UK - In the week the movie was nominated for five Oscars, the UK premiere of award-winning director Quentin Tarantino's latest hit Django Unchained took place in London's Leicester Square.

Premier, who produced the premiere, brought in XL Events to supply the visual elements for the 'red-carpet' arrivals including stars Jamie Foxx, Samuel L Jackson, and Tarantino himself.

The special Django Unchained white carpet spanned the top side of Leicester Square leading to the door of the cinema. Alongside the carpet, XL Events hung six vertical screens each made up of 12 tiles of Pixled's lightweight, high-brightness F-12 LED. The screens displayed images of characters from the movie, as well as spelling out DJANGO.

At the far end of the carpet a stage was situated which was used for celebrity interviews conducted by Alex Zane, host of the Guest List movie show

Theatre News - Adam Kenwright, managing director of West End marketing agency AKA, has predicted that 2013 will be a "massive year" for London theatre with record audiences and box office. His predictions follow the news that West End long-runner The Lion King reported record box office of more than £38m in 2012.

2012 results for the whole of the West End are expected to be confirmed later this month, but already Kenwright has forecast that the next 12 months will be even better. Results for 2011 saw the West End record all-time high box offices of £528m, although attendance fell by 1.7% to 13.9m.

Kenwright told The Stage, "2013 will be a massive year for London and Theatreland in particular - all our analysis, forecasts and experience confirms that the next 12 months will be record-breaking in every sense. In fact, I am confident that

Abu Dhabi - When Gearhouse Broadcast's Projects Solutions Division was awarded the contract to build a series of interconnecting Flyaway Pods, for satellite broadcaster British Sky Broadcasting's coverage of Formula 1 motor racing, they asked Showforce to provide crew for the project.

The Flyaway Pods featured a series of portable cabins linked together, containing the servers, audio facilities and all the technical equipment needed to support the production. Showforce was appointed to assist with the installation and breakdown at some of the more remote and challenging circuits. Initially Showforce utilised their strong presence in the Middle East to deliver quality crew members for the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Following on from the success in Bahrain, Showforce was then asked to assist with the Grand Prixs in India, Abu Dhabi and Brazil. For the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix they were on

UK - Celebrations erupt across the globe as one by one major cities and capitals welcome in the New Year. As the Great Clock of Westminster edges ever closer to midnight the anticipation and expectations of the Mayor of London's New Year's Eve Firework Display grips the awaiting crowd, as quarter of a million revellers line the Thames and her bridges. The amazing eleven minute display of pyrotechnics and lighting brought to an end a historic year for the UK events industry in 2012.

With over a decade of experience in supplying this event, Stage Electrics was again commissioned by the display producer, Jack Morton Worldwide - the global brand experience agency, to supply all the production lighting and crew to help ensure this iconic event's success. Lighting designer Durham Marenghi provided a stunning and original design for the show utilising a myriad high output fixtures from

USA - Bandit Lites has announced the hiring of Andy Reese as the newest technical assistant to its Technical Services Department. Reese will be coordinating with the both the technical services and the sales departments to ensure that all customers (internal and external) get the parts and supplies that they need.

Originally a Knoxville native, Reese received his bachelors of science from Middle Tennessee State University, where he majored in the recording industry with a concentration in music business. He has since relocated to Nashville after working in Tulsa, OK as both an event and operations coordinator for the BOK Center and as the changeover manager for the Ted Constant Convocation Centre.

"I'm excited to be part of the Bandit Lites family," said Reese. "I respect this company and its tradition of quality in products, customer service and care for employ

Germany - An increasing number of modern sound reinforcement systems require real-time monitoring of the loudspeaker lines. This is especially true in the context of evacuation systems, in which long loudspeaker circuits comprising many smaller, high-impedance boxes are often required. The Electro-Voice CPS series and Dynacord DSA series multichannel amplifiers already provide 100-volt-line direct drive operation for these types of loudspeaker circuits but in the past supervision of such Hi-Z lines was not practical due to the high impedance characteristics of the load.

The LML-1 (Loudspeaker Measuring Load) allows the real-time monitoring of loudspeaker lines in Hi-Z sound reinforcement systems. With the LML-1 module, it is now possible, even in large installations - such as those in stadiums or shopping centres - for smaller 100-volt loudspeakers, in entrance areas, lobbies or

USA - Continuing an ongoing research and development cycle, the new ADA8200 features Midas mic preamps, as well as a host of other new and powerful features.

