USA - The first annual Rock Our World Awards were presented at ESTA's Annual Dinner on 23 October, the evening before the LDI show. These awards, which recognise groundbreaking achievement by ESTA Members in new products, product applications, or projects were created to acknowledge the genius of both the creator of technology and the designer or integrator who applies the technology in a real world environment.

Over 30 nominations were received from across the industry and these were narrowed down to a shortlist of nine finalists for the panel of judges to ponder upon. The judges for this year's awards were Rick Baxter, Ken Billington, Cory Fitzgerald, Elaine J. McCarthy, Rocky Paulson, and Bruce Rodgers.

The judges panel was chaired by Mike Wood, who said prior to announcing the winners: "We wanted to create an award series that had no rules except for excitement

UK - O2 and Live Nation/AMG have announced a strategic alliance to launch O2 Academy venues across the UK, which are majority owned by Live Nation alongside fellow shareholders, leading UK concert promoters, Metropolis Music and SJM Concerts. The alliance will boost support for future music talent and enhance the music experience for fans visiting the venues as well as allow O2 to offer a number of benefits for its customers, says a statement issued this morning.

From 1 January 2009, the 11 AMG venues will be renamed O2 Academy. O2 customers will gain priority access to tickets to all gigs at the venues, as well as other Live Nation events across the country. In total, O2 customers will gain special access to as many as 4,000 Live Nation produced shows a year in the UK up to 48 hours before they go on general sale.

"Our customers tell us that they really value having pri

USA - Dan Erickson of General Communications was recently named NSCA University's Educator of the Year. Erickson received NSCA's top education award based on student feedback from his course, Networking Issues that Impact AV Integrators and Designers which he taught for the College of System Design during NSCA University at InfoComm 08.

Winners are determined based on evaluations completed by students participating in NSCA University courses. Instructors are evaluated on areas such as topic knowledge, engagement with students, and topic relevance. NSCA will recognise the 2008 recipients at the annual NSCA Member Meeting and Industry Forum as well as the President's Reception at InfoComm 09.

Additionally, individual Instructors of the Year were awarded for each college within the University. Recipients include: Karl Rosenberg, Extron Electronics, David Marsh, Pelton Mars

UK - Following a successful first six months, the Showsec Academy welcomes its second intake of Associates this November.

The Showsec Academy was launched in March 2008, becoming the UK's first training programme specifically produced to offer a combined theoretical and vocational course for event security professionals. The year-long programme creates a much needed progressive, operational career path within the crowd management industry, developing the knowledge, skills and experience required to become an effective operational manager.

Joining the academy are Catherine Wells, Andrew Thorn and Katie Valkovics, currently working for Showsec, Gemma Harvey and Neilesh Patel, who have previous security experience, and Simon Howard coming from the events management industry.

Keith Hackett, Academy project manager said: "We saw some strong candidates and the six selected be

USA - James Cowan, president of Neutrik USA, died on 5 November from cancer at the age of 52. He worked for Neutrik for 20 years, starting out as general manager, then vice president and was named president in March of 2000 and was well-known and widely liked by the pro audio industry. He will be greatly missed.

Prior to joining Neutrik, Cowan held various positions with such companies as Texas Instruments, Panduit Corp. and Dialight-Kulka-Smith. He received a bachelor of science in marketing and economics as well as a master's degree in marketing from Monmouth University in New Jersey.

Beyond those organisations with ties to the professional audio community, he was a philanthropic benefactor to organisations such as Oceans of Love, which provides help for children with cancer, ALS Association (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, aka Lou Gehrig's Disease), the Food Bank of New Jers

Epic News: A stage production of Ben-Hur is to open next year in London's O2 Arena, marking the movie's 50th anniversary. The highlight of the show, about the life and destiny of the Jewish prince, will include the famous chariot scene. The production will require 400 performers and 100 animals including horses, donkeys, chickens and eagles.

Creator Franz Abraham said the show would have a "high level of artistry that would excite the audience". He added: "The show will have the speed of a musical, the depth of great theatre, the power of a rock concert and the visual opulence of a Hollywood blockbuster."

