South Africa - Celebrating the best South African companies, their products and services as well as the people behind them, the South African Premier Business Awards was hosted in The Pavilion venue at the Sandton Convention Centre in March this year.

Keystone Productions were asked by their client Outlaw, to design the set and provide the technical for this lavish black-tie affair. MGG Productions assisted with the supply of lighting gear, while the set was constructed by Stage Works. Mark West was the Choreographer and Cap Events the creative director.

With a distinct African flavour, the awards embraced performances by the 26 piece Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Zahara, The Three Afro Tenors and three sets by the theatre production, Africa Umoja.

The set had a clean and unpretentious feel with vinyl covering arch like structures which served as a canvas on which to

UAE - Celebrating 25 years in the Middle East, Nicolas Kyvernitis Electronics Enterprises has recently established a new free zone entity under the title NMK Middle East FZCO. The mission of the new entity is to "continue the success of the professional audio, video and communications distributor across the Middle East and surrounding region". NMK Middle East FZCO will continue to maintain and build relationships with system integrators, rental companies, broadcast integrators and broadcasters for a wide range of manufacturers.

The free zone entity will facilitate the new distribution arrangements that NMK have obtained in the past few months which include representation of Neutrik across the GCC (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Oman) as well as Iraq and Iran. In addition, there will be other new distribution arrangements annou

Grand Opera - Russia's Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg has opened a new ballet and opera house with a gala ceremony attended by 2,000 guests. The new building sits beside the historic 19th-Century Mariinsky Theatre, the birthplace of ballets such as Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty.

At $700m (£450.5m), it has divided opinion, with some criticising the modernist architecture and cost. President Vladimir Putin said it had "everything you need for a theatre". Addressing guests, Mr Putin paid tribute to the "boundless energy" of the theatre's ambitious director Valery Gergiev, whose 60th birthday coincided with the opening night.

Hop Farm Cancelled - The Hop Farm music festival has announced the cancellation of this year's event because of poor ticket sales. The festival had been due to take place in Kent on 5-6 July. It was due to be hea

UK - PLASA returns to 195 Piccadilly - the iconic home of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) - on Thursday 30 May for its 2013 European AGM. Over 200 members and guests are anticipated at the event, which will include a review of the achievements of the last 12 months and an outline of PLASA's aims for future development.

The AGM is of great significance to the Association and the ideal occasion for every member to ensure that his or her voice is heard. It is this feedback that enables PLASA to react positively to the changes and challenges that members face in order to act effectively on their behalf.

Important decisions were made through 2012 to support and safeguard PLASA's future including moving the PLASA Show to Excel London, investing in new software which will provide members with new self-service features and enable much easier participation in As

UK - Stage Electrics has announced a management buy-out (MBO) of the business from the estate of David Whitehead. The MBO was fully supported and agreed by David Whitehead prior to his stepping down from the role of managing director in May 2012 as a way to position Stage Electrics for future growth and security, the company says. David Whitehead sadly passed away in February 2013 after a courageous fight against cancer.

The new shareholders - Trevor Smallwood, Dan Aldridge, Bob Smith, James Irvine, Anna Western, Adam Blaxill, Adrian Searle and Ian Tregaskis - combine considerable business experience with a strong knowledge of the entertainment technology industry. Under the new ownership structure, Trevor Smallwood will continue as chairman of the board and the company's executive directors remain unchanged.

Dan Aldridge commented: "Stage Electrics is in a solid position

UK - As an industry leader in advanced technology flooring for dance, the performing arts and display, Harlequin also offers a range of accessories including portable, freestanding or wall-mounted ballet barres to suit every client's budget and demands.

The ballet barre is essential for warm-up and stretching exercises and plays a crucial part in a dancer's fitness regime. Both professional and amateurs can minimise the risk of injury by stretching properly to increase blood-flow to the muscles and improve flexibility whilst achieving an elegant stance.

