Spain - The organisers of Integrated Systems Europe have announced new dates for the recently-postponed tradeshow.
Instead of 2-5 February, ISE 2021 will take place on 1-4 June at the Fira Gran Via, Barcelona.
“The decision to reschedule the exhibition from early February came after a period of consultation with exhibitors, the venue and local authorities,” comments Mike Blackman, managing director Integrated Systems Events. “In recent weeks we have been working closely with the venue and local suppliers to ensure that the move can take place as smoothly as possible.
“From our many conversations, it is clear the industry can’t wait to get back together doing business face to face and we are committed to delivering an engaging and safe in-person ISE in 2021. The postponement of the event to early June provides additional time for the industry to adapt a

USA - Take1 Insurance has announced a new strategic underwriting partnership with OneBeacon Entertainment, a member of OneBeacon Insurance Group.
According to Take1 Insurance executive vice president, programme director and lead underwriter Scott Carroll, the new partnership enables Take1 to offer its customers a greater range of rental and staging insurance options for event service firms, event planners, producers, promoters, along with options for film and television production, short term or annual special events, those who tour and even the insurance needs for loan-out corporations.
“Take1 will do everything within our power to make sure that our customers never have to take their chances by offering the very best available coverages and our new partnership with OneBeacon enables us to do that with a specialty solutions carrier focused on entertainment customers

UK - Version 2 Lights has announced  the completion of an equity investment deal with Nigel Wray and his team.
This significant investment represents a milestone step in Version 2’s strategic plan to grow its position within the UK production community through an expanded equipment inventory and enhanced company infrastructure, says the company.
"We are delighted that Nigel has chosen to join us at this important stage in the evolution of our company,” says Nick Edwards, managing director of Version 2. “Nigel has an incredibly strong commercial background working with high profile names such as Domino’s and Saracens. His considerable business acumen which, importantly for us, includes a solid understanding of our industry, makes him an ideal partner. His involvement will allow us the scope both to build our equipment offering and to further develop our range o

USA - Volt Lites co-founders Matthew Shimamoto and Harrison Lippman and Lulu Creative director Michael Zinman of Zinman Company have launched the 3by3 Space on the premises of entertainment production services company Volt Lites in Burbank.
The three partners have created a safe stage for the COVID-19 era that’s equipped with a trio of lighting, video and xR capabilities. Sixty-four active Claypaky Mini-B LED moving lights comprise the workhorse fixtures for the space.
“We wanted to create a safe space that would allow people to get back to work and stimulate them to think out of the box,” says Shimamoto. The 3by3 Space has already been used by rock band Bush to shoot Quicksand with Augmented Reality, the Black Eyed Peas shooting Feel the Beat for Macy’s Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular, the iconic Temptations reprising their greatest hits for

South Africa - As the city slept during the Covid-19 lockdown, a deserted building in downtown Johannesburg became a beacon of hope for musicians. Urban Sessions 2020, an amalgamated project by Militia Broadcast, technical supplier Stage Effects and Smack Entertainment for audio, created a studio for musicians to livestream concerts to their fans. To date, over 150 performances have been hosted in this space.
Erik de Bruin of Stage Effects explains that as early as May 2020, Militia Broadcast, Stage Effects, and Smack Ent knew they had to do something to survive the strict lockdown in South Africa as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. They managed to secure an empty warehouse at Thabo Mpelo Studios in Johannesburg and converted it into an intimate environment with a bit of a nostalgic feel, giving viewers at home the impression that they were part of a rehearsal or jamming s

USA - One of the growing trends in entertainment lighting the past few years has been the increased use of UV light in productions of all kinds. On Thursday, 17 September at 11:00 a.m. CEST, the next Elation Coffee Break sees Alistair Smyth and Frederik Afif take a closer look at the Prisma line of advanced UV LED lighting products from Magmatic Atmospheric Effects.
This new generation of IP65 lighting is changing the quality of UV light projection while making it easier for designers and production houses to implement UV light into their projects. Because Prisma uses high quality, medical grade LEDs that emit UV light in the 365nm range, no visible light is emitted, meaning only the UV reactive material glows and nothing else.
The Elation Coffee Break is available on Elation Europe’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ELATION.Pro.Europe/live/. No registration is req

