Events

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14 March 2016

Platinum Sponsor is Robe Lighting, the Czech Republic-based manufacturer of moving lights and digital lighting products. General manager, Josef Valchar, is looking forward to PLASA 2012. "It is a very exciting time to be involved in lighting manufacture with the increasing convergence between the mediums of lighting and video into one integrated visual tool. Environmental concerns and the importance of developing energy efficient and sustainable technology for the future is also starting to shape our industry. These and other issues are already influencing our future plans and R 'n' D at Robe - which continues along the proactive and innovative path that has made it a market leader."

Gold sponsor Martin Professional is celebrating its 25th anniv

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14 March 2016

Confirming that the PLASA Rigging Conference maintains a truly international profile, this year's key-note speaker, Roy Bickel, one of the original 'Disney Riggers' from the USA is followed by speakers from both sides of the globe.

Looking at Ground Supported Structures will be Malcolm Richards, a chartered structural engineer with extensive experience in all forms of entertainment industry structures. Supported by a panel representing manufacturers, suppliers, consultants and designers, Richards will be looking closely at the safety and science of the ground supported structure especially in the light of last year's tragic events, both in Indiana and in Europe.

New Zealand rigger and structural engineer, Nick Barnf

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14 March 2016

An estimated 1 600 people, all South African Breweries internal staff, attended the convention, business sessions and the new brand experience - a networking area where delegates gather after various sessions. Here all SAB brands were displayed in an exhibition-type fashion and complemented with lighting and background music.

AV Unlimited arrived in Cape Town on Sunday and the set up had to be complete by Wednesday for rehearsals. The event was hosted on Thursday and Friday.

Guillaume Ducray, joint partner at AV Unlimited, says the biggest challenge was rigging 99 points in 48 hours. Having worked on the gig on numerous oth

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14 March 2016

"It was time to replace our previous system due to its age, and it made sense to update to a grandMA2," says Brendan Quigley, show electrician. "All of the Wicked shows worldwide are on the grandMA platform, so it was our turn to move up. The grandMA2 is proving to be both agile and rock solid."

Quigley notes that reliability is critical for a production that does eight shows a week and more than 400 performances a year, not counting rehearsals. "The previous control platforms were approaching 20 years old, so it was time to ensure that we had a stable system moving forward. We need

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14 March 2016

PLASA Focus is proud to announce the addition of several new exhibitors to join the already packed exhibitor hall, including lighting specialists PixelRange; connectivity problem solvers Link USA; support system gurus Applied Electronics; and lighting-design software giant CAST. They will share the floor with other industry trailblazers such as Clay Paky,

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14 March 2016

Not exactly big news except Rosman had a powerful new weapon in his arsenal - JBL V5 VerTec presets courtesy of the new Crown VRACK, a complete amplifier management rack system solution. The VRACK features three built-in Crown I-Tech 12000HD amplifiers, immediately providing an easy-to-configure, plug-and-play solution that eliminates the need to build amplifier racks.

"The VRACKS have made a big difference to the sound of the VerTec," commented Greg Rosman. "They allow us access to the new JBL VerTec V5 presets and with V5 it's like having a new VerTec system all over again.

"The VerTec V5 DSP

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14 March 2016

"Allen & Heath is a music industry stalwart and well trusted by many producers and performers. We have previously used the MixWizard with great results, one of which was our first BBC Radio One live performance as part of 'In New DJ's We Trust', so you could imagine our excitement when we got our hands on the ZED-420," explains band member, Gary Curran.

The Japanese Popstars have toured with the ZED mixer for the past year, playing many gigs and festivals ranging from Glastonbury to the Secret Garden Party and more recently the ZED accompanied them on tour with Orbital, which included a gig at the Royal Albert Hall.

"The mixer has been fantastic for the way we set up our live performances. We make use of the mixer

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14 March 2016

"We have been very busy over the last year, developing new products and expanding the ranges of existing products," said David Faulkes, sales director. "We have also extended our manufacturing base to include Germany."

One of the products to be featured at the show will be an LED cyclorama wash. Based on the powerful LEDHead Batten2, it uses 18x8W quadcolour LEDs and high quality optics to give an even wash of light over 4.5m high when mounted only 1m from the cyc.