The ADA8200 is a state-of-the-art, eight-channel A/D and D/A converter with eight onboard Midas-designed mic preamps. Users can connect their favourite mics, including studio-grade condensers thanks to built-in true +48 V power, and record directly to a multi-track or computer-based recorder via the built-in ADAT interface. Digital to analog and analog to digital conversion takes place accurately and instantaneously via reference-class Cirrus Logic 24-bit converters, with the user's choice of either 44.1 or 48 kHz resolution.

Connections are provided for balanced XLR and ¼" TRS, as well as unbalanced ¼" TS inputs. Line Out connectors provide either balanced or unbalanced connectivity. Digital I/O is handled vi

Sweden - Wireless Solution Sweden AB has reported its achievements during 2012 and is preparing for "an even stronger future". The company broke its own record with a 50% increase of turnover between 2010 and 2011, and an additional increase between 2011 and 2012, even during a slower economy.

Wireless Solution was nominated the highest ranking of financial strength in 2012 from International Dun & Bradstreet with AAA.

Wireless Solution has invested heavily in a new approval for Russia, being the first company outside Russia that has import approval to Russia as well as an import license, with Russia promising to be a significant market in the future. Wireless Solution is also the first European wireless DMX company that has completed both ETL and C/ETL (similar to UL and C/UL). In addition, the company has been awarded a new patent in USA for Wireless Lighting Contr

Belgium - Allen & Heath has appointed new sales and distribution company, XLR, as its exclusive distributor in Belgium and Luxembourg. A fledgling operation, XLR's team is already well established in the pro audio business as it is owned and run by Louis Lukusa and Jan De Brucker, who previously worked at ASC, Allen & Heath's former distributor for the region.

Louis Lukusa commented, "We are delighted to continue working with A&H, this is a leading brand with a long history of innovative products. We are looking forward to developing a successful business and to ensure customer satisfaction at the very highest levels."

"Louis and Jan have many years of experience in distributing A&H in the Belgian market, and they have established a strong dealer network, which has great confidence in their expertise and skills," explains A&H regional sales manager, Norbert

UK - Crestron UK has announced expansion in Scotland with two new appointments; Alistair Kelly as commercial account manager and Peter Brown as business development manager. They will be key members of Crestron's expanding UK team, based in Scotland.

As commercial account manager Kelly will be supporting reseller partners and training programmes, and provide end users with a dedicated solution for their commercial needs. He joins Crestron with a good knowledge of its products and solutions, having worked for over five years at an AV conferencing distributor. He says "I am looking forward to joining a market leader and such a forward thinking company. In my previous role I was in the AV industry dealing with products for a distributer, so I have a good knowledge of Crestron's solutions and the market. I am looking forward to extending upon this knowledge and developing it fu

USA - Audinate has announced the newest member of the Dante product family: Ultimo. Ultimo is a complete, fully-featured, ready-to-use Dante interface for networked audio products, integrated into a single 13 x 13mm chip. By providing an integrated, cost-effective networked audio solution over a 100Mbps Ethernet interface, Ultimo extends the benefits of Dante networking to a wide new range of audio devices.

As with Audinate's other networked products, Ultimo uses high-quality, low-jitter clocks with ±1?s time alignment between networked devices. Ultimo does not require specialised switches, and works with existing network infrastructure.

Ultimo includes well-established Dante features like automatic device discovery, plug-and-play networking, network-based firmware updates, and customization of device names and channel labels.

"The Ultimo integrated chip solution accel

The Netherlands - As ISE 2013 opened its doors, organiser Integrated Systems Events has announced a further extension of its contract with Amsterdam RAI.

ISE has been located in Amsterdam for eight of its 10 years. Its previous contract with the RAI - one of the world's most successful convention venues - ran until 2016. This has now been extended for a further three years.

"Extending our contract with the RAI provides certainty for all of our event's stakeholders: associations, exhibitors, visitors and press," explains Mike Blackman, managing director, Integrated Systems Events.

"The RAI has invested heavily in infrastructure and facilities over the past two years, and this programme will continue in the future, further enhancing the venue and making it the clear choice for ISE for the foreseeable future."