Canada - When Canadian country star Brett Kissel announced the first of what would become eight sold-out Live at the Drive-In shows in Edmonton, AB on 13 and 14 June 2020, drive-in concerts were basically the wild west of what live productions might look like during the COVID-19 pandemic.
For the four shows on each day, 180 vehicles spaced several feet apart filled the parking lot of the River Cree Resort & Casino. By tuning into 89.5 FM, fans heard the live feed from FOH through their car stereos and were invited to honk, wave, and even hang out of windows and sunroofs while staying in their vehicles through the hour-long performance.
Kissel had full reign over the stage with a big extension, while each band member was surrounded by Plexiglas partitions. That part may have been strange for the performers, but it wasn’t the most unusual aspect for the wider crew.

Spain - Organisers of the Porta Ferrada Festival, staged on the Costa Brava, report that the fortnight of concerts has been hugely successful, playing to 95% capacity, despite the coronavirus pandemic. Audio production company BTM worked closely with Nexo to deliver the PA systems for the event, servicing new venues which had to be redesigned according to new festival safety protocols.
Now in its 58th edition at home in Sant Feliu de Guíxols, near Girona, the festival had to re-invent itself, presenting the new ‘Guíxols Arena’. Once the main stage of the event, this space had to take on the character of an auditorium, restricting capacity to no more than 800 socially-distanced spectators, divided between stalls and stands. Nevertheless, more than 10,000 tickets were sold, and 20 concerts were staged.
Girona-based audio rental house BTM Sound has serviced the Port

UK - The ALD has announced that applications for its popular Sponsored Student Scheme for the year 2021 are open, and that also running alongside the scheme, for the month of September only, is a promotion targeted at the other individual membership categories, for discounted subscription rates for the rest of the membership year to March 2021.
The Sponsored Student Scheme is funded by ALD ccorporate members and is targeted towards students who have not previously been members, offering the opportunity of free ALD membership until the end of March 2022.
Membership within any category provides vital interaction opportunities and connection between established figures in professional lighting and video design, and the next generation of talented designers, programmers and technicians. Members also enjoy complimentary copies of the Association’s magazine Focus, a

Europe - After a period of consultation with the industry and the impact of the ongoing pandemic, Integrated Systems Events has announced that ISE, scheduled for 2-5 February 2021 in Barcelona, has been postponed and will now take place in June (dates to be confirmed), alongside a virtual offering.
Additionally, ISE will launch RISE Digital, a regular programme of content and networking events which will run throughout the year and support the live show.
Integrated Systems Events released the following statement: “We’ve been monitoring the conditions in Europe since the beginning of this year and have worked hard on your behalf to balance health and safety concerns with the need for commerce and F2F interaction. These two factors have had shifting weight throughout the calendar year and although we’ve felt confident and hopeful regarding delivering this show in F

West End Revival - Six and Everybody's Talking About Jamie will become the first musicals back in the West End in mid-November, eight months after the curtain came down. They will hit the stage three weeks after a string of non-musical shows reopen London's theatre district. The Play That Goes Wrong, Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap and Adam Kay's This Is Going To Hurt will all admit socially distant audiences in October.
Venue heads said "robust risk mitigation" would be in place. They include reduced capacities, contactless tickets, temperature tests and deep cleans, as well as hand sanitation, face coverings and track and trace.
The producers of Six, the hit show about Henry VIII's wives, will take a separate cast to The Lowry in Salford from late November. The musical had been due to be staged in the Greater Manchester venue

USA - As part of its growth strategy for the new in ear monitor solution, the 3DME, ASI Audio has formed a partnership with Pro Audio/MI/Consumer Technology industry veteran Gregg Stein and his new company, Triple G Ventures.
“Gregg is one of the people in our industry I’ve always kept my eye on, his innovative approaches and genuine enthusiasm for new products and brands has always been refreshing and invigorating,” says Evan MacKenzie, ASI Audio VP of sales & marketing. “Triple G Ventures gets that sales and marketing must go hand in hand to create compelling product offers in modern and smart presentations to the customer.”
“ASI Audio’s innovative Active Ambient Audio technology is a game changer. The 3DME In Ear Monitor solution unites enhanced audio monitoring with true spatial 3D ambient “room” sound and hearing protection into a single in-e

