UK - Britannia Row Productions has provided a full audio package and crew for the Young Voices UK tour, which saw the world’s largest children’s choir visit arenas up and down Britain for multiple, packed-out shows.
The tour featured an unconventional arena setup, with the stage positioned at the back of each room and the Young Voices choir taking the place of the audience.
“It’s a very different kind of show in many ways,” says FOH engineer, Gavin Tempany. “Usually, the stars of an arena show are the band, but this time it’s the children in the choir, who are singing to a crowd of their parents. We have a different set of them each day too, so there are between 6,500 and 10,000 children and teachers coming in and out for their performances each night.”

USA - The 2022 Behind the Scenes Holiday Cards are now on sale at the BTS Boutique. This year’s collection features a mix of seven different designs created especially for the charity by Phil Foster, Jennifer Gillette, Robert Mendoza, Nancy Orr, Todd Potter and Lauren Press.
Cards are available in a variety of options: card packs of 10 with a standard greeting, personalized cards with a company logo and custom message, and electronic cards in multiple file formats and an array of price points starting at $20.
Sending a BTS holiday card helps spread the word about the charity and lets your recipients know you are supporting industry colleagues who are ill or injured as well as the BTS Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Initiative.
Orders for printed cards will be taken until 27 September, 2022 to arrive by late November. Electronic card orders will be taken

UK - A line-up of tech industry leaders and frontline operators in technology sectors will share their expertise at Edinburgh’s Turing Fest this month, set to take place at the EICC in Edinburgh 27-28 July.
Up to 1,000 attendees from around the globe are attending the conference, which brings together some of the leading practitioners in the tech industry with founders and leaders of start-ups and scaleups. As well as a line-up of talks and sessions, delegates will be able to join a Lunch & Learn session and happy hour hosted by leading customer engagement platform Twilio, speed networking, welcome and closing parties and more.
Maria Gutierrez, VP engineering strategy and operations at Twitter said: “You can pack so much into the two days at Turing Fest. The blend of disciplines; the quality of both speakers and delegates; the parties, dinners, and general netw

UK - Polar has announced the further expansion of its team with the appointment of Mark Jennings to the post of business development manager, integrated solutions. With more than 15 years’ experience of the sector, Mark will be primarily focused on helping to deliver solutions for the education market.
Mark Jennings comments: “I’m delighted to be joining Polar and look forward to working with what is a fantastic team. The importance of technology, particularly in further and higher education settings, has become more and more important as educators seek to expand the scope of teaching and learning. I’m keen to share my experience in this area with our customers and help them benefit from the wide range of options in our portfolio.”
“Polar managing director John Midgley adds: “Mark joins us at a time when our Integrated Services team is in great demand ac

USA - Michael Pagan designed and specified a new house lighting rig for Orangewood Church in Maitland, Florida, and used Elation’s energy-efficient Colour Pendant downlight to improve light quality while opening up for a number of new creative options.
The Presbyterian church in Orange County is affiliated with Orangewood Christian School and both church and school share a number of facilities, including a gymnasium, which, on Sundays, doubles as a sanctuary. The space housed an older system of incandescent lights originally designed to light sports and other school activities, a setup that proved increasingly unsatisfactory for the church’s needs.
Pagan, an independent lighting designer, works at the church part time programming lighting for Sunday services and events. He comments, “The coverage from the incandescent lights was really dark and blotchy througho

UK - Following in the footsteps of other industries that have taken steps to raise awareness of the importance of mental health, Backup has created an industry specific mental health first aider logo to help signpost people in need of support on a production, raise awareness and promote discussion around the subject of mental health in our industry.
Backup’s goal is to ensure that in every crew there is at least one trained mental health first aider crew member for every 20 crew members. “We trust that venues, promoters and production companies will engage with this is and it becomes part of crew contracts,” says Backup vice chair, Piers Shepperd. “We hope this logo will become a recognised standard on shows, events and in our industry workplaces, helping to destigmatise mental health issues and make our industry a happier, healthier place to work.”
Backup, i

Germany - Industry forum AVnu Alliance hosted its first European plugfest in recent years at one of its Registered Test Facilities, GRL Laboratories in Karlsruhe, Germany on 16-20 May, 2022. Twelve AVnu member companies with more than 30 participating engineers came together to further develop and test TSN products and devices, along with new devices now able to be certified under the Advanced Milan Certification Programme.
During the plugfest AVnu members continued work on the integration and validation of IEEE 802.1AS time synchronization test development, with the certification programme targeted to open for members this year. This work will lay the framework for time distribution, including media specific support for Ethernet and Wi-Fi.
Plugfest testing also included the introduction of initial Wireless TSN test development over Wi-Fi, as well as the introduction
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South Africa - ApexPro, distributor of professional audio-visual equipment for the sub-Saharan African region, has recently cemented a partnership with UK-based HH Electronics, manufacturer of professional audio from within the Headstock Group, UK.
“We are extremely excited about our partnership with HH Electronics,” says ApexPro director, Justin Acres. “The entertainment, tourism, and live events sectors in Southern Africa are poised for a much-needed comeback following the restrictions on business imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic. As new venues open, and those that survived the lockdowns look to attract new patrons, the demand for high-quality, low-cost, expandable professional audio systems is on the rise. We can’t think of a better manufacturer to fill this gap than UK-based HH Electronics.”
Technical director at ApexPro, Mark Malherbe concurs, stating,

