China - At close of day two of InfoComm China 2012, attendance at the show was 14,868, representing a 39% increase over its previous showing in 2011. Final attendance at close of the three-day exhibition is expected to breach 16,000, a record turnout in the history of the show.

The 30 sessions of the InfoComm China Summit education programme also attracted a record attendance of 1,550 delegates, more than double that of last year.

The organizers have already announced that the 2013 show will expand to Halls 5 and 6 next year to cater to the additional demand for space, not just from existing exhibitors but many others that have visited the show and indicated their intent to join next year's event.

(Jim Evans)

USA - PLASA Focus: Nashville 2012 is set to welcome a raft of new exhibitors as the two-day event continues to grow, with over 20 companies now committed to taking part and as many applications being processed. The event takes place 11-12 July, at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium, TN, and is the first of its kind to be held in the region.

Confirmed exhibitors include: Barbizon, IATSE, Seachanger, Hive/Interspace, Show Sage, Ultratec, LynTec, Nicolaudie America Inc., Thern Stage Equipment, Coolux, Doug Fleenor Design, Chauvet, Robe, High End Systems, White Light, Creative Stage Lighting, Mainstage Theatrical Supply, Martin Professional and TMB.

PLASA Focus' much talked about 'new style' event brings new products out to regional areas, providing free networking and learning opportunities for regional entertainment-tech communities. Those involved will also have the unique oppo

UK - UK professional lighting sales company Lightfactor will again exhibit at PLASA Focus at the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds this week.

A selection of products from top brands will be featured, including new moving lights and LED luminaires from Italian manufacturer DTS for which Lightfactor is the exclusive UK distributor.

Architectural LED products 'made in the UK' from Cogent will also be on display, together with theatrical luminaires and spot lights from another popular Italian brand, LDR.

The DTS section of the Lightfactor stand will show the new Nick NRG 1201 Wash moving light. This features 30 high powered RGBW LEDs and has an 8 - 50 degree motorised zoom with sophisticated optics that enable it to be used for many different styles of lighting - from a wide wash to a PC beam - with smooth, silent pan/tilt.

DTS's Jack Spot with also be highlighted - a compact li

UK - Wireless Solution Sweden AB is on the road again, this time heading for PLASA Focus: Leeds with new products and some innovative advancements to their W-DMX product range.

In addition to demonstrating their new product advancements, Wireless Solution will also be holding a seminar on Wednesday, 18 April from 1:00-1:45 in the Wellington Room covering Wireless Controls with RDM and Ethernet Advantages. The seminar will be hosted by Ben Darrington and is appropriate for lighting operators, lighting designers, installers, rental and stage managers.

The company has been working on a completely new software platform since October 2011 that is prepared for future hardware functions as well as many new features and updated functions. The W-DMX G4S software platform includes:

A much improved adaptive frequency hopping algorithm that improves the plug and play use in crowded radi

UK - Stage barrier specialist Mojo Barriers is showcasing its proprietary crowd safety products on stand RA-B19 at this week's PLASA Focus in Leeds.

With a recently opened York office, alongside its London headquarters, Mojo Barriers provides services to live events across the country including festivals, tours, sporting and cultural occasions, premiers, and council events. Its UK team is at PLASA Focus to discuss the extensive range of Mojo stage barriers, crowd barriers and fencing along with post and rope and cable ramp.

Mojo Barriers UK director Jim Gaffney comments, "People's safety at events and venues is the primary concern of Mojo Barriers and our team is at PLASA Focus to discuss and demonstrate the importance of crowd safety. We are looking forward to meeting venue owners, festival organisers and production managers to discuss how we can offer a bespoke service

UK - Blackburn-based lighting and visuals rental company HSL supplied lighting equipment to the latest Katherine Jenkins UK tour, which was designed by Tim Routledge.

HSL's project manager was Mike Oates who says, "It was great to work with Tim and production manager Neil McDonald on this, especially as it was a bit different. It both contrasted and complimented all the other music tours in which we are currently involved with a classy design that looked great and was completely appropriate."

The show was smaller in scale than Jenkins' last outing which played arenas. This was a deliberate move to return to playing more intimate spaces like theatres and concert halls, with the focus totally on Jenkins' vocal performance, rather than lots of additional razzmatazz.

She was accompanied by the 32- piece National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Anthony Inglis, and the t

France - L'Autre Monde, the new show from Gilbert Gruss' Cirque Arlette Gruss, is currently touring France with four DMX-controlled Robert Juliat 1800W MSR FLO followspots to highlight its dazzling, fast moving acts.

