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Lawrence Heron, until recently a motor control specialist with Out Board Electronics, has established his own company - Promanent Automation (International). The company, which will have offices in both the UK and South Africa, will act as consultant for, and supplier of, automation to the entertainment industry. Heron has recently completed his first project for Tell Tale Productions - the automation of a Christmas tree for the Tweenies Christmas show - and has a number of other projects in the pipeline.

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This month sees the first of a regular ‘Technical Focus’ section within the pages of Lighting&Sound International. The aim is to increase the technical content of the magazine, and introduce more equipment reviews and guides, discuss current engineering issues, standards and relevant health and safety topics.

With the entertainment industry becoming, by its very nature, increasingly more technology-based, as well as technologically innovative, L&SI is increasing its coverage to reflect these changes.

In this new section we aim to cover a product review each month, kicking off with an overview of the principal DSP products currently on the market today and aimed at distributed audio installations. Often, our reviews will be condensed for magazine production reasons, and so all the reviews will be obtainable in their entirety from the L&SI website at www.plasa.org/media. Th

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The UK sound equipment market is set to grow at a healthy 3.0% in 2002, according to a just published analysis from Plimsoll. This will only be good news for some though as growth will not be seen across the entire industry. Studying the latest figures from the largest 244 companies in the sound equipment industry, market analysts Plimsoll revealed that over a third of the industry may not see growth at all and could lose 16.6% of sales on average this year.

Adding to their distress, three quarters of these companies saw profits fall in 2001 and almost 62% are currently loss-making. Despite these factors, very few reduced staff and only 52% made attempts to reduce their asset base.

So who is set to keep grabbing market share in 2002? Plimsoll's First Edition names 68 companies that notched up an amazing 19.8% growth last year. Within this group, 17 companies individually increased sa

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Metier, the national training organisation for the arts and entertainment sector, is looking for 100 Yorkshire-based volunteers from the arts and entertainment sector to take part in its new ‘Learning Champion’ scheme. Individuals taking part in the scheme will be educated in learning and skills development in order to support and guide others through the training and development process. Learning Champions can be freelance or employed in the sector, working full-time or part-time, paid or unpaid.

Participants will have to undertake seven one-day training sessions on each of the following areas: Identify Development Needs; Plan Development; Coach; Mentor; Advise & Guide; Evaluate Development; Evaluate Your Own Work. In between training days, Metier will support participants in practicing the skills they are learning by working with learners. All training will be provided fr

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Following elections held at the tail-end of 2001, the Association has announced two new appointments to its executive committee. With effect from January 1st, Tim Brown of Apple Sound and Tracey Patterson of Artistic Licence have joined PLASA’s executive body.

The new places were made available by the departure of Paul Adams (PAI Group) and Paul Hinkly (LMC Audio) from the committee. Paul Adams stepped down at the end of 2001, having served on the committee for 11 years, including four years as chairman (1995-98) and three years as vice-chairman (1999-2001). Paul Hinkly, who took the decision not to re-stand for election at the end of 2001, had served on the committee for 18 months and had been a valued member of the team during that time. At the December 2001 meeting of the committee, PLASA Chairman Mick Hannaford acknowledged the valuable contributions that both men made to the

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Members of PLASA can now access useful information through an online Services News section on the main PLASA website. This recent initiative is a web-based resource which provides members with a head-start over non member companies since it offers updates on Association activities, as well as highlighting overseas trade opportunities, key resources, project leads and a Q&A section for common business issues. Members also receive regular monthly e-mails summarising recent developments and offering links to the relevant information.

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If you’re a UK company planning to exhibit at NSCA, then it’s worth talking to PLASA. Thanks to an arrangement with Trade Partners UK, the Association has secured funding for UK exhibitors at the show, which takes place from 25-27 April 2002 in Denver, Colorado.

This is the first time that the Association has received funding for this event: eligible participants will receive 60% of stand and constructions costs, up to a limit of £2,300. To benefit from the grant companies must be registered in the UK and exhibit predominately UK products and services. You don’t have to be a PLASA member to benefit. If you are interested in NSCA call Norah Phillips on 01323 410335 or e-mail norah@plasa.org. The deadline for return of application forms is 28th February 2002 so don’t delay.

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The latest Directory of Members is about to be published. This annual publication, which will be mailed shortly, offers detailed information on all PLASA Members, promoting the range of products and services offered by the membership to the entertainment and venue technology industry at large.

Over 11,000 directories are printed: in addition to being distributed to the full mailing list of L&SI (which includes architects, consultants, designers, distributors, engineers, installers, hire companies, production crews and venue managers), the Directories are also despatched to all British embassies worldwide and circulated widely at industry trade shows and events.

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Following our news item last week concerning the death of Paul Twist, we now have details of the funeral arrangements. The funeral will be held at midday on Friday February 22nd and Paul will be buried after a funeral mass at Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Henfield, Sussex.

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More than 500 people from all areas of the live event production industry attended Total Production magazine’s first-ever Awards event at the Hilton London Metropole, London W2, on the evening of Wednesday 30 January.

