Business News

nm-pm-2023NürnbergMesse partners with N&M for rigging
Thursday, 23 February 2023

Germany - Starting from the middle of the year, Neumann&Müller Veranstaltungstechnik will be NürnbergMesse's new service partner for rigging and safety-related wire suspension systems.
Exhibitors and their service providers will benefit from the N&M trade fair team's many years of expertise as well as from numerous innovative services. Furthermore, trade fair clients will be able to take advantage of the fact that N&M will be able to provide the entire spectrum of media equipment needed to make a success of a trade fair appearance at the new location.

wharfedale-pro-teamWharfedale Pro champions global partners
Thursday, 23 February 2023

Spain - Following a successful year, Wharfedale Pro celebrated its extensive network of global distributors at an awards ceremony preceding Integrated Systems Europe 2023. The event was held on 30 January at the Barcelona Experience Centre, a venue created by Wharfedale Pro and their Spanish distributor Kinson specifically for the purpose of demoing Wharfedale Pro gear.
Over 40 Wharfedale Pro distributors attended the event, representing many countries from across the world - a testament to the brand's global reach. This event, complete with keynote speeches from Wharfedale Pro team members, brought together the company’s extensive family of distributors.
“It was rewarding that so many of our distribution partners and friends were able to make the journey to Terrassa and their support was invaluable,” says Wharfedale pro sales director, Simon Godfrey. “The purpose of the event was to bring together our partners, launch our new solutions and gain vital feedback for the future of our brand. Seeing everyone sharing intelligence and ideas was inspiring and hugely beneficial to us here at Wharfedale Pro. I am particularly proud of our team and our good friends from Kinson s.a. who worked so hard to make this event such a success,”
Winners were chosen based on their performance across the past year across four categories of awards: Business Transformation, Customer Focus, Brand Innovation and Top Performing Partner.
The Business Transformation Award was awarded to those partners who had demonstrated transformation and focus in their terr

 
 
mexicoMartin Audio reorganises distribution in Mexico
Thursday, 23 February 2023

Mexico - Martin Audio has reorganised its distribution set-up in Mexico, appointing NTX Distribution specifically to handle the installation sector. Equally, sister company Optimal Audio also forms part of the new agreement to supplement the offering specifically towards commercial installation and small to medium multi-zoned venues.
Confirming the appointment, Berenice Gutiérrez, founder and CEO of Proactive LATAM, who represent the two brands in Latin America and the Caribbean, stressed that negotiations had been conducted independently. “The move is highly significant for Martin Audio, as having had only one distribution partner for so long we can now focus on the important fixed installation market via NTX,” she stated. “But each brand has something different to offer and addresses markets not necessarily covered by other products in the NTX portfolio.”
The negotiations began back last summer and were finally concluded at the turn of the year, to take effect from January 2023.
As a result, Proactive LATAM will provide full support and also train NTX’s tech team. “They already have a high level of tech and received further training over the course of the recent ISE Show in Barcelona,” confirms Gutiérrez. “Going forward, tech representatives of both brands will visit from the UK to organise formal certificated courses.”
Promotion of the brands will be via a combination of social networks, mail, showroom demos and training events, trade conventions and one-to-one sessions. Tours are planned throughout the country to train

 
bts-web-banner-purpleLong Riders raffle and BTS return to USITT
Wednesday, 22 February 2023

