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UK - NEC Group Arenas has taken two electrical apprentices on a three-year placement with the Group’s Arenas ElectriX team.
Liam Dyde, 21, and Mohammed Waseem, 28, will receive mentoring as they bid to complete their NVQ Level 3 in electrics.
Throughout their apprenticeship, Dyde and Waseem will gain theoretical and practical knowledge and be involved in testing, inspection and delivery of the electrical supplies. One day per week in term time will also be spent at Solihull College & University Centre for additional practical and theory lessons.
NEC Group Arenas chief electrician and mentor Peter Hammond comments: “There is a noticeable skills gap in the arenas electrical industry, something that we too have noticed with our in-house team. As skilled individuals retire, there’s be a decline in numbers of those able to step into their positions. With d

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Argentina/USA - Over $10m worth of equipment has been seized from a black market organisation in Buenos Aires following a two-year undercover operation.
The equipment was retrieved on 13 September in a joint operation between Argentinian police forces, the NYPD major crimes squad, the FBI and the US embassy. The authorities said 10 raids had been carried out, with the kit believed to have been stolen from the USA and rented out to film and TV production companies on the black market in Argentina.
ESTA’s Production Equipment Rental Group (PERG) worked closely with the police to coordinate the identification of the recovered items via its searchable online database for missing equipment, Rental Guard.
Martin Pastor, NYPD major case squad detective, comments: “We have recovered over $10m in stolen equipment thanks to Rental Guard. I urge anyone who suffers a th
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Olympia Plans - Plans have been submitted for a 1,500-seat theatre and 1,000-capacity performing arts venue in the Olympia London exhibition centre. The new venues are part of a £700m redevelopment of the West Kensington events space, which was first announced in July. Now the owners of Olympia London, Yoo Capital, have requested planning permission from Hammersmith and Fulham council.
The planning documents reveal further details of the proposed performing arts offering, with developers aiming to create a cultural hub in the area. As well as the previously announced 1,500-seat theatre, there will also be a flexible performing arts venue with a capacity of 1,000 seated or 3,000 standing, which will be used for music and potentially also for theatre and dance. There will also be 10,000sq.ft of performance rehearsal space, which will be primarily for use of local charities an

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USA - Three more ESTA standards have been posted for public review.
ANSI E1.34 - 2009, Entertainment Technology - Measuring and Specifying the Slipperiness of Floors Used in Live Performance Venues is being considered for reaffirmation again (i.e., no changes in requirements, only updating organization name, address, copyright date, etc.) The document describes a simple means of measuring and specifying the slipperiness of floor surfaces used by performers in live entertainment venues. The standard is not for normal walking and working surfaces, but only for those floor surfaces used by actors, dancers, and other similar artists when performing before an audience. Comments are due before the end of the day on 17 December; the review is over when 18 December starts.
BSR E1.37-5, Gene

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Then Play On - Fleetwood Mac have announced they will perform at Wembley Stadium next summer as part of a European tour. The veteran rock band, who are currently touring the US, will play Wembley on 16 June after gigs in Berlin and Dublin. Fleetwood Mac have a new line-up after guitarist Lindsey Buckingham was fired back in April due to "scheduling conflicts". Guitarist Mike Campbell and Crowded House frontman Neil Finn have joined existing members Mick Fleetwood, Stevie Nicks, Christine McVie and John McVie.
The group have said they are "thrilled" to welcome the new two musicians, adding: "With Mike and Neil, we'll be performing all the hits that the fans love, plus we'll be surprising our audiences with some tracks from our historic catalogue of songs. Fleetwood Mac has always been a creative evolution. We look forward to honouring that spirit on this upcoming tour."

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USA - ESTA's Technical Standards Programme has published one revised standard, put another up for public review and a third one is available for public review for reaffirmation (no changes planned).
ANSI E1.1 - 2018, Entertainment Technology--Construction and Use of Wire Rope Ladders, was approved by ANSI's Board of Standards Review on 27 September. It is a revision of the 2012 standard, which was a revision of the 2006 standard with changed load ratings to accommodate heavier workers. Wire rope ladders are commonly used in concert touring for access to lighting trusses, but are rarely used in other industries.
ANSI E1.48 - 2014, A Recommended Luminous Efficiency Function for Stage and Studio Luminaire Photometry is being considered for reaffirmation. It is available for public review for free at

