The forum can be accessed by following the ‘Forums’ link in the Standards section of the PLASA Website, and registering online. This first application of the forum is being overseen by PLASA’s Technical Standards Officer Tim Cox, and further forums, both for the use of Standards groups and for the industry in general, will be introduced to the site over the coming months.
The PLASA Industry Research project continues in 2002 and will offer more key facts about the entertainment technology sector. It will also be possible to undertake significant analysis of industry trends, which will greatly increase the value of the research. All members will be contacted, either by telephone, e-mail or post and asked to complete a questionnaire about their company early next year.
The more members who take part in the research, the more value it will have; furthermore, only contributors receive a free overview of the research results. If you would like to receive a copy of the current overvie
First subject in the hot-seat is digital signal processing. We’ll also be looking at the recent amendments to the Working Time Directive and BECTU’s campaign to secure paid annual leave for freelancers, together with the debate rumbling away about chain hoist connectors.
To oversee its development we have appointed a new technical editor, James Eade. James is a qualified mechanical and electrical engineer who has an extensive knowledge of the entertainment technology industry.If you have a question you&
However, if the recent results released by the Ambassador Theatre Group are a barometer for the rest of the West End, then the anticipated downsizing ain’t coming. Attendance figures for ATG venues across the UK show a 3% increase in the West End and a 12% increase in the regions. ATG’s managing director Howard Panter told L&SI: "People are not staying away from the theatre - attendance figures are up and some shows are playing to record houses." Executive director Rosemary Squire added: "Far from closing shows, we are opening even more shows. We are bringing a major musical - My One and Only - to the West End in the New Year, and a
McFarland and Sowden, who have spent the past three-and-a-half years managing the company’s operations in Redruth and Rotherham on behalf of Harman International Industries (HII), agreed the deal for the purchase of the Redruth site and brands in mid-October. The new company will be called Precision Audio Products Limited.
John McFarland told L&SI: "I believe that this move is the first step in an extremely positive future for the business, for our employees and our customers, and that our new-found independence will enable us to better develop the different arms of the business." McFarland will be taking the role of managing
The figures make impressive reading and indicate that there is still much to be positive about in the night sector. Company turnover is up 116% from £77.2million last year to £166.4m this year. The company’s pre-tax profit has more than doubled to £29.5m.
Underpinning the financial success has been an aggressive growth strategy, which has seen Luminar acquire 10 venues from Scottish and Newcastle plc (making it the largest operator of late night venues in Scotland) and also the Life Limited brand from Whitbread. It has also continued to roll out its own brands, including Chicago Rock Cafe, Jumpin’ Jaks and Liquid, together with the development of ukclubculture - a relatively recent initiative which is aimed at
PLASA is currently organizing exhibitor groups to some of the world's key international trade exhibitions, including the NSCA, USA (April), Pro Audio & Light Asia, Hong Kong (July), and Lighting Dimensions International, USA (October). This is the first time that PLASA has been successful in a bid for funding for the NSCA Show - an event aimed at the sound contracting/installation market which showcases the products and services of over 500 exhibitors. It's also the first time that PLASA has had an op
Situated in the Tower Hamlets docklands area of the old East End of London, the estate with its balconies, roof gardens, courtyards and traffic-free areas combined with new shops, schools, churches, community halls and a central market, was welcomed in this socially deprived area of London.
In September this year, an architectural conference was held at the Lansbury Estate to discuss the continuing need for urban regeneration. Jonathan Park and Max Maxwell from Studio Park were called in to light the estate and to end the Conference with a surprise event - ‘Let There be Light’ to show the 1951 architecture, faded by time and declining social conditions, in a ‘new li
All the best from the PLASA Media Team
Ron was previously Health & Safety manager for a local hospital trust, where he had responsibility for health and safety management for 3,000 employees. Ron's career is rooted in fire safety, beginning in 1972 when he joined the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm as a firefighter. In 1977, Ron joined the London Fire Brigade, where he spent 17 years. During this time, he attended incidents including the Kings Cross underground fire and the Marchioness disaster. After being injured in 1994, Ron retired from the Fire Brigade and joined the NHS. He was awarded the Diploma in Occupational Safety & Health in 1999. He is a member of the Institute of Occupational Safety & Health (IOSH)
PLASA is currently organizing exhibitor groups to some of the world’s key international trade exhibitions, including the NSCA, USA (April), Pro Audio & Light Asia, Hong Kong (July), and Lighting Dimensions International, USA (October). This is the first time that PLASA has been successful in a bid for funding for the NSCA Show - an event aimed at the sound contracting/installation market. It’s also the first time that PLASA has had an opportunity to provide a gateway to Hong Kong through its funding for PALA, a trade show and confere
David Hopkins OBE, managing director of Audio Design Services, becomes the new chairman of PLASA, while Sammy DeHavilland (Dare Pro Audio) becomes vice-chairman and Tim Brown (Apple Sound) takes over from DeHavilland as treasurer.