The 90-minute awards ceremony was hosted by radio & TV personality Mike Read and featured live entertainment from The Commitments, snooker star-turned-recording artist Peter Ebdon, rising all-girl pop act the Four Tunes, and multimedia dance outfit Future Vision Project.

And the winners were...

Live Production of the Year - Robbie Williams - Weddings, Bar Mitzvahs & Stadiums Tour

Best Production Manager - Bill Leabody

Best Tour Manager - Henry McGroggan

Best Front Of House Sound Engineer - Robbie McGrath

Best Monitor Engineer - John Roden

Best Sound Rental Company - SSE Hire

Best Lighting Designer - Nick Sholem

Best Lighting Rental Company - Bandit

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Designer and communicator Furneaux Stewart has entered the New Year with a healthy portfolio of work and several new account wins. The company, led by co-founder Laurie Stewart, is already working on several new high-profile projects this year, including an introductory exhibition for Syon House, Cardiff Castle's interpretation strategy and projects for the National Trust at White Horse Hill, Studland Bay and Lawrence of Arabia's home, Clouds Hill. The company is also the exhibition design consultancy for the new Acropolis Museum working with international architect Bernard Tschumi.

Within the automotive sector there are also some key projects ahead with the team, headed up by John Furneaux, looking forward to working with Skoda to create its stand for the Birmingham International Motor Show, in addition to major projects with Citroen and Bentley Motors. Ray Hole, architectural directo

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Taking a critical look at the Top 50 players in the market, Plimsoll is about to publish a Future Players Analysis which speculates on which companies will figure in the future of the industry.

The analysis focuses on the key players, making suggestions of how these companies will "move forward". Fastening on 10 key areas of attention, the analysis shows how current performance might change and how the company will respond to competition.

Not saving any punches, this analysis names 12 losing pace, three of which had sales of over £6.1 million. These companies are not alone in their retreat, as 11 other companies have been named that require a period of great change in order to compete. Many companies have elected to capture market based on debt. Whilst the risk associated with this strategy is high, the short-term effect on others is profound. This method of survival is in

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BBC Television is to broadcast five programmes this week which will feature interviews and behind the scenes footage from various West End shows. A Week in the West End will be broadcast daily at 3.30pm on BBC2.

(Ruth Rossington)

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The film and TV equipment hire business of VFG Plc has been bought from administrative receivers KPMG by a management team backed by HBoS and ING Barings. In a deal worth £15million, the new company - VFG Hire Ltd - comprises the operational business of VFG Plc, together with its principal assets and liabilities.

VFG Plc went into administrative receivership on 20 December 2001, having found itself over invested in new equipment. The new operation will operate as a private company, and is headed by executive chairman Bill Gore who has been advising the company for some time on the restructuring process. By mutual agreement Richard Dunkley steps down as managing director. Bob Sutcliffe will be joining the board as a non-executive director and Keith Long will be its new finance director. Graham Hawkins and Bill Summers remain as heads of the camera and lighting operations respectively.

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The international conference on Theatre Engineering and Architecture 2002 will take place between 16th and 18th June 2002, in London.

Focusing on stage technology in its widest sense, and covering all types of performance venue, this is the first international conference structured to attract theatre technicians, architects, consultants, designers, engineers and acousticians, as well as administrators, building owners and project managers. The conference includes discussion on the current trends in stage machinery and other stage technologies, alongside debate about the types of, and need for, new buildings. The implications of new and existing regulations are to be examined, as well as the process of designing and constructing one of the most complex types of building. The conference, which is being presented by the Association of British Theatre Technicians in conjunction with its In

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MA Lighting’s grandMA control system made a big impact with lighting designer Chris Jaeger at the PLASA Show last September. Jaeger, a lighting designer with 20 years’ experience, was impressed enough by what he saw to follow up the demo with a more extensive evaluation of the desk at UK distributor AC Lighting Ltd’s new demonstration suite in High Wycombe.

From there, AC offered to loan a desk to Jaeger for a forthcoming production of Jack and the Beanstalk at the Queens Theatre in Hornchurch, Essex. The production, directed by Matt Devitt, with set design by Dinah England, was set to run through seven weeks in December and January. Jaeger, along with the Queens Theatre’s house technician Dave Starmer, who handled the programming of the show, were full of praise for the system, with particular emphasis on the system’s programming facilities. "It&rsqu

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The news that some of the biggest names in the UK theatre industry are to launch a new venture which, if successful, will do much to boost the UK theatre market, can only be welcome news to those working in the sector.

Theatreshare will operate as a theatrical investment and production company, its main remit to develop and produce a range of new productions for London’s West End. To fund the venture, the company has gone for the rare approach, in West End terms at least, of inviting large numbers of small investors to buy in to the venture for a minimum stake of £2,500. The target is £2million.

The high-profile hook is the promise of a share in potential profits from ticket sales, theatre transfers and film and TV adaptations. The less appetising downside is made clear in smallprint on the company’s website - "this carries a high degree of risk and may result in t

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The Arcimboldi Theatre - temporary home to the La Scala Opera company whilst its famous home is being renovated - has found itself in the news again just weeks after opening.