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Hold The Music - The family Prince has hit out at Donald Trump, calling for the US president to stop playing the star's songs at his rallies. The late musician joins a growing list of other artists who have also objected to the billionaire tycoon-turned-world leader playing their music at public events. Omarr Baker, Prince's half-brother, tweeted: "The Prince Estate has never given permission to President Trump or The White House to use Prince's songs and have requested that they cease all use immediately."
Purple Rain was reportedly part of the president's playlist in Mississippi last week. It comes after Trump's team reportedly included the star's hit song in a campaign rally playlist in the lead up to the November midterm elections. Others who have spoken against their music being played at Republican rallies include the Rolling Stones, Adele, Queen, George Harriso

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UK - Stage Electrics has announced the appointment of Adam Blaxill as operations director. His responsibilities include managing Stage Electrics’ engineering workshop, service department, purchasing function and sales warehouse. He continues with his marketing responsibilities.
Maria Townsend, Stage Electrics’ group CEO, commented, “Adam was the obvious candidate for this role. He has a great deal of knowledge of the Stage Electrics operation, as well as the technical entertainment industry. His appointment strengthens the team and allows us to continue our plan of further sustainable growth.”
(Jim Evans)

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Europe - On Tuesday 9th October, the EU released a revised version of their proposed new Ecodesign and Ecolabelling Lighting regulations. These are the intended final versions of these regulations.
The full texts are available to read via the links below.
From an entertainment lighting perspective, this version is almost entirely unchanged from the draft published in July. There is a minor addition of a new exemption for some specialist fluorescent lamps used in the film industry. And the exemptions established in the July draft, which cover many areas of entertainment lighting, remain in place.
However, this draft does not address any of the issues that the entertainment lighting industry’s Ecodesign Task Group have been trying to raise with the EU since the publication of the July draft.
This means that some key issues remain:
- requirement for lig

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Protest Song - Bob Geldof is spearheading a campaign to warn of the impact of Brexit on the music industry. Sting, Rita Ora and Ed Sheeran and many others have joined forces to warn Theresa May a no-deal Brexit will put Britain in a "cultural jail".
Geldof said: "It's two-fold. One is the income it generates for this country, £94bn, contrast that to the NHS spend, of £115bn, almost the same. The second reason is cultural - the voice of Britain, the genuine, global British voice is music, it has been since the Beatles. No one knows quite why this tiny island produces such vast reservoirs of talent but we do know the entire planet dances, eats, sleeps, and plays hard to our noise. That is being endangered by a recklessness which is existential and historically self-damaging."
A joint letter states: "Imagine Britain without its music. If it's hard for us, then it's impo

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Here We Go Again - Comedian and Great British Bake Off host Sandi Toksvig will adapt the story for the Mamma Mia! spin-off show when it opens at the O2 in London next August. The writer and broadcaster will adapt Calle Norlen, Roine Soderlundh and Bjorn Ulvaeus’ original story into English for the immersive theatrical and dining experience, Mamma Mia! The Party.
Set in a Greek taverna, Mamma Mia! The Party will take place in a venue within the O2. It will seat 500 audience members, who will experience the show alongside a Mediterranean meal. The show has been created by Abba’s Ulvaeus, with producer Ingrid Sutej, and features music and lyrics by Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson. It will be directed by Soderlundh, with set by Bengt Froderberg, costumes by Annsofi Nyberg, lighting by Patrick Woodroffe and sound by Gareth Owen.
Welcome News - Th

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UK - A special benefit concert is being held for musician and loudspeaker manufacturer, Paul MacCallum at the O2 Academy Islington, on October 29th.
The popular bass player, who was diagnosed with an advanced form of Multiple System Atrophy some years ago, was not only the brainchild behind PLASA member company Wembley Loudspeaker, but also bass player with Zoot Money’s Big Roll Band, and other major names.
In addition to playing their own set, Zoot will provide the rhythm section for guest musicians who will appear on the night.
Affectionately known as ‘The Womble’ from his days as Uncle Bulgaria in Mike Batt’s original Wombles, MacCallum has also played in many bands during his career including those of Helen Shapiro and Billy Fury.
Sadly, Paul MacCallum is now confined to a hospice, and all proceeds from the event will go towards funding his med