Mick Hannaford, who stepped down as PLASA chairman at the end of 2002, had served in the role for three years, during which time he had overseen the introduction of PLASA’s programme of industry research, the expansion of PLASA’s service portfolio with the introduction of Ron Bonner (health and safety consultant) and Nicky Greet (training and development manager) to the PLASA head office staff, as well as the development of a strategic plan fo
Friedman will retain her current role at ATG - producing and programming all the work at the New Ambassadors Theatre, as well as initiating a wide range of work for other theatres across the West End, UK and internationally. SFP will additionally take on responsibility for larger scale work including musicals and multiple media projects.
Friedman joined ATG in 1998, and relaunched the New Ambassadors Theatre in May 1999. Of the 22 shows that she has produced, co-produced or programmed, successes include Stones in His Pockets, Spoonface Steinberg, Krapp’s Last Tape with John Hurt, The Vag
Ron’s career has been very much rooted in fire safety, beginning in 1972 when he began serving as an aircraft firefighter with the Royal Navy’s Fleet Air Arm. In 1977, Ron joined the London Fire Brigade, where he spent 17 years, serving at Mill Hill, Tottenham and Stoke Newington fire stations. During this time, he attended a number of notable incidents, including the Kings Cross underground fire in 1987 and the Marchioness disaster on the Thames in 1989. After receiving a se
New York at the beginning of December is a sentimental place. Horse-drawn carriages trot fur-coated shoppers along 59th Street at Central Park South. Sesame Street’s Big Bird switches on the Christmas tree lights outside the Lincoln Centre. Tourists flock to Ground Zero. And AES delegates - at least the Americans - exhibit, buy, sell and discuss in detail ‘classic’ audio technology.
One whole section of this show was dedicated to ‘When Vinyl Ruled’, and offered tear-jerking insights into valve and lathe technology. Even away from this grotto, microphone and signal processor designs from the 1950s were on display, re-issued and repackaged with loving attention to detail.
Les Paul himself, who pioneered multitrack recording in the 1950s, figured in Gibson La
The studio building is located close to Wembley Stadium and was due to be redeveloped as part of the overall stadium rebuild. However, when plans for a new stadium fell through, Fielder acquired the lease from Wembley plc with a view to securing the site’s future as a recording studio.
Fielder, a respected engineer and APRS board member who has extensive experience of the studio industry, told L&SI: "This is a large site that is already very popular with musicians and has plenty of potential as a studio complex. Although we are re-equipping from scratch, the actual studios and control rooms are already in place and will simply be re-decorated and ac
James is a qualified mechanical and electrical engineer who has been involved with lighting and sound systems since his schooldays. With various roles under his belt, including hire manager of a busy London AV rental house, and as project manager and systems designer for various large AV projects such as the Eagle Class cruise ships for Royal Caribbean and preliminary design work on High End Systems’ Catalyst, he has built an extensive knowledge of the industry.
He also lives near the PLASA office, which is why he really got the job, and has a big black labrador called Baz, who fetches the biscuits.
We would like to thank Ian for providing his amusing, incisive and - above all - punctual Asleep in the Stalls columns over the years, and we look forward to his future contributions . . .
Conferred on him by the University of Westminster, the award was presented by the chairman of the Court of Governors, Sir Alan Thomas. The degree was in recognition of Ken’s lifetime achievements in the music industry.A veteran of 38 years in the music business, he became an acknowledged authority on vintage guitars in the early seventies, publishing one of the first works of reference on the subject - The History and Development of the American Guitar - in 1978. A long-standing business and personal relationship with Hartley Peavey started in 1973 when Achard became one of the initial export distributors for American music and sound equipment manufactur
This agreement, which covers land-based stage engineering installations in North America, was signed at the LDI 2001 exhibition in Orlando earlier this month, and cements a relationship that has been strengthening over a number of years. The companies first worked together in 1995 providing a complete 95-axis power flying system for the Teatre Nacional in Barcelona, Spain. More recently, JR Clancy provided the Conference Center of The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints in Salt Lake City with an automated rigging system complete with a 45-axis Nomad control system.
Tom Young, vice-president of sales and marketing of JR Clancy, explained:
