As the venue reaches full capacity and with 1,000 visitors already registered to attend, the demand for a high quality show for the North of England's entertainment and installation technology community is self-evident. PLASA Focus is once again on track to bring the latest products from around the industry to a region that looks set to become the location for an annual creative forum for the North.
Since the show and its website were launched in early December, both exhibition halls have completely sold out. New exhibitors Adam Hall, Chauvet Lighting, Cloud Electronics, GDS, Hi-Lights, Le Mark, Lumen Radio, Polar Audio, Prism Sound, Roland, SGM, SSE Audio, Chamsys, Studiospares and Triple E complete the 115-strong exhibitor line-up.
Despite the growth, the friendly, informal format remains integral, as does free admission and a free lunch on both days for all visitors and exhibitors. The hugely popular free Education and Learning Programme, which brings world class professional knowledge to the event, is expanding and visitors who register online at www.plasafocus.com/leeds will be the first to hear about the high profile topics and presenters on offer.
As in 2009 there will be technical advice, presentations from the teams behind high profile productions and talks from visionaries in their fields about the future of pro-audio, lighting, AV and stage technologies.
"PLASA Focus: Leeds was an instant hit with the entertainment and installation technology communities in the North, and they'll find even more of its best ingredients this year," says Event Manager Sophie Atkinson. "The visitors and exhibitors we attract make this a top quality event and we're delighted to be bringing the global reach of the PLASA organisation to the heart of the North of England.
"It's a very friendly and social occasion which presents a great opportunity for people to get together and see new technology, with something for everyone - from chairmen to technicians, engineers and students. People are already telling us that this is an un-missable event, and everyone who wants to beat the registration queues and get up to date advance information should go online now and register."
The networking potential is underlined by the fact that 71 per cent of last year's visitors came from the North of England, with others travelling from even further, including a significant number of committed arts and entertainment students who represent the future of the industry. The visitor list also included a host of major theatres, venues, leisure attractions and broadcasters, all of whom are being invited back this year.
Adam Blaxill, head of marketing at Stage Electrics, commented, "Stage Electrics exhibited at PLASA Focus last year and found it very worthwhile; PLASA had done the marketing right and it was an extremely well attended event. We talked to a large number of both new and existing customers. The show itself was well organised and had a good cross section of the industry represented which made it interesting for visitors. With the quality and number of visitors we saw, we are definitely exhibiting again in 2010."
John Midgley, MD of Polar Audio, who are exhibiting at PLASA Focus for the first time said,"We visited the show last year and listened to what people had to say about it afterwards, and decided to exhibit this year because it offers an excellent opportunity to get much closer to customers in the region and to meet new customers."
Visitors can register for free now on the dedicated www.plasafocus.com/leeds website, and check out the exhibitor list and floor plan. All tickets are valid on both days and include the Education & Learning Pr
