USA - Live Design International (LDI) is the latest major industry event to fall victim to the coronavirus pandemic. Questex, the parent company of LDI, has announced the event will be forced to cancel due to the COVID-19 pandemic. LDI was originally scheduled to run 23-25 October 2020 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas. The event has been rescheduled for 19-21 November 2021. The organisers say in a statement: “We recognise the tremendous economic and emotional impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the global market, and we are committed to working with each stakeholder on a solution to support your business. For more than three decades, LDI has been the hub for the global live production community to learn about new technologies and applications, engage with peers and industry vendors and replenish creativity. “This will be the first time in o
Italy - Powersoft has partnered with the Crew Nation charitable fund to help provide relief to live music crews around the globe. Crew Nation has been created to extend a helping hand to the touring and venue crews who depend on a constant run of shows to make a living. The fund - powered and administered by charitable 501c3 organisation, Music Forward Foundation - has been kickstarted by Live Nation, which has contributed an initial $5m and committed to match the next $5m given by artists, fans, and employees. So far superstars such as Coldplay, Miley Cyrus, Metallica, John Mayer, and many more have shown their support and donated. Having become aware of the initiative, Powersoft has pledged to donate 5% of the proceeds from all of the touring amplifier platforms sold between 27 July and 15 October, to Crew Nation. The Powersoft campaign that will follow is bas
South Africa - Organisers of the #LightSAred initiative have issued a final call for participants to join today’s activities. The campaign will see the South African event industry join in a widespread protest action to highlight the lack of government support for the sector, which has been severely affected by the COVID-19 crisis. Today, some of the country's favourite artists and performers, including Prime Circle, John Vlismas, Kyle Cassim, Refentse Morake, will perform live, whilst an original campaign anthem featuring a range of leading South African artist will be released. “We are calling on all South Africans to heed the call of the technical production and live entertainment industry," the organisers said. "If you look out of your window today, 5 August, between 18:
Rebuilding Trust - Industry leaders are developing a quality mark to be displayed in theatres and on other promotional materials, aimed at rebuilding trust among theatregoers. It is one of a number of measures being planned to regain the confidence of theatregoers when venues are able to reopen. Staggered start times for shows are also being considered, as well as plans to work with Transport for London on helping audiences get to theatres. The plans are being drawn up by the Society of London Theatre and UK Theatre, which have revealed they will be creating a quality assurance mark – which it is hoped will be an official icon – to “encourage consumers that theatregoing is safe” and to show that theatre is “ready for business”. “This will be used in promotional materials and in venue signage alongside other health and safety messaging and campaign communi
UK - LEA Professional, manufacturer of pro-audio amplifiers with cloud- and IoT-based technologies, has announced a partnership with Blue5 Technology to serve their growing presence in the EMEA region. Blue5 Technology was founded recently by David Budge, who has over 20 years’ experience in the pro audio industry with previous roles at Harman and Bose, working in the European, Middle East and African markets. “AV customers across all verticals are seeking specialized solutions and are moving away from institutionalised corporations towards entrepreneurial, dynamic partners with market-proven depth. LEA Professional is a global player in AV but retains the entrepreneurial culture and customer focus. It is exactly the right partnership AV customers need in these times of change,” said David Budge. “LEA Professional has the ability to be agile and they’re not h
UK - ISCE has renamed and rebranded as ISCVE Ltd - The Institute of Sound, Communications and Visual Engineers. Says the organisation: “Recognising the diversity of our members and the markets they operate in, along with the convergence of technologies, the Institute has undertaken this identity and name change to embrace the wider scope, skills and sectors of our members and supporting members.” ISCVE president, Helen Goddard states, “We recognise that audio without visual, in today’s markets, is a little like tea without biscuits, you rarely see one without the other. “So while it is important for us to continue to embrace members and market sectors of our origins, we also welcome with open arms, members who are working within additional disciplines, skill sets and technologies and our brand identity has been changed to reflect that. “Training