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USA - ANSI E1.60 – 2018, Guidelines for the Use of Raked Stages in Live Performance Environments, was approved by ANSI's Board of Standards Review on Friday, 21 September, and published on Monday, 24 September. It can be downloaded at no cost from the ESTA TSP website at http://tsp.esta.org/freestandards.
The no-cost download is made possible by the sponsorship of ProSight Specialty Insurance. It may be purchased for $40 from ANSI and IHS at https://webstore.ansi.org/ and https://global.ihs.com/ respectively.
ANSI E1.60 offers guidance for the use of raked stages in live performance environments to mitigate the risks for the protection of actors and technicians. The guidance offered is fundamentally a risk assessment/risk reduction approach, with a process outlined and suggestions offered on what must, should, or might be done to control the risk.
(Jim E

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Take That Back - Take That have announced a greatest hits tour to mark their 30th anniversary next year. Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen will kick off their UK arena tour in April with two shows at Sheffield's FlyDSA Arena. They will go on to play in Glasgow, their home city of Manchester, and six dates at London's O2 Arena. The tour will also see them perform in Dublin, Birmingham, Milton Keynes, Southampton, Bristol City, Norwich, Middlesbrough and Huddersfield.
A new Take That album, Odyssey, is also being released on 23 November. It will feature 27 tracks spanning three decades of the band's history, as well as three new songs.
Training Opportunities - Lighting designer Paule Constable has called on theatres to provide more training opportunities for emerging designers. Constable was speaking at The Stage Debut Awards 2018, where she p

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UK - MDG enjoyed a successful PLASA London where it presented its latest products. These included the new IP55-rated Me2 WPE fog and ATMe WPE haze generators, a standard Me2 fog generator, theFAN digital fan, and the ICE FOG Compack HP low fog generator alongside two award-winning products theONE dual mode haze and fog generator, winner of the LDI Best Debut product in 2010, and the RFP (Round Floor Pocket) which won the ABTT Engineering Product of the Year 2018 in June.
Alongside its regular stand, MDG had two of its new ATMe WPE weatherproof hazer generators and an ICE FOG Compack HP involved in the spectacular dance and light show on the adjacent Robe booth.
Inspired by Indiana Jones and Tomb Raider movies, the show environment emulated tropical forests, caves and volcanoes. Here the ATMe WPE machines showed their true mettle as they stood for three days under torre

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UK - For the past four years, the Lightpower Collection has toured worldwide with In the Eye of the Rock ’n’ Roll Hurricane, an exhibition which shows the body of work from acclaimed rock ‘n’ roll photographer, Neal Preston. In it are more than 70 of his iconic pictures: legendary album covers, views behind the scenes, moments that made history - the essence of rock ’n’ roll and concert touring that has dominated out industry since the late '60s.
Neal Preston’s fine art prints are highly sought after by collectors worldwide, and Lightpower Collection donates all proceeds from the sale of prints and merchandise to Behind the Scenes and Backup - two technical entertainment charities that provide relief for event technicians in need.
At PLASA 2018, the Lightpower Collection was proud to be able to donate another £10,000 to Backup. The donati

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USA - Charity Behind the Scenes has said the deadline for ordering its 2018 holiday cards is 4 October.
Three card ordering options include personalised cards with a company logo and custom message, card packs of 10 with a standard greeting, and e-cards.
Seven designs are featured this year. Perennial favourites Andrew Hefter and Robert Mendoza are back while Mount Vernon Senior High School is represented by Madelyn Plough. New contributors are Vicki Davis, Jocelyn Joyah Henry of Scenic Art Studios, Vicki Pui and Anastasia Vasilakis.
Those interested in purchasing cards should place an order at www.behindthescenescharity.org/holidaycards.
(Jim Evans)

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UK - Blitz, the technical event production arm of global events company GES, has announced a strategic alliance with audience engagement and event analytics platform Glisser.
This agreement will see Glisser’s audience engagement and analytics solution delivered and managed by Blitz’s in-house team of technical experts. Blitz has a longstanding reputation for technical innovation and has already successfully deployed Glisser’s complete audience participation platform - including live slide sharing, integrated live polling, audience Q&A, and social media walls - for a number of high profile customers. 
Mike Piddock, Glisser’s founder and CEO, comments: “We’ve worked with the Blitz team at numerous events since we launched three years ago, and have always been impressed wit