ISE is also announcing changes to its dates

UK - Prolyte Products UK has expanded its projects team with the appointment of Alex White as trainee project manager.

This development follows Prolyte Group's acquisition of Brilliant Stages in July last year, which consolidated the custom capabilities already established within its special projects division, Litestructures. As envisaged, the two entities have pooled their knowledge and experience to deliver several impressive projects over the past six months. The synergy between the companies has proven to be very successful, with further collaborative ventures already lined up for 2013.

White recently completed a Foundation Degree in Live Events Production from the industry-led training centre Backstage Academy. The graduate has already acquired some valuable experience through working on The X Factor Live Tour 2012 and the Goodwood Festival of Speed, as well as a p

UK - From riggers and tradesmen to specialist stunt teams, Dirty Rigger's new Secutor Utility Belt has drawn much interest from end users and distributors around the world.

The new belt has been designed and engineered with comfort and versatility being paramount. The Secutor Belt features a 5-inch wide padded back, lined with specially selected foam and a breathable mesh for exceptional all-day comfort.

The belt also boasts four fully adjustable and re-positionable D-rings for securing additional attachments and a 2-inch outer belt, designed to work with all Dirty Rigger tool pouches and accessories.

Dirty Rigger's designer Steve Marshall said, "This belt has been months in the making, testing materials and construction variations to enable us to maintain the renowned Dirty Rigger quality and performance.

"From Finland and Austria all the way over to Korea, pre-

Russia - SES Entertainment Services has appointed the Moscow based company Skyfox as its sole distributor for the region. Following a very positive meeting at PLASA, in September, the deal was finally signed in the offices of Skyfox in Moscow, to the satisfaction of both companies.

Gordon Cooper from SES commented, "We are committed to finding quality distributors in several key areas around the globe, and having Skyfox in Moscow fits perfectly with our plans. The company have a very professional approach to the market and offered SES exactly what was required in order to use and distribute our products to a growing audience in this growing marketplace. Skyfox will be exhibiting at the forthcoming Prolight + Sound NAMM show in Moscow, and will be unveiling SES to the Russian marketplace."

SES are currently in early negotiations with companies in two other key areas,

UK - A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET) has announced that Peter Butler has been appointed to their board of directors as audio visual director.

Joining the company in 2003 as audio sales manager, Butler has been instrumental in driving forward and helping to establish the dedicated Audio Division, forging many new associations and relationships with manufacturers and customers along the way, says the company.

In 2011 Butler was appointed as acting video sales manager for AC-ET's Video Division, taking on a range of additional challenges and responsibilities.

Since then, he has played a key role in the expansion of the Video Division, bringing on-board many new video technologies and opening new business opportunities in the fast moving world of show and entertainment 'visuals'.

In his new appointment as audio visual director, Butler will continue to oversee the furth

USA - Three PLASA standards are now in public review. The public review materials for the standards are available at the web address below. The last day to comment for each of them is April 1.

BSR E1.44 - 201x, Common Show File Exchange Format For Entertainment Industry Automation Control Systems - Stage Machinery, defines a common show file format for the exchange of automation control data between control systems by different manufacturers of stage machinery.

BSR E1.45 - 201x, Unidirectional Transport of IEEE 802 data frames over ANSI E1.11 (DMX512-A), defines a minimal method to transport IEEE 802 data frames unidirectionally over ANSI E1.11 physical links using an Alternate START Code. The primary motivation is to allow communication of 802 data to luminaires over an ANSI E1.11 DMX512-A datalink for data transmission from those luminaires using Visible Light Communication,

World - PLASA, the global leader in developing technical standards for the entertainment industry, and the Event Safety Alliance, the emerging voice of event production best practices, are formally announcing their mutual endorsement in the ongoing efforts to raise awareness and use of industry best practices and technical standards throughout live entertainment production.

Lori Rubinstein, PLASA's North American executive director comments, "The ESA's Event Safety Guide will be an important and relevant tool for disseminating the vast array of industry best practices necessary in the successful and safe execution of live events."

