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

UK - The 41st edition of PLASA Show - the worldwide event for live entertainment technologies (16-18 September) - opened the doors of London Olympia this morning along with Platinum Sponsor Robe, Silver Sponsor Infinity and Hawthorn as Technical Sponsor. The atmosphere is tangible as exhibitors and visitors waste no time in browsing new products and discussing industry trends.
200+ brands are present representing each sector across the live events and entertainment spectrum, and the seminar programme is brimming with expert sessions and enlivening talks. Plus, the all new Hands-on Rigging Area and Rigging Theatre are welcoming both aspirational and seasoned riggers.
“After months of hard work, the team and I are excited to see PLASA Show 2018 in action”, says PLASA managing director Peter Heath. “Many of our industry’s leading brands are here with their iconi

UK - Lighting and rigging specialist TSL Lighting has announced the appointment of respected head rigger Ali Morris to the team as rigging project manager.
Morris brings a wealth of rigging experience to TSL, having worked in the live events industry since the mid-90s. His work has encompassed many disciplines, from theatre, television and rock & roll to festivals, sports, corporate and political events, both in the UK and abroad.
During the 2012 Olympics, he looked after the rigging of specialist cameras in many of the venues across London including both vertical and horizontal tracks in the iconic Aquatic Centre.
He has also served as head rigger at Glastonbury, Wireless and V Festivals, supervising the main stages. His most recent challenge involved touring a 4.5t custom built gantry crane for Matthew Bourne’s new production of The Red Shoes.

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

UK - The PLASA Show will open its doors this weekend (16-18 September) at London Olympia. The trade show will feature hundreds of brands across the show floor as it prepares to welcome thousands of entertainment technology professionals.
Audio heavyweights L-Acoustics, Bose and Yamaha, and lighting pioneers Robe, DTS, ETC and Philips will all be present on the show floor and the seminar programme promises to deliver in-depth sessions across a wide range of topics.
Product highlights
Elation will be showcasing the Smarty Hybrid, their new LED lighting fixture. MA Lighting is showcasing its grandMA3 lighting console. Robe is launching a new product as well as showing its RoboSpot Multi Device Control. Robert Juliat will reveal new additions to its Dalis range. Prolight Concepts is bringing the all-weather Endura and Evora series from elu

UK - Doughty's new Lightweight Lighting Stand will be the main attraction on the Doughty stand at both PLASA and IBC this year. Visitors to stand B50 at PLASA and stand 12.A58 at IBC can see this piece of kit - which is designed for use across the broadcast, theatre and live events industries - and takes the all the principles of a Tank Trap but packages them into a neater, more aesthetically pleasing model.
The stand comprises a flat, round plate and slim tube, slotted at each end to allow cables to run unseen inside it. A 28mm receiver is incorporated in the top of the stand which will take an industry standard 28mm spigot. When used in conjunction with a speaker adaptor, the stand can also be used to hold small speakers.
Dan Phillips, project sales co-ordinator at Doughty explains: “This robust piece of kit has a sleeker appearance than the standard Tank Trap and

UK - BroadWeigh's new Advanced Handheld will make its first appearance at PLASA this year. Visitors to the stand of BroadWeigh's product partner A.C. Entertainment Technologies Ltd (E30) will be able to demo the product which has been entered into this year's PLASA Awards for Innovation 2018 as well as finding out more about the other items in the BroadWeigh range.
Matt Millward, rigging sales manager at A.C Entertainment Technologies explained: "We have an exclusive corner of our booth dedicated to BroadWeigh products this year. We are including around 24 cells in the main grid of our overhead truss which will be shown as a live demonstration on our tablet PC along with the new Advanced Handheld. We'll also have the BroadWeigh Wind Speed Sensor in action along with another Advanced Handheld.”
The Advanced Handheld brings an additional level of portability to the Bro

UK - A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET) will exclusively showcase over 15 brands from its portfolio of over 200 marques at PLASA 2018 (Stand E30), London - including four products nominated for this year's PLASA Awards for Innovation and several previous Innovation award-winners.
2018 PLASA Awards nominees include PROLIGHTS' new Panorama IP WBX IP65 LED moving wash light ideal for temporary outdoor events; Columbus McKinnon's new Lodestar VS chain hoist featuring Magnetek IMPULSE G+ Mini drive and other industry-leading safety procedures; Tourmate's new Multilock Hoist Connector for distribution of power and control to motorised hoists which eliminates potential cross-connection with other entertainment applications; and BroadWeigh's new BW-HA advanced wireless handheld display for its innovative wireless load monitoring system.
Staff from AC-ET's dedicated produc

UAE - Event design and technical production specialist Maestra has launched a new scenic department in Dubai. It will operate from a dedicated facility close to their HQ in Investment Park.
Maestra has been providing its clients with creative scenic services for the past few years in both London and Dubai, so this consolidates the business model, and brings a key division of the contractor services portfolio in-house.
Already delivering lighting, audio, video, rigging as well as scenic elements including the fabrication of set and staging, it was a “totally logical step” confirmed Maestra Dubai’s managing director Tom Clements.
The new department will be headed up by Jurgens Potgieter, who brings over 10 years of practical experience in the region, working for several leading fabrication contractors. Before then, he cut his ‘production teeth’ in the sam