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UK - Innovative technology and insightful seminars have been the highlights on Day One at the PLASA Show, with exhibitors wowing visitors with new technologies and stylish solutions.
After revealing its new stand concept, Platinum Sponsor Robe continues to showcase its latest lighting fixtures in a show-stopping stand production featuring a dance troupe, rain, fire and a mysterious cave, all visible from the Gallery Level. “We decided to create a ‘Lost World’ trilogy for three trade shows,” explains design duo Nathan Wan and Andy Webb. “We drew inspiration from Tomb Raider, Indiana Jones and the Goonies, creating an epic fire VS water battle. We always go big and this year sees a 22m wide rain feature.”
Stand aesthetics have led the way for Yamaha, too. Chris Irvine, Yamaha’s product manager, says: “This year we took a new approach which has had a gre

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UK - As part of an on-going company-wide investment programme, Pinewood MBS Lighting has expanded its range of location services with delivery of a collection of new mobile generator units.
Forming part of the company’s transport fleet expansion, the super silent units use the very latest acoustic design and technology making them the quietest generators in the market.
This first consignment of 250kW sets are mounted on the latest Euro 6 emission compliant chassis, custom built to feature substantial equipment compartments, compatibility with PMBS customisable rolling equipment racks and 1500kg capacity 1.8m tail lifts.
The 250kW output is easily switchable between three and single phase. For added flexibility, each generator set can be fully synchronised, allowing for load sharing or instant seamless power change over for back up. Distribution via Powerlock

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Belgium - Patrick Van de Sande, founder and CEO of Belgian pro audio manufacturer PVS, has announced his son Tom will succeed him as CEO.
The company is also finalising an investment of €12m in new buildings for R&D, quality control and distribution in Stevoort, Hasselt.
Tom Van de Sande comments: “A few years ago, PVS invested heavily in its own experience centre at the Veldstraat in Hasselt. In the meantime, the company has bought the buildings and land of a former transportation company in Stevoort, Hasselt. We have invested 12m euro in our new logistics centre, complete with new testing facilities and R&D centre. From this location our products are shipped worldwide, to every continent.”
The own brands Audac (audio equipment), Procab (cables and accessories) and Caymon (flightcases and racks), all developed in Hasselt are finding their way to 8

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USA - E1.33 - 201x, Entertainment Technology -- (RDMnet) -- Message Transport and Device Management of ANSI E1.20 (RDM) over IP Networks: This standard defines a method for carrying E1.20 (RDM) messages over IP networks. It also defines a scalable architecture for RDM message transmission that allows multi-controller environments with tens of thousands of RDM Responders. Additionally, a minimal protocol is defined for carrying non-RDM data over the same architecture.
BSR E1.37-7, Additional Message Sets for ANSI E1.20 (RDM) - Gateway & Splitter Messages: This document provides additional Get/Set Parameter Messages for use with the ANSI E1.20 Remote Device Management protocol. This document contains messages relating to configuring managed splitters, proxy devices, and RDMnet Devices.
These standards will be in public review until 5 November. Those th

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Slovakia - SRS Group, lighting rigging and power distribution specialist, has recently moved its production and offices into a larger facility.
The new base, in Rybnicna 38/B, 83107 Bratislava, is just across the street from the company’s old location. The larger premises will enable SRS to hold a larger stock of products, have more space for the R&D department, assembly and metal-work production. The building also features its own 600A transformer that gives an opportunity for PDU testing under full load.
SRS Group believes their customers will benefit from this step ahead by having better delivery times, more organised production and even more developed R&D.
Customers are advised that despite the move, SRS Group’s billing address has remained unchanged.
(Jim Evans)

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UK - Curtain Call, a network for theatre professionals, is exhibiting jointly with Soulsound, a leading online resource centre for audio engineers, for the first time at PLASA this year. The two companies will be offering a special joint membership offer.
Hailed as ‘LinkedIn meets IMDB, for theatre’, Curtain Call is an online network dedicated to connecting theatre professionals. Members can build profiles, find jobs and collaborate with new and existing connections using the game-changing platform.
Soulsound has been helping sound engineers to improve their skills, find work and be insured since 2011. Members benefit from full public liability insurance as well as training and mentorship from highly successful professionals who share their knowledge and experience.
Together, Curtain Call and Soulsound cover all the needs of theatre and live event technicians
  1. The Week in Light & Sound
  2. PLASA 2018: The Lightpower Collection visits Olympia
  3. ESTA posts four documents for public review
  4. The Week in Light & Sound
  5. The Week in Light & Sound
  6. Chameleon Touring Systems revamps website
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Robe - Large MPU
GLP - MPU - May-June, Sept-Nov 2024
Sennheiser - MPU - Sept 2024
Astera - MPU - Sept 2024

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