UK - Wisbech based 5 Star Cases Limited has a major investment into additional CNC machining facilities. 5 Star is one of Europe's leading case manufacturers and has seen steady growth since its formation over twenty-one years ago. The company has been using CNC in its production facilities for almost six years, since its first installation of a Thermwood model 40.This machine has been the heart of the company's CNC machining systems along with two aluminium extrusion-notching saws. Due to continued growth and healthy order book, a second Thermwood 40 has been ordered with the Indiana, USA based manufacturer and will be installed in mid August."This is a major investment for the company but will hopefully demonstrate our commitment to our customers and retain our position as a leading case manufacturer" explains Andy Hudson, 5 Star's production manager. "Due to rece

USA - In May, TMB shipped the 100th ProPower Rack Panel Distribution (RPD) System. The system was sold to Ed & Ted's Excellent Lighting, Inc. in support of an intensive summer of concert and corporate events, commencing with the Eminem North American Tour.

TMB's ProPower RPD features a comprehensive range of cULus Listed panels. Included are virtually every type of connector, voltage range, or special purpose power distro device used in the live event and entertainment industries. Over 150 panels are available, with more being added regularly. Panels and their positioning in the rack are selected by the user and the RPD system is built exactly as specified. RPD rack systems are normally shipped within ten days, completely ready to use. In addition to Power Distribution panels, an entire family of panels has been engineered using the ETC SmartPack dimmer modules and ProPlex Data

UK - Le Mark has been producing custom printed barrier tapes for many years, and says that in response to customer feedback the company has now produced 'standard/stock' barrier tapes as they are greatly needed in the industry. The company says it will now supply the Pyrotechnics world with two new designs which have already had interest far beyond expectation.

The new 'PYROTECHNICS IN USE DO NOT CROSS' barrier tape offers strict 'No Go' instruction incorporating both No Smoking and No Mobile Phone symbols. Also for pyrotechnic areas where access is required but obviously high awareness is also key, Le Mark has produced a 'BE ALERT' alternative. The new Overhead Working barrier tape from Le Mark incorporates the 'Hard Hat' symbol ensuring people are more aware of the hazards around them with clear and visible wording. All Le Mark's printed barrier tapes are manufac

UK - United Business Media (UBM) has announced an agreement to acquire Theme magazine and the Bar exhibition from Mondiale Publishing, to complement the 'Publican' group of publications and events which UBM acquired in February. Integration of today's titles into UBM's operational infrastructure will reduce overheads and generate cross-selling opportunities, say the company.

The purchase price is £5m million in cash. Theme and Bar Show generated £2.1m of revenue and £0.6m of EBITA in the year to end of June 2004. The proposed acquisition should be earnings enhancing in its first 12 months and is expected to exceed UBM's hurdle rate of return in its first year. The transaction is subject to approval by the OFT.

These businesses will report into Bernard Gray, CEO of CMP Information (CMPi) and United Advertising Publications (UAP). Gray said: "These leading publishing ass

PAI Group announced several new changes following a three-month review of its market positioning designed to consolidate its activities and enhance effectiveness and customer focus in key areas.

With immediate effect, Vaughan Sound Installations (VSI) will be responsible for the entire service and support of the Group as a whole. VSI, through expansion, will also now undertake the small to medium contracts for PAI Group as well as continuing to contract in its existing markets. Five additional staff have been recruited to meet the demands of this expansion.

Lighting Technology Projects (LTP) will continue to operate as usual from its Coleshill HQ in Birmingham. LTP, as before, will be responsible for the Group's architectural and theatrical lighting activities.

The newly formed PAI Group Ltd along with Link AV Ltd will in combination utilize the skills and experience gained over th

UK - Hawthorn has organized a series of events to take place at its base in Old Dalby, Leicestershire. The events, running under the heading 'Hawthorn@Home', will give lighting, sound and AV users the opportunity to get hands on with the latest equipment and technology. It is intended the workshops will allow manufacturers, suppliers and users to discuss the products and to gain an insight not normally available outside the large tradeshows.

