USA - American connector specialist Switchcraft has launched two new impedance matching transformers that convert 110Ω digital signals to 75Ω signals and vice-versa.
Designed to allow long distance transmission of digital audio signals through 75Ω coaxial cables, the transformers are made using rugged but compact metal housings and are available with male or female three-pole XLR connectors to BNC receptacles.
UAE - Leading Abu Dhabi events consultancy Flash enjoyed a sweeping victory at the recent Middle East Event Awards 2009.
The Abu Dhabi home-grown company fought off competition from a number of global event companies, to win two of the evening's most prestigious awards: Best Fair/Festival/Concert category for the George Michael and Alicia Keys Live in Abu Dhabi concert held in December last year, in addition to the Best Sporting Event for the Capital World Tennis Championship, Abu Dhabi's first international tennis tournament held in January this year.
The two Middle East Event Awards wins come in addition to a recent slew of awards Flash celebrated winning including the Event Organizer of the Year title from Sound and Stage Magazine Middle East. In addition, the company's New Years Eve spectacular Shakira Live in Abu Dhabi won the Favouri
UK - The former Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, will be the guest speaker at this year's PLASA AGM and Members Lunch, which takes place on Tuesday 2 June at Kings Place in London.Livingstone is one of UK politics more colourful figures: he was a member of the Greater London Council from 1976, its leader from 1981, and was largely responsible for The GLC's popular 'Fares Fair' policy which significantly cut the price of travel on London Transport.
After Margaret Thatcher abolished the GLC, Livingstone went on to become an MP for the Labour Party. In 1999, he stood for nomination as the Labour Party candidate in the London mayoral elections, but despite popular support, the Blairite Frank Dobson was selected. Not one to take things lying down, Livingstone chose to stand as an independent candidate and, as a consequence, was expelled from the Labour Party in 2000. However, he bea
Rehearsal Space - Aspiring British bands are being offered the chance to pursue their musical dreams in new rehearsal spaces opened by the government. The first has been unveiled in Knotty Ash Youth Centre in Liverpool, where The Beatles played in 1962. Others will follow in Bristol, Norfolk, Hastings, St Austell in Cornwall and Washington in Tyne and Wear. A total of 10 new rehearsal spaces are due to open by the end of the year using £500,000 of government money. Locations are also being sought in Manchester, Nottingham and Leicester.
Culture Secretary Andy Burnham said they were located in deprived areas that had few other youth facilities. "These fully-equipped spaces will make a big difference for young people who are looking for somewhere to practise, spend time and find an outlet for their creative skills," he said.
UK - The charity live event for Cancer Research that PLASA's Ron Bonner and L&SI's technical editor James Eade are currently pulling together for 8 August this year is coming along nicely. Known as Vibes from the Vines, the event was last held in 2006 and raised £32,000 for the charity (if you are wondering about the name, the first event was held in a vineyard!). Offers of help from all around the Industry have been already received with companies and personnel being quick to step up to the plate with huge contributions in time and kit.
Ron Bonner says: "There will be some top quality equipment and expertise on show with Steve Williams of Nippy Industries providing the stage, Martin Hawthorn of Hawthorn Theatrical promising the vast array of Clay Paky lighting and Brian Grant agreeing to provide a top-spec PA from Britannia Row. Ric Salzedo at Avolites is agai
UK - Organisers of the four-day Glastonbury Festival are introducing a safety passport scheme for contractors setting up this year's event at the end of June.
Between 5,000 and 10,000 workers, including lighting technicians, stage constructors and video and sound specialists, will be asked to complete a training course to gain their safety passport.
The training course is one of several introduced into many business sectors by Safety Pass Alliance (SPA), based in Southam, Warwickshire.
Tim Roberts, health and safety co-ordinator for the Festival, said: "We are keen to promote a pro-active safety culture for the Festival, and we feel the SPA safety passport is an appropriate health and safety qualification for contractors and their employees working at the Festival site.