UK - Grassroots campaign initiative #LightItInRed is part of the 11 August ‘Red Alert’ day of action being organised and coordinated by #WeMakeEvents and PLASA. Red Alert is also being supported by numerous companies, professionals, organisations and other individuals and practitioners working in the entertainment technology industry and performing arts sector. The Red Alert campaign’s goal is to get the live entertainment and technical production sector in front of politicians, specifically those in the exchequer and at the DCMS (Department of Culture Media & Sport), the latter as the industry’s representatives at parliamentary level. The reason is to demand urgent financial help for the sector and its substantial support infrastructure … until mass gatherings can return. The industry is on the brink of collapse following no work or cashflow
UK - The #WeMakeEvents campaign has progressed into the ‘Red Alert’ phase, with planned activities set to take place across London and other major cities in the UK on the evening of 11 August. The initiative will raise the alarm for the live events and entertainment sector, which has been badly-hit by the pandemic, resulting in countless event cancellations. The campaign reports that the disruption of the summer season alone has affected over 600,000+ jobs in outdoor events. Meanwhile, a campaign survey revealed that redundancies in the sector are already happening, with 15% of businesses stating that they plan to make redundancies during August and 70% reporting that they could be forced to do so by the end of 2020. The campaign warns tha
Romania - Prolights has announced the appointment of AudioVision as its distributor for Romania with immediate effect. AudioVision covers “complete sound, lights and special effects solutions for the most entertaining experiences”. It started as a production company which is now well established and still developing. Vasile Mara, general manager for AudioVision says: “For the last 25 years we have been an active part in the events industry, also providing complete audio solutions for the retail market. Working in this kind of industry we are highly passionate of, is synonymous of pure satisfaction. We have proven several times that we can make a difference by offering highly qualitative and reliable products and services. The main purpose of our company is to provide the best sound, lights and special effects solutions for the user and become an icon both for the
UK - Event suppliers T.H. Collective, Fineline Lighting and Mechanical Mouse have teamed up to launch a new broadcast studio, TH e.Space. Offering a full range of remote broadcast services, the studio is located at T.H. Collective’s Bristol headquarters and enables customers to produce remote video content while observing social distancing guidelines. In addition to recording and editing the broadcast, the team at TH e.Space can offer clients a wide range of services including Q&As, live polling, speaker coaching, live captioning, graphics and more. Nick Hobbs, director at T.H. Collective, comments: “We’ve launched TH e.Space as a direct response to the changing needs of audiences due to the coronavirus pandemic. During lockdown we’ve all become very accustomed to consuming remote content and this new studio offers a higher production value for bus
Poland - The Tauron Arena in Krakow is a popular venue among artists, promoters, working crews and music fans on the normally busy year-round European arena touring circuit, but like most venues, it lies shuttered and empty while the live entertainment industry is ‘on hold’. Lighting designer Maciej Hofstede from design / creative direction specialist Of Course, based in Bochnia, who would usually be juggling a full schedule of tours festivals and band shows, decided to go large when it came to participating in the recent #LightTheSky Poland lighting action. He was among several other companies and organisations from Krakow joining the event on 1 May, including the FOH Foundation, the Tauron Arena, Studio Techniki Oświetleniowej (STO), Mediam and TechnoStage - in a show of strength from the second largest cities in Poland. Maciej and a crew of four - lightin
UK - Audio post production facility Pip Studios is now fully open, offering Dolby Atmos capability from its six purpose-built Atmos stages on its site in Winnersh, Berkshire. Co-founded by Ally Curran, Mark Sheffield and Nigel Bennett, Pip aims “to bring its expertise to bear on offering state of the art audio localisation services for feature films, television, gaming, and streaming industries”. The six Atmos stages are all Dolby certified, equipped with 24-fader Avid S6 mixing consoles, and aligned for theatrical and home entertainment mixing. The stages have been built and equipped by leading suppliers, including Level Acoustic Design, Westwood Joinery, HHB Scrub, Bell Theatre Services, AKA, Wire Broadcast, Jigsaw 24, and Dolby. “The COVID-19 pandemic delayed our official opening by a month, so we used that time to further refine the facility,” comments Pip
