UK - Reviewing its own top ten theatres at risk for 2008 in England, The Theatres Trust welcomed English Heritage's new initiative to protect the nation's heritage. Of the 68 theatres in England on The Theatres Trust's Theatre Buildings at Risk register (TBAR), 34 currently face an uncertain future and are at high risk. The top ten theatres in the Trust's 2008 TBAR include theatres that remain empty, are under threat of demolition, neglect or unsympathetic redevelopment, and lack of funds for repairs and restoration.

Following the launch of English Heritage's new Heritage at Risk register The Theatres Trust highlighted the importance of its own work with local authorities, theatre owners and the public to secure historic theatres for future generations. Director Mhora Samuel added: "English Heritage is encouraging local authorities to make use of its new ambitious and syste

UK - Amid the continuing growth in membership and a broadening range of initiatives, this year's PLASA AGM and Lunch on 3 June saw a record turnout for the third year in succession, the Association reports.

Over 170 members and guests enjoyed a day in the glamorous surroundings of London's Hurlingham Club, where the AGM and members' questions were followed by a three-course lunch with a talk by renowned broadcaster John Humphrys.

In its fourth year as a combined AGM and Member Lunch, and its third at the Hurlingham Club, the event has grown into a major fixture on members' calendars and the growing demand for places means PLASA will almost certainly move to a larger, but equally special, venue for next year.

Members now see this as a prime opportunity to celebrate being part of an organisation that is moving the industry forward and to network with other members in relaxed s

USA - Angus Sinex, a well known member of the North American entertainment community, died on 8 June at the DeSoto Civic Center in Southaven, Mississippi, as a result of an accident in a load out. He was 45.

"We are deeply saddened by Angus's passing," said friend and colleague Gregory Cohen. "He was a dear friend, colleague and partner. Words are beyond inadequate to express this loss. Angus was a dedicated father and husband; it was impossible to work with him without realizing how much he cared about his family. He was a world class electrician and a friend to be treasured."

Sinex was a renowned production electrician who has worked on high profile corporate events, television productions and concerts for over two decades. He served as a lighting designer and electrician for on many of our industry's largest productions.

For those close to Sinex, a sit

Music Industry News: Peter Gabriel says record companies should reinvent themselves to be seen as a service industry and not as "owners" of music. The former Genesis singer told the BBC he thought the current digital age paved the way for changes to be made. Gabriel has been a pioneer in distributing music legally online. He co-founded We7 - a website that allows users to stream and download music for free, with or without adverts - last year. "I love all these experiments - there's a lot of ways for musicians to communicate and sell their records to their fans," Gabriel said.

"There's still room for record companies but they should reinvent themselves as a service industry and not as owners. The structure of the old album and waiting for that to be finished still has some merit but you can do a lot of other things and I think it should be a lot looser and mixe

USA - Two new iPhone and iPod touch applications developed by Wybron are bringing an innovative, high-tech approach to choosing and mixing colours for the company's colour scrollers.

The Gel Swatch Library lets users browse, compare, and search nearly 1,000 gel colours made by GAM, Lee, and Rosco, showing similar and complementary colours for each shade. The CXI Color Calculator lets users create nearly 500 different colors for the CXI IT dual-gelstring colour-mixing scroller.

The applications earned rave reviews from customers within hours of being released 13 July through Apple's App Store.

The Gel Swatch Library catalogues hundreds of gel colors, each displaying its Spectral Energy Distribution curve and CMY/RGB percentages. The clean interface gives a side-by-side look at similar and complementary colours for every gel, and the search feature makes it easy to find a part

Germany - From July 2008 the Gerriets sales department and management are working together in the completely reconstructed office building in Umkirch. Also, technical production is now located in Umkirch too. The sewing and welding workshops as well as the French subsidiary S.A.R.L remain in the French premises in Volgelsheim.

It took a year to completely redesign the Umkirch building which now offers space on more than 800 sq.m for more than 70 employees from the sales, purchase and dispatch departments.