Arlette Gruss promises its audiences a spectacle like no other with a top of the range show that encompasses trapeze artists, clowns, magicians, motorbikes and animals. With a six-month tour that takes in the towns of Bordeaux, La Rochelle, Rouen, Arras, Lille, Boulogne, Dunkerque, Valenciennes, Thionville, Mulhouse, Strasbourg, Colmar, Reims and Troyes, lighting designer Arthur Oudin needed a followspot that was small and tough enough to tour and versatile enough to be controlled with pin-point accuracy, as well as deliver top notch performance.

"The ideal unit proved to be the Robert Juliat FLO with a DMX controlled dimmer, shutter," says Oudin.

UK - d&b audiotechnik reports a successful debut at PLASA Focus Leeds. "Our first outing here and it's proved an ideal forum for us," said Stephen 'Oggi' Hogg who heads up the GB office for d&b. "We have a strong distribution in the north of the UK, and enjoyed the opportunity to meet and engage with their clients."

Two elements from the d&b productrange were presented, E-Series loudspeakers from the Black range in the form of the teenyweeny E4 and E5; and two comparable models from the White range, namely the 4S and 5S.

Two seminars were also presented, Can you hear me at the back? presented by Oran Burns, which looked at the acoustic signal path from loudspeaker to the listener's ear, and, Combining subwoofers within cardioid distributed arrays delivered by Steve Jones, which explored methods that can be used to achieve even sub bass coverag

UK - Distributor John Hornby Skewes & Co introduced the HK Audio Lucas Nano 300 at PLASA Focus Leeds 2012 last week, along with the current HK Audio, Studiomaster, Lab.gruppen, Lake and LA Audio ranges.

The show was a resounding success for JHS Pro Audio, with the Nano's diminutive dimensions causing surprise and awe whenever it was demoed. The next step up the evolutionary ladder for HK's prosperous LUCAS line, the Nano 300 is a revolution in portable sound.

Showcased alongside the Nano were prime examples from the Studiomaster range, which are now distributed exclusively in the UK and Eire by JHS, and a number of other items from HK Audio, Lab.gruppen, Lake and LA Audio.

HK Audio also powered two seminar rooms throughout the show, with a SoundCaddy One and a super-portable Elements system providing crystal clear sound for a series of well-attended presentations, while the

UK - Not even the rain could dampen the enthusiasm at the Royal Armouries last week as PLASA Focus: Leeds 2012 opened its doors for two days of unparalleled access to the newest and most innovative products on the market for the live entertainment industry.

Visitor numbers reached a record-breaking 2122 - an increase of 8.5% on 2011. In all, 2680 people attended the show over the two days and such was the confidence felt by exhibitors that an unprecedented number of exhibitors re-booked on-site for 2013.

As always, the combination of the Professional Development Programme which profiled the effective use of new products and explored areas of special interest through seminar and discussion, together with the dozens of new products for people to get their hands on proved a massive hit with visitors and exhibitors alike.

Among the many new products making their UK debut were Ch

UAE - PALME's fourth Middle East Lighting Solutions Conference 2012 has been timed to coincide with the opening day of this year's three-day PALME Middle East expo (1-3 May).

Held at the Dubai World Trade Centre, the full-day event opens at 11am with an address by George Katodrytis, RIBA, Associate Professor of Architecture, College of Architecture, Art and Design, American University of Sharjah.

It will then go on to discuss a series of topics including: New Technologies and Products in Lighting Design (with Ivar Krasinski, design director, STR-EDGE), followed by The Development of Standardisations for Lighting: Abu Dhabi's Sustainable Lighting Policy (with Martin Valentine, Municipality of Abu Dhabi City). This will lead into a debate session a debate session which asks: Are LEDs for Everybody in the Lighting Profession? (moderated by George Katodrytis a

USA - Clay Paky fixtures lit up the ice and turned on the glamour when production and lighting designer Christien Methot of Design One employed a complement of Sharpy and Alpha Spot HPE 1500s on Caesars Tribute II: A Salute to the Ladies of the Ice which aired on NBC on New Year's Day.

The figure skating extravaganza features a roster of American Olympic medalists, including Nancy Kerrigan, Tara Lipinksi and Sarah Hughes as well as an international contingent, among them current world champion Miki Ando. The event, held at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, comes on the heels of last year's figure skating tribute for which Methot handled production design.