The thoroughbred horses will undergo 12 months of intensive training with a team of trainers and charioteers. A combination of light, sound, water, wind and pyrotechnic effects will also be used. Tickets for the new production will go on sale on 14

USA - ESTA (the Entertainment Services and Technology Association) reports that the 2008 Eva Swan Award was presented to Tim Hansen, for his exceptional service to the Association over many years. The award was presented at ESTA's Annual Dinner on in Las Vegas.

The award was presented by 2005 Swan recipient, Wally Blount, who had worked closely with Hansen in several areas, including the development of the Entertainment Technician Certification Programme (ETCP"I am honoured to be the 2008 recipient of the Eva Swan Award," commented Hansen. "To receive this recognition from your peers is truly a special honour. Everyone who has helped and supported me over the years, especially everyone at Oasis Stage Werks, also deserves a piece of the award. Thank you to ESTA for this very special award. It will always be the high point of my career, but certainly not the end poi

UK - The Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Games dominated the second SportBusiness Sports Event Management Awards, presented at a gala dinner in London on the 12 November 2008.

Creative Technology received a Gold Award for its contribution to the spectacular Opening Ceremony which became the hallmark of the Games.

Working closely with the Beijing Organising Committee Ceremonies team, CT developed, designed and delivered the complex processing and switching requirements used on the dramatic video LED floor and scrolls, one of the pivotal elements during the 2008 opener.

Dave Crump, managing director, Creative Technology London, comments: "Being recognised by industry peers is the highest compliment it also sends such a wonderful message to our dedicated team, who I know work tirelessly to deliver such complex projects."

(Jim Evans)

Light on the wind - Artists are lighting up London's South Bank with 1200 wind-powered lights as part of a digital arts festival. The Aeolian tower - which means moved by the wind - is a 15m steel structure located next to Waterloo Bridge. The tower is covered with hundreds of tiny wind-powered LEDs. Each one is made up of a plastic turbine, control circuits and three red LEDs. The designers aim to show how renewable energy can be used to power sustainable art and design. As wind blows over the tower, swirling patterns of light reveal the strength and direction of the breeze. "We want to visualize the invisible, making people realize that there's a lot of energy out there that we're not using," said Zena Bruges from Jason Bruges Studio, which designed the tower.

No Knebworth - Coldplay say they won't be playing a one-off gig in the grounds of Knebworth House in

UK - Skins 3 is coming to e4 soon, and the programme's creators are looking for some bright young things to help them with a very special project. They'll be creating an online mini-episode of Skins that will feature some of the series 3 cast - and four very important behind the scenes roles still need to be filled.

The producers are looking for a writer, director, costume designer and production designer to join the team. No experience is necessary as the Skins creators will be mentoring the winners and providing support. Not only that - they get to join the set of series 3 for paid work experience. The mini episode will be screened online in 2009.

Entrants need to be between 18 and 23 years old and the closing date for all four competitions is Tuesday December 9th at 6pm.Directors: Skins are giving one budding director the opportunity to ge

UK - Stage Electrics has launched its new and improved website. The new site has been designed with a clear and easy to navigate style which is more customer focused and user friendly.

New additions to the site (www.stage-electrics.co.uk) include case studies detailing the range of completed Stage Electrics projects from educational installations to West End shows. There is a new look web shop with over 4,500 items available.

(Jim Evans)

New Zealand - Selecon has launched launch a completely redesigned website (www.seleconlight.com ).

Navigation around the wide range of product information and support together with the extensive technical and educational resources that the site contains has been made simpler and easier, says the company.

New back-end enhancements allow for a more flexible operation of the Selecon site with a new 'search' function on products by either family name or luminaire type via the Support section in the main menu bar. This function is a one-click way to pull a quick overview, lighting calculator, specifications, downloads, related products and accessories together in one place for the product which is of interest.