USA - The Long Reach Long Riders and Behind the Scenes will host their annual fundraising raffle at the USITT Conference 16-18 March in St. Louis, MO. This year’s raffle will celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Long Reach Long Riders annual charity motorcycle ride. The Riders, who have raised over $1,000,000 for charity in their years of touring, will be riding 3-9 June in sunny Southern California.
The Behind the Scenes Boutique will also be open for business during the show featuring an assortment of industry-themed holiday decorations and the famous Long Reach Long Rider T-shirts and kazoos.
The booth will feature the Behind the Scenes Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Initiative which provides tools and resources to support entertainment industry workers and promote mental health and psychological safety. Posters with information on suicide prevention, bullying and harassment, alcohol and substance abuse, and more will be available.
Tickets for the raffle are an affordable $5 each or five for $20 and can be purchased at the Behind the Scenes booth #821 throughout the show. Winning tickets for nine regular prizes and one grand prize will be drawn at 1pm on Saturday, the final day of Stage Expo.
The prizes, provided by generous donors, are: Grand Prize, Spotlight with Renderworks from Vectorworks; Ghostlight from Altman Lighting; American Express Gift Card from Barbizon; Event Safety Summit 2023 Registration from the Event Safety Alliance; Nespresso CitiZ Espresso Machine with Aeroccino Milk Frother from IA Stage; ETCNomad Education E

 
 
robe-etp-investsETP invests in Robe Fortes
Wednesday, 22 February 2023

Denmark - ETP is a large full technical production – lighting audio, rigging, staging and roofing systems, seating and grandstands– rental company based in greater Copenhagen, which started its lighting department in 2010 with 20 moving light fixtures.
There are now over 230 x Robe fixtures alone in the rental fleet, plus numerous other lights, with the most recent purchase being 34 x Fortes, acquired for the busy record-breaking 2022 summer touring and festival season.
The lighting department is headed by Emil Finsen and Sune Verdier. Emil joined as a student in 2010, and Sune, a well-known lighting designer in his own right, joined the ETP team full time in 2019. In addition to designing most of ETP’s in-house lighting projects, he continues to work on design projects for other clients.
“We wanted a large, bright LED moving light that could also be used outdoors for festivals and summer tours,” stated Emil.
Their previous experiences with Robe’s DL4S and DL7S in the theatre had all been great in that environment, but they needed something seriously bright that would also cover concerts and gigs. Last summer 32 x Robe Esprites joined the rental stock which were out all the time, but to service the unprecedented number of festivals and live events during summer 2022, they needed something even brighter.
Any substantial purchases in the lighting department are 50% driven by external demand including rider specifications, and the other 50% by what are deemed to be the best options for ETP’s own shows.
Sune, Emil and

 
genlec-45th-anniversaryGenelec marks 45th anniversary with world tour
Wednesday, 22 February 2023

World - Genelec is marking its 45th anniversary this year by launching the Genelec 45 World Tour, which celebrates ‘truthful sound and the passion that powers it’. The extensive tour combines demonstrations of Genelec studio monitors with a programme of learning and listening experiences, complemented by a major global music collaboration.
Central to the tour is the Genelec | Experience series of premium events, which includes face-to-face listening sessions at Genelec’s growing international network of Experience Centres, complemented by hybrid and virtual events, regional partner events and traditional trade shows. The Genelec | Experience will not only provide an opportunity for customers to audition Genelec’s studio monitors, but will also allow customers to learn about and experience a wide range of Genelec stereo and immersive loudspeaker systems in a controlled, critical listening environment.
For those that can’t attend the Genelec | Experience in person, Genelec will also be making full use of its digital channels throughout 2023 to deliver a programme of online masterclasses, tutorials, webinars and informal knowledge-sharing sessions, while the new Genelec Virtual Showroom allows customers across the Professional Audio Monitoring, AV Installation and Home Audio segments to instantly access valuable Genelec information and resources. Additionally, the Create With Genelec loan campaign will be run in selected territories to allow audio professionals, creatives and music educators to experience Genelec technology in the comfort of their

 
 