A glass panel, one of 100 designed to improve acoustics at the venue, fell onto seating during a recent performance of the ballet Excelsior. Fortunately, the seats beneath were empty, cleared because technicians felt uneasy about cracks that had started to appear in some of the panels. Inevitably, this has led commentators to speculate on the safety of the theatre, which was constructed in just over two years in order to be ready for the start of the 2002 season. The theatre is currently closed whilst further investigations takes place.

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Once a small lighting service company, Bytecraft has grown over the last 17 years to become one of the most significant players in the Australian industry, and has, in the process, earned itself a worldwide reputation for its audacious approach to everything it undertakes. Andy Ciddor reports . . .

In common with many other companies in the entertainment industry, Bytecraft owes its existence to dear old Strand Electric. During Strand’s sojourn as part of the Rank organization, it operated in Australia as part of Rank Electronics, a company that manufactured and marketed everything from telecine chains and stage machinery to consumer electronics and language laboratories. Amongst other projects, Rank Electronics had won the contracts to supply the stage lifts and wagons, lighting and audio to the Victorian Arts Centre (VAC), in Melbourne. The project was in the process of complet

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Ra’alloy was formed in 1995 in a small workshop in Fordhouses, Wolverhampton, to fabricate aluminium products. One of its early successes was a special anti-slip aluminium ramp system for trucking and disabled use, which has since earned worldwide acclaim. The £350,000 facility, part-funded by a Government Enterprise grant, will allow the company to develop its business further.

Part of that objective will be met by Ra’alloy’s new modular aluminium stage system - Rapi-Stage - which incorporates integral truss supports eliminating ground support, and allowing virtually any shape platform to be erected. Designed in conjunction with a temporary staging structural engineer, and within the guidelines set by The Institute of Structural Engineers, the system complies with all loadings and maintains lateral stability. Rapi-Stage can be used as an extension to an existing st

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Familiar faces from all aspects of the lighting industry visited White Light’s new base during a successful open day in January. The new facility in Wimbledon, London, SW19, has 35,000sq.ft of equipment storage and preparation space and 10,000sq.ft of office space, allowing all the Group members to be brought together under one roof for the first time.

"We had close to one hundred visitors," notes White Light’s general manager Bryan Raven, "many of whom hadn’t had the chance to visit our new building since we moved here last October. I think they were quite surprised at the difference between our old base in Fulham and where we are now - but were relieved to discover that all of the familiar White Light faces they know are still here. Albeit all with a little more room to work in!"

Amongst those at the open day were theatre lighting designers Si

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Trouble continues to rumble on in the West End: BECTU members - including lighting, audio and backstage staff -have voted to take industrial action over low pay.

The move comes after lengthy negotiations with the Society of London Theatres (SOLT) - the association which represents the producers, theatre owners and managers of 50 theatres in central London. Even an eight- hour session at ACAS couldn’t help the two sides resolve their differences.

In the latest round of talks SOLT increased its original offer from 1.6% to 3.25%, but withdrew its undertaking to backdate the award to 18 November 2001. This would increase the average wage to £6.54 an hour, but, according to the union, would still leave seven of the West End theatres’ 10 pay grades below the Council of Europe's £7.39 decency threshold - and five below the Low Pay Unit’s threshold of £6.82.

BECTU sa

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Sarner and ESP have combined resources to provide a creative solution for Liverpool’s new multi-million pound International Astronomy and Space Centre (IASC).

Sarner, which has recently been bought-out by two of its directors, Michael Bennett and Ross Magri, will be responsible for the design and production of special effects for the new visitor attraction, while ESP will project-manage the fit-out of the centre, bringing life to the dramatic designs - from the spectacular hanging celestial sphere, through to the ‘Journey To The Stars’ space-time machine.

IASC, which is part of the continued regeneration of Liverpool’s Wirral district, is scheduled for completion in Easter 2003.

Visitors will be taken on an interactive journey through time and space using multi-sensory technology, simulated time travel, projection and special effects.

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This month sees the launch of PE Consulting, introduced to provide business development expertise to entertainment technology and themed entertainment companies that wish to grow business in new markets and countries.

Developed by Peter Ed, who, since beginning his career at Theatre Projects in 1978, has worked with some of the industry’s most influential entertainment technology companies, PE Consulting helps its clients towards a clear definition of their objectives and the method of achieving them. "The most successful companies involve everyone pulling in the same direction and all resources having the same end in mind," said Ed. "PE Consulting looks at all aspects of marketing from growth planning and international market development, marketing strategy and product pricing, to internet marketing and customer relationship management, image building and public

  1. Hotcakes expands team
  2. Brad Bradshaw launches Dragon Cases
  3. New Online Health and Safety Forum
  4. Recent Employment Law Changes Will Affect All Companies
  5. PLASA’s 2002 AGM and Dinner
  6. CT Helps Raise BAFTA Profile Sky High
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