UK - Arena Structures, part of the Arena Group, installed its Tensioned Fabric Structure (TFS) at Wembley Arena this year, to act as a temporary concert venue during the Wembley Arena refurbishment.

The 10,000-seater semi-permanent venue, designed and built by Arena Structures to Wembley's specifications was the first of its kind built in the UK. The venue had to comply with stringent permanent building regulations in order to deliver a temporary facility with the feel of a permanent venue, which could act as a music arena.

The TFS was adapted to ensure that all of the facilities required to host concerts were available, with Arena Structures incorporating additional structures alongside the main TFS to house toilets, concessions, bars and other concert facilities. All of these structures were placed on a specially designed platform, constructed using 18 miles of scaffolding.<

UK - One of the leading European manufacturers in the market, 5 Star is constantly outputting a miscellany of flightcases of all shapes, sizes, colours and descriptions for all sorts of functions. Based in the Fens, in Wisbech, 5 Star always had roots in Cambridgeshire.

The original company dates back to the early 1980s, when it was engaged primarily in making musical instrument cases. In 1989, it was acquired by industrial foam conversion specialist Flexiplas, and current MD Jim Willis set out to broaden 5 Star's horizons to expand beyond its music business base. Clients from the Industrial sector soon came on board, including Rolls Royce, Racal and Sony Broadcast.

In 1991 Keith Sykes, the current works director and MD designate, joined the company as production manager following the acquisition of Ipswich-based Pro-Tect Cases. The purchase brought an impressive contacts book

USA - Scott Davies, general manager of the American DJ Group of Companies, received a Lifetime Achievement award for his service to the DJ industry at the Mobile Beat DJ Show 2006, held in Las Vegas 21-23 February. The award was presented to Davies (centre) by Mobile Beat magazine publisher Bob Lindquist (left) and Mobile Beat Show Producer Mike Buonaccorso (right).

(Sarah Rushton-Read)

UK - Top five multidisciplinary consultancy business Capita Symonds became the latest large firm to join the Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE).

Capita Symonds is part of the FTSE100 Capita Group plc and employs 3,300 staff in 45 UK offices and another five overseas. It has doubled its turnover to £200m in the two years to 2005 and is one of the fastest growing firms in the consultancy and engineering sector.

Commenting on its new ACE membership, Capita Symonds managing director Richard Marchant said: "We made a conscious decision to join ACE as it is the leading business association in our sector. ACE can help Capita Symonds by being an ambassador for consultancy and engineering and by being an active member we can in turn have a greater influence in the industry.

ACE chief executive Nelson Ogunshakin said: "Capita Symonds joining ACE further

UK - Multiple Grammy Award winning recording star Natalie Cole visited Shure's corporate headquarters recently to tour the facility, participate in a 'meet and greet' with Shure associates, and open the company's new recording and product testing facility, the Performance Listening Centre (PLC).

Shure Performance Listening Centre brings state-of-the-art recording and product testing capabilities to the company's 65,000 square-foot, two-story Technology Annex, which opened last year. Offering all of the comfort of an elegant theatre with tiered seating for 14 and a bamboo floor, the critical studio is furnished with three ATC SCM 100 ASL active monitors, a Carillon Audio Systems computer, and 192 kHz multi-channel AES/EBU interface capabilities from Lynx Studio Technology.

"Shure has developed a first class recording studio, allowing them the ideal environment to test mult

Italy - "Styles of music are never changed without affecting the most important political institutions." Quoting Plato, the Italian minister for cultural assets and activities, Rocco Buttiglione, inaugurated Rimini Fiera SIB 2006, 20th International Show of Event & Entertainment Technology and the 10th DISMA Music Show, Musical Instrument Music Publications & Recording Industry Expo at Rimini Fiera.

Rimini Fiera Chairman, Lorenzo Cagnoni, announced the official figures of each of the key sectors of the two expos, which were hosted simultaneously at the expo centre until Tuesday 14 March: "Overall, between lighting, audiovisuals and complementary products, SIB represents a part of Italy's economy with a value of approximately 650 million euros. Last year, the sales of actual musical instruments, for which DISMA Music Show is the leading event, increased by 3.6% com

USA - LOUD Technologies has announced that its common stock will begin trading on the NASDAQ Capital Market beginning Wednesday, March 1, 2006 at the market open under the symbol LTEC.

