Business

Details

22 April 2025

Word of Mouth - A survey of West End theatregoers has highlighted trends among the ticket-buying public, with word of mouth, celebrity casting and familiar source material among top draws for audiences coming to see shows.

The survey found that word of mouth was the most common reason for booking a show, with some 83.4% of respondents to the Inside the Mind of the London Theatregoer poll stating that hearing rave reviews about a production from their friends and family members inspired them to purchase tickets. But 62.6% also cited the draw of a celebrity or actor, and 68.1% of those surveyed said they were often inspired to snap up theatre seats when they were familiar with a show’s source material.

The research, conducted by live entertainment digital marketing agency Situation UK in partnership with Society of London Theatre, elicited m

Details

17 April 2025

Turkey - LEA Professional has announced a partnership with Turkey-based AV distributor, Republik. The company will partner with LEA to bring its customers LEA’s technology catalogue

The Republik team is composed of industry experts with years of experience in the field. This partnership will allow Turkish customers to access LEA Professional’s Network Connect series of professional amplifiers and companion Dante Connect series featuring Dante and AES67 connectivity. These series allow integrators to utilize cloud-based remote control, monitoring, notifications, and more from any internet-enabled device, allowing them to stay connected anywhere in the world.

"As we continue to build our portfolio of brands, we’re proud to partner with companies with great reputations and technology portfolios,” said Kal Yener, Republik. "The LEA technology cat

Details

16 April 2025

UK - The live events industry is full of passionate, caring people who go above and beyond, and Backup Partners are a shining example of just that. During 2024, Backup welcomed three new companies to its list of partners – L-Acoustics, platinum partner, Chauvet, gold partner and Carallon, silver partners.

The contribution that all Backup Tech partners make is testimony to the spirit of the industry and each company has its own unique reason for joining. The end result is the same: helping continue the work Backup does to support industry family members when they need it most.

The first new partner to be introduced is L-Acoustics, a global leader in professional sound. Founded in 1984, L-Acoustics is driven by a singular vision: to connect people through the best shared sound experiences. This commitment to excellence has made it the preferred choic

Details

16 April 2025

Canada - SFM has announced its appointment as the exclusive Canadian distributor for Bosch Communications Systems. This strategic partnership grants SFM exclusive distribution rights for Electro-Voice, Dynacord, RTS, and Bosch Conference and Bosch Public Address throughout Canada.

The collaboration leverages SFM's extensive distribution network and industry expertise alongside Bosch's renowned engineering excellence, providing Canadian AV professionals, integrators, and resellers with enhanced access to premier solutions.

"This partnership represents an exciting new chapter for SFM and the Canadian professional audio market," said Sami Midani, director of business development at SFM. "By bringing these Bosch audio brands into our portfolio, we're uniquely positioned to deliver comprehensive audio solutions that meet the evolving needs of our customer

Details

16 April 2025

USA - Flock Audio has announced that the company has officially relocated to the United States with the opening of its new headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas.

Previously based in Kelowna, BC, Canada, the move is in response to several years of successful innovation and business growth that has seen the small, family-owned manufacturer become a major player in the world of analogue routing technology. The new headquarters puts Flock Audio at the bustling centre of some of the leading pro audio manufacturers in the United States.

The new 5,000 sq.ft facility includes updated workspaces, improved testing areas, and a full audio production suite, all of which enables Flock Audio to double its production and servicing capacity as well as provide increased space and resources for its growing product R&D division.

The company’s new location als

Details

16 April 2025

China - With the successful conclusion of the Guangzhou Entertainment Technology Show (GETshow) in February, the cooperation between Leading Audiovisual Technology Co and Guangdong Stage Art Society also came to an end.

This four-day event not only showcased the industry's top technology and artistic achievements, but also witnessed the in-depth cooperation and innovative practice between Leading Audiovisual and Guangdong in the field of technology and art integration.

GETshow has attracted professional buyers and industry elites from more than 100 countries and regions around the world. The 2025 exhibition was themed Guangdong Boundary - Breakthrough Space Power, focusing on multiple fields such as stage art, intelligent sound and light technology, and cultural tourism and performing arts, and fully displays the industry's cutting-edge tech

Details

15 April 2025

Europe - UK-based media control specialist Hive has appointed Cast as its official distributor in Germany, expanding its footprint in central Europe. The partnership draws on Cast’s trusted reputation, technical expertise and long-standing presence in the entertainment technology sector.