(Jim Evans)

UK - The Edinburgh Festival is fast approaching. By 8 August visitors will be migrating from all over the globe to participate in this year's spectacular festival. The Stage Electrics' dedicated 'Edinburgh Support Team' will be moving up to Edinburgh from 21 July for the duration of the festival to be on hand to provide a rapid response to all technical needs that may arise.

This year Stage Electrics will have a 24-hour helpline available which gives anyone the ability to reach one of its technicians anytime day or night on 0131 522 2251. The team will be permanently stationed in Edinburgh for the duration of the festival, alongside a dedicated support vehicle available to ensure any spare equipment needed reaches the client immediately. All equipment will be ready for immediate dispatch, says the company.

(Jim Evans)

Local News: Ever wondered why pubs turn music up so loud that you have to shout to the person next to you to be heard? The answer, says a report in The Guardian, may be that canny landlords are using loud music to make you drink up faster. A study by French scientists suggests that loud music in a bar is good for the bottom line. They found that when the volume goes up, punters drink faster and consume more. Mark Hastings, director of communications at the British Beer and Pub Association said, "At last we have the solution to Britain's record rate of pub closures. Thank goodness for French academics coming to our rescue, as long as they don't insist it has to be wall-to-wall Edith Piaf and Johnny Halliday."

Old News: Ageing rock stars and session musicians will keep receiving royalties for their old recordings for the rest of their lives under a European Union plan.Performer

UK - The UK CCTV sales office at JVC Professional Europe has put in place a sales incentive scheme aimed directly at UK security installers.

The scheme enables installers to be rewarded with either a handheld consumer JVC Everio camcorder or a portable iPod stereo system with the purchase of a certain amount of CCTV products from an approved JVC UK supplier.

Phil Wring, UK CCTV sales manager at JVC Professional Europe states: "This sales promotion has been put in place to offer our partners a fun product to go with their CCTV purchases, and should make an ideal accompaniment for the rest of the summer months ahead."

(Jim Evans)

RF News - The first ever Sennheiser RFX Series was a training event that gave Sennheiser's service and support engineers from around the globe the opportunity to experience RF issues that can affect live shows at first hand. Only by dealing with problems in real life pressure situations, Sennheiser believes, can engineers pick up the field experience needed to turn RF knowledge into operational RF expertise.

Putting theory into practice, the students ­ Sennheiser employees from the US, the UK, Denmark, India, Russia, China, Singapore and Germany ­ learnt the nuances of RF equipment and potential problems before spending a full day installing and troubleshooting RF mics and IEMs for a nine-piece band under the watchful and demanding eyes of two very experienced live sound engineers. Digico donated their new flagship SD7 console for front of house, and a D5 for monitors, and with Georg

UK - Fleetwood Mobiles has appointed Lise Regan to the new role of sales and marketing manager.

Regan comes directly from managing Livingston Studios where she had overall responsibility for their facilities. Previously she had a long association with Dave Stewart's The Church Studios in north London, managing the studios and frequently travelling with Stewart as his production manager for live shows.

In 2006 she launched her own Producer and Engineer Management company, Innocent Management, to develop new and established producers and engineers and her roster includes Grammy Award Winner Jerry Boys whom she will continue to represent.

Commenting on the appointment, Ian Cooper, director of Fleetwood said: "We are delighted that Lise has joined our team, she brings a wealth of experience with her and a new focus for the business."

In a further move, Fleetwood has

Show News - Loudspeaker manufacturer Tannoy makes a welcome return to the PLASA show after being absent for a couple of years. The company will be using the Earls' Court event as the platform for a first UK demonstration of its newest pro-audio product lines, VQ and QFlex, as well as exhibiting some of the existing V-Series loudspeaker range.

Executive News - Bandit Lites has announced that Peter M. Heffernan, a 30-year veteran, has been named president of the firm. Effective immediately, Heffernan will take the reigns and serve as both president and C.O.O., a role he has held for the last 15 years. This move comes at a time of growth for Bandit and is the logical step in taking the firm to the next level, says the company. Heffernan began his full time relationship with Bandit Lites in 1978 and he has risen through the ranks. He served as lighting director and/ or production manager f

UK - PLASA Media has revealed this year's short-listed nominees for the prestigious Gottelier Award, and opened up the online voting form at the PLASA Show website.

