - one day - An overview and insight into what the Live Sound Industry is all about and how it works.

Live Sound Basic two-day PA Course - Learn how to jump onto a small P.A. This two-day course is suitable for anyone who needs or wants to do this and is not entirely sure how to go about it - from the person working with their friend's band, to the teacher who needs to get the PA system out of the cupboard a couple of times a year and make it work for the school

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The Netherlands - After proving the OCA control architecture in the field on global tours and major music festivals, the OCA Alliance is promoting the OCA message to the wider market.

At and around ISE 2015, several of the large number of OCA member companies exhibiting at the show participated in various activities to promote OCA. These included a presentation to members of the press, to carry the OCA vision of a common remote control standard to the AV industry, as well as presentations to AV consultants and system integrators. Meetings with numerous manufacturers also helped move forward the process of making the OCA vision reality.

OCA Alliance member companies Yamaha Commercal Audio, TC Group and Salzbrenner Stagetec, joined d&b audiotechnik in presenting the current status and future vision of Open Control Architecture, as these relate to the AV Installation and Systems

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WhatsOn Winners - Miss Saigon has dominated this year's WhatsOnStage awards, winning nine trophies including best West End show. The record haul follows the musical's return to the West End last year, 25 years after it premiered in London. Former Doctor Who co-stars David Tennant and Billie Piper won best actor and best actress in a play. Tennant for Richard II and Piper for Great Britain. The awards, focusing predominantly on London theatre, are voted for entirely by members of the public.

The new production of Miss Saigon won nine of its 12 nominations, including best actor and actress in a musical, best direction, best choreography and best musical revival. The musical, set during the Vietnam War and based on the opera Madame Butterfly, opened in London at the Prince Edward Theatre last May.

Lee Hall's adaptation of the 1998 film

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USA - PRG has announced the passing of Board Member and award-winning theatrical producer, Joseph P. Harris. As a producer and general manager, Mr. Harris had been associated with over 200 Broadway productions. He died peacefully at home in Greenwich, CT on Wednesday 11 February at the age of 87.

Mr. Harris was born in Manhattan on July 2, 1927 and moved to Queens during his childhood. He graduated from Forest Hills High School and was drafted into the Army. After returning home from serving as part of the occupation forces under General MacArthur in Japan, he started his theatrical career as the assistant general manager on Finian's Rainbow, in 1948, working alongside his father, the general manager, Charles Harris.

During his 54-year Broadway career, Mr. Harris crossed paths with many artists, including the legendary Bob Fosse, producing Fosse's Chicago and the

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  3. Northern Stage Services acquires Lancelyn businesses
  4. The Week in Lighting & Sound
  5. MJ supplies Product of the Year 2015
  6. NL Productions completes management buyout
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