UK - Ryan Thomas has joined Overt Light to Sound, as the area sales manager covering the East/North East England & Scotland. After many years at Audio Technica, Thomas will now be concentrating on promoting Overt's main brands, Dap Audio, DMT (Dutch media Tools) Showtec Lighting & Antari Smoke & Effect machines.

Overt MD, Malcolm Burlow says, "Ryan is the final piece in the jigsaw that we have been looking for. He is a young dynamic guy who will fit very well into our sales team. We now have the whole of the UK & Ireland covered by on the road sales managers.

"I do believe that a good strong on the road sales team is still a very important tool for a sales distribution company in 2009. Being able to support our dealers with demos both at their premises and on site is pivotal to maintaining good relationships. After all, sound & light needs to be seen and heard."

UK - Sound Technology has announced distribution in the UK of the JoeCo Blackbox Recorder from 1 June 2009.

The Blackbox Recorder is a multi-track capturing device aimed primarily at the live music market. It records 24 channels of hi-res audio directly to a USB2 drive. It can be plugged into the insert points on any console and can also provide Virtual Sound Checking facilities. Recording to standard external USB2 disks formatted with FAT32 in Broadcast WAV file format (BWAV), any material can be instantly used in a studio Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) without any need for time-consuming file conversions or transfers.

JoeCo Ltd and the Blackbox Recorder are the brainchild of Joe Bull, who last year relinquished the reins at SADiE, the company he founded two decades ago.

Bull comments, " It's great that we've been able to team up with such a professional distributor a

Romania - Sibiu-based Artmania Foundation is busy preparing the upcoming ARTmania Festival. The Festival will be taking place between 17 and 19 July 2009, and will have bands such as Nightwish, Pain, Opeth, My Dying Bride and Tristania performing. Artmania production Manager Silviu Scrob's relationship with Adamson began when Scrob heard the Adamson Y-Axis system at the Red Rock Festival in Luxemburg in 2007. The Y-Axis system he heard was installed at the indoor venue Rockhall which seats 6000 persons.

Since then Scrob has been requesting the Adamson systems on a regular basis. Adamson partner Omnitech in Romania purchased a 16 box Y10 & T21 sub combo in the fall of 2007, and followed it up with an additional Y10 and Spektrix order in 2008, thus facilitating Scrob's requests. The recent first Artmania event with Omnitech's Adamson system took place at the 4060 seater, Sala Pala

Europe - GE Consumer & Industrial has announced key appointments to the leadership team under Phil Marshall, president & CEO EMEA. The new line-up includes the appointment of two commercial directors, one to lead the Lighting business, and the second to lead the power protection businesses.

Simon Phillips has been appointed as the commercial director for Europe, Middle East and Africa for the lighting business. He has 10 years experience in GE Lighting in Europe and prior to this 12 years with Thorn Lighting, holding a variety of European sales, product and marketing management roles. Phillips is based in the UK.

Christophe Pomeon is the new commercial leader for power protection business. He has worked with GE since 2003 and is based in Germany.

Supporting Phil Marshall's strategy for growth, GE Consumer & Industrial has also appointed new human resources and communications

UK - Six employees from the Royal Shakespeare Company will be cycling from Stratford-upon-Avon to Amsterdam this June. Members of the company's Lighting, automation, transformation and porters departments, together with two freelance lighting technicians, will embark on their 369 km trek from the RSC's Courtyard Theatre at 10am on Thursday 11 June.

The idea was the brainchild of RSC head of lighting, Vince Herbert who says: "When I first suggested the bike ride, the instant reaction from my colleagues was laughter - for some reason they don't think a 50-something like me will be able to manage it. But Holland is very flat, so it can't be that hard, can it?"

The Stratford group will be joined by an additional four cyclists, including representatives from lighting equipment suppliers, White Light, who will begin their expedition in London.

After a journey that includ

UK - Eat To The Beat is celebrating 25 years of service to the music, production and location catering sectors. The company celebrated in style with a party themed and catered for by sister company Upbeat Event Design.

The party was titled The Odd Ball and held in Buckinghamshire as a celebration for employees and friends of the company. The Odd Bal broke the norm of a traditional ball with a topsy turvy theme and a dress code of Black tie - but a bit odd!.

On arrival guests were greeted by serving staff disguised as 'living paintings' who served canapés through ornate frames dressed as Andy Warhol's Marylyn Monroe, The Laughing Cavalier, Botticelli's Venus and The Mona Lisa.

