Training

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01 August 2025

UK - Keen-eyed readers will no doubt have noticed our special edition 40^th anniversary logo popping up here on LSi Online, and across our social media platforms in recent weeks. While the magazine’s official anniversary isn’t until November, we’re kicking off celebrations early as we prepare to honour the occasion this September at the PLASA Show (7-9 September, Olympia, London).

At the PLASA Show, we’ll be hosting the LSi Theatre, a dedicated seminar theatre. Here, show visitors can enjoy a carefully curated schedule of talks, panel discussions and ‘live’ editorial columns hosted by an array of LSi journalists, including Rob Halliday, Phil Ward, Louise Stickland, James Simpson, Sam Woodward, Roland Hemming, James Eade, Jerry Gilbert and more.

Topics will range from reflection on 40 years of both LSi, and the i

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01 August 2025

UK - The first wave of seminar sessions has been revealed for PLASA Show 2025, returning to Olympia London from 7-9 September.  

With sustainability, next-generation talent, industry heritage, and artificial intelligence at the heart of this year’s programme, the show sets the agenda for creative and technical evolution across the live entertainment industry.  

From high-profile panels and hands-on training to heritage showcases and career-building opportunities, the 2025 line-up promises an inclusive, educational and informative experience. Proudly sponsored by Vectorworks, entry to all sessions is available free-of-charge, making the programme accessible to all PLASA Show visitors. 

Making its debut in celebration of LSi’s 40th anniversary, the new LSi Theatre is set to bring to life many of the publication’s popular columns,

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29 July 2025

Austria - Amadeus Acoustics is inviting consultants, acousticians, system designers, and AV professionals to join them in Vienna this winter for a two-day seminar exploring the future of active acoustics and immersive audio.

Taking place on 1 and 2 December 2025, the seminar offers an opportunity to engage directly with the Amadeus team, experience its technologies in action, and connect with peers from across the industry. With live demonstrations, expert talks, hands-on workshops, and exclusive venue visits, the programme is designed to inspire, inform, and foster collaboration.

Day one will take place at Amadeus headquarters in Vienna, where the fundamentals and innovations shaping active acoustics and immersive sound will be explored. Demonstrations of Amadeus technologies in action will be paired with open discussions and Q&As.

In th

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22 July 2025

USA - dBTechnologies has debuted its dBTechnologies Academy, delivering the first-ever stateside VIO Operator Level 1 and Level 2 certifications.

Hosted by The Rave, a multi-room Milwaukee venue and recent adopter of multiple dBTechnologies VIO systems across its performance spaces, the two-day event welcomed audio professionals from across the Midwest for immersive training with dBTechnologies’ road-ready VIO series - a modular system designed for both complex installations and demanding live environments.

Attendees included technical teams and leadership from The Rave, AudioBiz - the dBTechnologies USA reps for the region - and sound companies, with participants ranging from system techs and engineers to sales and support staff, all eager to deepen their knowledge of system design, deployment, and performance using dBTechnologies

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22 July 2025

Italy - K-array has announced the launch of its new online e-learning platform, enabling accessible access to training on K-array products and technologies. The courses are AVIXA certified, meaning learners can collect Certified Technology Specialist (CTS) Renewal Units, required for maintaining their continuing professional development. 

“The launch of our e-learning platform is a natural evolution of our commitment to increasing skills and knowledge within our industry,” explains Daniele Mochi, customer support director at K-array. “Aimed at systems integrators, sound designers and everyone involved in audio design and installations, our courses provide learners with an accessible toolkit to empower their work and get the very best out of K-array products in various environments.”

A full portfolio of courses will be available on the e-lear

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18 July 2025

UK - Production Futures has announced that nominations are now open for its Breakthrough Talent Awards 2025. The awards recognise the achievements of young people across the production industries and seek to inspire future generations. With the support and sponsorship of key industry partners, the Awards cover 21 different categories, reflecting the diversity of opportunity within the production industries. Previous winners have gone on to enjoy flourishing careers with a wide range of companies or have taken up roles as in-demand freelancers with the skills and confidence to meet any challenge.