The voting is open to industry professionals worldwide, and will remain open until 12.00 midday (UK time) on Friday 29 August 2008. The winner will be announced at the PLASA Show on Monday 8 September.

Named in honour of the late designer, developer and commentator Tony Gottelier, this award aims to recognise the tireless product developers who have made a significant contribution to the development of the equipment and tools that enable our entertainment technology practitioners to continually push the boundaries of event production, presentation and installation.

Last year's inaugural Award was won by Tony Andrews of Funktion One for his decades of dedi

UK- Sunbaba worked with production company Sledge to supply branding for the innocent Village Fete in Regents Park on 2 and 3 August 2008.

The innocent Village Fete has a range of diverse activities suitable to keep all the family amused including musical performances headlined by the James Taylor Quartet, Son of Dave and The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain. Interactive activities to take part in included alfresco dancing, duck herding and ferret racing as well as face painting, a funfair and giant game of boggle.

Sunbaba's signage was designed to fit in with the light hearted atmosphere of the fete. They produced 198 correx signs which included 10 'things to do while queuing for the loo' information signs, signage for the 'VNP (Very Nice People) secret garden party' and 42 x 'innocent facts'. They also provided 36 PVC signs including directional signage, central tower bran

UK- When the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) decided to invest in state-of-the-art scoreboards at its world-famous cricket ground, Lord's, it chose Lighthouse Technologies to head up the contract. "We had two scoreboards that had been there for some time and the 16,000 light bulbs of which they consisted needed constant replacement," explains Steve Jones, IT manager at MCC. "We also had a temporary video screen which was brought in for major matches. So when we decided to replace the two scoreboards, the decision was made to add a third and set them all up to be capable of showing video.

"It has been a sizable investment, "but it's part of an ongoing policy of upgrading our facility to ensure that Lord's continues to be the best cricket ground in the world."

MCC hired Gardiner and Theobald as project managers to put out a tender for a full JCT Desig

Olympic News (1) - The opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games was undoubtedly one of the most spectacular such events seen and heard in recent history. The occasion provided a tremendous showcase for the world's lighting, sound, broadcast and production industries. Roll on London 2012!

Awards News - Rock band Iron Maiden have asked to be removed from the Vodafone Live Music Awards shortlist after being nominated for the best live return prize. Vodafone said the band had complained they should not be considered for the prize because they said they had never stopped touring. In a posting on their website the band said: "We are not quite sure where we are returning from." Indie group James have now been nominated for the award instead. Iron Maiden, who recently played at Twickenham Stadium, said the nomination was "very flattering". A Vodafone spokesman said: &q

UK - For the third year in succession, ShowCAD Control Systems will be exhibiting with Pulsar Light of Cambridge at the PLASA show. ShowCAD will be using and demonstrating version 3.00 of its Artist show control system, which now controls 64,000+ DMX channels and implements many new features for comprehensive control of LED, intelligent and conventional lighting and supports many input/output protocols for interfacing to video servers, lasers, sound systems and a range of AV and industrial equipment.

Artist systems are principally installed in nightclubs. Examples in Las Vegas clubs alone are Jet at The Mirage, Blush at Wynns, The Bank at The Bellagio - and more. Artist is also in control at many and varied non-club sites around the world. Recent "unusual" commissions include illuminated fountain control for Waveney District Council, The Amber Fort son et lumiere shows

UK - The promise of new technologies and applications, plus a dramatically expanded educational programme, has helped drive the PLASA Show to its highest-ever pre-registration figures, with a record total of over 10,000 industry professionals already registered to attend.

With the show a year on since its redesign, the one-floor, two-hall layout has been refined and expanded to allow for new and returning exhibitors, say organisers PLASA Events Ltd.

And with new products topping the 'wish list' of the majority of visitors, there's no doubt that PLASA08 will definitely deliver, according to show director Nicola Rowland. "There's a real buzz building around the wide range of technologies and expertise on offer at the show and how these can be applied across the industry. It's a unique chance to see how projects are being delivered, how lighting, sound and AV systems are bei

UK - Simon Dancey, a trustee of the Arts Council of Wales, has joined Creative & Cultural Skills as Wales Director.

