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UK - A public appeal to secure crucial funding for the £48m redevelopment of Bristol’s Colston Hall has been launched.
The historic venue, which celebrated its 150th anniversary this year, will close in 2018 for a refurbishment which will include remodelling the main hall and The Lantern, transforming the cellars into a performance space and creating a learning suite.
The Bristol Music Trust, who runs Colston Hall, has already secured £41m and is now appealing to the public to raise the remaining sum by naming a seat at the Hall for as little as £5 per month for four years.
Louise Mitchell, chief executive of Bristol Music Trust, says: “This year as we’ve celebrated our 150th anniversary we’ve been overwhelmed by the number of personal stories and memories we’ve received, highlighting the significance the Hall has played in so many people’s lives.

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UK - The Scottish Ballet has appointed Matthew Strachan as its new technical director. He takes over from George Thomson, who has left for the English National Ballet.
Strachan said: "Having worked with Scottish Ballet for almost 20 years including extensive freelance work, I was delighted to be appointed technical director. I’ve had the fortune to work with a fantastic team during this time and I’m looking forward to this exciting new position."
Christopher Hampson, chief executive/artistic director of the Scottish Ballet, added: "Matthew was the obvious choice as our technical director as he is a highly talented individual and has delivered exceptional work for us over the years. I wish him every success in his new position." Strachan first joined the Scottish Ballet in 1998 as deputy electrician and has worked on numerous award-winning productions inclu
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UK - Southampton Solent University has upgraded its performance studios as part of a £100m facilities improvement programme running up to 2020, with VDC supplying the cabling infrastructure.
The university’s TV, Film and Media Technology department already boasts a number of professional-standard facilities including 4K-ready broadcast studios, radio suites and newsrooms, and the decision was made to invest in similarly high-quality facilities for the Music and Performance students. The department has nine rooms in total, five full studios and four smaller workstations which can be used for mixing. Studio 1 was upgraded in 2016 but the remaining studios hadn’t been touched for around ten years so much of the kit was showing signs of wear and tear.
When the decision was made to redevelop Studio 1, Technical Instructor Jon Wills contacted VDC to provide the cabling

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Backstage Wages - Backstage and FOH staff are being urged to vote in favour of a pay offer from West End managements that is less than half the increase they originally demanded. In August, backstage and front-of-house union BECTU announced it was seeking a one-year deal for West End theatre staff that included a 9% pay rise. At the time, BECTU said it had submitted an ambitious claim that was justified by the increasing cost of living in the capital.
However, after "intensive" negotiations with the Society of London Theatre at the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service failed to secure an agreement, members will now be balloted on a significantly reduced proposal.
It sets out a 3.5% increase for 2017/18, and the same again for the following year, with a 2.5% rise in 2019/20. Under the offer, the third year's deal would be subject to the Consumer Prices

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USA - TMB Los Angeles celebrated the 10-year anniversaries of three of the company’s cable assembly technicians.
TMB’s Pro Cables division has worldwide cabling staff of over 50, with an average tenure of close to eight years.
TMB global operations manager, Jonny Starr, says: “Half our cabling staff have been with TMB for more than 10 years, and frankly, it shows. Experienced, conscientious and highly trained cabling techs such as Lidia Rodriguez, Rosa Hernandez, and Jose Granados, who were recently recognized in LA, contribute significantly to making TMB’s cable assemblies the standard to which all others are compared.”
TMB has supplied entertainment production and staging professionals with power and data cables and assemblies since 1983. The company developed a range of specialised proprietary cables for permanent installations, and has partnered wi

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Exit Stage Left - Lucy Woollatt has announced she will stand down as executive director of the Young Vic in December. Woollatt's departure comes as artistic director David Lan also prepares to leave the London theatre, in February 2018, to be replaced by Kwame Kwei-Armah. Speaking about her departure, Woollatt said: "My decade at the Young Vic has been the most rewarding of my career to date. I'm incredibly proud of what we have achieved night after night at the Young Vic, on tour and in the West End."
Interval Act - Justin Timberlake is to headline next year's Super Bowl half-time show, 14 years after his role in Janet Jackson's infamous "wardrobe malfunction". The US pop star revealed the news on his Twitter feed - with a little help from talk show host Jimmy Fallon.
Timberlake sang at the 20

