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14 March 2016

The staging of live Olympics screenings and concerts planned for 2012 were not included in the review and the council agreed that an 18-day series of concerts will be held in the park to celebrate the Games and events related to the Queen's Jubilee.

Councillor Audrey Lewis, Westminster Council's Licensing chairman, said, "We have a duty to balance the needs of local residents with the desire of concert organisers to hold events and the compromise that the committ

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14 March 2016

Chambers worked at AV Tech for nine years where he was in charge of the lighting department and managed the crew. In October last year he started freelancing.

"I enjoyed the lighting aspect of a show, the creativity involved," said Gareth. "But I'm looking forward to being in an environment that's a bit more structured."

Meanwhile, DWR Distribution bids farewell to JC Du Plessis who has joined Multi-Media.

(Jim Evans)

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14 March 2016

HSL's business has expanded exponentially over the last four years and the company has completely outgrown the current building in Ribble Business Park and a second adjacent unit that came on stream two years ago.

In the new premises, there will also be room for future expansion into the rest of the space once the initial 165,000sq.ft 'phase one' development is complete.

Features in the new space will include a large technical department, complete with climate controlled test rooms from +85 to minus 20 degrees - including an anechoic chamber (dead room) - to enable the extreme soak testing of all products

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14 March 2016

"I got behind Jason Fritz who was then at Gearhouse, and he and Simon Hampton mentored me," recalls Barnes. "I obviously learned all I could about lighting, rigging and power. Offer Lapid was really good to me as was Stuart Andrews, who was the branch manager at the time."

Barnes then took a sales position at Electronic SA Durban Branch where he stayed for close to two years.

(Jim Evans)

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14 March 2016

Following an extensive £5m restoration project, Newcastle's Theatre Royal reopened its doors to the public on Monday 12 September 2011. The complex renovation drew on all aspects of the Charcoalblue team's theatrical expertise as Woodley explains, "The scope of the restoration for this Grade I listed theatre was particularly ambitious. It included complete internal rede

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14 March 2016

Organised by the STLD, ALD and Clay Paky, KOI is the only industry event that celebrates the outstanding creative achievements of lighting designers working in the sectors of Television, Theatre and Rock. At the same time it forges closer ties between the world of lighting design and the lighting industry as a whole.

Each sector is assessed by its own panel of industry experts and breaks down into a number of categories:

Television - Light Entertainment, Drama, Small Studio and Events

Rock - Stage events, Arena events and Eco Innovation

Theatre - Dance, Opera, Play and Musicals

Already nominations are flowing in from lighting designers, service providers, production managers, technicians, TV fans,

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14 March 2016

Nashville is the latest event to be launched under the PLASA Focus banner, and follows the popular PLASA Focus: Austin, to be held February 22-23 in Texas. The show will run prior to the annual Summer NAMM event, bringing together industry professionals from around the world.

Modelled after PLASA Focus: Leeds (UK), which topped 2000 visitors and broke previous attendance records in its third year, the PLASA Focus series of events in North America will bring regional entertainment technology communities together to do business and network in a relaxed and friendly setting.

Each two-day PLASA Focus show is free to registered visitors, and a unique inclusive hard wall booth package - includin

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14 March 2016

Instigated by Kirsten Eicher and originally operating from an office and small workshop storing and dispatching a small product range, Look Solutions soon found it necessary to move in into its own large premises in Ronnenberg/Hannover. Now, with distributors in more than 31 countries and a subsidiary in the US, Look Solutions is a truly global company.

Part of its success is derived from the close working relationship between the production, consultation & sales and service departments which all share the same premises. "This enables fast and constant communication creating the ideal conditions for the development of innovative products, allowing the designers to respond quickly to cus

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14 March 2016

Manager Scott Clarke commented, "This eagerly awaited move will help The Hire Co. to deliver an even more efficient service to our hire and conference customers. Last year saw us service a record number of events, producing record turnover. This has seen continued investment in more equipment, the latest delivery of our new 16,000 ANSI lumens Panasonic PT-EX16 Projectors, pushing our old unit to breaking point.

"Whereas parking and loading in our old premises was a chore, this is not the case at Chris

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14 March 2016

All previous PLASA Show visitors have been sent this special offer via email, and free registration for new visitors is live at www.plasashow.com

(Claire Beeson)

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14 March 2016

The Conference will bring together professionals from the Creative and Cultural industries from all over the UK, to discuss how to work better in collaboration with young people and education, and explore the real return on investment in skills, and what impact this is having on the sector. John Hayes MP (Minister of State for Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning) will be the keynote speaker, and he will be joined by some of the most influential figures from the creative and cultural se

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14 March 2016

The one-day course is one of a few approved by The Association of Stage Pyrotechnicians and completion of the course will assist with membership of the association, by allowing one year's free membership upon joining.

