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UK - Flight case hardware and 19-inch racking manufacturer Penn Elcom continues to invest in all its facilities to ensure the production process stays efficient, and meeting the increased demands following the launch of global online sales portal, pennelcomonline.com in January 2016.
A range of new engineering equipment has been installed at the Washington, Tyne & Wear HQ over the last 18 months, including new metal brake presses, plastic injection moulding machines, riveting assembly lines and machinery to enhance processes like wood laminating, PVC / HPL, zinc plating and powder coating.
There have also been upgrades to the warehousing and distribution departments.
Consolidating all these key manufacturing processes under one roof and minimising sub-contracting enables Penn Elcom to have a high degree of control over its products, which guarantees meticulo

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USA - ESTA’s Happy Hour to benefit Behind the Scenes returns for its fourth year as one of the biggest parties of the year and will take place on Thursday, 16 November 1from 6pm-8pm at the Havana Room located in the Tropicana Hotel. Tickets are $65 in advance and are on sale now at www.behindthescenescharity.org/btshh.
The Happy Hour features an open bar, hors d’oeuvres and music with all ticket sales going to benefit Behind the Scenes, our industry’s only charity specifically for entertainment technology professionals in need due to illness or injury. Since its inception in 2014, ESTA’s Happy Hour for Behind the Scenes has raised over $160,000 in sponsorships and ticket sales.
Sponsorships are available at all levels. Information on how to become a sponsor is available online at www.esta.org or by emailing btshh@esta.org.
Current sponsors for the 2017
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Live and Kicking - More people are going to see live music than ever before, with attendance at concerts and festivals at an all-time high. The total gig-going audience soared by 12% to 30.9m in 2016, according to UK Music, contributing £4 billion to the country's economy. But there was a 13% drop in the amount of money being spent at small venues - those with a capacity of under 1,500. Those venues have been particularly under pressure in recent years.
The chief executive of trade body UK Music, Michael Dugher, stressed that small venues were a "vital part of the live music industry". "UK Music will continue to campaign to safeguard smaller music venues, many of which are fighting for survival," added the former Labour MP.
UK Music's Wish You Were Here report also found that 4m people attended a festival in 2016; and that 823,000 people travelled to the UK fro

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The RHS's Flower Show in Cardiff is the season-opener for the society's large public events and although smaller than its Chelsea and Hampton Court equivalents, it annually attracts in the region of 30,000 visitors. The 2017 edition, the 13th staging of the event, took place in April at Bute Park and Arboretum, in the shadow of Cardiff Castle and once again proved to be a record-breaking spectacular.
Themed around myths and legends, several of the show gardens took their inspiration from tales of magic and folklore and the sheer variety on offer at the show marked it as a special weekend in Cardiff's cultural calendar. Fifty specialist growers were present, educational workshops were held and the focus was firmly on visitors enjoying a relaxed atmosphere in which they could fully appreciate the variety on offer. The Floral Marquees and Plant Village were bursting with demonstration

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UK - International theatre consultancy Theatreplan continues to strengthen its consultancy team with the recent appointment of Ashley Pickles.
A seasoned theatre professional, Pickles comes to Theatreplan after 15 years at the Barbican Theatre in London where he oversaw the flying of international touring productions and project- managed large-scale capital works within the Grade II listed building. Amongst his most notable achievements was managing the replacement of the power flying system, grid and galleries, in addition to numerous other projects aimed at improving and upgrading the venue’s infrastructure.
In 2013, he was invited to oversee the build and building management of The Drowned Man, a co-production between Punchdrunk and the National Theatre set over four storeys in a disused GPO sorting office, a production which ran for two years.
“Ash

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Germany - In the course of the successful repositioning of the company, the Adam Hall Group is developing its global business development division.
From 1 July, Bodo Falkenried’s team will be augmented by Alessio Foti, who has several years’ experience as brand manager for leading companies in the pro-audio sector, where his principal responsibilities included business development, product management and sales in Asia, the USA and Europe.
Falkenried, head of global business development, comments: “As a fast-growing, innovative company with an international orientation, Alessio will provide urgent support in meeting the demanding requirements for strategic and operative business development. His excellent knowledge and experience in international markets and the development of brands and their specific legal aspects will play an important role in consolidating o

