Events

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09 October 2024

USA - Renkus-Heinz is set to return to one of the largest events in the worship market, Church Facilities Expo (CFX). Taking place at the Chattanooga Convention Center in Tennessee from 21-23 October, the show will spotlight technology innovations, including Renkus-Heinz’s OmniBeam software, designed to transform live audio experiences in houses of worship.

Previously hosted in Dallas, Texas, CFX 2024 will feature a loudspeaker demo experience where attendees can hear OmniBeam in action against industry competitors. Taking place in ballrooms I & J, the round-robin demos offer an opportunity to directly compare solutions from leading manufacturers in a controlled acoustic setting.

Renkus-Heinz’s flagship IC Live X Series of modular, beam-steerable loudspeakers will take centre stage – in both a large flown array and a portable ground-stacked

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08 October 2024

New Zealand - Produced by Semmel Exhibitions, Marvel: Earth’s Mightiest Exhibition, offers a fresh perspective on Marvel’s rich 80+ year history. With its world premiere having taken place in Wellington, the exhibition gives a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the creation of some of popular culture’s most famous stories and characters – enhanced by an immersive soundscape from Genelec.

The audio for the project was a collaboration between Sebastian M. Purfürst of Berlin-based LEM Studios and acoustic scenographer, Markus ‘Hossi’ Hossack. Commissioned to realise the artistic and technical concept of the immersive sound installation, they developed a soundscape that guides guests into the world of Marvel.

“As composers, media artists and engineers, we like to call the development of the sonic layers of the exhibition experience 'a

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08 October 2024

Serious Risk - Councils will be forced to abandon the arts and other non-statutory duties without an urgent "injection" of government funding in the upcoming Budget, local authorities have warned. Society of London Theatre and UK Theatre have called the £54bn shortfall in local council funding a "serious risk to cultural provision" in England and have responded by reiterating their demand that the government strategically review public investment in the performing arts.

According to a new report submitted to the government by the County Councils Network, England’s councils face a funding "black hole" of £54 billion over the next five years, fuelled by the soaring cost of social care. Confronted with an "unpalatable trade-off" between bankruptcy and minimum services, the shortfall could lead to local councils being able to provide "little more" than care

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07 October 2024

Europe - Registration is now open for Integrated Systems Europe (ISE). Returning to the Fira de Barcelona Gran Vía from 4-7 February, the ISE team is promising ‘a host of new initiatives and features, an expanded and more easily accessible content programme, as well as the unveiling of Hall 8.1’.

Mike Blackman, managing director of Integrated Systems Events, comments: “ISE 2025 will be our most ambitious, inspiring and motivating edition to date. ISE is the global destination to get your connection restored with the industry – through virtually impossible experiences, unrivalled networking opportunities, and state-of-the-art technology, as well as even more chances for career and personal development.

“With the show floor already 20% bigger, the addition of exciting new features, and our world-class content programme that digs deep into th

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04 October 2024

UK - The Backup Tech team was thrilled to once again be part of the #WeMakeEvents hub at the PLASA Show 2024. From this base, the Backup team and its ambassadors were able to connect with industry professionals and raise awareness of the important work Backup is doing in the industry.

Every year, the show represents an opportunity to meet up with old friends, enjoy great conversations and make new connections. This year, the larger footprint meant that the hall was abuzz with even more new technology and creativity. Spaces where attendees could relax and regroup were an important part of the wellbeing strategy, and the wellbeing hub, crewed by the EventWell team, provided an additional quiet space for anyone who wanted it.

“Backup received multiple donations during the show, thanks to a lot of hard work from our fundraisers and the generosity of PL

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03 October 2024

UK - Polar will be exhibiting at the forthcoming Hospitality Tech Expo at ExCel London, which takes place on 15-16 October.

An example of the innovative technologies which Polar represents is the management platform Ask UMA, which can significantly enhance the operations of cafes, hotels, bars, and restaurants by optimising space management, integrating smart building systems, personalising guest experiences, and streamlining staffing. Polar’s team of experts will be on hand to explain how the platform automates energy use, improves comfort, and supports health and safety compliance, as well as providing data insights for better decision-making.

Ask UMA delivers sustainable solutions for the hospitality sector by supporting eco-friendly practices, social responsibility, and good governance. Minimising environmental impact, creating positive experie

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01 October 2024

UK – The Theatres Trust Conference returns next week (Tuesday 8 October), taking place at The Lowry in Salford. With a theme of ‘Making Theatres Thrive’, the full programme has now been announced and includes a mix of speakers, panels and case studies.
Speakers include senior politicians, such as: Cllr Bev Craig, leader of Manchester City Council and Economy, Business & Inclusive Growth lead for Greater Manchester Combined Authority; and Cllr Tracey Dixon, leader of South Tyneside Council and Portfolio Holder for Inclusion and Skills, North East Combined Authority.
Senior theatre leaders from across the UK will also present, including: Kathy Bourne, Chichester Festival Theatre; Kris Bryce, Pitlochry Festival Theatre; Selina Cartmel, Royal Exchange Theat

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01 October 2024

Dynamic Pricing - Oasis have announced they will ditch dynamic pricing for the American leg of their reunion tour, after it caused "an unacceptable experience" for UK fans. The system raises the price of concert tickets at times of high demand. When Oasis' UK dates went on sale, some fans were charged more than £350 for tickets with an initial face value of £150. The band faced significant backlash, and the UK's competition regulator launched an investigation into whether Ticketmaster breached consumer protection law.

In a statement announcing dates in the US, Canada and Mexico, the group's managers said they wanted to "avoid a repeat of the issues" faced by fans in the UK and Ireland. "It is widely accepted that dynamic pricing remains a useful tool to combat ticket touting and keep prices for a significant proportion of fans lower than the market rate an

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30 September 2024

UK - Disguise, in collaboration with Bluman Associates and the European chapter of frame:work has announced Be Seen. Be Heard, a half-day event dedicated to promoting diversity and inclusion within the creative video and live events industries. The event will take place on 9 October at Bluman Associates, London.

Be Seen. Be Heard aims to be a catalyst for change, empowering individuals from all backgrounds to be offered the opportunity to be part of and thrive in the creative community.

The speaker line-up includes diverse industry voices including Disguise founder Ash Nehru, Production Futures CEO Hannah Eakins, Petok Productions founder Pembe Tokluhan, The Fifth Estate creative director Sarah Rushton-Read, FRAY Studio creative technologist Kira O'Brien, Bluman Associates owner Pod Bluman, frame:work director Sarah Cox, Disguise he

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30 September 2024

Australia - Clearlight Shows, the Australian distributor for Luci Della Ribalta, will be present on the Entech Roadshow, the tradeshow for AV and entertainment technology professionals. Starting next month, the roadshow visits Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, and Perth.

“Our distribution network has solid foundations, and for years we have been present in markets and areas far from our headquarters in Italy,” says Lisa Papi, managing director of LDR.

“Clearlight Shows does excellent work in distant Australia, and we are very pleased that they are participating in this event, which, as we interpret it, seems to develop a very interesting travelling format that will allow many important players and companies to get in touch with our products.

“We are certainly looking forward to some feedback after the event, confident in the exce

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27 September 2024

UK - Production Futures has announced the dates for its autumn On Tour events. They will take place between 10am and 3pm on Tuesday 15 October at the Backstage Centre in Purfleet and Wednesday 27 November at Production Park in Wakefield. That latter event will see the presentation of this year’s Production Futures Breakthrough Awards, where as well as receiving the kudos of being named a winner, successful nominees will benefit from direct contact with the sponsor of their award.

The events will enable young visitors to directly connect with representatives of Production Futures’ brand partners to explore employment opportunities in the production sectors. Both occasions will enjoy packed schedules including panel discussions, advice, workshops, special guests, networking opportunities and more.

Production Futures has also announced that

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26 September 2024

USA - Martin Castañon’s design for the lighting rig at the 27th annual Santa Barbara Mariachi Festival called for 12 Chauvet Professional Color Strike M motorised strobe-washes and 12 blinders. But instead, he got zero blinders and 18 Color Strike M fixtures.

“The rig was originally supposed to have the Color Strike Ms on the up and mid truss for a total of 12 – blinders were specced out for the downstage,” recalled Castañon. “Somehow when the rig was built, we accidentally got the extra six Strikes instead of the blinders. In the end it worked out beautifully as it tied the whole rig together. It was great having the horsepower to punch things up for the crowd, especially in colour, not to mention when riding the beams on them. It looked like the night turned to day. I didn’t miss the blinders at all.

“I used the Strikes mos

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24 September 2024

Kylie’s Back - Kylie Minogue has announced her biggest world tour in more than a decade, and a sequel to her comeback album Tension. The 13 tracks on Tension II will be released on 18 October, with the global tour kicking off in her home country Australia in February, before swinging through Asia and the UK.