UK - Software provider Stardraw.com has announced that their Introduction to Stardraw Design 7.3 webinar has been approved by AVIXA as an RU- (Renewal Unit) eligible course for CTS (Certified Technology Specialist) certification. This includes the special designations CTS-D (Design) and CTS-I (Installation). This will allow the more than 13,000 professionals holding AVIXA’s CTS credential to earn renewal units towards their certification by completing Stardraw.com’s Introduction to Design 7.3 education programme.
The CTS certification programme – which has been administered by AVIXA for over 30 years - is recognised worldwide as the leading AV professional credential. Indeed, AVIXA’s CTS, CTS-D and CTS-I qualifications are the only AV certification programmes to be accredited by ISO (International Organization for Standardization) and ANSI (American National Standard

China - LED display specialist Absen has once again been recognised in Deloitte’s Best Managed Companies (BMC) programme.
The BMC programme is a global initiative that identifies and recognises private companies with advanced management ideas and excellent business performance. Key factors in the evaluation of a company’s management ability include strategy, capabilities, commitment and financial strength. This year, the selection criteria also considered resiliency towards the Covid-19 pandemic. Absen was deemed to have shown extraordinary competency in all areas, allowing the company to weather these difficult times.
With a reputation for providing high quality LED displays, Absen once again achieved the #1 global export position for the 11th consecutive year and will next year celebrate its 20th anniversary. Absen has a manufacturing facility with an annual pr

USA - High End Systems has announced the finalist teams for the 2020 Hog Factor USA Collegiate Lighting Programming Competition. First held in North America in 2015, Hog Factor has become one of the premier lighting programming contests in the United States and across the globe.
For Phase One, each submitting team provided a performance lighting piece, programmed on a Hog or Hog 4 PC. The collegiate teams were judged by a panel of High End Systems and ETC employees. The three Hog Factor USA finalist teams are The Ghost Lights from Webster University, Bacon Powers from Southern Methodist University, and Hamburglers from Texas State University.
With the LDI 2020 Exhibition now cancelled, this year’s contest will take place online as part of ETC/HES’ Study Hall events in October. Details on the contest date, format and judging will be announced soon.

Croatia - The MS My Wish offers ‘a deluxe, intimate experience’ for its 38 guests. With an advantage due to its a smaller, yacht-like size, the ship can navigate narrow waterways and explore not only Croatia’s medieval cities but also its smaller, quieter islands hardly explored by bigger vessels.
Boasting an onboard restaurant, a large sundeck, a rooftop hot tub, and a swimming platform for access to the Adriatic ocean, the MS My Wish needed an audio system that could match its design.
“The Mezzo 324 and Mezzo 604 were perfect for the job,” said Captain Marin Crncic of the MS My Wish.
The Mezzo series is Powersoft’s answer to providing the same sound clarity, reliability and build quality in a smaller install amplifier – just half of the rack unit form factor. All models come with state-of-the-art built-in DSP. It has two power sizes with a two or

USA - With the AES Show Fall 2020 Convention coming up in October, newly announced technical programme details showcase a variety of sessions covering both audio science and research, as well as topical discussions of key issues in the audio industry.
Now in its expanded, virtual format, as Audio Engineering Month, the AES Show 2020 ‘offers attendees their own in-house convention’.
Several recently added sessions have been announced to the AES Show Technical Programme. Grammy-winning producer, engineer and mixer Vance Powell will detail some of his most successful mixing and recording techniques with the session Behind the Mix, hosted by AES recording and production track co-chair Peter Doell.
Doell further delves into the recording workflows taking plac

South Africa - For the South African live events industry, 8 September was an emotional day that will be tattooed in the hearts and souls of the 200 people consisting of business owners, technicians and freelancers, who gathered at the Paul Kruger Statue in Central Pretoria to hand over a memorandum of demands to the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture. Under the banner of the #Flightcasemovement, this historic event saw the industry standing united, marching and pushing flightcases to represent their cause.
The industry players joined in spirit by those who could not afford the transportation cost to be there. “I felt like I was part of a huge national movement that will never be seen for another hundred years, I was proud to be part of this committee,” said Sizwe Mokoena of Ugozi Entertainment, a member of the #Flightcasemovement and who led the protestors in peacef

USA - Around 2,000 venues, places, landmarks, and monuments all over the US were lit in red for the #RedAlertRESTART campaign on 1 September to highlight the critical situation facing the live events and entertainment industry and the need for lawmaker’s support of the Restart Act (S.3814) to offer some sort of relief to the industry.
This latest red day of action was part of a wider industry campaign being led by the #WeMakeEvents movement, a collective of trade organisations including PLASA (the Professional Lighting & Sound Association).
The idea of lighting buildings in ‘emergency red’ started in Germany with #NightofLight in June, and the concept caught on with red days of action organised in many European countries and the UK (initiated by #LightiItInRed on 6th July, followed up by PLASA’s #WeMakeEvents action on 11 August) as well as South Africa (#

Germany - On 9 September, the Red Alert Action Alliance - Initiatives & Associations of the Event Industry (Aktionsbündnis AlarmstufeRot - Initiativen & Verbände der Veranstaltungswirtschaft) assembled at a large demonstration in Berlin in response to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic to the event industry.
With numerous companies having experienced hardly any sales for six months and a significant drop in revenue, the crisis is now threatening both businesses and jobs.
The demonstration was conceived as a concerted action by all stakeholders in the event industry - from agencies and artists to event technicians and showmen. According to the organisers, up to 15,000 employees in the event industry heeded the call. After countless had already taken off their ‘last shirts’ and laid them down in a symbolic action on the meadow in front of the German Bunde

USA - Eastern Acoustic Works (EAW) has announced Sound Technologies as its manufacturer’s representative for Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin.
“Sound Technologies’ Principal Jim Bobel not only spent four years as part of the EAW sales team but he has over 25 years of experience working with some of the top brands in the industry, so he brings in depth product and technology knowledge to the table,” says TJ Smith, president for EAW. “We are excited to once again be working with Jim as he grows his business. Sound Technologies will be a great asset in helping serve customers in the region.”
Based in Chicago, Sound Technologies’ mission is to ‘support and serve manufacturers, integrators, designers, production companies, artists, and anyone looking to produce great audio’.
“Earlier this year, it became very clear that our industry in pa

USA - Essay Video has recently announced the opening of its new virtual studio located in Norwalk, Connecticut. The virtual facility is equipped with the latest in LED technology, including Brompton Technology 4K Tessera SX40 LED processors, empowering Essay’s customers to ‘realise their creative projects and create complex, interactive and mixed reality presentations’.
“With the global pandemic, we had clients who had to pivot from live events and turn to virtual solutions,” explains Essay Video founder & CEO, Greg Fellows. “Our newly built virtual studio gives them a safe and healthy environment to make their creative projects a reality. We have multiple offices for privacy and social distancing, and we’ve partnered with HBO and Intel over the last six months to fine tune and perfect our virtual meetings. Whilst it’s not possible to hold a live show at

China - Symetrix has partnered with EZ Pro International to bring the hands-on Symetrix Composer Certified Trainings to system designers throughout China.
Starting in Shenzhen in July and continuing to Shanghai, Beijing, Chengdu, and Xi’an throughout the rest of the year, the Symetrix Composer Certified Trainings have been a hit throughout China - producing a cadre of qualified Symetrix system designers in the region. The trainings utilise small class sizes, flexible training sites, and expert lecturers including EZ Pro’s vice president Kane Zhang and brand manager Tim Wang.
The innovative and informative trainings are divided into three levels - basic, certified programmer, and master. During basic training, students learn how to upload finished configuration files into their systems, make sure they are running smoothly, and learn Symetrix basic functions. This pr

UK - Backstage Academy has affirmed its commitment to safeguarding students entering the live events industry, after it was selected by the QAA to take part in a series of best-practice Covid case studies. The institution was recognised by the assurance agency for the measures put in place following the outbreak of the pandemic.
Located at the world-renowned Production Park in South Kirby, Yorkshire, the higher education institution was included in a case study report, acknowledged by the QAA (Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education) for its ability to adapt to the pandemic.
The Academy, which offers degrees, short courses and bespoke training for the live events industry, believes the special measures put in place for the next cohort of students in September will ensure “the long term survival of the industry, worth a vital £30bn to the UK’s economy”. <

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