Hawthorn's hire and sales team will host the events, which will kick off with lunch and an informal get together followed by the hands on/demo of the equipment. The first three events are; 29 July - Who are Hawthorns - an introduction to Hawthorns, the people, the products and the projects with tours of the newly extended office and warehouse complex. Featuring demos and hands on opportunities of LED for hire, Alpha Spots, MACs, Sound

UK - Stagecraft, one of the UK's leading staging and live events companies, is celebrating a milestone of 25 years in business. The Salisbury-based company, which has achieved massive growth since completing its first year of trading in 1980, has been presented with numerous awards during its 25 years for commitment and dedication to the industry.

Stagecraft produces conferences and exhibitions, as well as providing equipment and technical support for corporate events, festivals, parties and meetings in the UK and abroad. Stagecraft Theatre Services supplies and installs equipment from all leading lighting and sound manufacturers to the educational, amateur and professional entertainment sectors.Managing director, David Goodrich commented: "It is incredible to think that 25 years has passed and I am proud to be part of an exciting and innovative industry . . . the trend has

Russia - The Eastern Europe Music Convention (EEMC), which staged its premiere event on 16-17 June in St. Petersburg, Russia, was a great success according to the organizers, with 365 companies from 42 countries attending. There was a strong presence from Eastern European countries like Russia and Ukraine, but also a great number of international professionals, they say.

In addition to the trade fair the organizers entertained visitors with 96 different artists at the 'EEMC Music Festival' next to the exhibition centre and at several parties in the leading clubs of St. Petersburg. The conference on Digital Distribution and Copyright in Eastern Europe was one of the highlights of the event, say the organizers. Representatives of leading collecting societies and distribution companies as well as specialized lawyers lectured about digital distribution and copyright within the EEMC.

UK - The former head of lighting at the Millenium Dome defrauded its operator out of nearly £4m. Simon Brophy, 39, and David Gordon, 44, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC).

It has been found that Brophy used his position as head of lighting to ensure that an extremely profitable contract went to a company he specifically set up for his own benefit - Pro Design - of which Gordon was also a director. Both are to be sentenced later this month.

The fraud was discovered when in September 2000 the NMEC had become suspicious and called in the Metropolitan police. This was followed by an investigation by the Public Sector Corruption Team and the Met's Economic and Specialist Crime Directorate. Detectives discovered false information within the tender document submitted by Pro Design and Brophy, Gordon and several others were subsequen

Turkey - Safak Studios, a video and film post production complex, has become the first facility in Turkey to invest in a Solid State Logic C200 digital production console.

Safak, which means 'dawn' in Turkish, was established 28 years ago by the Ustun family and attracts the majority of its work from the Turkish film and video community. It also undertakes post production projects for a number of national television channels and has a thriving rental business supplying audio and video equipment to the local film industry.

The decision to invest in a new digital console indicates Safak's wider intention to attract more work from other European countries. The company has built a new audio post production studio to house the desk and has equipped this with state of the art Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound facilities. It also has facilities for 35mm and HD (High Definition) film p

UK - DiGiCo has licensed the open standard EtherSound protocol for digital audio distribution and will utilise EtherSound Authorised Implementor AuviTran to accelerate the development of EtherSound-enabled digital consoles.

"DiGiCo is proud to become an addition to the EtherSound family, utilising this superb data transmission protocol to provide yet another solution to DiGiCo's customers in this ever-changing digital world," says DiGiCo managing director Bob Doyle. Marketing director David Webster explains further, "We wanted to expand our connectivity with other devices. We've already got analogue, optical, AES/EBU, T/DIF/ADAT and others, so regardless of what you want to plug into - you can. EtherSound is appearing on enough devices to make it a strategic addition to DiGiCo consoles in any signal chain."

"DiGiCo's rapid emergence as a leader in digi

UK - A new service company, Theatrelease, has been created by industry veterans Steve Sunderland and Peter Barnard. It will provide audio design services to provincial and West End theatres and will be be run separately from Audiolease and Barnard's rental company, Sigma AV.

Audiolease's first contract is with the Savoy Theatre where they have designed the sound system for The Rat Pack Live From Las Vegas. The set-up centres on Outline's Butterfly array. A total of twenty CDH483 high packs (ten per hang) are flown left and right of the stage; 2 x Outline Victor live sub basses are also used. Stage monitoring features 14 mixes handled by Outlines Micra II self-powered and Outline's HARD 212 SP low profile stage wedges. Side fill duties are via Outline's award winning Kangaroo system. Power and control are provided by Outline digital TP 6.5 power amplifiers.