"We have run trial courses for about 200 core staff, and now we are gearing up to deliver the
USA/Canada - ETCP has confirmed that there is a new testing centre in Canada. All three exams are now available for computer-based testing at Robertson College, 265 Notre Dame Avenue, Winnipeg, MB.
Individuals must meet eligibility requirements to take the exams and applications must be turned in to the ETCP office for approval. Once a candidate is approved, he or she will receive a letter with information on scheduling the exam. The eligibility requirements, candidate handbook and application materials can be found at http://etcp.esta.org.
Eurovision Clash - The date of the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest has been thrown into doubt. The UEFA Champions League final, the biggest match in club football, will take place on the evening of Saturday 22 May. 2010 marks the first year that the game will take place on a Saturday instead of midweek. The date is the same as the preliminary date announced by the EBU for the 55th Eurovision Song Contest. The song contest and the UEFA Champions League final are two of the most viewed television shows in the world. It would be almost impossible for the two events to take place simultaneously because many broadcasters are contractually obliged to broadcast both events.
UEFA announced that the dates for the Champions League schedule last December. Because 2010 is also a World Cup year, the Champions League final will not be moved to a later date. It is therefore most likely that the E
UAE - April 2009 saw celebrations for the opening of Goboland Middle East MFZE. Based in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE, this new branch of the Belgian gobo manufacturers has been established to serve the burgeoning Middle Eastern market and the demand for its gobo services across the busy architectural sector.
"The Middle Eastern market has been expanding exponentially in the past few years," explains Goboland managing director, Ivo Dielen. "The volume of business this has created for us has necessitated the opening of a branch 'on the ground', so to speak, so we can bring a more customer-facing service to our new clients here in the Middle East.
"The projection of gobo images onto the exterior of buildings is a powerful advertising tool which has become a tour de force here. The number of projects and advertising ventures which incorporate gobo projection has seen t
UK - Tim Riggs has set up AV Crew Finder (www.avcrewfinder.co.uk), an operation designed to help freelance crew and production companies find each other, and also to save time and resources for all clients.
Riggs has many years experience in the conference and events market, having worked for many of the major players in the industry. "We only supply and recommend experienced and reliable staff and everyone on our database is vetted to ensure they meet our strict criteria," he says.
"We also provide clients with freelancers C.V.'s and PL insurance. We do not charge freelance staff to find them opportunities but do invoice a small fee to production companies to cover our costs."
Skills covered by the service include: general audio visual technicians, specialists in video and audio, lighting technicians and designers, cameramen, video editors, project and p
China - The Chinese HK Audio distributor Melody Development is now offering regular seminars to customers and partners. This training familiarises dealers, technicians, and sales staff throughout China as well as Melody Development's workforce with new products, teaching participants how to best use this equipment.
Melody Development's chief technician Chen Ziqian usually conducts the seminars, held by turns in the different provinces of China. The recent workshop took place in March at Jinan Shandong province. Chen Ziqian presented the HK Audio product range to 120 attendees, focusing especially on the HK Audio Contour Array system and the HK Audio P:RO series. The presentation's highlight was a live demo of the systems and individual cabinets' audio performance that left quite an impression on the audience.
Melody Development is very satisfied with the results of the worksho
USA - Bandit Lites was named the best large business in East Tennessee by the Knox Area Chamber Partnership. Bandit took home the prestigious Business Excellence Award on 1 May at the Knoxville Convention Centre.
This award is presented to an outstanding firm in East Tennessee that has clearly shown leadership, innovation and quality. Past winners include Scripps Networks and Pilot Travel Centers.
Chairman Michael T. Strickland said, "All of us at Bandit Lites are humbled by such an honour and promise to continue to earn the accolade. We are truly blessed to have the great opportunities we have and will continue to be a business that everyone can have pride in."
Busking Cancer - Madness frontman Suggs and Rod Stewart are helping to launch a charity busking campaign on HMS Belfast. Suggs will perform on the ship, which is moored on the banks of the River Thames near Tower Bridge, on 20 June. Other acts will also perform. Busking Cancer aims to get musicians raising money for Cancer Research UK.