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UK - Temporary power specialist Midas has been appointed premium dealer for generator giant Himoinsa, giving it access to the latest technology, including the Silent Plus range which cuts noise emissions without limiting performance.
The agreement will see Midas sell Himoinsa machines as well as building and developing its own rental fleet.
Dave Noble, Midas’ managing director, says: “The Himoinsa brand is a mark of quality recognised worldwide. We’ve been looking to expand the rental and sales side of the business for a number of years and this relationship gives us the perfect tools to do that.
“Containing noise is a crucial aspect to contracts at a number of events we supply, and in other sectors too, so the Silent Plus range will play fast dividend. The Himoinsa innovations keep coming and we’re proud to be involved.”
Clive Dix, managing d

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UK - PLASA has promoted Christopher Toulmin to the role of commercial director. In this newly created position, Chris will oversee all sales and marketing activities in the organisation, driving the success of its commercial divisions which includes its event portfolio (PLASA Show, PLASA Focus Leeds and PLASA Focus Glasgow) and leading publication Light & Sound international (LSi).
The announcement follows one of the most successful PLASA Shows in recent history, where Chris had a major contribution in his role as director of events. In his new position, he will support the organisation’s strategy to grow both its events and media divisions, whilst exploring new products PLASA can deliver to further support the industry.
Chris’s career in the industry spans more than 35 years, which has taken him from a respected lighting designer, industry innovator thr

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USA - On 23 June 2018, a dedicated group of music industry professionals will embark on a 12-day, 500-mile bicycle ride along the California coast to raise awareness and funding for spinal cord injury sufferers.
The event, produced by non-profit organisation Celebrate Overcoming, is inspired by the physical and spiritual journey of spinal cord injury survivor and musician David Francisco. In April 2016, David’s life changed forever, in a split second.
While the 24-year-old was riding his bike home from his recording classes at Nashville’s Blackbird Academy, a distracted driver ran a red light and crashed into him at 40 miles per hour. The impact was catastrophic: He shattered his spine in three places, and was told he’d likely never walk again.
After a year of intense physical rehabilitation, David has defied the odds and learned to walk, and this past Ju

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Everybody’s Talking - A new musical about a teenage boy who wants to be a drag queen has scooped two theatre awards. Everybody's Talking About Jamie won best musical production at the UK Theatre Awards, with its star John McCrea named best musical performer. The UK Theatre Awards reward the best stage shows outside London. The musical has songs by Dan Gillespie Sells, lead singer with pop band The Feeling, and a script and lyrics by writer Tom MacRae.
The show's West End transfer begins at the Apollo Theatre in London on 6 November. Other UK Theatre Awards winners included Narvik by Lizzie Nunnery, which was named best new play; and Joseph Millson, who won best performance in a play for his role in the Royal Shakespeare Company's The Rover. The Who's Tommy picked up the prize for best touring production, while Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse ar

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UK - The Association of Lighting Designers (ALD) has announced its 2018 sponsored student scheme is open for applications. The scheme offers students, who have not previously been members of the ALD, the opportunity to enjoy free ALD membership until the end of March 2019.
Student members benefit from the increased opportunity to network with lighting and video production professionals at insightful events organised by the ALD, such as their monthly members’ socials and visits to shows and theatres. Membership provides vital interaction and connection between established figures in professional lighting and video design, and the next generation of talented designers, programmers and technicians.
Member benefits for students also include complimentary copies of the ALD magazine, Focus, as well as full access to the ALD web site and the members’ own micro-site. Memb

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UK - Cloud rental management solution Current RMS has released two new features to speed up the checking in process and streamline communication.
Launched at the PLASA Show 2017 in London, Global Check-in allows users to check-in multiple assets across different jobs from one screen. Users can also specify when assets are lost or damaged, placing them in quarantine.
Discussion Templates offers the ability to assign templates to certain areas of the system and customise all messages sent from Current, making it easy for company branding, standard replies and other email communication tools to be applied.
To find out more about both new feature releases, check out Current RMS’ What