A keen sponsor of the Breakthrough Talent Awards is independent lighting, rigging, and control supplier for the UK and Europe, Neg Earth Lights, whose head of marketing Anna Gould comments: “We are delighted to be once again sponsoring the Breakth

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25 June 2025

UK - As part of its bid to engage young people with the production industries, Production Futures returned to stage a brand activation at Bludfest, which took place at Milton Keynes Bowl on 21 June. The festival’s eclectic lineup, curated by singer-songwriter Yungblud, attracted a diverse range of fans, including many young people for whom the Production Futures pop-up stand provided insights into possible careers in the production sector.

The Production Futures stand was located in the fan-zone entrance, and as well as providing information about the organisation’s upcoming On Tour shows, ran a series of popular competitions designed to attract the interest of young people with limited knowledge of the wide range of opportunities in the sector.

The stand was designed by Abigail Skelton and Ant Ioannou, two second-year students

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09 June 2025

UK - PLASA Show 2025 is now open for free registrations. This September, the UK's market-leading trade event for live entertainment technology will set the stage for breakthrough products, big ideas, and invaluable industry connections. Celebrate entertainment technology and the people behind it at PLASA Show, returning to its home at Olympia, London from 7–9 September 2025.

Drawing 7,500+ professionals from across the global industry, the show offers unrivalled access to 250+ leading brands, an expert-led seminar programme, and hands-on experiences with next-generation technology.

Headline sponsored by Robe, PLASA Show 2025 features an expanded show floor filled with world-class manufacturers, distributors and service providers. Attendees can explore the latest tools and technologies for lighting, audio, AV, staging and rigging – all under one r

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04 June 2025

UK - Events Apprenticeships (EA), a not-for-profit organisation advocating for accessible career pathways in the events sector, has announced a strategic partnership with apprenticeship search platform Apprentago.

The collaboration is designed to streamline access to apprenticeships in the events and production industries, provide support to employers and learners, and drive visibility of apprenticeships as a valuable route into the sector. EA will feature a dedicated section on eventsapprenticeships.org, highlighting the partnership and linking directly to Apprentago’s searchable apprenticeship listings. Apprentago will, in turn, display EA’s logo and backlink, helping visitors access both organisations’ resources and opportunities.

Promoting apprenticeship acc

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02 June 2025

UK - PLASA Focus Leeds 2025 returned to the Royal Armouries on 13-14 May, drawing a vibrant cross-section of the live entertainment technology sector for two buzzing days of connection, innovation and learning.

This year’s show welcomed 2,852 professionals, an increase on the 2024 show. The quality of attendees continues to thrive, with 687 directors, owners, or chairs representing 16% of the audience. Significantly, when combining senior roles and those in sales, procurement and specification, nearly 40% of the professionals on site held final decision-making responsibility, underscoring the event’s commercial impact.

A broad spectrum of industry roles was represented, including sound and lighting engineers, technicians, production and tour managers, lighting designers, venue and operations staff, as well as consultants, buyers, lecturers, conte

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27 May 2025

India - Obsidian Control Systems recently delivered a three-day training in India supported by VMT, the brand’s official Indian distribution partner. Spearheaded by Obsidian’s business development director Koy Neminathan and lighting designer Giancarlo Vannetti, the training series attracted over 100 lighting professionals eager to get hands-on with the NX1, NX2, and NX4 consoles.

Designed to empower and elevate, the sessions offered deep insights into Obsidian’s advanced architecture and functionality. “Watching participants gain confidence with the NX1, NX2, and NX4 through hands-on experience was truly rewarding. The passion for lighting control in India is inspiring, and we’re excited to see how these professionals take their skills forward,” noted Giancarlo Vannetti.

Neminathan echoed this sentiment: “It was incredible to see the e

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27 May 2025

Spain - INFiLED has announced the launch of its INFiLED Certified Engineer (ICE) training programme – a comprehensive initiative aimed at equipping technical professionals in the EMEA region with the hands-on skills and knowledge needed to install, configure and maintain LED systems with confidence.

The ICE training course is designed for engineers, technicians and support professionals seeking to deepen their understanding of INFiLED’s LED technologies and develop the practical competencies required to deliver the highest standards of service. The course covers both theoretical knowledge and real-world application, providing a full overview of INFiLED's LED ecosystem.