UK - TV, broadcast and event lighting rental specialists, Version 2, supplied the moving lights, control, cabling and power distribution infrastructure for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Party at the Palace, catering for the needs of all four stages and the audience areas, including the Royal Box, which had been built in front of Buckingham Palace.
One of the main highlights of the four days of Jubilee celebrations, the Party at the Palace, took place on the evening and night-time of Saturday 4 June 2022. The two-and-a-half-hour event attracted a global audience of 13.4m viewers, with an array of technology, and programme of classic performances that began with Queen and ended with Diana Ross.
Produced by BBC Studio Events, and with a multi-stage design by Stufish, the set featured four stages: the Pop Stage and Orchestra Stage which flanked the Palace gates; the Pala

USA - Elation Professional’s atmospheric effects brand, Magmatic has welcomed atmospheric FX Specialist Joey Olaerts to the Elation and Magmatic team.
Olaerts will work with Elation’s R&D and sales teams to ensure that current Magmatic products meet customers’ needs, as well as conduct product research, testing, and viability studies to develop and market new atmospheric effects solutions.
Olaerts will also be overseeing Elation sister-company ADJ’s atmospheric product line.
Olaerts is a Halloween enthusiast and fog machine aficionado who founded Fog It Up!, a fog, haze, and snow fluid company, while in college. The company expanded over nearly a decade to include lighting and sound before being acquired by Antari Lighting and Effects. Olaerts comes to Magmatic from Antari where he worked as a sales representative while setting up their fluid produc

Theatre Funding - York Theatre Royal and Northern Stage are among 10 venues to be awarded funding from the Theatres Trust’s small grants programme. Through a partnership with The Linbury Trust, the Theatres Trust is awarding £49,476 to support 10 UK not-for-profit theatres with funding that will allow them to make repairs and improvements, enhance accessibility, and improve sustainability measures and facilities.
Jon Morgan, director of Theatres Trust said: "The wide array of projects funded this round show the many challenges that theatres continue to face. We are pleased to be able to help these theatres with projects that protect future use, remove barriers to participation and attendance, and make them more welcoming spaces."
The funding will allow the York Theatre Royal to buy equipment to capture immersive recordings of live performances and will deliver them

USA - Theatre Projects has announced the addition of two new full-time staff members to their team. Chris Smith joins the firm as the marketing and content manager and Ashley Keen joins their strategic planning team as a senior consultant. Both bring significant expertise in their respective fields, have backgrounds in the performing arts.
Chris joins the company’s New York office to lead marketing and PR efforts. Over the past decade and a half, Chris has worked with a wide array of non-profit organizations in Chicago, Texas, and Oregon. His experience includes content creation, digital communication, writing, brand and marketing strategy, and data analysis. Prior to Theatre Projects, Chris worked with Oregon State University, The Black Sheep Agency, 4th Wall Theatre in Houston, Echelon Design, Chicago Art Department, and the Chicago High School for the Arts.
Ashley

UAE - Unusual Rigging & Engineering won an award for exceptional delivery and contribution to EXPO 2020 Dubai. At a ceremony at Grosvenor House, Dubai Marina, last month, the company was recognised for its contribution to health and safety at the event which took place between 1 October 2021 and 31 March 2022.
Denis Bramhall, managing director at Unusual Rigging & Engineering commented: “We are extremely proud to have won this award. There were over 3,500 subcontractors working on EXPO 2020, so for us to be one of the final 3 in the health and safety category was completely unexpected and to then come first is a huge honour. We really were up against some big companies – some of which employ ten or eleven thousand people, whereas in contrast we are an extremely small team. But good things come in small packages, and our team here at URE, really did pull out all t

France - Naostage has announced the appointment of experienced pro-AV professional Alexis Reymond as its new sales manager.
Reymond has worked as a freelance audio engineer, electro-acoustic consultant, sound designer and music producer for more than 20 years, most recently in a sales engineering capacity with fellow Nantes-based company Arbane Groupe (APG/Active Audio). His other experience includes spells with event specialists Videlio and Magnum, where he worked as a sound engineer for 17 years, and Disneyland Paris, where he served as a freelance AV technician.
In his new role, Reymond – who is tasked with developing Naostage’s commercial strategy and overseeing its development, both domestically and internationally – will initially focus on building relationships with major industry players in the EMEA region and showcasing the benefits of the Naostage pro