(Jim Evans)

UK - British Harlequin, in recognition of budget restrictions due to the credit crunch, is offering a special floor for theatre and stage use, called Stagefloor 100, for a limited period at a special price.

Designed for stage floors and drama studios, Stagefloor 100 is priced at £10.95 per square metre. This flooring product comes with a high level of specification, fire-rated for safety to NF P 92-507 class M3, is quick to roll out and suitable for permanent installation, or for portable use, says the company.

When permanently installed it can be either hot or cold welded. There is a colour choice of black, dark grey, light grey or hazelnut - all highly tear resistant and tough enough to stand up to props, equipment, street footwear - in fact most normal wear and tear encountered on stage. Stagefloor 100 is in stock now - ready to ship in 2m wide rolls with lengths from

UK - On 12th May 2009, Leicester's Curve Theatre welcomed students of technical theatre from across the country for the first of a planned series of educational open days at the venue. The event follows the ABTT Open Day also hosted earlier in the year by Stage Technologies at Curve Theatre, and was conceived as an introduction to automation for students of all non-performing theatre disciplines, from design to stage management.

Around 90 students and tutors from RADA, LAMDA, Central School of Speech and Drama, Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and Rose Bruford got a first-hand look at how the latest automation technology works at one of the most recent performance venues to be built in the UK. The exceptional environment of Curve Theatre allowed Stage Technologies experts to demonstrate the versatility, precision and capability of the hardware and software systems. The programme f

USA - The Broadway production of British-born musical Billy Elliot swept the board at last night's Tony Awards, taking home 10 of the 15 awards it was nominated for including Best Musical, Best Direction of a Musical (for Stephen Daldry - who also directed the film version of Billy Elliot) and Best Performance by a Leading Actor for the three teenagers who share the role of Billy - David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik, and Kiril Kulish. It was the first time in the 63 years of the Tonys that three actors won for one role in the same category.

At the Creative Arts Awards, a special ceremony held prior to the main event and broadcast online at www.tonyawards.com, British theatre talent continued to shine as Billy Elliot won in six categories - including Rick Fisher for Best Lighting Design of a Musical and Paul Arditti for Best Sound Design of a Musical. The award for

Good Show Business - The summer exhibition season gets into full swing this month and despite all the negative news continuing to hog the headlines, event organisers are reporting healthy exhibitor levels and strong visitor pre-registrations.

This week's ABBT Theatre Show - the 31st - will host a full-house of over 100 exhibitors. Show director Roger Fox notes: "Exhibitions are so important in our seemingly faceless world of E-commerce, as they offer an opportunity to get face to face with customers. We're looking forward to another successful year, highlighting the true potential of theatre technology and its impact on the West End, in regional theatres, education and retail."

Meanwhile, over in Orlando, Florida, Infocomm 2009 (14-19 June) is being billed as the largest and most comprehensive pro-AV event in the world. According to the organisers, more than 30,000 p

UK - The organisers of the ABTT Theatre Show, which takes place in London this week, have told L&SI that the Show is set to open its doors despite the 48-hour strike by London Underground workers. Spokesperson told L&SI: "The ABTT Theatre Show is delighted to announce that show will be opening its doors tomorrow, 10 June, despite the Tube strike. Presenting a full house of over 100 exhibiting companies, the show's pre-registration figures are up by 5% on last year's figures, which highlights the interest and demand for technical solutions in auditoria and multi-purpose performances spaces."

Transport for London (TfL) has said it will bring in a taxi-sharing scheme at all major rail stations, escorts to lead cyclists across the capital and additional parking for cycles as part of its contingency plans. Oyster cards will be accepted on all trains, 100 extra buses and a f

USA - Hawaii's East-West Centre is the latest international conference facility to upgrade to Bosch DCN Next Generation digital discussion systems following a recent installation by Oahu-based AV specialists The Audio Visual Company (AVCO).

The 50-year-old facility was established by the United States Government to promote understanding and education between Asian and Pacific countries and the US.The East-West Centre continues to work toward these ends on its 21-acre property adjacent to the University of Hawaii's main campus on the Island of Oahu.

The new Bosch DCN Next Generation digital discussion system replaces a 25-year-old system in the Centre's 1,400sq.ft Asia Room, which seats 64 people. Each DCN interpreter station is configured to translate Korean, Japanese, and Chinese - the system can be configured to translate up to 10 languages.