Key topics covered in the training include the basics of LED display systems and INFiLED’s product range, system set-up, calibration and configuration, troubleshooting and fault-

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23 May 2025

South Africa - DWR Distribution’s Jaques Pretorius recently spent two busy days with third-year lighting students from the Department of Performing Arts at Tshwane University of Technology (TUT), offering hands-on training on the grandMA3 lighting control platform.

Over the past year, TUT has invested in two grandMA3 onPC command wings – one for its Breytenbach Theatre and another for its practical teaching space – making this training especially timely.

Wandile Mgcodo, a long-standing lecturer at TUT and a passionate supporter of the next generation of creatives, helped organise the workshop. “There’s nothing more rewarding than seeing students grow in confidence, find their artistic voice, and master tools they’ll use in their careers,” he said.

The journey began when TUT decided to upgrade from their previous MA2 system, keep

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21 May 2025

South Africa - Cape Town technicians and anyone interested in servicing and troubleshooting lighting fixtures are invited to attend hands-on Robe Fixture Maintenance Training with Tyler Pugin, taking place on 11 June from 9am to 5pm at DWR Distribution, Cape Town.

This workshop will cover ‘everything you need to know about caring for your Robe lighting fixtures – from troubleshooting issues to cleaning techniques and routine maintenance’.

Participants need to bring metric tools, including electrical and 8mm flat blade screwdrivers, no. 1 and no. 2 Philips screwdrivers, 2mm - 8mm Allen keys, long-nose pliers, wire cutters, and a multimeter. The cost is R250 per person and includes a light lunch and refreshments.

The course will be hosted at DWR Distribution, Unit 37B Platinum Junction, 4 School Street, Marconi Beam, Cape Town.

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13 May 2025

UK - Follow-Me has announced the opening of its new meeting space and demonstration room in the heart of London's Soho district. Located within the technically advanced Underbelly Boulevard Soho, the facility will serve as a hub for designers, operators, and potential Follow-Me users to experience the system's capabilities firsthand.

The new demo space will be overseen by Luke Edwards, designer relations liaison UK at Follow-Me, who will be available on-site to provide demonstrations, consultations, and system training on request.

Underbelly Boulevard Soho - the first permanent location from the live entertainment company Underbelly - provides a suitable technical environment for showcasing Follow-Me's remote follow-spot and performer tracking technology. With convenient access to public transportation, the space is positioned to become a central mee

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13 May 2025

Europe/USA - Showstop Procedure courses have welcomed 125 event professionals since launching with The Pink Bows Foundation in the US at Houston Texas in March, followed by sessions in the UK and Denmark. 

Course Facilitators Mark Hamilton and Steve Allen delivered two accredited Showstop Procedure courses, hosted by Roskilde Festival, 10-11 May. They welcomed attendees from across Europe including Paleo Festival and Engage Festival. The next (sold-out) courses will run in Dublin (Ireland) and Glasgow (Scotland) in the coming weeks, with future courses scheduled from September being announced shortly.

Steve Allen comments: “The overwhelmingly positive feedback we’ve received from highly respected industry safety and production specialists, along with all of the courses selling out, has been humbling. We’ve updated th

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07 May 2025

South Africa - Yamaha Music South Africa recently hosted a four-day Yamaha Audioversity training event at the World of Yamaha in Johannesburg. The training was presented by Andy Cooper, Yamaha’s globally recognised audio expert, and drew wide participation from across the professional audio industry.

Andy Cooper, who has been with Yamaha since 1999, led the training. With decades of experience, including the development of global Dante training courses and over 150 technical videos on Yamaha’s YouTube channel, Cooper brought expertise and insight to the sessions, offering attendees a hands-on approach to Yamaha’s digital sound technologies, from mixing consoles to deep-dives into networked audio systems.

The action-packed workshops, held across four days, were structured to explore Yamaha’s full ecosystem of professional audio soluti

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30 April 2025

UK - Production Futures, the organisation founded to create opportunities for young people to learn, train, network and develop real careers in every sector of the production industries, has announced its Industry Partners Pledge with the aim of ensuring that every business in the entertainment production industry can offer training, a placement, or an apprenticeship by 2030.

The initiative seeks to build a more accessible and inclusive industry by nurturing the next generation of talent and promoting a diverse workforce.

The Industry Partners Pledge was announced at Production Futures’ On Tour show at the AO Arena in Manchester, which proved to be the organisation’s busiest ever event with more than 2,000 people in attendance.