Methot devised a circular motif for the show using three circular video screens and a circular main stage with clean, simple lines. He mounted a circular truss above the ice with 16 Clay Paky Sharpy fixtures suspended o

UK - MT Pro Ltd enjoyed their busiest ever PLASA Focus show in Leeds. The main part of both days saw a continuous stream of inquiries on the stand with some customers having to queue up to be seen.

People were particularly interested in the new MT Pro Acoustics products. New speakers on show included a three-way horn loaded cabinet and a 2x5" mid/high cabinet with a ribbon tweeter. Also featuring highly were the range of 1U mixers and the DNP26 processor.

These items were seen alongside the MA86 amplifier. This lightweight unit has eight channels, each rated at 260WRMS into 4Ohms.

Another product attracting great interest was the new Cyclorama Wash system. This consists of the powerful LED 'Batten2' c/w a specially designed barn door system. This gives a very even wash of light on cycloramas up to 4.5m high. The quadcolor LEDs allow for pastel colours as well as the usu

UK - Join 11,000 people who have already signed up to visit PLASA 2012 at Earls Court Exhibition Centre on 9 - 12 September 2012. Visitors that pre-register now can gain entry to the entire four-day event for only £10 - a saving of 50% on the full price of £20.

It's Olympic year at last and PLASA is taking the opportunity to celebrate the enormous contribution made by our industry to the extraordinary events in the city this year, including educational sessions exploring some of the most impressive technical aspects.

In addition, a brand new audio professional development programme is being launched this year, with master-classes from the biggest international names in system design, production, recording, mixing and broadcasting.

With over 100 free to attend training sessions, seminars and specialist conferences, there's only one place to be this September!

PL

UAE - His Highness Sheikh Majid bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum performed the official unveiling of this year's PALME Middle East Show at the Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre in Dubai on 1 May, cutting the ceremonial ribbon to declare the tenth anniversary event open.

He then engaged in animated discussion with a number of exhibitors as he and his entourage undertook their official walkabout.

It was clear that he was familiar with many of the brands on display, confirmed PALME exhibition director, Richard Brook. "When you have someone that takes a real interest, and is as clued up as he is, it really helps from an exhibitor's perspective and adds more value to the show. Brand wise he certainly knew a lot."

And those whose stands he stopped by certainly agreed. At Thomsun Trading, he was already familiar with the Adamson and Optocore brands that

USA - Free registration is now open for the PLASA Focus: Nashville 2012 Professional Development Programme, a two-day programme of free educational seminars and workshops, running alongside PLASA Focus: Nashville, on 11-12 July 2012.

The programme has been specially curated by some of the industry's leading talents, giving visitors a unique opportunity to broaden their specialist knowledge and take part in discussions about innovative projects and cutting edge techniques.

"One of the benefits of hosting a Focus event in Nashville is the depth of professional industry knowledge that is intrinsic to the area," comments PLASA CEO Matthew Griffiths. "Being able to tap into that regional passion for live entertainment and to share it in a common space is something which will not only benefit the local entertainment technology community in Tennessee, but also the surr

UK - There has been a massive increase in visitor registration for PLASA 2012 at Earls Court Exhibition Centre on 9-12 September 2012. Over 11,000 people have already signed up, representing a whopping 40% increase in registrations so far. Visitors that pre-register now can gain entry to the entire four-day event for only £10 - a saving of 50% on the full price of £20.

In this unique year for London and the rest of the UK, PLASA is taking the opportunity to celebrate and reflect on the extraordinary contribution made by the lighting and sound industries to the London 2012 Olympics. As PLASA Events Manager, Sophie Atkinson, comments, "The record breaking surge in pre-registrations for the show this year is enormously encouraging and goes to show that people want to come to PLASA 2012 to reflect on their industry's input in the 2012 Olympic story and experience th

UK - Events, production & communication specialist R&B Group has invested in three new members of staff, having just completed their best first quarter in five years.

Daniel Cave, 18 from Fenham, joined the group late last year on an eight-month NVQ apprenticeship. Recruited to assist the busy warehouse team, he has settled in well and has already won the R&B 'Grafta of the month award' where he received great comments about his attitude from staff.

Also joining the team is Simon Spencer-Harvey. Formerly at Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art and more recently working for Bezier, Spencer-Harvey has joined R&B Group as creative designer. Working together with the creative team, his knowledge will bring a new dimension to 3D visualisation and motion graphic projects.