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UK - Source Distribution has announced the recruitment of Michael Clapham as area sales manager for the Midlands. Michael brings to Source over 25 years’ experience in the music industry that includes successful tenures as a senior regional manager at Yamaha Music Europe (UK), and as a sales manager for Marshall Amplification.
In a newly-created position, Michael will assume responsibility for supporting and growing Source’s key accounts in the Midlands region, building on his excellent long-term working relationships with dealers in the area. Michael combines decades of management and retail experience with a lifelong passion for music and music technology. An accomplished guitarist and singer, Michael also co-owned and managed a busy commercial recording studio in Birmingham for many years, and maintains a broad and ever-expanding vinyl collection.
Darren Power,

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Stax at The Proms - Sir Tom Jones is to make his Proms debut in a celebration of Stax Records, alongside soul legends Booker T Jones and Sam Moore. The concert, on 1 September, marks the 50th anniversary of the label's hugely successful 1967 European tour. Featuring acts like Sam & Dave and Otis Redding, the revue prompted a surge in popularity for American soul in the UK.
Concerts Cancelled - Adele cancelled the last two shows of her 123-stop world tour after damaging her vocal cords. The star has been touring her 2015 album 25 since February 2016, and in a note shared just after midnight on 1 July she said: “on medical advice I am simply unable to perform over the weekend.” On the previous Wednesday and Thursday week Adele played two of her tour’s final four dates at London’s Wembley Stadium, and in her note she explained: “I’ve struggled voca

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UK - The PLASA AGM and Members Lunch returned to Hatfield House on 22 June to celebrate a year of stability, new initiatives and the promise of future growth.
Members enjoyed a productive day where the AGM was followed by an interactive Open Forum with opportunities to participate and ask questions of the board. Drinks in the gardens and a three-course lunch was further enlivened through a high-energy presentation by award-winning speaker and company turnaround expert, Nigel Risner.
The AGM saw presentations from PLASA's chairman Ed Pagett, who touched on the key developments of the last year, including an unprecedented financial turnaround, a much-welcomed move to Olympia for the PLASA Show, a 28% revenue increase for PLASA Media UK and positive outcomes following meetings with Jules Lauve, President of the ESTA Board of Directors.
Pagett mentioned PLASA’s f

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The 2017 Behind the Scenes Holiday Cards are on sale now. There’s no better way to spread holiday cheer than with these unique cards created especially for Behind the Scenes. Sending a BTS holiday card helps spread the word about the charity and lets your family, friends, customers or colleagues know it’s important to you to assist those in need in our industry.
Three card ordering options are offered: personalised cards with a company logo and custom message, card packs of 10 with a standard greeting, and electronic versions for delivery by email. Orders will be taken until 29 September, 2017 to arrive by mid-November.
All proceeds benefit the Behind the Scenes charity which provides financial assistance to entertainment technology professionals who are seriously ill or injured. View and order cards at www.be

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UK - As many PMSE businesses and equipment owners will already know, last year the Government and Ofcom confirmed the timetable for the clearance of the 700 MHz band to make way for mobile networks. Being evicted from the band presents two immediate concerns for those operating in the PMSE sector.
First, they will lose varying degrees of their equipment’s tuning range, creating a need to replace redundant equipment. Secondly, as a result of this, there will be significant incremental costs imposed on owners. We know from the 800 MHz clearance, the financial reality of researching, purchasing, transporting, fitting, testing and utilising completely new equipment is a harsh one for businesses in the sector.
Ofcom has released a consultation document laying out proposed parameters for a support scheme for affected equipment owners. Their proposals state that eligible e

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Bridge Over Troubled Water - Artists including Emeli Sande, Pixie Lott, and Stormzy gathered at London’s Sarm Studios to record a Grenfell Tower charity single. The cover of Simon and Garfunkel's hit Bridge Over Troubled Water was organised by Simon Cowell, a Kensington resident. Sande said: "It's really inspiring to see people come together. It gives you hope in humanity."
Live Streaming Tommy - A production with inclusive theatre consortium Ramps on the Moon will be live-streamed to care homes across the UK. Rock musical The Who’s Tommy will be broadcast from London’s Theatre Royal Stratford East on 17 June. Residents at adult social care homes across the UK will be able to watch the production, which is being streamed as part of Ramps on the Moon’s initiative to make theatre accessible to all.
Ramps on the Moon work with disabled