The Week in Light & Sound
Tuesday, 21 February 2023

Post Pandemic Blues - The pandemic has wiped billions of pounds from the night-time economy, including theatre, according to a new report. The research indicates that the night-time sector has had a greater struggle to recover to pre-pandemic income than the economy generally, despite a robust response to the challenges of Covid. The chair of the Night Time Industries Association, which carried out the report, said the government had "failed" the sector.
The report highlights how seriously jobs in hospitality, theatres, bars, restaurants and those that operate between 6pm and 6am have been hit over the past few years and that many in the sector are "surviving" but not "thriving".
Sacha Lord, chair of the NTIA and night-time economy adviser for Greater Manchester, said: "The government has failed independent business operators and the cultural sector across the UK. It needs to do everything possible to protect these vitally important businesses that deliver way beyond economic impact, but are considered vital to social cohesion, nightlife tourism and the mental health and well-being of the UK."
The report is the second commissioned to help fully understand the economic contribution and significance of the night-time cultural economy (NTCE) to the UK economy.
Studio Boost - An £800m expansion of the studios used for the filming of the James Bond and Star Wars franchises has been approved. Pinewood Studios, near Iver Heath in Buckinghamshire, submitted plans for a 1.4m sq.ft expansion to build 21 new stages, a training hub a

 
jllJLLighting and JLLive join together as JLL
Tuesday, 21 February 2023

UK - JLLighting and JLLive are joining together under one single brand identity and comprehensive offering. JLL will be a ‘one stop shop’ full-service technical production partner.
JLLighting was founded in 2009, adding JLLive as a second arm to the business in order to expand the services the team could offer event agencies, in-house corporates and exhibition clients in 2020.
JLL has built long-standing relationships with a list of brands, including most of the major television production companies in the UK, as well as event agencies and corporates to execute live events to and support their corporate film needs. These have included BBC, ITV, Pico+, Amazon Prime Video, MCI, The Walt Disney Company, Netflix, 2Heads, Toucan, YouTube, RenewableUK, Financial Times, GES and Spiro and countless more. This has allowed JLL to complete projects across the length and breadth of the UK, as well as internationally.
Jack Linaker, managing director at JLL, comments: “From day one, we have prided ourselves on being a forward thinking and dynamic business which has continued to invest, develop, and evolve with the industries we work so closely with. When we re-evaluated the two sides of our JLL offer we identified enhancements that could be made to ensure our clients received an elevated level of service from us, and to facilitate internal team efficiencies. We see this evolution as an opportunity to build on what we have achieved so far, to grow the industries and sectors we work within, and to secure and refine the JLL offering – moving into more effi

 
 
mdg--rmMDG appoints RM Multimedia distributor for Italy
Tuesday, 21 February 2023

Europe - MDG has announced the appointment of RM Multimedia as its new, exclusive distributor for Italy. The new arrangement takes effect from 20 February 2023.
RM Multimedia was founded in 2007 by Marco Bartolini, Ermanno Tontini and Paula Poroliseanu all of whom brought many years of industry experience to the company. Based in Cattolica (Rimini), RM Multimedia exclusively distributes many top brands of entertainment technology across the Italian market. Its 20-strong team is united by the same desire and ability to enhance the company's philosophy of providing the best quality service to each and every client.
RM Multimedia is present throughout the country with the support of a network of 10 trained commercial agents who support local customers at every stage of the sales process. Added to this is the undisputed quality of the brands, making RM Multimedia a point of reference in the Italian market.
“Having the opportunity to distribute MDG in Italy is for us an honour and a new challenge,” says Paula Poroliseanu. “We are extremely happy and positive about this great new start.”
“We are so very happy to welcome RM Multimedia into the MDG Family as our new distributor for Italy,” says Nicolas Duhamel, MDG marketing director and European business development. “RM Multimedia has been distributing high quality brands for many years. They are known in Italy for their seriousness and the support of their customers in their projects. MDG's line of atmospheric effects products will be a perfect match. We are looking forward to an exce

 
more-distributionMore Distribution takes on 1 Sound for Benelux
Monday, 20 February 2023