In a statement, the singer said she is "beyond excited" to be "celebrating the Tension era and more" with fans. "There will be a whole lot of Padaming," she said, a reference to her viral, Grammy-winning 2023 single Padam Padam. 20 dates have been announced so far, but Minogue said more are coming.

Viva La Vida - Coldplay have confirmed they will play two concerts in Hull before heading to Wembley in August next year. The band will appear at Craven Park on 18 and 19 August before performing s

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23 September 2024

Portugal - Europalco, in partnership with Knower Impact Meetings, reports the success of AIVØLUT1ØN, the first conference in Lisbon entirely dedicated to Artificial Intelligence (AI). Held in the Sala Tejo of the MEO Arena, this event brought together business leaders, innovators and AI enthusiasts to explore the power of AI in business management and beyond.

The AIVØLUT1ØN event marked an important milestone in the AI landscape, attracting many attendees. Europalco played a big part in this success by providing full AV and staging services. Europalco's team of approximately 28 members worked on-site and after two months of extensive preparation, they flawlessly executed all technical details.

An impressive 25m curved main screen and a 4m raised circular screen in the middle served as the event's centrepiece. This configuration was reinforced by

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20 September 2024

UK - Astera’s new LunaBulb product – launched in May – won a coveted PLASA Award for Innovation earlier this month during the PLASA at Olympia in London.

This adds to the product’s growing collection of accolades which has also recently included a Best of Show award conferred by film-tv-video at the EuroCine expo in Munich in July.

PLASA’s Awards for Innovation judging panel commented that LunaBulb “combines a broad feature-set in a much-loved conventional aesthetic”, which clearly impressed them as much as it has many Astera customers and users.

LunaBulb weighs in at just 81 grams (0.179 lbs) and is designed for indoor and outdoor use. Key features are DMX control, full-colour RGBMA and a CCT range from 1,750K to 20,000K and five inbuilt wireless technologies (CRMX, RDM, Bluetooth, WiFi, IR, and UHF), and naturally it is compat

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19 September 2024

UK - Serious Stages wrapped up a successful summer, providing stages and site structures for BBC Radio 2’s Party in the Park concert in Moor Park, Preston, 6-8 September.

More than 60,000 fans enjoyed artists featured on the Serious TZ 25m roof main stage for two days, included Sting, The Pet Shop Boys, The Manic Street Preachers, The Sugarbabes, Sister Sledge, Travis, Paul Heaton and Snow Patrol. The stage was designed in collaboration with clients Festival Republic and the BBC, creating a striking performance area. It was flanked by goalposts carrying PA speakers and giant LED screens, with extensions for a DJ platform, stage right, for Radio 2 DJ sets between bands, with a total frontage of 55m.

Serious also installed the stage platform in the tented Radio 2 stage, which featured DJ sets on Friday night and throughout Saturday and Sunday, along

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17 September 2024

UK - Celebrating its “best show for many years”, PLASA Show once again took residence in the Grand Hall of Olympia London from 1-3 September, demonstrating continuous growth - occupying 10% more floor space, welcoming a steady 5% increase in visitors and showcasing over 30 new exhibitors.

Despite an unexpected heatwave in the city and the extended summer festival season, visitor figures for Sunday - the event’s opening day - saw a 9.5% increase compared to 2023, while day two’s footfall also exceeded previous years, according to the show’s organisers.

The show floor welcomed a healthy cross-section of industry visitors, from entry-level professionals to senior leadership, with 15% more students visiting compared to 2023 and 79% of attendees declaring “influential purchasing power”. Key job roles of those in attendance included directors

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17 September 2024

Europe - The announcement of Showlight’s return next year (19-25 May in Dijon) created considerable interest at PLASA Show 2024.

Showlight’s organisers report that there was a healthy contingent of students enquiring about the subsidised student scheme and great interest in the introduction of afternoon workshops for 2025. Showlight is encouraging manufacturers, designers and students to put forward their ideas for more workshops. If you have a proposal, contact papers.committee@showlight.org

A large number of papers proposals have been received following the call for papers in June and more submissions are welcome. Remember to submit your ideas for consideration by the papers committee as soon as possible.

“The Programme of Papers is the heart and soul of Showlight and we want to be able to bring you the best and most entertaining topi

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17 September 2024

UK - One of the most unlikely gigs Birmingham’s Utilita Arena (The NIA) has ever hosted – and certainly one of the loudest deployments of a Martin Audio line array in the company’s history – was the recent charity concert, dubbed ‘1000 Lights’.