Europe - Professionals from across the global concert touring industry have joined forces to form the PSA Tour Production Group (PSA TPG) in order to provide a unified response to the impact of COVID-19 on live music events. The body is a new arm of the Production Services Association (PSA) and includes tour managers, production managers, safety professionals, venue and festival managers, travel and logistics specialists, promoters, and industry suppliers. The Covid-19 Working Procedures Guidance outlines how touring productions - which include one-off shows, festivals and live events of any size that require moving personnel and equipment to a new destination - can better align with suppliers, venues and pr
USA - The Audio Engineering Society (AES) has announced the incoming officers and governors following the 2020 Board of Directors and Board of Governors elections. The Society’s membership has elected Joshua Reiss as president-elect, Marina Bosi as treasurer-elect and re-elected Valerie Tyler as secretary. Additionally, Alex Kosiorek has been re-elected as VP Western region, USA/Canada; Gabriel Herman has been elected as VP Eastern region, USA/Canada; and Elena Prokofieva has been elected as VP Northern region, Europe. “Congratulations to all the newly elected Governors and officers of the AES,” says President Agnieszka Roginska. “We look forward to the new ideas and energy they will bring to AES governance. All of the candidates on the 2020 ballot were extremely qualified – they honoured the Society with their willingness to serve, and for that we of
Canada - Bluesound Professional has announced the launch of a podcast and video content series called Surroundscapes, featuring ideas from invited expert guests from around the world who use A/V technology in innovative ways. It is targeted at commercial A/V integrators, consultants, as well as business owners, interested in creating memorable immersive experiences that point to the future of business in retail, hospitality, wellness, and office environments. Hosted by Graeme Harrison, VP and GM of Bluesound Professional, Surroundscapes is part A/V tech nerd talk and part psychosocial experimentation, helping audiences discover the sound and visual stimulus techniques used in public spaces to engage people and drive business outcomes. “Surroundscapes has been many months in the making and I’m extremely excited to be able to share what we’ve been wor
USA - In February 2021, NASA’s Mars 2020 Rover is scheduled to touch down on the Red Planet. The spacecraft will have the capability to capture imagery and sound as the Mars 2020 vehicle descends through the Martian atmosphere and lands on the surface of Mars. To capture sounds from the Red Planet for the first time ever, the Mars 2020 Rover will be outfitted with a selection of equipment from DPA Microphones. DPA’s 4006 Omnidirectional Microphone will capture the audio while the MMA-A Digital Audio Interface will be used to record and send audio to a computer through its USB connection. Both mics will be paired with MMP-G Modular Active Cables, which act as ultra-transparent preamplifiers. DPA won the contract from JPL based on its products’ ability to perform under demanding environments and the ability to deliver industry standard communication interfaces. DPA
UK - Arts organisations can now apply for a portion of the government’s £1.57bn relief fund. Up to £622m in grants will be made available during this first phase of the programme, including a £2.25m pot for grassroot music venues announced earlier this month. Arts Council England will allocate £500m, with handouts of between £50,000 and £3m available for cultural organisations based in England, such as theatres, music and comedy venues and museums. The rest of the money will be distributed by the British Film Institute (£30m) for independent cinemas, and the National Lotter
Europe - Merging Technologies has supported the AES Student Recording Competition for many years, both at the European and US Conventions, by donating a prize of a Pyramix Native licence to the top student in the appropriate category. The situation was rather different this year with the Vienna Convention being virtual; no Merging employee could present the prize. Nevertheless, the competition went ahead as normal and produced an excellent result for a student from the Detmold Hochschule für Musik. Kseniya Kawko was awarded the Gold Award in the Traditional Acoustic Category for the recording of the piece by Michio Miyagi Haru no Umi and Silver Award in the Immersive Category for the recording of the Mendelssohn String Quartet No.2 in A Minor. Kseniya recorded and mixed both projects on Pyramix since Detmold and McGill University, where Kseniya did her previous