"This NASDAQ Capital Market listing is an important step in our program to enhance LOUD's visibility in the financial community," said chairman and CEO Jamie Engen. "As a leader in the rapidly growing professional audio industry, we believe that LOUD is on the right track as we continue to implement our strategy to increase revenue, improve margins, and build value for our shareholders."

(Sarah Rushton-Read)

UK- The Professional Lighting and Sound Association (PLASA) has lent its name to a lobbying campaign intended to encourage the Government to rethink its proposals to introduce a 10% tax on all UK hotel bills. The proposal - part of a wider Government tax review conducted by the Lyons Inquiry - recommends that a 10% tax per night is added to the current 17.5% VAT - which means that the UK would effectively become the highest taxed destination in Europe.

PLASA believes that the proposed tourist tax (dubbed the 'bed' tax) will hit this industry from both sides: not only will it put yet another financial burden on businesses in the entertainment, event and installation sectors where business-related travel accounts for a large part of their ongoing overheads, but it will almost certainly affect tourism revenues, which directly influence the financial performance of this industry.

UK - TMB UK has moved to a new location, and now has new phone and fax numbers. The company can now be contacted at: TMB UK, 21 Armstrong Way, Southall, UB2 4SD, UK.

(Lee Baldock)

USA - High End Systems (HES) is now shipping the fourth version of its Catalyst software and Media Server. Catalyst software, which was first introduced in 2001, fuses lighting with digital media, allowing the user to create virtual scenery and unlimited visual effects for markets ranging from tours and corporate events to cruise ships and houses of worship.

The new Catalyst v4 is enhanced with support for additional input/output devices as well as complementary products. This support includes cue lists and pixelMAD functionality, expanding the possibilities for users, say HES. Version 4 also enables Catalyst to be controlled by video- and music-industry standard controllers such as Mackie and MIDI controllers. This is the first version of Catalyst to not require a DMX controller. The Pro version of Catalyst features four independent on-screen output mixes and 10 independent ass

UK - The Professional Lighting and Sound Association (PLASA) will host its 2006 AGM and Members Lunch on Tuesday 6 June at the Hurlingham Club in West London.

The event has developed beyond an AGM in recent years, and is now much more of an active discussion forum for members who feedback on the work PLASA is doing and contribute to the future direction of the Association. The Members Lunch, which follows, grows in popularity each year, and in 2006 it is anticipated that 200 member companies will be represented. This year's speaker is business troubleshooter Alasdair Jeffrey who will talk to members about the challenges of growing and running a business. He was 'discovered' by the award-winning BBC series Trouble at the Top in 2004 and, as the subject of the 2006 BBC series The Ferocious Mr Fixit, he has built a formidable reputation over the years as a man who mak

USA - Theatre designer David Taylor recently previewed plans for the Internet 2 facility being designed for the New World Symphony by Frank Gehry. Taylor has been involved with the New World Symphony, developing the new performance, rehearsal, broadcast and distance-learning facility in South Beach, Miami, in conjunction with the Symphony leadership including maestro Michael Tilson Thomas, since 2003.

Making the presentation on behalf of New World Symphony at the 2006 Internet 2 Performance and Master Class Production Workshop in Miami Beach, Florida, Taylor was joined by Richard Bunn, systems consultant from the London office of Theatre Projects Consultants (TPC). The two are close collaborators on the project, which will occupy two adjacent city blocks and which will enable high definition video and audio to be sent to and from a remote site at speeds thousands of times faster

USA - Biamp today announced that Matthew Packer will serve as the new regional manager for the North Asia/Pacific region, which includes Mainland China, Hong Kong & Macao, Taiwan, Japan and Korea. Effective immediately, Matthew Packer assumes responsibility for the coordination and support of regional distributors and channel partners, as well as the maintenance and development of successful integrator relations throughout the region. Based in Beijing, Packer will report to Graeme Harrison, Biamp Systems' vice president of international sales.