The FOH desk

UK - Members and invited guests of the APRS, the Professional Recording Association, gathered at the Bush Bar & Grill in London recently to hear more about the new recording membership categories that have recently been introduced by the Association.

The new categories recognise the changes taking place across the recording industry and are designed to address the needs of the smaller professional and non-professional members, as well as the Association's existing established membership.

APRS council members Nick Dimes and Tony Andrews introduced the new categories and explained how these will enable all professionals involved in music making to benefit from APRS membership. The Association also took the opportunity to introduce its new Terms and Conditions, a task handled by Malcolm Atkin and Dennis Weinreich (APRS Directors) and Richard Taylor and Stuart Barry from the Simki

Canada - Cast Software has announced the release of Vivien 1.1 - an easy-to-use design software product for event and meeting professionals who service corporate and special events, incentive meetings, tradeshows, expositions, weddings, and parties alike, say the company.

"Event production professionals are telling us they are winning more proposals and being awarded larger contracts with huge applause from clients. This second release meets the demands of our customers and will most definitely attract more event professionals with its exciting new features, including a pipe and drape wizard, a tent tool for creating circus and frame tents, and improved seating, table, and truss wizards," comments Bob Mani, VP of sales and business development.

Vivien's library of items continues to expand with the addition of casino tables and a larger selection of banquet and class

UK - A company offering turnkey solutions for the event, leisure, exhibition and retail markets has been set up - with the boast that it holds no equipment, has no warehouse and no trucks: OneBigStar, set up by Simon Taylor and Steve Yeardsley, both formerly with LiteStructures, is a production and management company which promises to deliver exactly the right skills for any particular event while ensuring clients' money is spent wisely and economically.

Taylor says: "When you take into account the time scales and budgets of modern productions, no single company can currently deliver the entire solution. It's our intent to bring together those suppliers which are right for any one particular job. We will have no favourites, just companies on which we can rely to deliver the goods."

Having been a project manager at LiteStructures for two-and-a-half years, Yeardsley is

UK - For the sixth year, the industry's annual cricket cup challenge returns to the picturesque village of Littlewick Green as the Clarion Events XI (led by Nathan Waugh) sets out to defend its title against the Sound & Lighting Industry XI. Again sponsored by D&M Professional, this popular event is an excellent way to catch up with industry colleagues in the run-up to the PLASA Show (11-14 September).

Taking place on Thursday, 18 August, the 30 overs-per-side match will be followed by a BBQ (and further socializing) in the evening. The ground itself is conveniently located near Maidenhead - and a short drive from both the M4 and M40.

To register your interest in joining the Industry XI, please contact David Atkinson at D&M Professional at the e-mail address below. Alternatively come and lend your support - plenty of Pimms moments are guaranteed!

(Lee Baldock)

UK - UK cabling specialist VDC Trading has strengthened its corporate structure by announcing two new appointments to its Board of Directors.

Giles Copeman, who has been technical manager at VDC for the past five years, and Ben Holden, who is production manager, join managing director Niall Holden and technical director Dug Guthrie on the Board with effect from the beginning of August.

"In the last few months we have re-branded VDC to emphasize its dynamic image. This process culminated with the launch of our new website and product catalogue, both of which have been well received, as indicated by our recent record sales figures and our growing customer base," says Niall Holden.

"The decision to strengthen the Board reflects our determination to continue to grow the company by offering the broadest possible range of quality products, the best technical advice

UK - Le Mark has committed to further develop its custom brand service following numerous dealer requests received during the 2004 PLASA show. This service provides a cost-effective and visually pleasing way to keep dealers and OEM's own corporate identity regularly 'on show' through a range of consumable items used within the industry on a 24/7 basis, according to Stuart Gibbons, managing director of Le Mark Group. The most popular product so far to see 'own branding' has been the A&E's industry stalwart Gaffer Tape, says Gibbons.