Rod Stewart, who started busking in Paris, told the BBC: "You don't have to be a great singer or the best musician, you just have to entertain people." Stewart, who has survived thyroid cancer and will attend the launch but not perform, said: "Busking is what music is all about - just getting out there and singing or playing for the sheer joy of it. And if you can earn a few quid for Cancer Research UK - a few quid that might just help to save someone's life - what could be better?"
UK - MTFX expanded in to additional new premises earlier this year in order to improve the storage facilities for its extensive range of equipment.
The new unit has meant that all the storage and customer areas have been re-arranged so that they now have a demonstration area for their Aquagraphics water screen where it can be viewed by potential clients, together with storage and a demonstration area for the new high voltage special effects equipment.
There are also larger storage and maintenance areas for the ranges of confetti and special effects equipment enabling them to carry an increased stock holding. All contact details remain the same.
UK - 5 Star cases has supplied a flight case solution for the 2009 BBC's Blast on Tour outreach project, which is undertaking a 7 month tour visiting 27 cities around the UK.
Blast on Tour is a programme of workshops and activities supporting the development of creative skills in 13 to 19-year-olds which takes place in and around the BBC Blast Truck and performance marquee 'village' which is established at each new site.
The flightcase project included a selection of standard and custom cases from 5 Star to cover a number of areas in the whole physical Blast On Tour set up, including the first-point-of-contact registration and reception area.
"We needed a special set of cases for this," explains Tony Kavanagh, operations manager for Blast On Tour. "They needed to look good and accommodate all the necessary equipment, tools and mater
UK - After two sold-out seasons at the National Theatre, the atmospheric and emotional War Horse, directed by Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris, is now playing at the New London Theatre in the West End.
The award-winning hit show is based on a poignant book by Michael Morpurgo and has reopened to resounding success. The book was inspired by a conversation with a First World War veteran in Morpurgo's home village in Devon, and relates the extraordinary journeys of Joey, a horse sold to the cavalry, and his inconsolable young owner, Albert, who sets outs on a mission to rescue his much-loved animal companion from the trenches and killing fields of war-torn France.
War Horse was designed with the drum revolve stage in the Oliver Theatre at the National in mind; however, when the production moved to the New London Theatre, different stage dimensions and dynamics had to
UK/France - Rosco has announced that it has acquired Paris-based GobosFactory. Joanna Shapley, France development manager at Rosco says: "We believe in investing when times are tough. This is an excellent move on our part, in the right place at the right time. It is a perfect match to enhance synergies and values for both companies."
Rosco and GobosFactory have united their efforts and resources and, combined with its existing market share for custom gobos in France, this acquisition now gives Rosco a solid position in the French gobo-market.
GobosFactory are the French market leaders for custom gobos. Their manufacturing capabilities will now be expanded with Rosco's worldwide production processes. With the high demands of the live events- and television market, Rosco/GobosFactory are well equipped to meet these high-quality demands and significantly reduce delays f
UK - Nick Edwards, formerly of PRG Europe, has taken up a new post as project manager at Panalux, where he will be working in the Broadcast and Events Division, alongside Ed Pagett and Simon Roose.
Edwards began as a service technician for installation company Design Intervention in 2000. In 2002 he joined VLPS (PRG Lighting) at Greenford and went on to serve as a senior Vari-Lite technician working on site across the UK, Europe and the Middle East. His experience has included theatre, corporate events, television and concert touring, with highlights including the MTV Europe Awards, The Brits, The Baftas, Live Earth, The Royal Variety Performance and most recently the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest in Moscow.
At Panalux, Edwards will be project managing a wide range of shows for the Broadcast & Event Division's growing portfolio of clients including studio-based and outside broa
Live in Birmingham - Just over 12 months ago, Academy Music Group (AMG), whose shareholders include Live Nation, SJM Concerts and Metropolis Music, announced its acquisition of the former Dome nightclub on Bristol Street, Birmingham, for development of its new venue, O2 Academy Birmingham, due to open in September 2009. AMG is currently undertaking a £5m refurbishment programme of the 45,000sq.ft purpose-built 1970s nightspot.