(Jim Evans)

UK - Lamplighters Limited has appointed Shelley Davies as sales co-ordinator to assist in the future development of both sales and office procedures within the company.

(Jim Evans)

UK - German searchlight and large lightsource specialist A&O Technology has opened a UK rental operation to compliment its facilities in Europe, the US and the Middle East.

A&O UK's warehouse will carry an extensive stock of its Falcon Architectural and Entertainment product ranges, and will be based in Blackburn, Lancashire, with easy transport links to all the UK and Ireland. A London office is scheduled to be announced, to provide a central administrative base for the new venture.

HSL will provide service and technical support. HSL currently holds the largest stock of A&O's Falcon range fixtures in the country, and has worked extensively with this technology for the last three years.

Marco Niedermeier, MD of A&O says: "This is a perfect opportunity to strengthen our worldwide business and commercial network. It will allow us to continue expanding the continuity of se

In and out of court - The legal dispute over a music contract between Michael Jackson and an Arab sheikh has ended with an "amicable settlement", their lawyers have said. Jackson had been due to fly in to give evidence at the High Court before an agreement in principle was reached. The King of Bahrain's son, Sheikh Abdulla Bin Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa, was suing Jackson for £4.7m, claiming he reneged on a music contract.

The court was told on Monday that the agreement would remain confidential. Bankim Thanki QC, for the sheikh, told the judge: "We are very pleased to announce an amicable settlement has been reached on confidential terms." Lawyers for both sides then went into conference before releasing a joint statement which simply said: "They wish each other well in their own respective endeavours." Leaving the High Court on Monday, a spoke

UK - LSI Online has learned the sad news of the death of Robert Ornbo, one of the most prolific lighting designers of the 20th Century. Here, his friend and colleague Richard Pilbrow remembers Robert's career:

Robert Ornbo was a brilliant and prolific lighting designer, whose work on over 300 productions ranged across drama, musicals, opera and ballet to events such as the Edinburgh Tattoo, the Royal Tournament, the naming ceremonies of ocean-going liners and events at Buckingham Place for the Royal Family. His influence has had a profound impact on theatrical lighting over the last 50 years.

Robert was the first lighting designer to join Richard Pilbrow in the fledgling company Theatre Projects in 1960 and he became managing director of Theatre Projects Lighting during its heyday when its team of lighting designers, who included Robert Bryan, John B. Read, David Hersey and An

Australia - The Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association (CEDIA), organiser of CEDIA Expo, and Exhibitions & Trade Fairs, (ETF) the organiser of ENTECH Expo, have announced a co-operation agreement between their organisations.

In a joint statement, CEDIA executive director Stephen Miller and ETF managing director, Matthew Walton said: "Our announcement today is just the start of an ongoing relationship between our two organisations. With merging technologies meaning products and technologies are used across a wider range of applications plus a changing landscape in the way many of our stakeholders conduct their businesses we saw a great opportunity to add value to the industry and our events by working closer together."

The first phase of the relationship will see co-operation and cross promotion between the CEDIA Expo in July 2009 and ENTECH Expo in Febr

UK - 5 November saw the inaugural TAO Awards, designed to celebrate the hard work and expertise of the day to day crews that make an event happen. Held at The Apartments in Wiltshire, England, the awards credited those who have shown exemplary work on TAO Groups events over the previous 12 months.

TAO Group's Andy Cotton said: "There are a number of superb awards events in the calendar including the TPi Awards, NOEA Awards and the TESA Event Awards, some of which we as a company have been honoured to win. The idea of these awards was to recognise the work of the stage builders, truck drivers, humpers and all the other disciplines required to make an event happen. We wanted to award the 'blood, sweat and tears' of the workers on TAO events as opposed to the companies, as without these people events don't happen."

The awards were hosted by Ian Sandy and presented by va

UK - Showsec was the official security partner at this November's international Sports Event Management Conference and Sports Security Summit two day event. Six Showsec staff from the London office secured the conference area within the Novotel St Pancras (London) throughout the two day conference.

Managing Director, Mark Harding, spoke to the prestigious audience on the second day of the event, focusing on the critical issues around training in the UK. Speaking alongside the BSIA's Olympic 2012 project director David Evans, Harding focused on the potential benefits and pitfalls for the UK security industry presented by the 2012 London Olympics.

Harding stated: "The security industry contains a lot of experienced, qualified professionals and it should be those people driving the agenda towards the Games. The training programmes and qualifications infrastructure for the Ga

International Update - A Live Earth concert scheduled to take place in Mumbai on 7 December has been called off in the wake of last week's terror attacks. Bon Jovi and Pink Floyd's Roger Waters were among the artists scheduled to appear at the event, intended to raise awareness of climate change. "We will continue to work for solutions to the climate crisis for the good of the people of India," said organisers. "But for now, our thoughts are with the victims of this terrible attack."

Events in South East Asia also saw the cancellation of another concert due to be held in Bangkok over the weekend. The Bangkok 100 Rock Festival, scheduled for 29 and 30 November in the Thai city, was to have featured appearances by Manic Street Preachers, Ash and US band Hoobastank. The announcement follows demonstrations at Bangkok's international and domestic airports t

UK - Stage Electrics is hosting a Freelancer Day at RADA's Gielgud Studio on Monday 12 January 2009. The programme, tailored to be of special interest to freelancers in the industry, will be an informal day of stimulating topical presentations, along with the opportunity to network.

Those attending will get to see presentations on Video Integration and how it will affect the Industry; Health & Safety for Freelancers; Finance for Freelancers; Sound Reinforcement - Developing Technologies and Current Trends and a special session on The Benefits of PLASA Membership.

To tie in with this, there will also be an exclusive PLASA Membership offer on the day. Any freelancer who signs up to become a member of PLASA will have the advantage of Stage Electrics contributing the first £40 of their annual membership fee - equating to a third off. In addition, PLASA has pledged to waive t

UK - The Arcola Theatre was honoured at the Growing Business Awards in London on 27 November, jointly winning the Green Award for commitment to sustainability. The awards - run by Real Business magazine and the CBI - are designed to recognize innovation and entrepreneurial spirit amongst Britain's business community.

The theatre, which is run by Mehmet Ergen, Leyla Nazli and Dr Ben Todd, aims to be the world's first carbon neutral theatre. The installation of a fuel cell in February 2008 made the venue the first in the world to power its main house shows and bar/café on hydrogen.

Other winners of Growing Business Awards include several household names. Will King, founder of King of Shaves, collected the Company of the Year award. Judges felt that King's men's grooming brand had proved that constant innovation was the key to continued growth. This year, the company he se

UK - The Government has reaffirmed its commitment to developing the nation's skills with the launch of an innovative new trial to develop Apprenticeship Expansion Programmes aimed at increasing current apprenticeship numbers to fill existing skills gaps. The trials, delivered through the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) will provide participating employers with access to funds of more than £10 million over the next three years, in a bid to increase the number of available Apprenticeship vacancies.

The Apprenticeship Expansion Programme trials will provide extra funding to employers who are currently running high quality Apprenticeships. It aims to develop and test models which will allow employers to recruit and train additional apprentices. The trials will help the apprentices secure employment with employers in the supply chain or elsewhere in the wider sector. This exp

Eurovision Update - Sir Terry Wogan is stepping down as commentator on the Eurovision Song Contest after three decades. Fellow Irishman Graham Norton will take over for the 2009 contest, which will be hosted in Moscow. Veteran presenter Wogan, 70, cast doubt on whether he would be involved in covering the event again following this year's contest. He said it was "no longer a music contest" and that prospects for western European participants were "poor".

The show has suffered from accusations of block voting, which was blamed by some for leaving Britain's 2008 contestant, Andy Abraham, with only 14 points. Wogan said, "I've had 35 wonderful years commentating on the Eurovision for radio and television. From my first, in a small musichall in Dublin, to my last, in the huge arena in Belgrade, it has been nothing but laughter and fun... The silly songs, the

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