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14 December 2016

Vrindavan is the birthplace of Krishna and the spiritual capital of India. The project is the result of 30 years of work and investment by ISCKON (The International Society for Krishna Consciousness) who are managing the design and construction process.

ISCKON has built a design team with some of the world's leading design firms. Theatreplan was selected for its "world class pedigree, collaborative and creative approach" to auditorium planning and technology design.

According to Theatreplan's project director for VCM, Brad Maiden, "This project presents a unique opportunity for Theatreplan to emba

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14 December 2016

Thabo Ntsala, multimedia manager at Silverstar, who heads technical for events and conferences, was clearly chuffed. "Silverstar have hosted a day like this before on a much smaller scale," he said. Thabo explained that students would be exposed to various professions including marketing, events management and promotions and more.

As Silverstar is a popular venue for live entertainment and conferences, Thabo invited DWR Distribution to be part of the project, e

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14 December 2016

Stairway to Heaven, released in 1971, is widely seen as one of the greatest rock compositions of all time. The copyright infringement action has been brought by Michael Skidmore, a trustee for the late Spirit guitarist Randy Wolfe, who played on the same bill as Led Zeppelin in the 1960s, and claims he should be given a writing credit on the track. Led Zeppelin guitarist Page and lead singer Plant are reputed to have written the track in a remote cottage in Wales.

By Royal Appointment - Kylie Minogue will perform for

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14 December 2016

The force measurement, load monitoring and suspended weighing load cell manufacturer prides itself on short lead times, putting Paine at the forefront of one of the most important departments at the company.

He says, "That doesn't faze me at all. I am used to less than 24-hour lead times in certain instances. I intend to use the skills and tools that I have learnt during more than 30 years in logistics. Initially, I will review working practices and subsequently consult with the team to understand their issues, concerns and roadblocks."

Straightpoint director David Ayling adds, "Simon's recruitment follows suit with recent acquisitions in that he brings to the team perspective, experience and proven success as

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14 December 2016

A networking lunch was rounded off with final instruction from BTS Golf Day judge, jury and executioner, Lee Dennison. The teams departed to their holes and the game was afoot. Never one to let people enj

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14 December 2016

Without the help of Behind the Scenes, these people - and many more - would have been in real financial difficulties as a result of illness or injury. By Design Day, a major fundraiser for the charity, is being held this year on Saturday, 23 April. It is the day for members of the design community to make a personal donation, hold a collection at work or support the day by giving a day's royalties.

Raising money for Behind the Scenes in both North America and the UK, By Design Day returns this year supported by a galaxy of well-known champions. Neil Austin, Ken Billington, Paule Constable, R

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14 December 2016

The win adds to a series of accolades given to the show, which has grossed more than $60m (£41.9m) in advance ticket sales and has been sold out for months. The musical won the 2016 Grammy Award for best musical theatre album, and Miranda was given the 2015 MacArthur Genius Grant.

Just Giving - Sir Elton John has topped the list of the most generous celebrities, having given away near

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14 December 2016

"As of 3 May 2016, you will be able enjoy the ultimate user-friendly experience and peruse the new website," the company says. "Not only is this compatible with all web browsers, it has been designed to be easily navigated on tablets, mobile devices and more as it automatically adjusts to any screen size. The website houses extensive information on the products, brands and services they of

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14 December 2016

Petrus Bertschinger (1961 - 2015) was a long-standing member of the Central community from his time as a student in the 1980s to his most recent role as Senior Lecturer in Technical and Production Management at the School. Petrus graduated from Central in 1984 and had 32 years professional experience as a stage manager, production manager and theatre consultant including Production Manager for Matthew Bourne's Adventures in Motion Pictures. He also spent ten years with the Unicorn Theatre, fir

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14 December 2016

The four artists being supported are: April Towers (Nottingham - to support European and UK dates in May, June and July), False Advertising (Manchester - to support upcoming UK dates in April and May), Flight Brigade (London - to support tours and festivals across the UK) and John Joseph Brill (Liverpool - to help with upcoming UK dates)'

PRS for Music Foundation, Wigwam Acoustics and Musicians' Union have teamed up for this second edition of Flash Funding to pool resources and knowledge, and give these four artists access to bespoke monitoring packages (such as in-ear monitoring, microphones, control systems) worth up to

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14 December 2016

"Eventim Apollo is renowned for celebrating world-class talent of all kinds, so we're thrilled to be hosting the Knight of Illumination Awards 2016, which champion the exceptional work of the world's leading lighting designers," says Sarah Myring, Eventim Apollo Front of House and Corporate Sales Manager.

"It's also fitting that so many of the designers have themselves worked on shows at the iconic venue, which has recently undergone an overhaul with colour wash LED lighting to create a truly state-of-the-art lighting system. This is an excellent opportunity to recognise the talented community of lighting designers that have come through our doors over the years, and we're delighted

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14 December 2016

A statement on the Eurovision website said, "The EBU has withdrawn member services from Romanian public service broadcaster Televiziunea Romana (TVR) following the non-payment of debts totalling CHF 16m."

Reasonably Well Off - Adele has been named as Britain's richest ever female musician, according to the Sunday Times Rich List. A list of the top 50 music millionaires in the UK and Ire

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14 December 2016

Dubbed 'the greatest show on snow', Snowbombing takes place in the Austrian town of Mayrhofen and welcomes over 6,000 festival-goers for a week of music and snow sports. Following on from last year's success of taking Snowbombing fully cashless for the first time, Intellitix once again deployed a bespoke system across the entire festival site, which included installing the system's antenna 1,500ft above Mayrhofen.