Finally, Steve Brown accepted a new role as assistant project manager. Having worked on many projects with R&B G

UAE - PALME Middle East carried on where it left off when Day Two of the Dubai show got underway.

The exhibitor networking party the previous evening may have taken its toll on some but it did little to dampen the enthusiasm of exhibitors and visitors.

While Alex Hennig, creative director of long-term show supporters LOBO Electronic, described PALME as "the only place to be" for exposing their advanced laser and multimedia systems to the Middle East market, another company which has supported PALME since its inception 10 years ago is Protec, who produce big-scale events, but also handle sales for a number of suppliers.

"The opening morning was as good as anything I have seen at this show," said founder Stephen Laken. "As well as seeing old friends we have had a lot of interest from people we've never met before." This was attributed to the new C

UK - Backstage Academy enjoyed one of the busiest stands at the PLASA Focus exhibition in Leeds last week, where it led a well-attended debate on the future of training with a panel of industry experts and education professionals, and took over 100 enquiries for courses.

The Academy shared an exhibition space with specialist live events insurance broker Doodsons at The Royal Armouries Museum Centre, where the team spoke to students and those working in the entertainment industry about its roster of short courses in backstage skills and its Live Events Production Foundation Degree.

"We had an overwhelmingly positive response from students keen to hear more about our Foundation Degree in Live Events Production," said COO Robin Watkinson. "Many of them could see the benefits of studying in such close proximity to a real working environment as offered by the LS-Live

UAE - Informa Exhibitions, organisers of this year's PALME Middle East show in Dubai, had promised a complete refocus of its visitor profile for this year's event - and as the tenth edition of the show came to an end, the company said the strategy had paid dividends.

This was underpinned by Gordon Cooper, director of power generation suppliers SES (Entertainment Services). "How else could you meet people from Iraq, Nigeria and Afghanistan all in one room?"

A large Nigeria-based production company placed orders on a number of stands, including AED100,000 with SES - part of "at least AED 250,000 worth of business we will write directly from the show", according to Cooper. "We have had a fantastic three days and this has been the best PALME ever for us."

SES was exhibiting on the stand of distributor RFW Trading, run by Rick and Fragille Wade. Rick

China - Prolight + Sound Shanghai is increasing its exhibition space by 40 percent for its 2012 show to be held 11 - 14 October 2012 at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre in Shanghai, China.

The show is organised by Messe Frankfurt (HK) and INTEX Shanghai and last year attracted a record 419 exhibitors from 18 countries and regions and 18,522 visitors from 85 countries and regions.

Commenting on this year's show, Mr Evan Sha, deputy general manager of Messe Frankfurt (Shanghai) Co Ltd said, "We have expanded the exhibition space by 40 percent to 35,000sq.m to accommodate a strong demand from our exhibitors for bigger booths. The extra space also allows us to make sourcing easier for buyers as halls will be segmented into the categories of audio, visual, lighting and stage equipment and AV integrated products."

Under the Chinese government's 12th 'Five-Year

UK - The 3rd Annual PLASA Rigging Conference will take place on Monday 10 and Tuesday 11 September 2012 at the Earls Court Conference Centre in London. This unique 2-day international event explores and debates all aspects of this specialist section of the industry. Running alongside PLASA 2012, the Rigging Conference has become a regular date in the diary for anyone involved in rigging and working at height for temporary installations.

As the only annual event of its size that is dedicated solely to the global rigging community, it attracts professionals from over 30 countries. Out of around 200 delegates, over 40% are international visitors. These include not only rigging practitioners themselves, but venue technical staff, production managers, health and safety staff and policy makers, providing an exclusive platform to examine and debate the use of newly devised products, in

UK - One of the popular features of recent ABTT Theatre Shows has been the free seminar programme, and visitors to the Theatre Show in London's Old Truman Brewery on 13 June this year will be treated to a rare chance to hear William Dudley, the country's preeminent stage designer.

Looking back over his extraordinary career of more than 40 years designing for theatre, opera and ballet throughout the world, Bill Dudley is taking as his theme Virtual scenery. Roger Fox, director of the Theatre Show said, "Bill will compare projected scenery then and now, and will introduce an international time line initiative which aims to foster a better general understanding of older theatre technologies."

Arranged to coincide with an international meeting of OISTAT, the opening seminar will be held at the Theatre Show from 11:00 to 12:30 on Wednesday 13 June. This will be a s

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