The course, which provides an overview of different pyrotechnic devices, their uses and the relevant health and safety, is delivered at Backstage Academy in Wakefield, West Yorkshire. The day culminates in students helping to produce a pyrotechnics display in the LS-Live studio, a 17,500sq.ft space that is normally used for the production rehearsals of internationally recognised touring artists.

Backstage Academy will also be running the following courses in March: ProTools 101 course - 5 March; Vivien Basic - 15 March; Vivien Advanced - 16 Mar

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14 March 2016

Anarchy In The UK - The Sex Pistols have signed a record deal with Universal, it has been announced. An "expanded and repackaged edition"

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14 March 2016

Their mission? To raise as much money as possible for industry charity The Theatrical Guild (TTG), the only charity dedicated to looking after the interests of backstage and Front of House personnel.

"2012 marks the third First Night Riders event and we're hoping to make it the most successful and fun ride yet," says organiser David Edelstein, who is a keen biker and managing director of stage engineering company Triple E. "It's important that we value the help charities like The Theatrical Guild provide. TTG is the only charity in the UK available to anyone who works, or has worked in theatre - backstage or front of hou

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14 March 2016

This Developers Conference aims to provide a European forum for manufacturers, designers, consultants and prospective users; and to ensure that the adoption of these new standards achieves desired levels of interoperability and reliability.

The "Plugfest" is a hands-on opportunity for product developers to try their products and code implementations with products from a variety of other manufacturers, with support from their industry peers in an environment that encourages co-operation and improved understanding of the standards, and with the aim of achieving high levels of interoperability.

Typically, engineers participate in these ev

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14 March 2016

Established in the summer of 1982 as a provider of cutting-edge lighting and sound systems to the entertainment sector, the South Wales-based organisation has grown extensively over the last three decades and now encompasses Vaughan Sound, Lighting Technology Projects and Link AV within the PAI Group.

"Following the expansion into the group of four businesses specialising in the design, installation and service of sound, lighting and audio-visual equipment, we are proud to have administered, supported and nurtured one of the industry's most proficient teams," says the company.

"We'll be marking the 30 year milestone on our brand new website and our social media accounts, where we will be tak

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14 March 2016

Among the new products making their debuts at Focus Austin were: the MAC III AirFX luminaire and M2GO and M2PC consoles, launched by Martin Professional; along with the DLV Digital Light, and TechnoArc automated luminaire, both from High End Systems.

The Professional Development Program was a major attraction with substantial audiences for sessions that ranged from Demystifying Audio to Austin City Limits Live!.

CEO of PLASA Matthew Griffiths, commented, "Exhibitors have been enthusing about the high quality of visitors and th

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14 March 2016

Hutchison has been contributing marketing and technical copy for CAST Software as their social media manager since early 2009, in addition to writing various articles for the company's newsletter, The Plan.

"I'm beyond thrilled to be leading the amazing development team at CAST," says Hutchison. "I've been a wysiwyg User since Release 4, and I don't think that there is a design I haven't created in wysiwyg since the early part of this century! I love the products, I love the teams, and I love talking to our Users about how wysiwyg wo

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14 March 2016

Created by co-founders Paule Constable and Sarah Rushton-Read, WiSE aims to increase the visibility of women in the stage entertainment industry, and provides a dynamic forum for members to share information, opportunities and support. This year WiSE is taking on more educational initiatives to inspire young women to enter technical theatre.

The seminar, held at 12:30pm on Friday, is just the start for WiSE. It will feature women currently working in the in

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14 March 2016

Old News - Engelbert Humperdinck is to represent the UK at this

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14 March 2016

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14 March 2016

The winners of these prestigious awards will be announced on Monday 10 September at 6pm in a special ceremony in the PLASA Bar, in EC1. As well as accolades for product development, the 2012 Gottelier Award winner will be announced, recognizing one individual's outstanding contribution to the industry. All visitors are invited to join us in toasting the winners and congratulating their hard work.

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14 March 2016

Candidates for the People's Choice Award 2012 will also be on display, and you can vote for the entertainment technology you feel is making inroads into improved environmental sustainability.

Check the seminar programme for details of our report launches - 'Conference 12: Delivering Sustainable Theatres' and 'Evaluating Ecovenue'. You can also find out how you can support the Trust's work as the National Advisory Public Body for theatres in the UK.

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14 March 2016