Based in Hagen, Germany, Cast (cast C.Adolph & RST Distribution GmbH) is a leading distributor of lighting, stage and media technology. The company works closely with lighting designers, technical directors, planners and creatives across theatre, corporate events, studios, architainment, cruise ships, trade fairs and convention centres. Cast supports both fixed installations and touring projects, offering a comprehensive portfolio for system integrators and live event professionals.

Cast will offer Hive’s full product range, built around the award-winning Bee

Details

15 April 2025

Europe - KLSTR, a developer of advanced technology for the entertainment and live events sector, announced at Prolight + Sound 2025 a strategic partnership with Ayrton, an international leader in innovative lighting solutions.

Through this partnership, selected new and upcoming Ayrton lighting fixtures will come standard with integrated KLSTR technology. Customers will benefit from seamless integration, more efficient operation, and significantly enhanced lighting experiences. Additionally, KLSTR offers full retrofit support for existing Ayrton models, allowing older fixtures to benefit from the latest technological advancements.

The agreement was reached at the Lab of Tomorrow innovation hub in Boom, Belgium, underlining both companies’ shared commitment to advancing technology and collaboration within the entertainment industry.

Roel Aper

Details

15 April 2025

Netherlands - M&S Showtechniek is a lively, ambitious and fast-growing full production – lighting, rigging, audio and video – and rental company based in Amersfoort, The Netherlands, run by Pim Muller and Jeroen van der Stap.

They started the company in 2011 while still at high school and formalised the structure as soon as they graduated, deciding to target the delivery of quality events wanting an imaginative approach and quality production values. From the outset, they kept ploughing profits into new and innovative equipment, a policy that soon led them to Robe moving lights.

The first Robes to join the M&S inventory were 24 x LEDBeam 150s in 2017. At this stage, M&S Showtechniek was among the first companies in the Netherlands to invest in these handy and powerful little moving lights, which have been a popular and successful prod

Details

15 April 2025

The Next Act - Streaming services, skills shortages, and the rise of artificial intelligence are causing the UK’s creative industries to lag behind their global competitors, a new report has claimed. To catch up, the report recommends that the sector at large “be prepared for the rapid AI transformation”, stream its content to wider audiences and provide more technical courses for younger students.

Entitled The Next Act: A Vision for the UK’s Creative Future, the report is released by Boston Consulting Group’s (BCG) Centre for Growth. It draws on interviews with sector leaders and a survey of 523 UK creative industry professionals. It finds the UK’s creative industries’ global status to be at an “inflection point”, at risk of being “quickly outpaced” by countries including France and South Korea, despite their high quality.

Details

14 April 2025

Germany - The world of events is changing – it is becoming smarter, more immersive, and greener than ever. Prolight + Sound 2025 demonstrated how the industry is actively shaping this change – with innovative products, interdisciplinary know-how, and practical applications. Over 23,000 trade visitors from 108 countries used the 30th anniversary of the show to gain fresh inspiration for their work and make new contacts.

Technology was brought to life in all areas – from intelligent lighting and sound solutions to automated camera systems and sustainable concepts for energy-efficient events. 491 exhibitors plus numerous well-known brands presented their innovations and solutions for tomorrow.

Prolight + Sound 2025 welcomed visitors from all over the world. For example, from Europe, especially from the Netherlands, France, Italy and Spain; from Ea

Details

14 April 2025

USA - New York-based Group One Limited, the US distributor for a number of the pro audio and lighting industries’ best-known brands, reports that it has added Plus Four Marketing to its independent manufacturer’s representative network. Matt Larson, Group One vice-president, professional audio products, made the announcement at NAB 2025.

Headquartered in Walnut Creek, California, Plus Four Marketing is under the direction of principal Joe Mathews, son of the late James ‘Jimmy’ Mathews who founded the firm more than 40 years ago. Effective immediately, Plus Four has been retained by Group One to facilitate sales and support for the DiGiCo, Fourier Audio, KLANG, MC2, Sound Devices, and XTA lines throughout Northern California, Nevada (outside of Las Vegas), Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Alaska.