To further support its aim of increasing knowledge and accessibility in the sector, t

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29 April 2025

UK - For the first time, PLASA Focus Leeds has launched an official mobile app, now available to download on both Apple and Android devices. Introduced following the success of the PLASA Show London app in 2024, which saw strong uptake among visitors, the new app is designed to maximise engagement and efficiency at the 2025 show.

Taking place at the Royal Armouries, Leeds on 13–14 May 2025, the event will once again welcome thousands of professionals working across live events, AV, lighting, audio, rigging, staging and more. The PLASA Focus Leeds app serves as a comprehensive, digital companion for navigating the show, enabling you to:

 - Access and print visitor badges directly from the app

 - Browse a full exhibitor and product list in advance

 - View the detailed seminar and workshop schedule

 - Use the inter

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22 April 2025

South Africa - DWR Distribution recently hosted Oliver Ronshausen, service manager at MA Lighting in Germany, for a special in-house technical training session in South Africa. Ronshausen shared his expert knowledge with the DWR technical team, covering grandMA3 technical hardware and offering detailed insights into the zactrack system.

DWR Distribution staff regularly receive training so they in turn can always provide up-to-date support to clients when needed. Technicians from DWR’s Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban branches were invited to attend this session.

“I recently came to South Africa to help DWR’s technicians get up to speed with the latest MA Lighting service knowledge, so they can react quickly when a console needs repair,” said Ronshausen. “The goal was to show them how the grandMA3 and electronics work on the inside, then

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14 April 2025

UK - Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has offered his support for Production Futures’ forthcoming On Tour event at the city’s AO Arena.

The free-of-charge event which takes place on 28 April is set to attract a wide range of young people from across the North West of England, and promotes employability, transferable skills, diversity, free training, networking, and paid work opportunities to newcomers across the live event and broadcast production industry.

This will be Production Futures’ second visit to the AO Arena following last year’s successful event which was attended by a host of world-leading manufacturers, supply and production companies, venues and distributors.

Andy Burnham, who also visited last year’s event, comments: “Greater Manchester has a proud history of creativity and innovation in live events an

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11 April 2025

UK - PLASA Focus Leeds returns to the Royal Armouries from 13-14 May 2025, with its highly anticipated seminar programme now live. Designed to reflect the current needs and future ambitions of the live entertainment technology sector, this year’s programme will explore critical topics across audio, sustainability, emerging professionals, and artificial intelligence.

Across the two-day show, visitors will gain insight from technical pioneers, creative leaders, and forward-thinking organisations. All sessions are free to attend and take place on Level 1 of the Royal Armouries on a first come, first served basis.

Audio innovation in focus 

The 2025 programme brings a strong emphasis on professional audio, with highlights including an exclusive audience with FOH sound engineer Robb Allan, whose work spans from Radiohead to Mas

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10 April 2025

UK - In a joint venture, Backup Tech, The Back Lounge and UK Live Event Freelancers Forum, are launching a series of three Financial Literacy workshops and resources around being financially informed for freelancers working in the live entertainment industry.

Presented on Zoom and hosted by The Back Lounge’s Suzi Green and Paul Jones from UK Live Event Freelancers Forum, along with invited guest speakers on specific topics, the three, one-hour workshops, each of which will be standalone, will work synergistically to inform those working for themselves as sole traders or small businesses.

The series aims to provide practical advice balanced with an exploration of the culture shift needed to plan effectively for long-term security and will include a Q&A at the end of each session. They will cover topics including paying tax in the most e

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04 April 2025

UK - The Power of Events, the not-for-profit organisation launched in 2023 to provide better understanding, respect and value for the UK Events Industry, has announced the expansion of its UK Schools Engagement Programme with the launch of the North West Hub, its largest region yet, spanning Liverpool, Cheshire and Manchester.

This initiative will connect thousands of young people with the dynamic world of events, providing insights, inspiration, and career pathways into the industry.

With ambassador registration now live on the Schools Engagement Programme portal (schools.thepowerofevents.org), industry professionals in the region are invited to sign up and support the next generation of talent by volunteering as little as an hour to the initiative. The first wave of school engagements will begin in early May across the region, with the ambitious go