"Whether you choose Harlequin's portable freestanding or permanent wall-mounted ballet barres, you'll realise they are almost a prerequisite for any dancer," says the company. "Comfortable and sturdy freestanding ballet barres are available in a beech or smooth silver aluminium finish and a range of sizes while s

UK - IAG UK - parent company of Wharfedale Pro and SurgeX as well as a range of quality British HiFi brands including Audiolab, Castle, Mission , Quad and Wharfedale - is relocating its separate sales and service centres from their current buildings in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, to an all-new, purpose-built complex, incorporating UK operations, to be combined under one roof for the first time. Warehousing and distribution will continue to operate from the existing 59,000sq ft Bradford premises.

Wholly owned by IAG, the new facility is almost twice the size of the existing office and service buildings combined - 16,300sq ft, compared to 9,200sq ft. Its purpose is to enable greater efficiency and allow future expansion, illustrating IAG's commitment to Europe and in particular the UK. "All IAGUK customers benefit from localised stock availability, service and spare parts whi

USA - Besides their corporate headquarters in southern California, MannKind Pharmaceuticals maintains two other campuses, including their technical operations team, located in Danbury, CT. It's a busy campus, hosting several hundred employees involved in the company's manufacturing, engineering, and quality assurance divisions.

The campus' central meeting point is a large, multipurpose room used for everything from lunches to corporate meetings and all types of presentations. It's a bright, airy, and welcoming space, but as Richard Trombitas of New York-based Cardone, Solomon and Associates explains, the room has long been an acoustical challenge.

"It's a really nice looking space, but not great for spoken word intelligibility," says Trombitas. "It's got a fairly high ceiling, a wall of windows, and lots of reflective surfaces."

Colortone AV's Joe Lemisch

UK / Belgium - Tourmanagement.com is a new online tool for bands on the road, developed by touring professionals. Two months after its release, already 500 people are successfully using the site to internally communicate vital information between their crew and band members, managers, labels, promoters and PR companies about their tour, say the site owners. The system will be introduced during The Great Escape convention, 16-18 May in Brighton

Tourmanagement.com is a web-based application for touring bands where you "centralise every bit of information about a tour so band and crew members can follow and manage their calendars and access crucial information from wherever they are".

The service was founded by Roeland Veugelen, tour manager of Belgian singer songwriter Milow. "I was constantly updating people about the current situation of the tour; where we were

Best of British - Coldplay are to receive the best British act award at this year's Nordoff Robbins O2 Silver Clef Awards. The group have sold more than 60m records, had five number one albums and won several awards including eight Brit awards and seven Grammys. Frontman Chris Martin said receiving the Silver Clef prize meant a "huge amount" to the band. "Nordoff Robbins is an organisation that lies very close to our hearts," he said. "They provide life-changing music therapy for thousands of people each year and we're humbled to collect this award in their honour." The band will receive their prize at a London ceremony on 28 June.

The annual Silver Clef awards honour artists from across the music industry, while raising money for the music therapy charity. Nordoff Robbins chairman David Munns said Coldplay were most deserving of the award. "Co

Sweden - PLASA's first ever networking event in Scandinavia, PLASA Focus: Backstage Malmö, was a huge success, with over 240 delegates attending from across Scandinavia and northern Europe.

Devised in conjunction with technical director Ola Melzig and the production team behind this year's Eurovision, this unique event aimed to combine unprecedented backstage access with seminars, Q&A sessions with key members of the production team and a technology showcase to highlight the cutting-edge sound, lighting, projection, video and control systems in use on a show which will have a television audience in excess of 100m people.

After the event, Melzig said, "What a success! All partners and visitors I've talked with are super happy about the quality of this show, and its visitors. It was really great to share the experience and show what is going on backstage to so many peo

UK - Robe is sponsoring a student bursary run by London, UK based lighting designer Simon Brockwell of design practice SBLD, that will enable him to take a lighting design assistant to work alongside him for the upcoming 2013 Vivid Sydney Festival of Light Music & Ideas in Australia.

Brockwell is presenting his interactive Nocturnal Pianola lighting installation and concept.

Robe's relationship with Brockwell goes back to when he was a lighting design / programming student at Rose Bruford College in Kent. When Nocturnal Pianola was selected as one of the works to be exhibited at the festival, he approached Robe to see if they were interested in getting involved in Vivid.