Other new LED products include two new wireless uplighters with adjustable pan and tilt and the Ad-cover system, designed to colour and brand any make of battery uplighter.

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14 March 2016

The ABTT exhibition will provide a platform for visitors to see the recently launched, time-saving battery powered LED GlowUp fixture and the feature packed Alpha Spot QWO800 from Clay Paky.

"We are delighted to be showcasing these products to the theatre industry at ABTT," comments Glyn O'Donoghue, MD of Ambersphere Solutions. "Our experienced team will be on hand throughout the show to demonstrate the myriad features of these phenomenal products, and answer any questions visitors may have."

The new A.LEDA LED moving head range will also be on display. This is "a sophisticated alternative to a traditional washlight" but offers all the benefit

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14 March 2016

The Acoustic Baffle from ShowTex proves ecology and noise level control can go hand in hand, says the company. The new acoustic fabric panels are made from 100% recycled material compressed together to optimize sound conditions. The flame retardant Acoustic Baffle comes in two sizes (2m long and 3 m long) and can be installed modularly for extra flexibility.

By combining the two standard formats, nearly any height or area can be covered. The Acoustic Baffle can be installed as a ceiling lining or around curves and corners. Custom formats and /or colours are available by request. The panels are finished off with Velcro for connecting together easily and can be used for temporary and fixed installations.

The Acoustic Baffle from ShowTe

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14 March 2016

The ABTT 2012 Theatre Show has attracted exhibitors from all areas of technical equipment supply and service provision. The prominent sectors of sound, lighting, projection and staging equipment are joined by companies showing scenic materials, stage flooring, books, seating, cables, as well as support services to the live entertainment industry.

Show director Roger Fox said, "The ABTT Theatre Show really is a place to

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14 March 2016

Chauvet will show case the latest members of their Legend and COLORado families withLegend 412 and COLORado Zoom Tour, as well as the newest member of their Q-Series with Q-Spot 460-LED. Also featured, are Q-Wash 560Z LED moving yoke, MVP modular video panels and the wireless fixture WELL.

(Jim Evans)

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14 March 2016

The highest profile of these was the Diamond Jubilee concert at Buckingham Palace, which featured the new i-Line battens from i-Pix. Building on the success of the renowned BB range, the i-Line 600 and i-Line 1200 RGBW battens are incredibly bright with beautifully smooth output, a true 'next generation' LED fixture.

The next generation of profile spotlights from Robert Juliat will also be on show following their debut at PLASA Focus in Leeds a few weeks ago. Tibo is a compact, lightweight dual zoom range profile with light source options including tungsten, warm white LED,

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14 March 2016

Debuting at ABTT (stand 35) is Doughty's 35mm Atom clamp, a "perfect fit for 35mm speaker stands". The smallest of Doughty's clamp range, Atom clamps are slotted to hold captive a nut or bolt head, have a SWL of 100kg and are suitable for lightweight truss as well as the majority of stands.

New additions to the Doughty catalogue are Reutlinger Cable Holders. Available in two different sizes to suspend loads of up to 130kg and up to 330kg on steel cables (wire rope), these cable holders have been specifically designed for applications which demand compliance with BGV C1 accident prevention rules.

Also being seen at ABTT for the first time is Doughty's all steel Beam Clamp which, with a wide adjustment range of up to 200mm, make

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14 March 2016

Visitors to City Theatrical's stand #50 at ABTT 2012 at the Old Truman Brewery can see a demonstration of the programme from its author, professional designer/programmer Andrew Voller.

Moving Light Assistant can be used from the pre-production phase for planning and designing the moving light rig right through to producing the final documentation of the programming, and is designed to fill the needs of deisgners, programmers, production electricians, and show crews. Moving Light Assistant's licensing program is simple and straightforward and the product is free for those who only need a reader/demo version.