Europe - US loudspeaker manufacturer 1 Sound had their global exhibition debut this season at ISE Barcelona. One of their primary goals was to build their international distribution and dealer network.1 Sound’s Leonardo D’Andrea, EMEA sales executive, previously approached More Distribution, an A/V distributor in The Netherlands and demonstrated the wide range of 1 Sound’s line of loudspeakers over the course of several days at their facility in Italy. He took the opportunity at ISE to invite More Distribution to make the distribution agreement official.
More Distribution specialises in professional audio, lighting, and video sales to professional AV companies, theatres and systems integrators, with a targeted service approach, tailored to each sector. They are a distributor for leading brands like Optocore, Glensound and Soundtools and dealer for Allen & Heath, DPA Microphones and Powersoft amongst others. More Distribution will exclusively represent 1 Sound in Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxemburg areas.
“We are thrilled by our appointment as 1 Sound’s distributor for the Benelux and look forward to joining them on their new and exciting global journey. We feel that 1 Sound’s innovative products will prove to be an invaluable addition to our product portfolio,” says Marc Noble, sales director at More Distribution.
"We are so excited to have formed this partnership with More Distribution to represent our brand in the Benelux area. Their years of experience, and the knowledge they have in various applications of audio enables them in

 
 
pan-acousticsACS to market Pan Acoustics in Benelux
Monday, 20 February 2023

Europe - Pan Acoustics has announced that Acoustic Control Systems (ACS) based in Garderen, Netherlands will become a marketing partner in Benelux.
“ACS joined the Pan Acoustics family in April 2022 and is now a part of the Pan Acoustics group of companies. With over 35 years of experience in electroacoustic design in highest performing environments like operas, concert halls and multi-purpose buildings ACS brings a vast knowledge to the table. This will be a great benefit to all of our clients in the Region”, said Johannes Kampert – Head of Global Sales at Pan Acoustics.
As a Pan Acoustics company ACS will work as the extended arm of Pan Acoustics in the region and will support customers with system designs, demos and technical support and sales. Effective immediately the products will be available from ACS directly.
“We are very much looking forward to supporting our mothership Pan Acoustics in the region. First-class electroacoustic projects is what we always delivered and we are happy to expand our services towards the challenging acoustic environments, where Pan Acoustic speakers play at their best. Moving forward the addition of Pan Acoustics to our portfolio will also allow us to provide complete ACS virtual room acoustics solutions,” says At van den Heuvel – director at ACS.
Long-standing distribution partner TAU Audio Solutions from Groningen will continue to be a key source of Pan Acoustics for day to day business and will put a focus on the AV and electrical contractors channel. ACS and TAU will work together in a partne

 
lightwareLightware opens offices in France and Poland
Friday, 17 February 2023

Europe - Lightware Visual Engineering has announced the opening of its new French and CEU business hubs, covering France and the French overseas territories, Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Romania.
Lightware France, located in 13 Avenue Morane Saulnier, in Vélizy-Villacoublay, just outside Paris, will be a meeting point for partners, consultants and end users, with plans to incorporate in the next couple of months a User Experience Centre room and a training room fully equipped with Lightware products and solutions.
The CEU office, located in Warsaw, will serve the professional AV audiences of the Central European region, increasing the brand awareness and familiarising the Central European AV industry with Lightware’s technologies and products, offering a demo room for local training and technical support.
Leading these geographic expansions and also point of contact for French and CEU markets are Dominique Bonneau, country manager of France, and Piotr Dębski, regional director, respectively.
Dominique is an experienced and respected team leader, and he joins from Kramer Electronics where he spent 15 years. He previously enjoyed extensive sales and senior management roles at Fnac Video Enterprise. Piotr has been working in the industry for more than 25 years, and he was the regional manager for the Central European region at Kramer Electronics for 16 years.
Bonneau explains: “Leading Lightware’s new office will be an exciting opportunity to expose Lightware’s market leading techno