"Robe has never been about pushing the product - their emphasis is definitely on relationships," comments Brockwell. "As a lighting graduate, I know the importance of students to

USA - The nomination period for the 6th Annual Rock Our World awards, presented by PLASA, is open from 20 May 2013 through 21 June 2013. An opportunity for industry members to celebrate what makes them proud to be a part of this industry - the Rock Our World awards recognize the genius of creators, designers and integrators. These awards focus on what makes new products, product applications or projects revolutionary, not just evolutionary.

As in previous years, anyone may nominate a project, product or product application with a PLASA member involved in a significant role as designer, manufacturer, supplier or collaborator. Nominations for the 2013 awards must have been available in the market or premiered between 1 October 2011 and 21 June 2013 and must not have been previously nominated.

A panel of well-respected industry experts will serve as this year's judges and finalis

Band Aid - The PRS for Music Foundation and the Arts Council England have announced a new grant to help new bands and artists. The Momentum Music Fund is a two-year programme which launched last Friday. It will award grants of between £5,000 and £15,000 to help develop careers. Musicians are expected to come up with a business plan and to also have progressed to a certain point in their career before they will be considered for the award.

Vanessa Reed, chief executive of the PRS for Music Foundation, says this is not a "cash hand out". She says: "Momentum is a breakthrough moment for music in England, where it's now harder than in many other parts of the world for talented artists to access finance."

Something In The Air - An opera featuring a string quartet performing in four airborne helicopters, a dancing camel and 150 performers that

UK - The Knight of Illumination Awards has revealed details of this year's much anticipated glittering ceremony in London.

For the first time London ExCel's Platinum Suite will host the KOI Awards. The event will kick off at 18:30 on Sunday 6 October to allow plenty of time for networking between old friends and colleagues. As is traditional the Awards coincide with the opening day of PLASA London, which also takes place at ExCel for the first time this year.

"Last year, hundreds of top creative lighting professionals donned their finery and put on their dancing shoes to celebrate the outstanding creative achievements of lighting designers working on productions in the UK," says Pio Nahum, chief commercial officer for Clay Paky. "This year's KOI Awards have already seen a record number of submissions, so we will be showcasing an incredibly high level of talent f

Free Theatre - Jersey Boys and Les Miserables have been announced as shows performing free songs to the public to coincide with 350 years of West End theatre. West End Live - the annual festival of musical and theatre, now in its ninth year - will be staged in Trafalgar Square on 22 and 23 June. Performances will coincide with 350 years since a theatre was built on the site of Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. Sir Tim Rice's new musical From Here to Eternity will be previewed at the show.

West End Live, organised by Westminster City Council and the Society of London Theatre, attracted over half a million people last year. London Mayor Boris Johnson said, "West End Live brings the roar of the greasepaint to the heart of the capital and all for free. From curtain up, to the encore, London Theatreland is unbeatable and this is a fabulous way

UK - MediaCityUK-based media services provider, dock10, has formalised the appointment of technical support firm Gallowglass to fulfil the vast majority of its labour requirements at The Studios - the studio complex at the heart of MediaCityUK.

One of the largest television studios in the UK and home to the BBC and, progressively, ITV, the new complex offers the largest high definition facilities in Europe. Operated by dock10, The Studios contain seven HDTV studios, two audio studios, digital post production cloud media management services.

Gallowglass will provide a workforce of technical support staff, including carpenters, scenic artists, gaffers and stage-hands, to work at The Studios - and also at production base The Pie Factory, home to three large sound stages, and location for a wide range of productions, from feature films to sofa commercials.

Gallowglass regional m

Czech Republic - In 2013, the Showlight Conference was staged in the Czech Republic for the first time, at Cesky Krumlov and with Robe Lighting as the main sponsor.

Nearly 400 visitors embraced the mediaeval town for the three days to enjoy a lively mix of presentations by industry professionals working in all areas of lighting and visuals plus networking opportunities as well as getting a taste of life in and around Cesky Krumlov.

Various fact-finding and sightseeing visits were an integral part of the conference itinerary, allowing delegates to see some of the local commerce and business activities first hand.