“Plus Four is an exceptional second-ge

Details

14 April 2025

UK - Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has offered his support for Production Futures’ forthcoming On Tour event at the city’s AO Arena.

The free-of-charge event which takes place on 28 April is set to attract a wide range of young people from across the North West of England, and promotes employability, transferable skills, diversity, free training, networking, and paid work opportunities to newcomers across the live event and broadcast production industry.

This will be Production Futures’ second visit to the AO Arena following last year’s successful event which was attended by a host of world-leading manufacturers, supply and production companies, venues and distributors.

Andy Burnham, who also visited last year’s event, comments: “Greater Manchester has a proud history of creativity and innovation in live events an

Details

11 April 2025

UK - PLASA Focus Leeds returns to the Royal Armouries from 13-14 May 2025, with its highly anticipated seminar programme now live. Designed to reflect the current needs and future ambitions of the live entertainment technology sector, this year’s programme will explore critical topics across audio, sustainability, emerging professionals, and artificial intelligence.

Across the two-day show, visitors will gain insight from technical pioneers, creative leaders, and forward-thinking organisations. All sessions are free to attend and take place on Level 1 of the Royal Armouries on a first come, first served basis.

Audio innovation in focus 

The 2025 programme brings a strong emphasis on professional audio, with highlights including an exclusive audience with FOH sound engineer Robb Allan, whose work spans from Radiohead to Mas

Details

11 April 2025

UK - ISCVEx 2025, hosted at the historic Coombe Abbey Hotel in Coventry, is a gathering for professionals in the sound, communications and visual engineering industries. Organised annually by the Institute of Sound, Communications and Visual Engineers, the event welcomes both members and non-members to engage in a variety of enriching activities designed to foster professional growth, industry insights and networking opportunities.

Commencing on Tuesday, 25 March 2025, with the ISCVE Members’ Day and AGM, ISCVEx provides a key moment for the Institute to reflect on achievements and outline future goals. After a presentation by Andy Dockerty from Adlib on the future of the live events industries, attendees later joined a vibrant networking dinner, complete with live entertainment, offering a unique environment to build relationships and celebrate together.<

Details

11 April 2025

Europe/India - Sennheiser and Zoapi Innovations, an India-based provider of meeting room solutions, have joined forces to empower wireless collaboration. The partnership combines Zoapi’s meeting solutions with Sennheiser TeamConnect (TC) Bar Solutions to offer users dynamic control and performance in meeting and collaboration spaces.

Sennheiser’s TC Bars are designed to bring premium audio and dynamic video to small and mid-sized spaces. Available in two models – the TeamConnect Bar S (with four microphones and two speakers) and the TeamConnect Bar M (with six microphones and four speakers) – both devices offer plug-and-play USB connectivity and integrate seamlessly with Zoapi’s wireless conferencing solution.

The TC Bars offer flexible and scalable room setups with an onboard Dante port for extension mics and an option to add an external U

Details

11 April 2025

USA/Germany - PK Sound has activated German event technology specialist publitec as its newest certified sales partner. Under the agreement, the Dortmund-based firm will exclusively represent the entire portfolio of PK Sound’s robotic line source solutions and complementary technologies throughout Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

“We were extremely impressed with PK Sound’s demonstration at Integrated Systems Europe this year, and so was everyone else I spoke with about it,” says publitec business development manager Klaus Vennemann. “Not only are these incredible-sounding loudspeakers, but we were particularly excited by the patented Multi-Axis Robotics technology. This degree of soundfield control is unlike anything we’ve ever seen in the industry and will notably improve the audio experience for our customers’ venues and events.”

Details

11 April 2025

USA - R90 Lighting, one of the Pacific Northwest’s largest and most prominent lighting rental houses, recently received a delivery of Paragon LED profile fixtures just in time to deploy them on a private event with Gwen Stefani – one of the first major US shows to utilise Elation’s new flagship lighting fixture. 

“We didn’t have a single hiccup involving these lovely new lights,” said Joe Cole, owner of R90 Lighting, after the event. “Everything was great right out of the box, and the spares stayed in their cases. New products usually have some wrinkles to iron out, but these fixtures were dialled in from the start. We look forward to seeing these in action over the coming months on many shows.”   