Event Safety Alliance executive director Jim Digby comments, "The work of PLASA in the creation of wide reaching, industry technical standards is an absolute necessity in the rapidly changing sector of production protocols. The

USA - The Long Reach Long Riders and The ESTA Foundation will host their annual raffle to benefit Behind the Scenes at the USITT Conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 21-23 March. This year's raffle will celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the Long Reach Long Riders annual charity motorcycle ride. The Riders have raised over $350,000 for charity in their 10 years of touring some of the country's most beautiful areas.

The Behind the Scenes Boutique will also be open for business during the show featuring the new USB LED Ghostlight, an assortment of great Behind the Scenes swag, and the famous Long Reach Long Rider T-shirts and kazoos.

Tickets for the raffle are an affordable $5 each or five for $20 and can be purchased at the Behind the Scenes booth #731 throughout the show. Winning tickets for nine regular prizes and one grand prize will be drawn at 1pm on Saturday, the final day

USA - PLASA has announced the members of the 2013 PERG Council who are responsible for overseeing the activities of the Production Equipment Rental Group which serves the needs of the film and digital community within PLASA. The PERG Council is made up of leading members of that community who donate significant time and resources to shine a light on the challenges and opportunities faced by professional rental companies and focus the collective experience and expertise of members to shape solutions and responses.

Mark Wofford, general manager of Production Consultants & Equipment in Atlanta, was elected chair of the council at their recent meeting in Dallas, TX. Mark commented, "It's important to PC&E to be a part of PERG and the important work that PERG does for the rental industry. The PERG Council is the driving force behind this and to be elected as chair of this group

Keeping Clean - London's National Theatre is one of four historic sites to receive funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund for "wash and brush up" restoration work. It has been granted £2.5m to help enhance the 20th-Century modernist building on London's South Bank. Last year, Arts Council England gave the theatre £17.5m to aid its upgrades. The remaining sites include Rochester Cathedral in Kent, the Carnegie Library in Dunfermline and Victorian mansion house Insole Court in Cardiff. A total of £11m was awarded to the places of cultural interest in England, Scotland and Wales.

Open Air - An amphitheatre is being planned in north London on the site where a 16th century theatre that hosted the premiere of Henry V used to exist. The remains of the Curtain Theatre - which was the base for the Lord Chamberlain's Men before they moved to the G

Czech Republic - A.C. Entertainment Technologies has announced that Ales Grivac will be working with their international sales team as regional sales representative.

A well known figure within the entertainment technology industry, Grivac brings with him over 10 years experience in the business. Based in Czech Republic, he will be travelling extensively to further increase AC-ET's growing presence within the European market, as well as promoting the company's wide range of key and exclusive entertainment technology brands.

Grivac comments, "After taking a couple of years out, I am delighted to be back in the industry and working with such a long established and experienced company. I look forward to catching up with old friends, making new ones, and introducing the wide range of lighting, audio, video and rigging products that AC-ET offer."

AC-ET's Managing Directo

USA - Orlando-based Alcorn McBride is well positioned for growth in international markets. In the past year, Alcorn McBride has restructured distribution in Asia, partnering with Wincomn in China and Hong Kong, Electori in Japan, Sovico in Korea, and several companies in Singapore.

"We anticipate significant growth in the themed entertainment and family entertainment markets in Asia. Our products are uniquely engineered for the those markets so we sought to partner with the most aggressive and well respected distributors in each area," notes Alcorn McBride's sales manager Larry Howard. "We also expect an increase of projects in Europe, the Middle East and Russia and are ramping our presence in those areas as well."

Alcorn McBride's European office in Paris, France has been directed by Henry Corrado of Alcorn McBride s.a.r.l. In 2012 Mr. Corrado expanded his

UK - Star Events Group Ltd has signed a preferred supplier agreement with R.C Robinson Haulage Ltd. These two long standing Bedfordshire based companies have been working together over the past year and chose to formalise what has been a very successful relationship between them for some time. This agreement coincides with significant changes introduced by Cheryl Bowden the new logistics manager at Star Events Group.

After 25 years of running their own trucks, Star Events have made the switch to subcontracting all of their haulage in order to introduce cost savings and efficiencies. Bowden says, "I'm really pleased to have found a local supplier with a strong fleet of vehicles, which not only do the job but look the part too. Robinsons have proved themselves to be extremely professional offering consistently high standards of service over the past year and we're all looking

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