Korea - Void Acoustics has confirmed the appointment of a new distributor for Korea. Joeun Media Co is based in Busan, Korea and first came to the attention of Void Acoustics in 2013 at Prolight + Sound in Frankfurt. The company has operated since 1985 as a wholesale AV distributor and has established a significant reputation as an exceptional audio installation company for major clubs and venues around Korea. However, this will be the first time that Joeun Media has been appointed directly as a distributor for the audio manufacturer. Jung Wook, CEO for Joeun Media comments: “I was first made aware of Void Acoustics six or seven years ago and was fascinated by the unique design and innovative speaker arrangement of the Incubus and Nexus systems, which so clearly demonstrate the unique production values of Void Acoustics.” Since that first introduction to Vo
Belgium - Harlequin Floors has launched its new manufacturing plant and distribution centre in Liège. The new 2,000 sq.m plant based in Liège will manufacture Harlequin Liberty sprung floor panels and will ensure an even faster service for our European clients, especially those in the events industry where a rapid turnaround on orders is a prerequisite and will be even more important to help rebuild the industry post-pandemic. The new site will improve efficiencies in manufacturing and supply, says the company. It will also enable Harlequin to service the growing demand for its products in Europe. Harlequin has also appointed Berlin-based Sander Resnik as commercial director of Harlequin Deutschland. The company will use Resnik’s background in sales expansion and e-commerce to widen its German-speaking customer base, which is dominated by the dancing elite b
UK - Leading trade bodies and businesses are joining forces to issue a Red Alert and highlight the severe challenges faced by the live events industry and its entire supply chain due to the pandemic. Planned for 11 August, the action will include social media and video drives as well as legal outdoor events, with other specific activities occurring on the day. The initiative is part of the #WeMakeEvents campaign that aims to raise awareness of the sector’s struggles and to secure further support from the government. “The live events industry supply chain that contributes to every single event in the UK is set to completely collapse,” comments Peter Heath, MD of PLASA. “Social distancing prohibits mass events, and even if this stopped now, long-term plan
Emergency Support - Grassroots music venues in England will be the first cultural organisations to benefit from the government’s £1.57 billion package for the arts, with the most at-risk organisations receiving cash in the “next few weeks”. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has confirmed that the first tranche of money - totalling £2.25m - will fund emergency support grants for music venues at risk of imminent collapse. It is the first news about how the billion-pound package will be spent, coming nearly three weeks after the initial announcement and following pressure from industry and unions to provide urgent clarification. A maximum of 150 venues that are at “severe risk of insolvency” are expected to benefit from the new funding, which will be distributed by Arts Council England and will provide grants of up to £80,000 to cover ongoing cos
UK - A recent prosecution at Glasgow Sheriff Court has highlighted both the human and financial consequences when work at height is not properly planned, designed and managed, PASMA has said. The association highlighted a recent court case, which looked at an incident from 2 September 2016 when an employee of JR Scaffold Services Ltd, who was erecting a tower scaffold to carry out roof repairs, fell 8m after the cantilever section on which he was standing collapsed. According to reports, the fall left him hospitalised for two weeks, with severe injuries including a collapsed lung, ruptured spleen and multiple rib and shoulder fractures. It was five months before he could return to work and he will be on daily antibiotics for the rest of his life. An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found the company had correctly carried out a risk assessment and
UK - Unusual Rigging has conducted a series of inspection and maintenance checks at the Royal Albert Hall in preparation for an eventual post-COVID re-opening. With the venue shut for the first time since the Blitz, it was unable to carry out its usual April inspections and maintenance and as such the statutory examination periods for some hoists had expired. Alexander Tripp, deputy head of technical at Royal Albert Hall explained: “While being closed has meant that there is less wear and tear on some of the equipment than there would usually be, this is not the case for the majority of it, There were also a number of examinations that needed to be carried out – thorough examination of rigging equipment being one of them. We wanted to get this rectified as soon as possible, but there were many challenges that needed addressing before work inside the Hall could be safely