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Bermuda - The America’s Cup sailing race is the oldest trophy in international sport, dating back to 1851. And for the 35th edition, presented by Louis Vuitton, the location was Bermuda, as the event moved to the iconic Great Sound.
Local Bermuda Broadcasting Company (BBC) was appointed as the official broadcast partner, and they responded by creating an advanced fibre network between the America’s Cup Village at the Royal Naval Dockyard, the transmission, editing and news gathering hub, and their own studio back at base.
They did this via a BroaMan advanced fibre network - this has not only enabled them to provide viewers and listeners with live coverage of all the racing over the five weeks via terrestrial TV and radio broadcasts over IP but also to feed its web and social media platforms. This has included taking video and commentaries out on the water, from he

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UK - Symphotech has been entrusted to oversee health and safety and sound monitoring at Let's Rock - The Retro Festival as it heads to eight locations throughout the summer, June 2017.
Famed for its retro throwbacks and vintage fun, The Let’s Rock concert has already visited Cookham, Shrewsbury, Bristol and Leeds, heading onto Norwich, Exeter, Southampton and London. Organisers, UK Live, keen to take their responsibility seriously, brought in Symphotech to ensure the highest level of health and safety services and to make certain noise levels didn’t affect local residents.
UK Live first contracted Symphotech to oversee health and safety last year and following a successful run of the events, UK Live has continued this relationship and also brought in Symphotech’s noise monitoring team to ensure minimum disruption to the local area.
Symphotech’s legal and

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South Africa - After hearing that funds were being raised for the hospital bill for young Sineziwe Khumalo, who landed up in a coma and on life support after her lungs collapsed while working on an event, the SOS Charity Fund were glad to assist with a donation. Thankfully, all’s well that ends well!
Belinda Saville, well known South African events and project manager, sent out a cry for assistance from the industry on the social media platform to cover medical expenses for Sineziwe. After being released from ICU, Belinda then welcomed Sineziwe into her home to assist her with the initial recovery.
“This is my fifth year in the events industry,” said Sineziwe. “That is how I came to know the amazing Belinda who has been my mentor since day one. My roles in projects have included assisting with general productions demands, seeing to all compliance issues, ensur

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UK - The Association of British Theatre Technicians Theatre Awards 2017, took place on Tuesday evening (6 June), after the first day of the ABTT Theatre Show at Alexandra Palace, London.
With drinks in the venue’s Palm Court, followed by a ceremony in the Londesborough Room, the event provided the perfect opportunity for exhibitors and visitors alike to gather and celebrate good technology and excellent technical practice.
In a break with tradition, comic Tim Fitzhigham warmed up proceedings with his observations on technicians, gigging and awards with ‘Widget’ in the title. Introduced by Tim, ABTT CEO Robin Townley then enlightened those gathered with the judges’ deliberations, relayed their commendations and announced the winners. ABTT Chairwoman Louise Jeffreys, the Barbican’s director of arts, presented each winner with one of the coveted hook-clamp troph

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One Love Manchester - The benefit concert held in the wake of the Manchester attack turned into a night of unity, healing and joy for 50,000 music fans. The all-star show was held to remember the victims of the suicide bombing at an Ariana Grande concert on 22 May. Despite the circumstances, a celebratory atmosphere prevailed as Grande herself returned to the stage. She told the crowd: "I want to thank you for coming together and being so loving and strong and unified."
Visibly moved at times, the 23-year-old US singer performed with Miley Cyrus and the Black Eyed Peas, while other highlights were provided by Katy Perry, Coldplay, Robbie Williams, Liam Gallagher and Justin Bieber. The concert at Old Trafford cricket ground was watched by an average of 10.9m viewers, peaking at 14.5m as the gig drew to a close.
River Stage Postponed - The National Theatre has pos

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UK - The Royal Television Society (RTS), Britain's leading forum for television and related media, has launched the RTS Craft & Design Awards 2017. The Awards celebrate excellence in broadcast television and aim to recognise the huge variety of skills and processes involved in programme production.
Awards are presented in 11 categories including: Design, Make Up Design, Costume Design, Production Design, Effects, Directors, Photography, Lighting and Multicamera, Sound, Editing and Music. In addition, there are three awards given at the discretion of the Judges: Design & Craft Innovation, Judges’ and Lifetime Achievement Awards. Entries are not accepted for these categories but the RTS welcomes suggestions.
This year will see Lee Connolly, creative director at ITV Studios, take over as chair of the awards from former chair, Cheryl Taylor. He says: “The RTS C