Commenting on the announcement, Harrison said: "The size and scope of the installations that Biamp is specified for in the North Asia/Pacific region demand that our sales team has a solid understanding of the region, the industry and the people who make these projects successful. Matthew's technical expertise and real-world experience

USA - Production Resource Group, LLC (PRG) has been honoured by the U.S. Department of Defense for supporting its employees who participate in the National Guard and Reserve Force. The award was presented on behalf of the Office of the Secretary of Defense by the New York Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR).

Recognizing PRG's above and beyond commitment to the Nation's Reserve Component personnel, ESGR presented the company with its 5 Star Statement of Support Certificate. PRG also is listed on the National ESGR website as a 5 Star Level Supporter.

"We are grateful for the sacrifices made by our employees and all men and women in our nations military," says Jere Harris, chairman and founder of PRG. "We are glad to do what we can to support them while they serve."

"Employers can support their personnel by holding jobs open a

USA - Electronic Stockroom, a leading West Coast consumer electronics distributor specializing in high-end audio and video electronics, today announced they will open a branch serving the Pacific Northwest territory of the United States.

"We are very excited to bring our experience and expertise to this new market," said Glen O'Brien, president of Electronic Stockroom. "We have developed a strong presence in California, Nevada, Arizona and Hawaii and look forward to providing our first-class service to the Pacific Northwest."

Part of the Edge Group of distributors, Electronic Stockroom serves the custom installation and custom home integration markets, addressing the professional integrators' need for 'just-in-time' inventory management by offering on-site and next-day availability of virtually all products they distribute. Some of the premium product lines

USA - Color Kinetics have announced its growing presence in the European market with the appointment of two new distribution partners in the UK. In addition, the company will support the local lighting industry as a new member of the European Lighting Designers Association (ELDA).

Color Kinetics' Q4 2005 revenues from European sales increased 102% year over year, including contributions from the UK market. Color Kinetics' lighting systems are applied in many notable local installations. Most recently they were used to light the beacon atop a 22-story residential tower in London's Tabard Square - allowing it to change colour according to barometric conditions. As the atmospheric pressure changes, the colour of the beacon changes, providing a measurement of weather conditions that is visible for many miles across the city.

Other installations include Plantation Place, Great Ormo

France - GearSourceEurope and Martin Professional France, have officially announced that they have reached agreement to work together, marketing and selling used equipment, which is available from Martin's customer base in France and the Maghreb

Bruno Garros, general director of MPF had realised for some time that he needed to find a partner company to handle an increasing number of requests from clients to assist in selling their used equipment, freeing up vital capital, and allowing them to invest in brand new Martin equipment.

Garros says: "We looked at the market and knew if we were going to refer our customers to someone, we needed to find a partner who could represent us with a high degree of quality and professionalism. GearSourceEurope with their partner in the US, GearSource Inc. have almost four years experience selling used equipment from their highly developed

USA - Building upon the success of its theatrical and entertainment lighting design software, Chicago Stage Equipment, DBA Design and Drafting, released CAD Content, the first ever Visual Shareable Library.

Using Autodesk's advanced i-drop technology CAD Content delivers unbelievable power in an easy to use Visual Library. CAD Content's Visual Library can be shared over a local server or on-line. This advanced power library comes with predefined content, user defined content and online content capabilities. CAD content's on-line path can be modified to control the location that a designer can browse.

CAD Content is a stand-a-lone product and works with AutoCAD, AutoCAD LT or LD Assistant. It speeds up the design process and shortens the overall design times. It is designed for companies and individuals to quickly set up and share design content with their team using on-line an

UK - Video Europe, one of the UK's broadcast hire companies specialising in sporting events, has recently invested in an INNOVASON Sy48 digital mixing console complete with stagebox and several I/O cards supplied by SSE Hire.