 
 
bandit-websiteBandit Lites rolls out updated website
Friday, 17 February 2023

USA - Bandit Lites has announced the complete overhaul of its website, www.BanditLites.com. Bandit’s team sought to revamp the online experience for both current and potential clients as well as its team members.
With a robust social media following and engaged online community, the web team focused on redesigning the main website, seeking to build a space that would showcase the company’s continued dedication to both progress and excellence.
The new user-friendly website features insight into servicing tours, special events and system integrations as well as information on Bandit’s locations, in-depth specs for Venue One, Bandit’s rehearsal space as well as peruse open job listings and extensive company benefits. Visitors can also learn about Bandit’s 55-year history, its values and commitment to its employees and clients.
“Our new website emphasises the visual appeal of Bandit Lites’ work through a comprehensive image-based layout,” said Bandit Lites business manager Chase Strickland, who worked as the website’s chief developer. “The new banditlites.com will now serve as a functional and aesthetic online presence for our team members, followers and customers.”

 
patrick-almondStudiomaster and StageOne join forces in SA
Friday, 17 February 2023

South Africa - British headquartered, manufacturer of live sound solutions, Studiomaster has appointed StageOne (formerly TV Audio) as its distribution partner for its range of sound mixing consoles, loudspeakers, amplification and accessories in South Africa. The exclusive distribution partnership kicked off in January.
The first Studiomaster shipment, which arrived in South Africa in early January consisted of a range of digital and analogue audio mixing consoles including the Studiomaster Digilive 4C, Digilive 8C, Digilive 16, Digilive 16RS, Digilive16P-600, Digitrack18, C6XS-12, C6XS-16, Sessionmix 822, Sessionmix 1222, Sessionmix 1622 consoles and AC48II processors.
“I am particularly excited about taking on the Studiomaster brand as I believe that it’s a great product at a price point suitable for the South African market,” stated Peter Berry, owner of StageOne. “The mixing consoles in particular are the perfect fit for our existing range of FBT speakers which we also distribute in South Africa. FBT UK has also recently started the sub-distribution of Studiomaster analogue and digital consoles along with amplification products which speaks volumes for the Studiomaster brand.”
Studiomaster’s director of global sales, Mike Bufton, comments: “With StageOne having more than 40 years’ trading experience, and a perfect portfolio fit, the partnership is a very obvious choice for the Studiomaster brand in all sectors from Musical Instruments, Install to Pro-Audio. As StageOne are a highly respected distributor, Studiomaster is delight

 
 
goldensquarePRG UK relocates to new office in London
Thursday, 16 February 2023

UK - Production Resource Group (PRG) has announced the relocation of its London offices to a new space within the heart of the city’s West End. Less than a five-minute walk from Piccadilly Circus tube station, PRG Golden Square offers staff and clients 24/7 access to a light and airy, modern, and private office and meeting space within an 18th century Georgian terrace managed by Boutique.co.
The property is based in the centre of Soho, one of the busiest and most vibrant areas of the city centre, while also offering a shared break out space and café facility for all staff. As part of our membership with Boutique.co, colleagues and clients can also enjoy flexible working spaces across the group’s network of offices in London and Birmingham, providing accessibility to several workspaces within key locations in the UK.
PRG UK, CEO Richard Williams says, “By adding PRG Golden Square to our portfolio of locations in the UK, we are pleased to maintain our strong and steadfast presence in London while updating our facilities to what our teams need in this new post-COVID era. This new space gives our staff and clients a comfortable, flexible, and convenient place to work together, and we are looking forward to welcoming them through our doors.”