Germany - Prolyte Group has announced the opening of their new International Training Centre (ITC) at Rheiner Strasse 125, D 48282 in Emsdetten, Germany. The new ITC state-of-art facility will provide a venue for Prolyte events and Prolyte partners to introduce Prolyte products to customers and prospective clients.
The training centre includes 500 sq.m of meeting space and is comprised of a main conference area that can host up to 100 guests and five additional breakout rooms. The building was originally constructed pre-war as a textile manufacturing warehouse.
ITC’s facilities will include a lounge and bistro area, arrange of high-end technical equipment including a digital projector and screen, video conferencing equipment, and a wide screen television.
“It’s important that we provide the right tools and environment to help our partners experience the Prolyt

Singapore - Adam Hall Asia hosted an APAC distributor summit at the company's showroom in Singapore on 23-24 August.
Just the second summit of its kind for Adam Hall Asia - a wholly-owned subsidiary of Adam Hall GmbH Germany - the event welcomed more than 20 partner companies from 16 countries, with distributors from Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh and the Republic of Fiji attending for the first time. Members of the product managers and business development teams from Germany, alongside Adam Hall Group COO Markus Jahnel, were also in attendance.
Jahnel comments: “I would like to emphasise how important the partners who attended this meeting are for the international growth and success of the Adam Hall Group."
Chandan Mahtani, managing director of Adam Hall Asia, adds: “The whole meeting was characterised by a fantastic team spirit. It was evident how essential

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)

Europe - J&C Joel has announced an expansion of its operations in Europe, with the opening of a new office in Romania and establishing J&C Joel Europa.
The UK-based company is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of flame retardant fabrics, drapery and stage engineering solutions and exports to over 80 countries worldwide.
After implementing channel model of dealers and distributors throughout Europe and Russia, the company is looking to further develop its presence across the continent by making this major investment into its infrastructure.
Roland Rizk, J&C Joel’s regional manager for Europe and Russia, comments: “We are very excited to grow the business into Romania and to provide better strategic support for our clients and partners across Europe and Russia. Their efforts and commitment to market and sell our brand have facilitated the e

UK - Data Strategy has announced the first showing of a new product - VeriCal - on stand K10 at this year’s PLASA 2018. The new product, which is available for purchase or hire, verifies that the Out Board PAT-4 testers, an integral part of the QC-Check system, are within their operational specifications.
The QC-Check system provides fast and accurate safety inspections and the robustly packaged PAT-4 tester provides the perfect solution for Portable Appliance Testing (PAT), cable (continuity and insulation resistance) inspection and testing of equipment protected by RCDs (distro).
VeriCal consists of a calibrated hardware module that is controlled by a QC-Check style application that guides the user through the verification process and generates a test certificate upon successful completion of the process. A certain amount of adjustment of the PAT-4 calibration set

UK - Hawthorn has been newly appointed as the in-house technical production partner at Victoria Warehouse, Manchester’s historic landmark venue.
As part of a long-term partnership agreement that started on 1 September 2018, Hawthorn will provide exclusive in-house rigging services and will be the preferred technical production supplier for corporate events across Victoria Warehouse’s diverse event spaces.
Renowned for its highly flexible event spaces with an industrial vibe and situated in the heart of Manchester, Victoria Warehouse offers event spaces for a huge range of corporate events, from conferences and exhibitions, to gala dinners, award ceremonies, brand activations and parties.
James Cohen, owner of Victoria Warehouse, comments: “I’m delighted to welcome Hawthorn to the team. Victoria Warehouse is a unique, iconic and carefully restored industri

UK - Studioforce, a new company specialising in the provision of production and technical freelancers to the film and TV industry, launched on Monday, 3 September.
The London business is spearheaded by former ITV Studios head of scenic and lighting, Dave Stevens. It offers a network of personnel for the broadcast and production sector, including gaffers, lighting electricians, camera operators, scenic supervisors, sound engineers, studio engineers and lighting console operators. Studioforce is also offering a service to facilitate and administer payroll contracts and handle recruitment for any clients who are looking to outsource certain roles, easing the process to make it more time and cost efficient.
Stevens comments: “When the recent changes at ITV Studios were announced [the broadcaster is closing its London studios], I needed to look for a new opportunity. I’

UK - Prolight Concepts Group will exhibit at PLASA (stand G40), highlighting its expanding product range and an eventful business year that saw the company move to a new warehouse and office complex and refresh its logo (pictured).
At the PLASA Show, Prolight Concepts will feature eLumen8, LEDJ and Global Truss and launch many new products, including dynamic backlit blinders and Kudos moving heads, IP65-rated Endura pars and Evora series all from eLumen8.
LEDJ will feature a pixel version of the Spectra Flood Q40 and an addition to the new CZ Stage Pars with an RGBA version, and Prolight Concepts will also showcase its ever-expanding Global Truss staging systems.
(Jim Evans)

