Events

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14 March 2016

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.

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14 March 2016

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

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14 March 2016

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

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14 March 2016

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

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14 March 2016

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

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14 March 2016

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

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14 March 2016

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

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14 March 2016

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

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14 March 2016

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

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14 March 2016

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

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14 March 2016

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

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14 March 2016

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

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14 March 2016

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

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14 March 2016

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

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14 March 2016

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

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14 March 2016

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

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14 March 2016

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

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14 March 2016

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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14 March 2016

Greg Jeffreys, president of InfoComm International says, "The formation of the UK Task Force is a sign that the UK has got to a certain point, maturity and critical mass and we've appointed some key figures to manage and drive that growth locally."

The UK Task Force comprises a diverse mix of industry professionals, including integrators, distributors, manufacturers, end users and consultants. 2012 members include: Scott Burgess, director, Creative Technology London; Gordon Innocent, chairman, RGB Communications Ltd; Deborah Jones, sales director,

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14 March 2016

"We have a very good relationship with Caxton and do most of their work," said Keystone's Christopher Bolton. He has already been briefed on next year's event and perhaps this has something to do with his perfectionist nature and the copious amounts of time he spends on pre-production design and planning. "I feel it gives me the edge on most productions I am involved in."

Keystone Productions handled the entire awards including all the content. Bolton stepped in as production designer and lighting designer, which enabled him to create the overall look and feel. His lig

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14 March 2016

Edith Venter, a long-time client and owner of Edith Unlimited, who is known for her charity and high profile events, asked MJ Event Gear to provide the full technical. The in-house occasion was attended by 260 people and awarded Discovery staff who had completed various forms of training.

"The event went wonderfully smooth," said Theo Rood, production manager from MJ Event Gear, who as part of his pre-production work also tested the venues' LED pillars and projectors prior to set-up to avoid any unforeseen hiccups.

The venue, tables and chairs were draped in white and looked stunning as Robe 600 LED fixtures washed them in colour. "Edith Unlimited rely completely on our creativity when it comes to lig

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14 March 2016

Launching on 20 May, the work has been designed by the students to showcase how their ideas can shape the creative outcome of theatre and other environmental surroundings.

Imaginative creations on display will include life drawings, costumes and various stage designs which reflect the skills students have developed on their degrees. The exhibition is also a way for students to showcase their talents to potential employers.

Lauren McGowan, who is in her third year on the Design for Performance programme and has led on the project, said, "It is the first

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14 March 2016

SXS were tasked with constructing (and dressing) a dais stage, while the PA was provided by the company's new Martin Audio W8LM line array system supplied by dealers, LMC Audio.

The production company deployed a total of 12 W8LM Mini Line Array enclosures in two hangs, with two W8LMD Downfills at the base of each hang. This was driven by Lab Gruppen FP series amps and controlled using XTA DSPs.

Attended by both the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, the launch took place at the Cutty Sark Gardens and the event included a 90-strong symphony orchestra and a

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14 March 2016

The conference, scheduled for Sunday and Monday, July 22 and 23, 2012, promotes communication between the architects, engineers, consultants, and manufacturers responsible for designing and building new theatres and renovating existing performance facilities in North America.

Pilbrow will speak at the conference's opening session on July 22 at 9:30 a.m. at the New York Hilton Hotel, 1335 Avenue of the Americas. The session is open only to registered attendees. To register for the conference, visit www.nateac.org/register.htm.

Early in his career, Pilbrow was selected by Laurence Olivier to be the lighting designer