 
lpsLPS Production invests in Ayrton Perseo Beams
Thursday, 16 February 2023

USA - LPS Production in Miami Lakes, Florida has invested in more than 60 Ayrton Perseo Beam fixtures, the first compact, waterproof multi-function beam effect LED luminaires. LPS offers a full range of live show and event production services, professional-grade equipment rentals, the latest in event technologies and a dedicated team experienced in some of the most demanding production environments. ACT Entertainment is the exclusive distributor of Ayrton lighting in North America.
“We needed a powerful fixture for outdoor use since the majority of shows we do here in South Florida are outdoors,” says LPS Owner, Jose Laria. “We initially added the Perseo Beams to our rental inventory then, having seen them at work, we’ve decided to phase out some of our other fixtures and acquire more Perseo Beams in the short term. We also plan to look at bigger Ayrton fixtures in the future.”
“We’re always looking at fixtures when we go to trade shows, and we ask for input from lighting designers and production managers who will be deploying our fixtures,” notes Juan Ugas, general manager of LPS. “Bradley Cronenwett at ACT is always on top of things and showed us the Ayrton product line; we’d never seen Ayrton IP65-rated fixtures. He told us there was no better demo than using the Perseo Beams, so we tried them on an actual show and everyone liked them. That sealed the deal.”
The Perseo Beams offered a number of attractive features, according to Ugas. “They are camera-friendly with no flickering, which is a plus for our broadcast work,” h

 
 
tonspurOptocore appoints Tonspur as Swiss distributor
Thursday, 16 February 2023

Switzerland - Optocore has appointed Tonspur AG as its exclusive distributor for Switzerland and Liechtenstein. The partnership was confirmed during the recent ISE Show in Barcelona and takes effect immediately.
The alliance is a logical one for both parties, since as a long-time distributor of DiGiCo, Tonspur had regularly been in contact with Optocore due to the inter-brand compatibility. “It was simply a case of formalising the agreement,” said Tonspur’s head of marketing & communication, Samuel Leber.
The Lucerne-based company has a proud heritage extending over 30 years. Starting out as a recording facility they later took on distribution of many A-list pro audio brands, including Meyer Sound, DiGiCo, Van Damme Cables, Arx, Schoeps, JoeCo and Directout Technologies. Their policy is always to sell through third parties and never direct to the end user.
Tonspur has kept a keen eye on Optocore’s portfolio, ranging from the R-series, which is already well implemented in the DiGiCo Ecosystem, to AutoRouter and Festival Box.
This was confirmed by Tonspur director, Hansjürg Meier. “I am excited that after years of gaining positive experience with Optocore as the backbone of DiGiCo systems, we can now offer Optocore's extensive portfolio to our customers. AutoRouter and Festival Box, in particular, are well proven products which are appreciated by all, and we are happy to be able to offer these in our portfolio.”
And Optocore distribution sales manager, Dawid Somló added, “I am pleased we have come to an arrangement wi

 
forumPLASA to host Business Forum in London
Thursday, 16 February 2023

UK - PLASA is set to host a Member Business Forum at the Victory Services Club in London on Wednesday 29 March. The forum will feature guest speakers to discuss ways of building culture, continuity and resilience.
PLASA members can attend the forum free-of-charge, with up to two members of your team able to attend. Non-members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets from Monday 13 March for £55+VAT.
The Member Business Forum will offer an afternoon of keynote talks from respected business leaders, followed by an evening of networking and drinks. Attendees will gain actionable advice on how to improve their business practices. Plus, they will meet like-minded industry professionals.
William Rogers MBE has been confirmed as the keynote speaker to deliver a talk on Leading Culture Change. He appeared in the Sunday Times Top 100 Best Leader of a mid-sized company for three years in a row. His expansive career began by building a highly successful insurance broker business from scratch and selling it to Towergate Insurance. Today, William serves on the board for Stage Electrics, Your Harrogate by Magnetiz (a local digital platform), and Startle (a digital music supplier).
HR expert Nicky Gleadow is also confirmed to deliver a talk on Building Employee Retention. Nicky owns and runs The HR Point and has been consulting on SME employment matters for 14 years. Furthermore, she is a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and holds a Masters in Employment Law (LLM).
Plus, John Robinson, direct