AVCO project manager Wade Higa

UK - The Association of British Theatre Technicians has named freelancer John Tapster as the ABTT Technician of the Year 2009.

Originally planning to teach primary school mathematics, 'Tappy' (as he is affectionately known) was enticed to switch direction to the theatre, after a visit in 1996 to see Phantom of the Opera at Manchester's Opera House, and being bowled over by the technical wizardry.

He cut his teeth at the Middlesbrough Little Theatre, before joining Basildon Towngate Theatre as a general technician. Work quickly followed, including a Belgium ice show, Open Hand Theatre Company, Liverpool Everyman (chief technician) and a stint on Eclipse at Blackpool's Pleasure Beach.

A move to Stoke-on-Trent's Victoria Hall proved fruitful, when he was also offered the chief electrician's job at the city's newly opened Regent Theatre, where he remained for four years b

UK - London based draping specialists Cover it Up were in action again for the 2009 UK WWE wrestling tour. The company has worked with Davy Coates, co-ordinator of all WWE live events outside North America, for the last six years, and technological advances are constantly providing new challenges.

With HD broadcasting now common, Cover It Up has found that by exploiting the variances in the opacity of their fabric stock, draping and soft goods coverage can be maximized to provide more acutely defined edges, bringing greater depth to the set design, along with other production solutions.

Each textile has its own texture, light transmission and reflection quality which is much more noticeable with HD. Cover It Up's Elliot Sennett says, "We worked hard with the WWE production team to ensure that our grey and black wool serges work together. It's amazing how even a different

£15m bonus - The Isle of Wight council has estimated the island's annual music festival is worth £15m to the local economy. The annual event was restarted at Seaclose Park in Newport in 2001 and has since become one of the biggest festivals in the UK. About 50,000 enjoyed the event this weekend with the Pixies and Neil Young headlining on Sunday. The council said it had helped change the island's image and brought millions into the economy each year.

John Metcalfe, Isle of Wight Council's assistant director for economic development and tourism, told BBC News: "The festival is hugely important to the island, especially to Newport. We estimate it is worth at least £10m spent in the Newport shops, and that is just from people from off the island visiting for the festival. If we put on top of that the money spent by the organisers with island businesses and or

UK - Hawthorn is this week celebrating the extension of its relationship with events venue Millbrook Proving Ground.

A key supplier over recent years, Hawthorn has now been awarded the contract to provide all of the in-house rigging service to Millbrook Events. The development continues the growth of Hawthorn's venue rigging service packages which offer a combination of design, support and full equipment testing to their clients.

At the same time Hawthorn will replace the existing truss in Concept 1 with a bespoke curved section following the shape of the building and the feature lighting throughout both Concept 1 and Concept 2 is currently being upgraded to LED fixtures. This will allow the structural elements of the buildings to be lit to suit the client's requirements without the cost and time involved in replacing gels.

Martin Neale, head of events and marketing at Millb

UK - ABTT 09 saw the successful launch of Goboland UK which has been formed with the purpose of bringing Goboland's expertise in custom and collection gobos direct to its customers in the UK.

Goboland UK has introduced the 'Credit Crunch Custom Gobo'. For the next six months, customers can take advantage of this offer which aims to help with customers' production costs in this difficult economic climate. The 'Credit Crunch Gobo' is made from an alternative, non-coated, metal to the high grade Black Steel of Goboland's existing gobos. It is easier to etch and retails at £27.00 for the first gobo with copies at £6.00 each.

"The idea has been met with great enthusiasm," says Goboland UK director, Vicky Fairall. "Customers appreciate the additional option to our Black Steel custom gobos and see it as an extra facet to their - and our - production capabil

UK - Following the recent announcement from the Department for Work and Pensions creating a £1 billion Future Jobs Fund, Creative & Cultural Skills has been lobbying to ensure that this ties in with existing government and industry commitments to Apprenticeships. The Future Jobs Fund is aimed at creating around 150,000 new jobs for young people aged 18-24 in long-term unemployment. It is thought that around 10,000 of these will be under the remit of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and offers up to £6,500 wage subsidy per job.

Creative & Cultural Skills feels that there is an urgent need to align this with the existing government targets for Apprenticeships, and this now looks possible, with subsidy available to support wages through the Future Jobs Fund, and the Learning and Skills Council continuing to support the cost of training. Creative & Cultural

UK - Wednesday 10 June proved to be a memorable day for Litestructures (GB) Ltd as it marked the launch of its brand new division called Litestructures Live.