This included a tour of the city's famous Baroque Theatre complete with original wooden and rope stage machinery, and other specially arranged visits encompassed pencil and cosmetics factories and a graphite mine.The visit programme also took in the Mestske Theatre,

Glastonbury Countdown - The BBC has said it is having "ongoing conversations" with the Rolling Stones over how much of their Glastonbury performance can be broadcast on TV. Press reports suggested the band had refused to let their full set be aired. "Discussions with artists are business as usual for this stage of our festival planning," a BBC spokesperson said.

Speaking to The Independent, the BBC's head of music television Mark Cooper said the rock legends were "nervous about how much they should share". The Stones, he told the paper, were "stepping out of their comfort zone". He added: "At this point, I'm quite optimistic we'll get a sufficient amount of music." The BBC statement said: "We're confident that we'll be able to deliver fantastic coverage of this year's amazing Glastonbury line-up." The Rolling Sto

UK - Based on a vast site in the UK's North West, Electrovision has plenty of space to grow, and that's exactly what they're doing as they continue with their expansion plans, most recently marked by a move to new offices at the group's Electrovision Campus in St. Helens.

With investment in the ongoing project now standing at £2m, including fitting the new offices and beginning work to convert the old offices to extra warehousing space, the directors are delighted with the response from staff and customers to their new 'home'.

Richard Fox, managing director of Electrovision Ltd, comments, "The move to a new building on the existing St. Helens site was planned for several years and we couldn't be happier with how smooth the transition has been with very few issues. It's given our staff a real boost, which is a great way to reward the team here for their efforts. Cust

USA - Wybron, a leading stage lighting supplier has announced that the company will close its doors on 30 June 2013.

The company is best known for transforming entertainment, church and architectural industries with its innovation of cutting-edge lighting products.

"For years, the stage lighting industry has been led by companies with three-letter names," said president and CEO Keny Whitright. "PRG, ETC, ELS, TMB, and BMI are just a few of these. For 35 years Wybron struggled through with the burden of a six-letter name," Whitright said laughing, "We finally realised we have too many letters in the company name. It was time to close the doors."

Whitright said that closing the Wybron manufacturing plant is bittersweet. "I will miss the business that I know and love. But, I am looking forward to scaling back and becoming an FTD man. Fishing,

Kinky Hit - Kinky Boots, the musical adaptation of the 2005 British comedy film, was a hit at the Tony awards in New York, picking up six trophies. It won best musical, original score for its writer - 80s pop star Cyndi Lauper - and best leading man for Bill Porter.

The Broadway transfer of the West End stage hit Matilda also won four awards including best book of a musical. Pam MacKinnon and Diane Paulus took home the awards for best direction of a play and a musical respectively. It is the first time in 15 years that two women have won the honours for direction in the same year.

Silver Clef - Alison Moyet is to be honoured with the Icon Award at this year's Silver Clef Awards. The annual event, which takes place at the end of June, is in aid of the music therapy charity Nordoff Robbins. Moyet said she was honoured to be recognised by the charity. "I've adm

UK - Global brand experience agency Jack Morton Worldwide recently executed what has been classed as "a spectacular open air experience" in London's Covent Garden. The campaign for Nivea, one of the most recognised and trusted global skin and beauty care brands was created in partnership with Jack Morton, Draftfcb and Agency Republic.

The Dare to Dip campaign tour which began in Copenhagen has been travelling through cities in Europe including locations in the UK. It invites women to take part in public swims with friends in a branded repurposed skip which doubles as a pool. The event challenged women to join in a series of events designed to take their confidence to the next level by sharing their first of many dips this summer at an iconic location. With captured content shared from the first dip at every location being used across TV, radio, online and print

UK - 2013 saw the annual Boishakhi Mela move from London's Brick Lane and Weaver's Fields to a new venue at nearby Victoria Park. For the fifth year AP Security was tasked with stewarding the event.

The Mela is Europe's largest Asian open air festival and the 2013 event attracted well over 200,000 people to celebrate the Bengali New Year with a mix of parades, stalls, exhibitions, funfairs and live music. It is a complex and sensitive event to steward, but AP's knowledge of the event and local area ensured that the company's staff made a significant contribution to its smooth running.

"We have been working at major events in Victoria Park and the surrounding area for many years, so it was a natural process for us to bring that together with our previous years experience of the Mela," says AP national sales manager John Phillips. "Of course that didn't mean we co

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