City Theatrical will also

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14 March 2016

The Audiothinktank will be presented by Dave Swallow (La Roux, Imogen Heap, Amy Winehouse), Chris McCarron (Biffy Clyro, Maximo Park, The Pigeon Detectives), Chuck Knowledge (Dizzee Rascal, Jay Sean, Modestep, Nero, Tinchy Stryder, Tony Andrews (Funktion-One), Luke Ramsay (Julie's Bicycle), on Monday 10th September at PLASA 2012. Come spread your idea - Dave is taking suggestions for topics through his website now, go to www.dave-swallow.com then click the link on the side entitled Suggest a Topic.

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14 March 2016

They are a great opportunity for students to come together for pre-arranged demonstrations, discussions and Q&A's. If you are interested in arranging a Student Insight tour for your students, please contact Will Hahn at the National Skills Academy who will arrange this for you; Will.Hahn@ccskills.org.uk

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14 March 2016

The open day will be held on Wednesday 4 July in Leeds at AC-ET's demo facilities. As one of the major UK distributors for Zero 88, AC-ET is inviting interested parties to pop in to the informal all-day event, which runs from 11am to 4pm and is geared towards all levels of user.

Zero 88 has been designing and delivering innovative entertainment lighting control solutions for over 40 years which have been hugely successful in professional and amateur theatre, education and rental markets

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14 March 2016

Eurovision, known for its epic, weird and remarkable performances didn't fail to entertain us once again as contestants competed, not just with their voices but the effects, lighting and imagery that supported them. This year Europe's guilty pleasure came back bigger and better, with a huge stage, catwalk, six giant LED screens and an enormous lighting rig.

Hippotizer's PixelMapper and VideoMapper components took each performance out into the seating area, bringing the whole 'land of fire' theme into the hall.

Crystal Hall holds up to 20,000 people and the event was witnessed by 125 million people worldwide. The LED screens created an immersive environment for the performances - using all of Hippotizer's aw

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14 March 2016

The Show's futuristic storyline and hard hitting soundtrack required some big-impact lighting and visual effects. But how were the producers (Iron Sea Productions) going to achieve this when they could only access the theatre in the morning of each Sunday show? Not to mention the fact that a full lighting rig for the long running National Theatre production of One Man, Two Guvnors was already installed at the venue.

Cue lighting director Nigel Catmur and a well drilled ELP crew led by Mark Gardiner. "The technical and logistical challenges were t

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14 March 2016

Submissions can range from the simplest problem-solving product to unusual or complex uses of technology to projects that highlight the collaborative nature of our industry. If you've seen something that's impressed you in the last year, now is your chance to tell the world. It could be a piece of equipment you worked with, something you saw at a trade show, read about in an industry magazine, or an event you experienced. It could also be something your com

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14 March 2016

The stage, which was being set up for the final show on the North American leg of Radiohead's world tour, collapsed at 4.00pm local time, around one hour before the gates were due to open, killing 33-year-old Scott Johnson, a British drum tech who was working on the stage at the time.

Of the three people injured, a 45-year-old male suffered head injuries, but these were reportedly not life threatening. The two others were less seriously injured and were treated at the scene.

A message on the Radiohead website says: "We have all been shattered by the loss of Scott Johnson, our friend and colleague. He was a lovely man, always positive, supportive and funny, a

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14 March 2016

With judging taking place throughout the day and final decisions made late in the afternoon, winners were presented with their hook-clamp trophies in the Truman Brewery's Corbet Place Bar, in front of exhibitors, guests and ABTT members. The winners are as follows:

ABTT 2012 Theatre Show Engineering Product of the Year: Metool Reels - Multicore Contactless Reeler.

Judges' comments: "We are pleased to find a method of feeding multicores on a drum that does not use slip rings. The panel was impressed by the tool-less cable installation and ability to run Ethernet on a cable reeler."

Eric Marks-Oldham, sales di

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14 March 2016

Of particular interest was Doughty's new Follow Spot Mount, specifically designed to enable a follow spot to be firmly positioned on a rail and give an exceptionally smooth movement. With rotation of a full 360 degrees, the Follow Spot Mount, which has a low friction plate to ensure an easy, smooth movement, complements Doughty's existing Follow Spot stands, stand tops and spigot. Like all Doughty branded products, it is engineered in the company's own factory in Ringwood, Hampshire.

Also on show at ABTT was Doughty's Studio Rail walk along track kits, a neat and inexpensive solution for schoo