A multi-room operation, O2 Academy Birmingham will have an overall building capacity of 3,859. The three venues can operate independently as well as simultaneously and will feature "state of the art in-house production". The main auditorium has a capacity of 3,009 and artists already confirmed to play this autumn include Bloc Party, The Maccabees and Dizzee Rascal.
Commenting on progress to date, AMG operations director Richard Maides say
UK - Based on an increasing demand for its maintenance services, Point Source Productions has instituted a dedicated equipment service department created specifically to overhaul clients' own equipment.
"Point Source Productions has always serviced its own hire equipment and, in the past, we have serviced our customers' equipment on a more or less ad hoc basis, fitted in around our existing work schedules," says hire manager, Ian King. "But a large increase in demand over the past year has shown us there is a distinct need for a dedicated service department."
Equipment servicing can take place either at the client's own premises or those of Point Source Productions and can be tailor made to suit each customer.
"Many schools, for example, have their annual Portable Appliance Testing done by electricians who have little knowledge of theatre equipment,&
UK - PSCo has announced the relaunch of its website, www.psco.co.uk. Managing director Stuart Holmes comments: "We are launching the first phase of the website which is online now, designed to help clients access technical information more freely, find out about our training courses and to make contact with the team more simple. We wanted to create a site which easily cross referenced the products with their accessories and gave clear outlines about our services to the trade."
The new site has video content, showing the PSCo technical team in action as well as details of the company's upcoming showcase events, product information for the 108" Sharp LCD, Orion Infinite Plasma and Samsung large format display range and an area to contact the training team directly for details of upcoming courses.
USA - The ESTA Foundation has announced the 2009 Behind the Scenes holiday cards created by some of the industry's most talented designers. Four designs are offered this year.
Scenic designer Douglas Schmidt has created an elegant stage waiting to be brought to life by dancing snowflakes, while colleague Beowulf Boritt's card is a challenge for theatre lovers, filled with props to identify from some of the many shows he has designed.
Photographer Andrew Hefter is back for a third year with a card featuring the ghostlight as a beacon of hope against a brilliant night sky. Tim Hunter Design has used a large canvas with the Behind the Scenes ghostlight to remind us that the holidays are the time to care for each other and for those less fortunate.
There are several ordering options. Meeting the minimum order of 250 cards, you can personalise your card with a company logo and a
UK - RG Jones Sound Engineering demonstrated the versatility of its custom Martin Audio AM distributed stadium system when Wimbledon's Centre Court retractable roof received its inauguration at a TV spectacular.
A packed crowd assembled to see a programme of exhibition tennis, and were at the same time treated to songs by Katherine Jenkins, Faryl Smith and the four-man classical/pop group Blake. Jenkins and Smith performed Amazing Grace as the opening number to coincide with the roof inching its way across to full cover position for the very first time.
RG Jones worked with production company 360 Events to stage the production, which was broadcast live on BBC2.
RG Jones' Tim Speight, who had joint project managed the installation for The All England Lawn Tennis Club with Jon Berry, explained, "When the requirements of this system were first set out three years ago, it w
USA - When Capron Lighting & Sound Company's David Gruber was looking for a powerful light with which to project the Jake Burton logo at the 27th annual US Open Snowboarding Championships, he decided that Robert Juliat's 4000W HTI Lancelot was the right light for the job.
The championships, which took place in March this year at Stratton Mountain, Virginia, were to be televised, so a bright, sharp image was called for to ensure the logo of the world's leading snowboard manufacturer, and founder of the championship, was presented to best advantage, for both broadcasting purposes and to the surrounding audience.
"I needed a fixture that would project a sharp image at a distance of 500ft," explains Gruber, who was project lighting manager for the event. "My research indicated that a Robert Juliat Lancelot 4,000 watt HTI followspot would be the best choice, and that