Simon is former director of Community Music Wales and is a leading figure in the community arts field in Wales. Simon has vast experience in music and events management and is also recognised as a prominent performer, composer and producer with a wealth of international experience. He has travelled the world as an advocate and promoter of community arts in addressing education and social participation issues.

Simon said: "The creative industries in Wales are vital and distinctive. I welcome the opportunity to be involved in unlocking the potential of all sections of the community and providing relevant skills for people that will in turn, lead to quality employment prospects and a vibrant cultural industries sector in Wales."

Tom Bewick, chief executi

UK - L&SI has learned that after nine years with PRG Europe, Alan Thomson has ceased to work for the company as of 8 August. Previously a director of PRG Europe based at Croydon, Alan was unavailable for comment, but L&SI understands he is considering a number of challenging opportunities.

In over 30 years of working in the theatre, Alan's clients have included Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber and Cameron Mackintosh, on productions such as Phantom of the Opera, Cats and Oliver. He was responsible for overseeing the lighting aspects of the VE and VJ celebrations in London in 1995 and in 2002 had a major role in the theatrical lighting support for Her Majesty the Queen's Golden Jubilee celebrations.

With many years of experience working in the Middle East, Alan has supplied lighting equipment and services to the Royal families of the United Kingdom, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and

Far East News - With Union flags fluttering at every turn, unpredictable weather and a line-up filled with UK bands, it seems like a typical British music festival. But it's not, says a BBC News report, it is the 12th annual Fuji Rock Festival, held at Japan's Naeba resort, about 200km from Tokyo. This year's festival has a British theme, celebrating the 150th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the UK and Japan.

Union flags have been flying across the site, and many Japanese fans have got into the spirit with British-themed outfits over the three-day festival. British acts including The Courteeners, Hard-Fi, Primal Scream and headliners Underworld shared the main stage with Japanese performers.

But while the event is unashamedly based on Glastonbury, Fuji Rock is a totally different experience. "It might be inspired by Glastonbury, but done in a Japanese way," says

USA - GearSource.com and LEDsource.com have appointed a new CFO / COO. Betsy Torres (formerly Halpin) spent nearly ten years in the lighting industry as Controller for both Martin Professional and Coemar. Five years ago, Betsy left the industry to pursue other interests but always remained in close contact with Sources' president, Marcel Fairbairn.

Fairbairn says: "This is a very important moment in our companies' existences. We're thrilled to be in a position to secure not only a friend, but the best person I've ever worked with in each of these roles. We are currently in a huge growth position, and need solid financial and administrative expertise in order to keep us on track."

(Jim Evans)

UK - Automation specialist Kinesys has appointed two Australian distributors - TC Hasemer and HME. The two companies - both headquartered in New South Wales - will be covering different elements of the market. TC Hasemer will be concentrating on the rental and production companies, live events and temporary installations. HME's core market is permanent venue installationsand theatrical refurbishments.

Kinesys' Dave Weatherhead says: "We've generally been getting an increasing amount of inquiries from the region recently," adding that more concert world tours are now including the country on their itineraries, which is another reason for having good local support.

Australia is also a commercial and geographical hub for sales and support across Asia, the Far East and the Pan Pacific areas.

(Jim Evans)

UK Stage One recently headed to ExCeL in London's Docklands for the 2008 British International Motor Show. Brought in by client, International Motor Industry Events (IMIE), Stage One was asked to realise the designs of Hstudio for the special exhibition area entitled, The Ultimate Collection.

Stage One helped to transform the Platinum Suite into an exclusive invitation-only exhibition area, displaying 19 models including Ferrari, Lamborghini and Bugatti. Stage One's main involvement was blacking out the room, using steel and gauze panels and constructing plinths on which each car was positioned.

The oval plinths were high spec with a seamless black gloss mirrored laminate finish. Attached to each plinth was a totem containing a lightbox graphic that displayed information about the car. Digitally printed double-sided corporate identity banners then topped each totem.

T

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