USA - Renkus-Heinz has appointed Sebastian Rivas as software development and research engineer. Rivas will work closely with chief technology oficer Ralph Heinz and engineering manager Chad DeFranco.
“I had the opportunity to speak with Harro Heinz about the role and found great value in learning about the history of the company and the innovative processes that have put them as the leader in beam steering loudspeaker technology,” said Rivas. “Renkus-Heinz is a leader in the audio solutions industry and I am fortunate to enter the company at a time to contribute to the sound revolution.”
Prior to joining Renkus-Heinz, Rivas worked as a professor at St. Thomas University, 2D Software Developer at Sensey Electronics in Mexico, and at Danley Sound Labs developing the Direct Sound System modelling software.
“Sebastian’s talent and ambition in the audio

UK - RentalPoint Software has released a fully web browser-based version of their Small Business Edition rental management software package designed for event technology rental and production companies.
This new release, says RentalPoint, is a re-imagining and updating of their Windows based product first released in 1998. It incorporates many of the features expected in software these days including online signatures for equipment deliveries and proposal/contract acceptance, dashboard, electronic pick list for prepping gear as well as scaling down to fit on smart phone screen sizes or scaling up to fit on desktops.
Additionally, the software offers many of the powerful features that the company has developed over the last 30 years such as equipment, crew planning & scheduling tools and optional multi location.
You can find the software at https://rentalpoint

UK - Mash P is getting a hands-on, practical introduction to the world of production thanks to the Audient sponsorship at ICMP. Enrolled on the six-month Music Production & Sound Engineering course, he is building on his talent as a musician. He performed at Glastonbury Festival this year, celebrating the release of his latest music.
“I want to say thank you to ICMP for the environment, the equipment, studios and the space for people like me to learn,” he says. “Also, thank you for the equipment given to me from my Audient sponsorship.” Audient provided him with the EVO Start Recording Bundle, which includes EVO 4 audio interface, the EVO SR1 Condenser Mic and EVO SR2000 Monitoring Headphones.
Mash, whose given name is Nathaniel Sesay, was captured by civil war rebels when he was nine in his native Sierra Leone. After the brutal civil war was over, he spen

Malaysia - Robert Juliat has announced that the Zepp series of venues in Asia has invested in more RJ fixtures with the addition of six RJ Oz 600W LED followspots delivered to the new Zepp Kuala Lumpur.
The Oz fixtures were specified by Yukiteru Hayashi of Sogo Butai, and supplied by Total Solution Marketing Pte, RJ’s partner for Malaysia.
Zepp Kuala Lumpur is a multi-purpose venue with a seating capacity of 2,414 which hosts concerts, comedy shows, musicals, drama and seminars.
The RJ Oz followspots were selected as the best fixture to meet the varied demands of the venue’s requirements and the types of show Zepp KL puts on. “The flexible features of RJ fixtures will be highly appreciated by our followspot operators,” says Arnan Rahman, Senior Manager for Zepp KL. “I cannot wait to see what wonderful stages they will accomplish in different scenes wit

Austria - Droneberger Showtechnik of Klagenfurt am Wörthersee, is the latest company in Austria to invest in Ayrton fixtures, adding more than 40 Ayrton Karif LT and Ayrton Perseo Beam to its lighting inventory.
“With the relocation of the company to our new business premises in Gerberweg 44 in Klagenfurt, we are excited to have expanded our portfolio of Ayrton moving lights for the first time,” says Freidl Droneberger. “The first order is already successfully in use.”
The Ayrton fixtures were initially purchased for the television show, Starnacht and have since been taken into Droneberger’s dry hire stock and project area.
“We were searching for a current fixture which, in addition to a large light output, was able to realise clean, crisp gobo projections. Both these properties are extremely important for our TV projects,” explains Dronebe

UK - At this year’s Glastonbury, ChamSys consoles were widely deployed across the festival’s various stages.
The MagicQ MQ 500M Stadium, which was introduced during the pandemic in 2020, was the house desk at seven stages, including the Park Stage, (supplied by SWG Events), where Ed Warren used it to run Four Tet’s headline show, and the Acoustic Stage (supplied by Fineline Lighting), where Patrick Sollitt relied on its seamless cloning and morphing to make last minute changes for headliners Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott. SWG Events and Fineline Lighting also provided ChamSys consoles for many other Glastonbury stages.
The MagicQ MQ500M was used to support more than just music acts. At the Circus Big Top stage, James Loudon relied on the console to run 14-hours of pre-programmed shows for 30 different acts every day of the festival with to-the-minute precision.

UK - In May 2022, Burning Man Artist, David Best, in conjunction with Artichoke UK created Sanctuary – a public artwork and COVID memorial for the nation, to pay tribute to those lost during the pandemic.
It was also a moment to mark rebirth, recovery, and regeneration. Built by Best and his crew, together with the local community, in the Miners’ Welfare Park in Bedworth, North Warwickshire, individuals from the local community took part in the project, employed to assist with the build and volunteering as Sanctuary guardians and guides once it was open to the public.
Unusual Rigging was contracted to provide production management and rigging services, to survey the site, provide condition reports, plan the build layout and production compound as well as manage the structural build and post event clean up.
Kate Harvey, director of projects at Artichoke UK com

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