The decision to expand R90’s inventory with 48 Paragon M fixtures is part of the company's commitment to offering the latest high-pe

Details

10 April 2025

UK - In a joint venture, Backup Tech, The Back Lounge and UK Live Event Freelancers Forum, are launching a series of three Financial Literacy workshops and resources around being financially informed for freelancers working in the live entertainment industry.

Presented on Zoom and hosted by The Back Lounge’s Suzi Green and Paul Jones from UK Live Event Freelancers Forum, along with invited guest speakers on specific topics, the three, one-hour workshops, each of which will be standalone, will work synergistically to inform those working for themselves as sole traders or small businesses.

The series aims to provide practical advice balanced with an exploration of the culture shift needed to plan effectively for long-term security and will include a Q&A at the end of each session. They will cover topics including paying tax in the most e

Details

10 April 2025

Sweden - Biamp has announced that it has transitioned to a dealer-direct model in Sweden, strengthening its ability to support customers and drive growth in the region.

With this transition, Biamp aims to enhance its sales, support, and product distribution capabilities, ensuring better service for its Swedish partners and customers. This shift allows Biamp to more directly engage with the market, providing more streamlined communication, increased access to Biamp expertise, and a higher level of service across all verticals, including corporate, hospitality, education, large venues, and more.

“Sweden is a key market for Biamp, and we are excited to take this next step in delivering even better service and support,” said Michael Jarl Christensen, general manager, Europe. “By transitioning to a direct-to-market model, we work more closely with o

Details

10 April 2025

Mexico - Gonher Group has become the exclusive distributor for HK Audio products in Mexico with immediate effect. The new distributor has experienced sales professionals for pro audio applications, along with extensive sales networks and an understanding of service within its Audyson and Gonher Pro divisions.

“We are delighted to add HK Audio’s impressive product range to our extensive portfolio,” said Jorge Gonzalez, director general of Gonher. “HK Audio already has a good presence in Mexico and we plan to take the brand to an even higher level. We feel that Gonher is best-placed to help drive uptake of the brand in the Mexican market and we look forward to introducing our clients to the sonic capabilities of this amazing brand.”

“Gonher's pro audio pedigree in Mexico is unequalled,” added Sean Martin, ISM Americas at HK Audio. “HK A

Details

08 April 2025

USA - Harman Professional Solutions has announced a major milestone in the success of the Martin MAC Viper XIP, celebrating the 10,000th fixture manufactured in its first 10 months. To mark the achievement, Martin has produced a one-of-a-kind MAC Viper XIP in the brand’s yellow colour, built as a commemorative piece honouring the milestone and the people behind its design and production.

With shipping that began in June 2024, the MAC Viper XIP quickly became a go-to solution for event production companies supporting music festivals, concert tours, television programmes, as well as installations in performing arts centres and theatres worldwide.

The 10,000th unit represents more than a sales milestone. It’s a testament to the engineering, design, and production excellence that is poised to define the moving head market for the next decade, just as

Details

08 April 2025

UK - Ambersphere Solutions has announced an exclusive distribution partnership with ROXX, the German lighting technology manufacturer.

Effective immediately, Ambersphere Solutions will serve as the sole UK distributor for ROXX products, offering full access to the brand’s innovative range of professional lighting fixtures. This includes their Cluster Series, LED solutions, and advanced IP-rated fixtures designed for both indoor and outdoor applications.

“We are absolutely thrilled to welcome ROXX to the Ambersphere portfolio,” says Lee House, managing director of Ambersphere Solutions. “ROXX products bring a fresh and exciting dimension to our offering – combining exceptional engineering with beautiful design and uncompromising performance. We believe their vision perfectly aligns with our commitment to delivering the best tools and support

Details

08 April 2025

China - Brompton Technology has announced that LED display manufacturer AOTO has joined its Panel Manufacturer Partner Programme as a gold partner.

With a proven track record of delivering premium LED displays tailored to diverse environments, AOTO’s entry into Brompton’s partner programme highlights its commitment to collaborating with global industry leaders to push the boundaries of what LED technology can achieve.

The partnership guarantees that AOTO’s LED solutions are fully optimised for use with Brompton’s Tessera LED video processing platform.

Brompton’s Panel Manufacturer Partnership Programme, launched in 2024, aims to foster long-term, strategic collaborations with LED panel manufacturers around the world. AOTO joins a growing network of trusted partners, including ROE Visual as the founding diamond partner, INFiLED and A