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UK - David Boxall, co-founder of Baldwin Boxall, is the first recipient of the Warren-Barnett Technical Innovation Award.
The Warren Barnett Technical Innovation Award, named after former ISCE Presidents Hayden Warren and Peter Barnett, was established to recognise the innovative talent of ISCE members and to acknowledge their contribution to the industry.
David Boxall was nominated by Peter Mapp to receive the new ISCE award.
Boxall said: "I am thrilled to receive this award – it was totally unexpected. It is a real honour to receive recognition for my work, especially as it is linked with Hayden Warren and Peter Barnett, both of who I knew well and held in such high esteem."
Boxall's career in the PA industry spans more than 45 years during which he designed many innovative products ranging from 100V line amplifiers, hearing loop amplifiers, PA & VA,

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Europe - Harlequin has announced a considerable expansion in sales and technical support in Berlin and Brussels.
In Germany, Claudia Frohlich, Britta Fink and Sanela Iseken have joined the company. Claudia joins the established customer service team in Berlin from a strong customer relations background. Britta and Sanela will be heading up the new Harlequin Deutschland-am-Rhein office based in Bochum and will be focused on bringing world-class technical support to clients in Niedersachsen, Nordrhein Westfalen, Hessen and Rheinland Pfalz. Sanela’s extensive experience includes 15 years in stage engineering at ASM, and respected long service within the DTHG.
In Belgium, Nicolas Coolen joins as regional sales manager for Benelux and Scandinavia. Nicolas brings wide experience in sales management having worked for a number of international manufacturers in Asia, the Midd

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USA - Mojo Barriers US office has appointed Dan Gormley as vice president, joining fellow US vice president Jordi van Berkum.
Gormley states: “I am delighted to be joining Mojo Barriers as the company prepares to introduce new product ranges into the US market. I have the utmost respect for Mojo and relish the challenge to continue to evolve and improve our effectiveness and reach, expand the offering to clients, while developing and further strengthen our brand.”
Gormley's eight years’ experience working in live entertainment has given him a deep understanding of promoter cost containment requirements, along with the development of both new processes and new products to reduce overhead production costs. Previous roles have spanned festival site development to design and construction of new live event facilities. He will work from Mojo’s Los Angeles base.

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Keeping Music Live - Campaigners fighting to preserve Cardiff’s live music scene have heralded a breakthrough after plans to develop flats in the heart of the city’s entertainment district were withdrawn.
A campaign to protect the city's grassroots music scene has been underway since the start of this year, with campaigners fighting in particular to preserve the entertainment venues on Womanby Street, which is home to several live music venues but has seen a string of closures in recent times.
The campaign attracted thousands of signatures, and calls on Cardiff Council to protect the area as a cultural hub. Venue owners and music fans also condemned a planning application to create a hotel to be built above a Wetherspoon’s pub on Womanby Street.
Plans for a residential housing development comprising six flats had been submitted for the street, however these

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UK - Theatre consultancy firm Theatreplan has welcomed on board Chris Needle who joins the company as an intern after graduating with a BA in Technical Theatre Arts from London’s Guildhall School of Music & Drama.
Needle opted for the theatre technology pathway within the course which covered lighting, sound, automation and production management.
During his three years at Guildhall, Needle was given training in many areas of technical theatre, but he specialised in electrics in his third year working as lighting designer for The Crucible, Herons and The (Imaginary) Misogynist, as well as being the production electrician for Balm in Gilead and Opera Makers.
Needle took part in work placement with BDP Lighting working on the restoration of the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, before joining Theatreplan in October 2017.
(Jim E

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UK - Natural History Museum has bolstered its specialist in-house events team with the appointment of Nikki Fhalora filling a maternity cover.
Nikki will be managing event enquiries, client liaison and overseeing the delivery of both internal and external events over a busy festive 2017 following the refurbishment of the Hintze Hall space.
She comments: “The Natural History Museum is one of the most iconic venues in London and it has always been my dream to work here, having studied history at university I am so lucky to be able to combine my love for the subject with my passion for events in such a varied and interesting role. My favourite space in the Museum is Fossil Way which can be dressed so delightfully by our suppliers for any event from champagne receptions to intimate sit-down dinners.”
Robert Wetherell, head of venue hire at the Museum adds: “I

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South Africa - With the aim to inform, inspire, mobilize and educate community members involved in the arts, the fourth Hello Community Arts Development Programme and Festival was hosted at the Breytenbach Theatre from 16 - 26 August, with DWR Distribution and the SOS Charity fund supporting the event.
Hello is the vision of Hardus Koekemoer and Wandile Mgcodo from the Department of Entertainment Technology at the Tshwane University of Technology, has seen its state funding slashed, but the university, alongside DWR Distribution and radio broadcaster 93.6 Tshwane FM, have continued to invest in the project.
“We were presented with vast talent around Gauteng, and with the introduction of a poetry evening added to the theatre and music productions, we gained a new audience,” explained Wandile Mgcodo. “My highlight is always seeing the groups performin