Gibbons says: "We took the opportunity to expand and modernize our 'product finishing' department during a recent factory refurbishment. This will give us greater 'in house' flexibility to handle and produce fully customized products. The real advantage to customers is that they do not have to order a large volume at one time. Clients choose the

USA - ESTA, the Entertainment Services and Technology Association of North America, has announced that BSR E1.19, Recommended Practice for the use of Class A Ground-Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCIs) intended for personnel protection in the Entertainment Industry, is available for public review. The draft standard gives advice on where, when, and how to use GFCIs in the entertainment industry. The official ANSI 60-day public review period starts on August 5, but the draft standard is available now at www.esta.org/tsp/documents/public_review_docs.php. The public review runs through October 4, and the links on the website will disappear at the beginning of 5 October, the ending date noted.

Reviewers are also asked to look for protected intellectual property in the draft standard. ESTA and Accr

UK - The 6,000 jobs recently lost at the UK-based MG Rover Group are symptomatic of a wider trend across Europe that has seen manufacturing production decrease. Britain alone has shed a million manufacturing jobs in the last 10 years - a reflection of the general economic shift from manufacturing to service industries.

Part of the reason for this decline is that manufacturers worldwide are dealing with numerous issues - increasingly prescriptive legislation, customer migration to Asia and the challenges of building a successful infrastructure to sustain and improve manufacturing. In recognition of these issues, PLASA (Professional Lighting and Sound Association) has established a Manufacturers Forum to allow the organization to better understand the issues faced by its members. An initial meeting will take place in central London on Tuesday 2 August and all 250 manufacturing mem

UK - The Diffusion Group have launched a new website to auction professional lighting, sound, staging and video equipment. Gearsales.com aims to become the industry site to buy and sell new and used equipment. "There is not an auction website specializing in production equipment. I believe that gearsales.com will enable sellers to connect easily and directly with buyers, creating quicker and hassle-free sales," said Diffusion Group managing director Darren Wain.

"Sometimes hire companies' list ex-hire equipment on their own websites - this can mean hours of searching individual websites to no avail," said Tom Nicholson, Diffusion Group director. "

The site benefits sellers due to the auction format, allowing items to reach higher prices than if they were sold with a fixed price," adds Wain.

To celebrate the launch of the site, Gearsales.com is c

UK - Building on the success of the previous two years, the third ABTT Summer School takes place during the first week August at Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry from Monday, 1 August - Friday, 5 August inclusive.

The courses are for members of the ABTT wishing to develop their career in the industry by learning new skills or refreshing their knowledge of individual subjects. This year sees three firsts; the launch of the Silver Award courses, alongside the established Bronze Award, full accreditation of all courses by the Royal Scottish Academy of Music & Drama and ABTT's active involvement in Skillscene, the organization developing industry standards for the live arts.

Open to members of the ABTT only, a few places remain for the Sound Technicians course for this year.

Also during the same week, the ABTT Road Show will be held on Wednesday 3 August 2005, at the same venue at

UK - Leisuretec Distribution has been recognized as an Investor in People organization after achieving the Standard in February 2005.

"We are fully committed to developing our people's skills in order to achieve our wider business aims and objectives. We have used the Investors in People planning process to address our needs and have now implemented a training and development programme. We will consistently evaluate this to ensure our workforce has the most up to date skills so that we can continue to build upon our success," commented Suzannah Hawkins, business development manager for Leisuretec Distribution.

Ruth Spellman, chief executive of Investors in People UK comments: " Putting people development at the heart of every function is the most cost effective decision a business can make. Employees are central to business success so it is vital for staff to be

UK - This month ABTT members got their first opportunity to see the new Junction Theatre, Cambridge, at a special open day hosted by the venue's development director Robin Townley and architects Plowman Brown.

Junction 2, a 220-seat timber clad theatre - nicknamed The Shed - which opened in March 2005, is the first purpose-built public theatre to open in Cambridge since the 1930s and will house the company's growing programme of contemporary drama, dance, poetry, comedy and world music.

Anne Minors, chairman Society of Theatre Consultants, said of the visit: "The ABTT visit to the Junction demonstrated how a persistent client, a design team who detailed the building early on, and an interested contractor and subcontractors, achieved good value for money, and an attractive building fit for purpose".

The full project team for the Capital Development Project undertake

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