USA - Four documents have been posted for public review on the ESTA website.
BSR E1.29 - 2009 (R2014), Product Safety Standard for Theatrical Fog Generators that Create Aerosols of Water, Aqueous Solutions of Glycol or Glycerin, or Aerosols of Highly Refined Alkane Mineral Oil
This standard is being considered for reaffirmation. It's intended to help guide product safety testing laboratories in evaluating fog-making equipment for design or construction defects that might create unacceptable hazards. It is based on UL 998 - 2006, Humidifiers, with modifications. Products covered are theatrical fog generators intended for use in professional theatrical entertainment, film and video production, theme parks, and fire safety training.
BSR E1.62, Minimum specifications for mass-produced portable platforms, ramps, stairs, and choral risers for live performance

UK - Adlib has had a busy summer after making substantial investments in touring and rental video in the first half of 2018.
The major purchase has been the addition of Unilumin’s UpadIII H5 5mm indoor/outdoor LED screen, which has been designed for quick and safe assembly with the demands of touring and concert style events in mind.
Other new purchases include new broadcast quality camera channels, PPUs and Green Hippo KARST media servers, allowing Adlib to offer large scale video production options to all its clients, as well as versatile single solution technical packages for those wanting to source video lighting and sound equipment and expertise from one supplier.
BBC Music's Biggest Weekend, the event which generally kicks off the UK festival season was expanded to multiple sites this year, Adlib supplied sound and lighting to both stages at Scone Palace

UK - Event production and equipment specialists Light Fantastic Production Services partnered with award-winning international innovation festival Unbound to deliver an immersive two-day experience at The Old Truman Brewery, London.
Supplying a complete production package covering every aspect of the event, LFPS provided full installation, technical infrastructure and management of the busy two-day programme attended by over 5000 visitors and featuring presentations from a host of world leading brands.
Working within the ‘blank canvas’ interior space of the Truman Brewery, the LFPS team transformed the entire first floor into a series of high-tech zones, including the Main Stage, Future Stage, Networking Zone, Partners Lounge, Exhibition and VR/Interactive area. Handling every detail, LFPS provided lighting, audio, video, rigging, draping, set design and co

EMEA - Production Resource Group (PRG) and VER have completed their merger in Europe and the Middle East, becoming the largest entertainment and equipment and services provider.
The entities will be controlled by The Jordan Company, GSO Capital Partners and PRG Management.Jere Harris will serve as chairman and CEO of PRG and VER, and Stephan Paridaen will be president and COO.
Harris comments: “For more than 20 years PRG has been diligent in offering its clients the best production service and equipment in the entertainment industry. Growth across disciplines, markets and geographies has always been a key part of our strategy. Now, our ability to support all types of entertainment productions globally will take on new meaning, raising an already high bar to an unprecedented level.”
According to a statement, combining PRG and VER’s strength will now offer

UK - Current RMS will be back once again exhibiting at PLASA London in September, where they’ll be showcasing their latest features built for the AV, lighting and staging industries, including a number of new updates.
The team will be on hand to show how simple managing the entire rental process from start to finish becomes with Current RMS, thanks to the convenience and the ease of one cloud-based solution. See the real-time availability of your kit from any device, effortlessly create quotes and orders to send online to your clients, seamlessly scan to allocate and book out your kit, and manage your crew, transport and venues all from one system.
Since the success of last year’s PLASA London show, the team has been working to implement some of their user feedback, based on votes on their open Customer Wishlist. New updates have included Choosing Accessories

Europe - Belgian creative engineering specialists WIcreations are involved in the design and fabrication of three bespoke set elements - all optimised for air freight - to be used on a series of epic outdoor shows on Roger Waters’ current Us + Them world tour, which launched with two seminal shows in Rome and Lucca, Italy.
A pair of 16.6m-high circular PA towers grace the stage, complete with integral tracking systems on the onstage side for the rigging of 10 moving light fixtures, and on the downstage side for the sound cluster’s wind brace.
The second WI object is an industrial style stage roof - ‘roofette’ as it’s known on the tour - comprising a set of imposing cantilevered steel beams which can be fitted with clear roof skins in case of rain.
The third area in which WI is involved is a truss and beam rigging system, devised to securely rig

UK - PLASA Show, the worldwide event for entertainment technology, is returning to London Olympia on 16-18 September with a whole host of industry leaders and influential brands primed to deliver popular products, inspirational talks and expert training.
The exhibitor list has been rapidly growing with international brands spanning lighting, audio, AV, rigging and staging, and the programme is filling up fast with critical updates, exclusive panels and the latest projects.
In association with LSi, respected lighting designer Rob Halliday and entertainment architects Stufish will present Giudizio Universale - Michelangelo and the Secrets of the Sistine Chapel, revealing the technical secrets of this stunning €9m immersive stage show created by Marco Balich, now at the Auditorium Conciliazione in Rome. Having worked on the show, Rob Halliday will discu

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