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UAE - Baldwin Boxall looks forward to welcoming visitors at its stand (number 4-H20) at Intersec Dubai in January 2018.
Visitors to the stand will see the EN54 (LPCB) certified VIGIL voice evacuation system and the company’s Omnicare EVC system and disabled toilet alarms. These products, as you would expect from Baldwin Boxall, have an undeniable reputation of being robust and exceptionally reliable. (The company has recently gained Civil Defence Approval in the Middle East.)
Baldwin Boxall is a British designer and manufacturer and prides itself, not only on the quality of design and build of its products, but also on its customer service and support - which directors and staff believe is paramount to their success. Customer testimonials and long-term customer relationships prove this to be the case.
Nick Baldwin (marketing manager) and Nigel Bateman (export s

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UK - A 120-mile charity bike ride from Bath to the PLASA Show in London has so far raised over £3,500 towards a charity aimed at improving mental health in the industry.
The team of three cyclists, comprising Andy Lenthall of the Production Services Association (PSA); John McEvoy of PRG and Dan Page of DiGiGrid (who had just returned from a 1,000 mile ride from John O’Groats to Land’s End) completed the journey in 7 hours, to join industry colleagues at the annual trade show.
The ride was organised as part of an ongoing collaboration between the PSA and PLASA, which aims to tackle the issue of mental health in the entertainment industry and encourages companies to take an active lead by offering Mental Health First Aid training - equipping staff with the skills required to identify and support colleagues suffering with mental health problems. The money rai

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Live & Gigging - Live music now accounts for almost a quarter of UK music industry revenues, new figures reveal.
Concerts brought in £1 billion in 2016, over £300m more than recorded music - which includes sales of CDs, vinyl, downloads and streaming.
In total, 30.9 million tickets were sold for concerts and festivals in 2016, up from 27.7 million in 2015, but UK Music warned that the closure of small venues posed a threat to up-and-coming artists.
"Live music did have another great year," said CEO Michael Dugher. "But future talent will never get the chance to shine if we continue to see cuts in music in schools and closures in venues where artists need to learn their craft in the first place."
He also repeated calls for artists to be fairly compensated for their music - singling out media giants YouTube and Facebook for criticism. "Unlike the subscri

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Europe - CUK Audio’s retail sales channel manager, Steve Barton, has just completed – and won - a gruelling 2,500-mile rally across Europe to raise money for the motor industry charity, BEN. A total of 28 teams took part in the event organised by Bilstein Group UK which took them through 10 countries in seven days via some of Europe’s most beautiful – and challenging – driving routes.
Barton and his team-mate, Nik Edwards drove a CUK Audio-branded 2005 MG ZT-T diesel estate (don’t be fooled, they were pretty fast, aggressive drives in their time!) to take part in the Banger Rally that left Marden in Kent on 15 September to cross the finish line seven days later at Bilstein’s new state-of-the-art warehouse facility in Markham Vale.
Sponsored by CUK Audio, the vehicle sported logos from several manufacturers in CUK’s MI/retail portfolio, namely dB Technol

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UAE - With the delivery of a large batch of over 500 pieces of LiteDeck staging platforms, Prolyte Group and Fruition Events LLC embark on a fruitful cooperation in the Middle East region.
Prolyte Group will deliver the LiteDeck staging elements in two batches, the first to be completed in September, just in time for the start of the season in the Middle East region. The second to complete later in October.
Fruition Events aims to become a recognised event delivery partner in the Middle East region.
They choose to achieve this through continuous investment into a world-class team of industry professionals and sustainable product lines that can meet creative challenges. They focus on offering a professional and full-service infrastructure for the events sector. Fruition Events have extensive regional experience and can boast varied strategic partnerships, guarante
  1. CEG launches new website
  2. Martin Audio starts Webinar training programme
  3. Behind the Scenes Holiday Cards deadline
  4. SLX announces Student Bursary scheme
  5. Undefeated! The PAL Label Challenge at PLASA 2017
  6. ProPlex takes UK and Europe by Storm
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