The company announcement says: "Litestructures Live is a unique, one-stop-shop facility, unifying three previously distinct areas of operation, Hire, Stage and Set, and Litestructures Studios, merging them into a single, powerful entity. Add into the mix on-site custom design and manufacture and you have the most capable, flexible, experienced and user-friendly force in the concert, touring and events marketplace. In short, Litestructures Live is a division formed by fusion."

The launch took place at Gibson Guitars showroom in London. After a speech and introduction from Julia Jones, Litestructures' consultant in the south, the evening kicked off with musical entertainment provided by Scottish band Our Lunar Act

UK - The 2009 Download Festival was acclaimed a success by fans, media, artists and scooped the Event of the Year at the 2009 Metal Hammer Awards within 48 hours of closing its doors.

Showsec has secured the festival since it's inception in 2003, this year supplying over 600 trained and licensed staff. They ensured the safety and enjoyment of 75,000 rock fans through three nights of music from the leading rock acts, headlined including Faith No More, Slipknot and Def Leppard.

Showsec operations director Simon Battersbsy commented: "The new site brought new challenges, but was a better site for the crowd and for us to work on. Download attracts really keen music fans who like any festival want to move from stage to stage to enjoy the music. Our aim is to facilitate this with ease of movement and minimal stress. The new site engendered itself to this festival: it pro

Upbeat in Orlando - InfoComm International has announced that InfoComm 09 (17-19 June, Orlando, Florida), the annual conference and exhibition for professional audio-visual buyers and sellers worldwide, was the biggest commercial AV show ever held on the East Coast of the United States, with more than 29,000 AV professionals attending from more than 80 countries. There were 850 exhibitors participating this year, representing an increase of 80 since the last time the event was in Orlando. "InfoComm continues to be the one trade show where most professional AV service providers make their important buying decisions for the year," said Randal A. Lemke, executive director, InfoComm International. "Despite the global economy, the AV marketplace has enthusiastically embraced InfoComm as the place to make their purchasing choices, network with product and service provider

UK - Hawthorn has recently acquired a substantial stock of over 300 painted scenic backdrops on lightweight canvas which are now available for rental on a daily or weekly basis from both its Midlands and London warehouses.

The backdrops come in various sizes ranging from 10ft x 12ft right up to 40ft x 20ft. They have tie tapes and can also be suspended from our free standing pipe and base support system, offering lots of flexibility in hanging to suit every venue.

Themes include: Olympics, Underwater, Circus, Forest, Carnival, Nautical, Pirate, Motor Racing, Football, Tennis, the Jungle, Christmas/Winter Wonderland, 60's, 70's, 80's, plus topics such as Venice, Egypt, Paris, Rio and Africa.

Hawthorn's new battery powered LED up lighters are suitable for lighting the backdrops without the need for cables or power as they are self contained and last for up to 10 hours, offerin

UK - HHB Communications has announced the recruitment of Adam Parr to its sales team. Parr arrives at HHB following seven years at Total Audio Solutions.

"It¹s great to be joining an organisation with such a strong reputation for service and innovation, and with a 30 year history of successfully meeting the needs of audio and broadcast professionals," says Parr.

As media organisations continue to decentralise their operations away from the capital, Parr will be located in the Midlands part of an ongoing commitment by HHB to better serve its customers in the provinces.

"It¹s always been important for us to meet with our customers on site, and basing Adam in the Midlands makes HHB much more accessible to broadcast, post and recording facilities in Birmingham, Manchester and beyond," states HHB sales director Steve Angel. "We feel confident that our r

USA - Pro AV industry AC power protection and control leaders SurgeX and LynTec have now officially announced the formation of a strategic alliance.

Under the new agreement, LynTec and SurgeX will now be cross-pollinating their software and hardware engineering departments with the goal of delivering improved solutions for professional applications.

LynTec president Mark Bishop said, "Our customers have been asking for integrated power control and electrical protection systems, and there is no one we'd rather bring these solutions to the table with than SurgeX. The combination of our respective technologies will set the standard for professional A/V system power platforms moving forward."

Michael McCook, SurgeX founder and new business development consultant, added, "These two innovative companies have come together to collaborate on the most critical aspect o

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