Organised by local promoter and studio owner, Jack Davis, 1000 musicians came together, divided into five categories, to honour the life of Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington, whose final gig had been in Birmingham prior to his suicide in 2017.

By setting up the Uprawr Mental Health Foundation, Davis’ aim was to bring people together as part of a large-scale event. Thanks to the volunteers, and willing support from service providers – including Martin Audio partners 22live – he did just that, raising £135,000 for the Foundation, offering free mental health counselling (the musicians themselv

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17 September 2024

USA - Sphere Entertainment Co has announced a ‘one-of-a-kind cinematic experience’ to be shown exclusively at Sphere. V-U2 An Immersive Concert Film at Sphere Las Vegas, directed by Morleigh Steinberg and The Edge, showcases the history-making and future-defining U2:UV show directed by Willie Williams, which played to over 700,000 fans from 100+ countries across 40 sold-out dates from September 2023 through March 2024.

Sphere celebrated the film’s opening with an impressive drone show. Hundreds of drones displayed the V-U2 logo against the Vegas skyline, making the Exosphere ‘come to life’.

V-U2 is the first film ever to be shot entirely with Big Sky, the ultra-high-resolution camera system developed by Sphere Entertainment. V-U2 does not just capture U2’s epic run at Sphere, it allows audiences to feel

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17 September 2024

UK - The Area Four Direct UK (A4IUK) team enjoyed a busy, productive and successful PLASA Show 2024.

This year saw a new immersive stand design constructed from Milos M520 Quatro truss, incorporating three video walls forming a vibrant backdrop of dynamic rolling video content – showcasing the Area Four Industries brand portfolio represented in the UK including Milos, Litec, Exe Technology, XStage, Tomcat and JTE.

PLASA London is still the most prominent national expo for A4IUK in the live entertainment, technology and rigging sector. It provided an excellent platform to showcase their products, connect with fellow professionals and engage in fruitful conversations on upcoming projects.

Area Four Direct UK, located on stand J20, enjoyed a buzz of busy footfall throughout the event. The stand had been designed to showcase key product lines i

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16 September 2024

Spain - La Velada Del Año 4, the fourth annual Twitch-streamed, amateur boxing night took place on 13 July. Featuring some of the biggest streamers from the Spanish speaking community, the event was held in the newly refurbished Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, home of Real Madrid.

A huge DiGiCo team was fielded on the night, with a Quantum 7, seven Quantum 338s and an SD12, all provided by Twin Cam Pro and with technical support from DiGiCo’s Spanish distributor, RMS ProAudio, to ensure the event was heard live, captured, and broadcast successfully to huge numbers of fans across the world.

‘The Night of the Year’ is organised by Ibai Llanos, one of the world’s most successful Spanish streamers who has over 30m followers across his internet platforms, and a mind-bending three billion views on his YouTube channel alone. The chosen inter

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13 September 2024

Vietnam - Acoustic & Lighting System (A&L) Group’s Vietnam team recently hosted an industry meet and greet with Vietnam’s creatives at Revons Studio in District 4, Ho Chi Minh City. The event, titled Spatial Visualisation, invited Vietnam’s top show designers, production directors, choreographers and technical directors to touch, experience and experiment using the BlackTrax real-time tracking and automation solution. 

Acoustic & Lighting System (A&L) Group is a value-added event technology distribution network, with a regional coverage across six countries in South-East Asia, including Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and certified BlackTrax reseller for the region. 

For this event the Group’s Vietnam branch chose to showcase the company’s solution package of BlackTrax integrated with multiple

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13 September 2024

UK - Robe lighting enjoyed “a brilliant PLASA 2024” in London Olympia, tapping into the hustle and energy of the show.

Four new products were launched by the Czechia-based manufacturer – the iForte Fresnel, the Painte Fresnel, the Svopatt and the SVB1 WashBeam moving light, all attracting plenty of interest as Robe continued the celebration of its 30th year.

Robe also premiered its new live exhibition performance extravaganza, The Fifth Dimension complete with three live performers including aerial acrobat and dancer Oskar Skrypko, who caused such a stir at Prolight earlier in the year!

All of Robe’s businesses – Avolites, LSC, Anolis and Artistic Licence – occupied their own areas surrounding the main Robe stand, demonstrating the bi-directional synergies between all of these and capitalising on the buzz and positivity o