 
 
icpcenterIn Concert Productions expands in Atlanta
Wednesday, 15 February 2023

USA - Since the opening of the ICP Production Centre in Atlanta, In Concert Productions founder, Jay Rabbit, has been looking at expansion opportunities. The 30,000sq.ft facility is set to double in size by March 2024. The larger facility is predicted to offset production costs while creating jobs.
Rabbitt founded In Concert Productions (ICP) in the late 1970s. While the company was built on providing sound production and audio services, ICP quickly scaled into a full-service event production company. Its clients include the 1996 Olympics and Coca-Cola to long-standing television shows like Family Feud.
According to Rabbitt, ICP’s success stems from a commitment to being a one-stop service provider. “We provide an experience that the clients in LA and New York are used to getting. We make it easy for them,” he explains. The ICP Production Centre was inspired by a deep desire to provide focused, specialised audio services without scaling back ICP’s full-service capabilities.
The ICP Production Centre gives the Atlanta film and television industry access to local audio, staging, and lighting services. In-house partnerships include All Access, SoCal Rentals, and Atomic.
“Atlanta’s always been a strange market for production. It’s a big city, but it hasn’t really provided the level of production that people from New York, LA, Chicago, and around the world expected. One of the reasons we started the ICP Production Centre was so that there would be the people and equipment in stock, here in town, when people needed it,” sa

 
jetbuilt-global-updateJetbuilt strengthens global footprint
Wednesday, 15 February 2023

USA - Jetbuilt has announced a strengthened global footprint through new software enhancements, strategic developer partnerships and a worldwide team.
In 2015, Jetbuilt was established to accelerate projects and simplify collaboration for AV professionals. Jetbuilt has evolved from a simple sales tool to an end-to-end project management solution.
“As a commercial integrator in Southern California, I identified the need for a cloud-based platform that empowered fast collaboration,” said Paul Dexter, founder and chief executive officer of Jetbuilt. “At the time, there were a handful of AV software vendors and the community of integrators, including myself, had stressed the need to modernise their technology for the future of collaboration. They resisted strongly. Jetbuilt was established to not only fill that void but build a solution that would never stop listening to the growing needs of its customers.”
Recently, Jetbuilt has introduced various global translations to streamline project workflow. The latest enhancement enables Jetbuilt users to render professional, high-impact project presentations to clients in their native languages. Additionally, Jetbuilt’s powerful multi-currency functionality allows users to compile products across multiple currencies and propose a project in an entirely different currency.
Jetbuilt continues to partner with developers to introduce seamless integrations between Jetbuilt and industry-leading business platforms, such as Microsoft Dynamics 365, Salesforce, Solutions 360, Acumatica and many others.

 
 
wisycomWisycom restructures and opens US operation
Wednesday, 15 February 2023

USA - Wisycom SRL has announced a corporate restructuring that will enhance its business in the Americas. Among the changes is the opening of Wisycom, Inc., its new U.S.-based facility, which will give the company a larger and more active channel into the Americas. Led by the newly appointed vice president of sales and marketing, John Kowalski, the new office will allow the team to better support the brand’s growth in the region.
As a division of Wisycom SRL, Wisycom, Inc. gives customers in the region a more direct connection to the brand’s sales, support and administrative personnel. “Wisycom has grown tremendously in the United States, especially over the past year, and we found these changes necessary to help nurture and expand our business,” says Massimo Polo, CEO of Wisycom SRL. “With the restructuring, I am also pleased to welcome John [Kowalski] to our team. He has an incredible amount of experience working with customers across all our industries, and we know he is the right person to help drive Wisycom’s presence in America.”
The new Wisycom, Inc. facility is larger than the previous location, which has allowed the company to add more administrative and on-site technical support staff and includes a larger warehouse. This will ensure a faster turnaround time on communications, sales and repairs. Additionally, Wisycom, Inc. is situated along the mid-Atlantic, positioning the team ideally between homebase in Italy and customers throughout the country - including on the Pacific coast.

 
airshowsElectric Airshows joins the industry’s leading lights
Tuesday, 14 February 2023