Intellitix's RFID system was implemented across the festival's main venues including Europahaus, Bruck 'N Stadl, The Racket Club and The Arena to enable secure Cashless Payments and speed up transaction times at key locations with a

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14 December 2016

Park Life - T in the Park will go ahead at Strathallan in July after councillors granted the festival a one-year public entertainment licence. The approval followed a five-hour Perth and Kinross Council meeting attended by organisers and o

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14 December 2016

The Royal Shakespeare Company will be welcoming PLASA members on 24th May 2016 to take part in an immersive backstage tour covering the transformation of Elizabeth Scott's iconic 1932 cinema-style Royal Shakespeare Theatre into a definitive new environment for performing the works of Shakespeare.

This was a major construction programme and Stage Electrics were involved on-site in the realisation of this transformation for over four years working to the design brief created by Charcoalblue (theatre consultants), Buro Happold (engineers) and Bennetts Associates (architects).

This project was a huge collaborative effort with a number of different contributors all handpicked by the RSC. More r

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14 December 2016

"Thanks to Bluebell's ShaxX Lite, we didn't need to design and build a new cable bridge between buildings to reach the gallery from the studio," said Steve Usher, project manager, ITV. "Eliminating those steps saved us time and money."

The refurbished studio, which is used for live broadcasts of This Morning five mornings a week, has been relocated a long distance away from the master control room, and the ducting was too congested to run SMPTE hybrid cable between them. Thanks to the ShaxX Lit

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14 December 2016

BSR E1.40, Recommendations for the Planning of Theatrical Dust Effects

ANSI E1.40-2011 is being revised to warn against deflagration--deflagration being the technical term for the wave of flame that burned hundreds of people at a water park in Taiwan last year. Other changes include a regrouping of types of dusts and changing MSDS references to SDS references.

BSR E1.41, Recommendations for the Measurement of Entertainment Luminaires Utilizing Solid State Light Sources

ANSI E1.41-2012 is being revised to specify that the Fidelity Index (Rf) rating, as defined

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14 December 2016

For the cabling and assemblies, Lite Alternative's Andy Rhymes turned again to VDC Trading who have supplied the Neutrik Opticalcon MTP Fibre Cables and new custom break out panels. VDC has supplied a further two 150m and one 75m fibre multicores to enable Andy to expand his existing control system to meet the needs of the latest production, linking dimmer positions on stage left, stage right and under the 'B' Stage with FOH control.

VDC's Adam Jafrabadi commented, "Lite Alternative has kept us busy this year. Most of it custom racks, associat

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14 December 2016

The Behind the Scenes Happy Hour features an open bar, hors d'oeuvres and music with all proceeds going to benefit the Behind the Scenes charity, the only industry charity that provides grants to ill or injured entertainment technician professionals. Since its inception in 2014, the Behind the Scenes Happy Hour has raised over $120,000 in sponsorships and ticket sales.

ESTA is currently seeking additional sponsorships for the 2016 event. Information on how to become a sponsor is available online at www.esta.org or by emailing btshh@esta.org.

C

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14 December 2016

Working closely with Hawthorn's Head of Hire, David Slater, Mark will raise the profile of the company's high-quality equipment Hire service to touring, regional & West End theatre productions, bolstering Hawthorn's increasing reputation in the marketplace, in line with its commitment to delivering an excellent customer experience.

He will be representing Hawthorn on Stand R-308 at Plasa Focus in Leeds on 10-11 May 2016.

Mark joins Hawthorn at an exciting time for the Hire service which has seen staggering 90% growth over the last six months, of commissions to supply equipment to touring theatre productions.

Mark said, "This is a real

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14 December 2016

Salmon Event Evolution (SEE) comes to market with vision and experience fostered from 15 years shaping headline attractions. A virtual network of industry experts, the company is designed to develop and deliver new ideas for promoters and organisers.

Proven across the portfolio of sporting events and festivals, SEE solutions range from developing commercial ideas, for partners, sponsors and increased ticket sales, through to complete event management solutions.

Christopher Salmon comments, "The platform and the people at Goodwood, across such a broad spectrum of activity, were the perfect inspiration. It's a mecca for autonomy, creativity and innovation, which has helped me realise a lifelong

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14 December 2016

PLASA Focus: Leeds is a well-established date on the industry trade show calendar, and senior personnel from Pearce Hire will be on hand at the show to meet existing and new clients who are visiting the show. The two-day show provides ample opportunity for the team to discuss event production needs, on any scale and at any venue or site (greenfield, urban or otherwise) and how Pearce Hire can provide turnkey solutions for power, lighting, audio and staging requirements.

Pearce Hire has become a regular exhibitor at PLASA Focus and will once more be promoting their production services and rental business. With an increase in events and a growing portfolio of new customers, Pearce Hire is in

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14 December 2016

"Young adults from within the community with a passion and talent for music, dance, singing and performing were carefully sourced and identified through schools, colleges, community centres, youth groups and churches," explained Karen Burt, founder and facilitator of Inspired Stages. "They were nominated by teachers and peers as individuals who showed potential as both a performer and role model and who would be best suited to the mentorship opportunity.

"The programme was intensive," says Karen. "We went further than natural talent and passion. We trained the mentors in a fully comprehensive programme in

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14 December 2016

Flag Flying - Eurovision bosses have relaxed their flag rules, meaning the UK entry can fly a Welsh flag. It was originally included in a list of banned flags because its red dragon was considered a political statement. Previously only flags of contest members and UN states were allowed due to the event's non-political nature. The UK ent