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The Bands Play On - Five days after the Manchester attack, 50,000 people turned out for one of the city's biggest concerts of the year. It was a chance for music fans to unite and remember the victims - but also to get lost in music for a while.
There were a few signs that The Courteeners' show at Old Trafford cricket ground on Saturday was not an ordinary gig. There were the armed police outside the ground, the flags at half mast over the pavilion, the regular proud chants of "Manchester, la la la" from the crowd, the smattering of "I heart MCR" T-shirts and #WeStandTogether stickers. It was the biggest gig of The Courteeners' careers, but the indie band's frontman Liam Fray told BBC News before the show it was "not about us any more". He said: "It's about everybody else. It's not just even about the fans that come into the gig, but the city as a whole."
Take T

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UAE - Approaching the end of a very busy season in the Middle East, there was one more important event that the events industry in the region would be looking forward to – MEEA17.
Protec’s persistent desire to continually innovate and provide new and creative ways of using technology, was underlined yet again by the award the company received at the Middle East Event Awards 2017 for Best use of Event Technology - Product for the use of robotics across multiple event disciplines at the Expo’s associated awards event for the second year in succession – cementing its status as an unrivalled industry leader in the region when it comes to innovations and creative delivery of staging and technical solutions.
Before the company had time to digest this win, Protec was called on to receive its second award of the night for Best Event Video Solution for the prestigious

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Manchester Arena - A barbaric attack on the Manchester Arena last night has left 22 dead, including children, with approximately 59 people injured. Initial reports suggest a lone male detonated a homemade bomb after last night's Ariana Grande concert. Our hearts go out to all affected by this truly horrific and sickening attack.

Here We Go Again - Abba musical Mamma Mia is getting a sequel, with many of the original cast members returning for the new film. Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth and Amanda Seyfried are among the stars who will reprise their roles in the new movie, which will be called Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again. It is expected to be released in July 2018 - a decade after the original.

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UK - Internationally renowned production manager Ola Melzig - head of production for Eurovision 2017 - is set to host the glamorous tenth anniversary edition of the Knight of Illumination Awards. The prestigious ceremony will be held on 17 September at London's Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith.
Throughout his career, Melzig has coordinated innumerable high-profile shows around the globe, including the Commonwealth Games, the Nobel Prize Banquet, and now no fewer than 12 Eurovision productions - all of which are a long way from his first role in the industry, working as a stagehand in 1989. At the 2017 TPI Awards, Melzig was announced 'Production Manager of the Year' as voted for by the public and his peers.
"The Knight of Illumination Awards has become a 'must attend' event in our industry," says Melzig. "Not only does it offer an entertaining evening among notable lighti

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UK - Floorbox, the new online temporary flooring hub, specified and supplied 650sq m of Rola-Trac’s iTrac pitch protection to Allianz Park stadium ahead of Jewish community event Yom HaShoah.
Home to European Rugby Champions Saracens, the £1m Allianz Park pitch combines hardcore, aggregate and carpet with rubber infill. Significant weights applied directly can cause the aggregate to bulge while the top layer, a fibre composite, has to stay upright to prevent it causing friction burns to players.
With a big LED screen and a heavy stage coming in for Yom HaShoah, the Remembrance Day for victims of the Holocaust, iTrac was the appropriate means to maintain the surface.
John Davy, founder/managing director of Floorbox, says: “We work with a range of manufacturers and the core value of Floorbox is its independence. So our advice, qualified by years of experien

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Love Conquers All - The Portuguese are celebrating the fact that an intimate love ballad in their language conquered a Eurovision song contest audience for the first time. Salvador Sobral's success with Amar Pelos Dois (Love for Both of Us) has made him a national hero. Previously Portugal had never got above the sixth place that it reached in 1996.
It was a triumph for "brand Portugal", music journalist and advertising executive Manuel Falcao told the BBC. "The Portuguese language is present worldwide but sometimes it's hard for the national identity to make an impression, so for the brand this is very nice - people are very happy."
The timing was fortunate for Portugal, as the nation shows signs of recovery from the 2008 financial crisis and a massive bailout from its eurozone partners.
Pop-up Opera - Opera and theatre fans can bid
  1. Arenna Matthewson joins Prolight Concepts
  2. ETCP launches new website
  3. Hawthorn hot off the press with The Wipers Times
  4. Hard Rock Café enjoys the Yamaha touch
  5. S+H gets Bigheaded
  6. BroadWeigh provides something for The Weeknd
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