UK – Electric Airshows, the new company offering aerial drone light shows to the UK events industry, has announced its membership of PLASA, the UK-based Professional Lighting and Sound Association, and ARPAS-UK, the only trade association focused on the UK drone community.
Electric Airshows, which officially announced its arrival at the start of 2023, has been a long time in development. Headed by two well-known figures from the entertainment production industry, Chris Crockford and Ian Lomas, the company is now offering an initial fleet of 100 drones, purchased from leading Chinese drone show specialist, DAMODA Intelligent Control Technology. The company plans to reach a total of 500 drones – the limit allowed by the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) – by mid-2023, making it a major player in the UK’s emerging drone show market.
In being accepted by PLASA, Electric Airshows becomes the first ever dedicated outdoor drone show provider in the Association’s membership. Commenting on his company’s PLASA membership, Crockford says: “It’s quite something to be at the start of a whole new branch of the entertainment industry and to be welcomed and supported by the PLASA family that we’ve known for so long. We’re really looking forward to playing our part.”
As the leading international trade body for the world’s entertainment technology and production market, PLASA represents the top players in the industry, promoting best practice and skills development, publishing safety standards and industry research, and facilitating trade

 
 
The Week in Light & Sound
Tuesday, 14 February 2023

Coronation Concert - A ballot has opened for 10,000 free tickets for a star-studded concert at Windsor Castle to mark the King's coronation. The televised show will be on 7 May, the day after King Charles is crowned at Westminster Abbey. The BBC has promised the line-up will feature "musical icons and contemporary stars". There are 5,000 pairs of tickets in the ballot, which opened at 07:00 GMT on Friday and will close on 28 February. The tickets would be allocated based on the geographical spread of the UK population, the BBC said, with those successful notified by late April.
The castle's east lawn would see "a world-class orchestra play interpretations of musical favourites fronted by fantastic entertainers, alongside performers from the world of dance and the arts", the BBC said. It "will also feature a selection of spoken-word sequences delivered by stars of stage and screen", a statement added. The evening event will last for two to three hours, with the full line-up to be confirmed later.
BBC chief content officer Charlotte Moore said: "The coronation concert on the BBC will bring the nation together to mark this momentous occasion and we are thrilled to be able to offer the public the opportunity to be part of the event at Windsor Castle through a national ballot, as well as providing audiences with exclusive coverage across TV and radio."
Box Office Revenue - Box-office revenue in the West End has increased by 11.6% compared with 2019, according to the first full set of figures from the Society of London Theatre since disruption caus

 
gpsGPS is first in India to invest in WPC line array
Tuesday, 14 February 2023

India - One of India’s fastest growing live event service providers, Global Production Services (GPS), has added a Martin Audio WPC line array to its inventory, becoming the first company in India to invest in the system.
The system was supplied and will be supported by Vardhaman Megatech Pvt (VMT), Martin Audio’s Indian distributor.
GPS’ portfolio spans prominent Bollywood music events, award ceremonies, political rallies, corporate functions and more as well as conventional live gigs.
“We have always placed great pride in the quality of technical equipment and expertise that we provide for our shows,” states GPS director Saurabh Ayare. “We’d been wanting to expand our inventory for some time and after experiencing WPC we knew right away that this system would be the perfect addition to our inventory. We were extremely impressed with the quality of sound and SPL that the system is capable of delivering, despite its compact form factor - and this helped us double-down on our decision to go ahead with the purchase.”
As the first phase of procurement, GPS has acquired eight WPC line array modules, along with four SX218 matching subwoofers and three advanced iK42 four-channel DSP power amplifiers. The rental company wasted no time in deploying its new system at the prestigious 37th Foundation Day Celebrations of Kotak Mahindra Bank, one of India’s leading corporate banking and finance institutions, that took place in Mumbai.
“It was great training Saurabh’s team at the VMT office in Mumbai,” stated Tony Sawyer, appli

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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