SSE's digital systems manager, Richard Willis, stated that Video Europe was delighted with its latest addition to their inventory. "They specifically wanted a small footprint, high performance console capable of handling a full mix for live TV yet that remained compact and lightweight enough for easy transport around the globe. One of their engineers mentioned that INNOVASON might be a good choice, so they approached us for a demo. Once they saw for themselves the amount of processing power housed in such a stripped-down and accessible format, they didn't need any further convincing."

The Sy48's first job was live international cricket coverage

USA - TMB is pleased to announce Lisa Kerwath's promotion to sales manager. Lisa will coordinate global sales with TMB's European general manager, Paul Hartley, and oversee TMB sales operations in the western hemisphere and Asia. Lisa will also help implement a restructuring to accommodate the company's OEM and new architectural divisions.

Kerwath joined TMB in 2001 and is based at the headquarters in Los Angeles. Having worked in TMB's LA, NY and UK offices, Kerwath will help the continued strengthening of TMB's global reach. A native of Georgia, Kerwath represents a tradition of southern hospitality and integrity, qualities that compliment TMB's commitment to friendly and reliable service.

"I am looking ahead," says Kerwath, "TMB's business is more than transactional; it is relationship driven. I intend to maximize our ability to foster and maintain relations

UK - Before the Source Four became the de facto standard fixed-angle profile spotlight, before Selecon discovered that spotlights looked more interesting with an angled back end, there was the Strand Patt 264.

Designed by Fred Bentham, introduced in 1962 and making its first appearance in Richard Pilbrow's lighting design for Lionel Bart's Blitz!, the Patt 264 was a 1kW profile spotlight with a 17° beam angle focused - exactly as with the Source Four - by loosening a focus knob and sliding the lens assembly backwards and forwards. The entire lens tube was mounted with a hinge to the lamphouse, so could be swung open for access to the reflector or lens.

From the outside, the 264's defining feature was the angled lamphouse that pre-tilted the lamp by 30° as it entered the faceted ellipsoidal reflector. Over time, the 264 so established itself in British theatre that the

USA - Eat to the Beat was delighted to work alongside AEG on the inaugural AMGEN Tour of California in February. 16 teams comprising of 127 riders from around the world competed over an eight-day, 700-mile race on a route that passed through the California redwoods, wine country and the Pacific Coast.

Eat to the Beat provided corporate hospitality for the sponsors, press and VIP guests at the start and finish of the race each day. During this period, two teams, one for the 'start' locations and one for the 'finish' locations, the 56 staff prepared and served over 70,000 items of food to more than 9,300 guests in 10 cities at 13 separate events.

Logistically this was a challenging project which involved liaising with different suppliers in each city from San Francisco on day one to Redondo Beach in Los Angeles at the end of the race on day eight. Everything had to be packed up

UK - The people behind the Blue Room online discussion forums have announced the launch of a new service for the entertainment industry. The Blue Room Wiki, it is hoped, will provide the backstage community with an ever-growing knowledge-base of technical know-how. Building on the success of the Blue Room forums, the Wiki will enable forum members to contribute their knowledge in article form to an online encyclopaedia.

The Blue Room now boasts almost 4,000 members, with over 110,000 messages posted since its official launch in January 2003. With over 4.5 million hits each month, the Blue Room has proved very popular. "The introduction of a Wiki is something which we've been working on for a while. We saw that the Blue Room was becoming, in part, a repository for a vast assortment of technical knowledge and advice, and an online encyclopaedia seemed like the next logical st

UK - March 2006 saw the Stardraw.com website deliver more than 100GB of data in a single month for the first time. Marketing director Rob Robinson explains: "We have seen steady growth in the distribution of data relating to all Stardraw products for some time, but it is remarkable that downloads from www.stardraw.com have almost tripled since this time last year. Breaking the 100GB/month mark so soon frankly caught us by surprise - charting the month-on-month trend in 2005 suggested that we wouldn't reach this point until next year."

Stardraw.com has delivered all its products exclusively through its website since January 2002. In addition to the initial installation of long-established design/documentation tools like Stardraw A/V and Stardraw Lighting 2D, users employ the website to download program updates and to access libraries of more than 50,000 high-quality sym

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