PLASA Show returns to London Olympia on 17-19 September
UK - This year’s PLASA Show seminar programme both embraces the Show’s 40-year history and continues to provide valuable education across the most important and topical subjects in the industry today. This latest tranche of the Show’s free-to-attend seminar programme will have particular appeal for anyone in AV and lighting, those wanting to refine their social media interaction, boost their productivity with processes and apps or learn more about the Production Managers Forum.
Two sessions that have the AV market firmly in mind will take place in the Audio & AV Theatre: Where does audio stand within today’s corporate environment?, chaired by AV Magazine’s editor Clive Couldwell; and Installations – you’ve come a long way, baby, chaired by Paddy Baker, editor of Installation International magazine.
“I felt strongly that AV Magazine should play an active role in PLASA’s 40th edition,” says Clive. “During Where does audio stand within today’s corporate environment?, we wanted to look at how audio has often played second fiddle to the visual in the AV world, but how this scenario is changing, and rapidly, as working environments are transformed. We will also look at how you create the best audio experience in the workplace, what issues should you be considering when deploying audio, how do you evaluate an application’s audio needs and how you make sure what you’ve specified actually works.”
Installations – you’ve come a long way, baby is in keeping with the theme of PLASA’s 40th anniversary. The session, moderated by Paddy Baker, will look at how some of the key installation technologies have evolved over the past four decades.
“I’m very much looking forward to chairing this session,” said Baker. “I’ve assembled a panel of experts with over 120 years of collective experience and who are still strongly involved in the industry today. Using their knowledge and experience, we’ll explore how the technologies involved in different types of installation have evolved over 40 years. As well as being interesting and informative, I believe that the session will give installation professionals a better appreciation for how their predecessors approached projects, and a greater understanding of how today’s technologies have built on what has gone before. Having only been involved with this industry for a mere 10 years myself, I’m sure I’m going to learn a lot!"
Two more sessions that tie in with the 40-year theme will take place in the Lighting, Staging, Rigging theatre, both of which are being hosted by the Association of Lighting Designers (ALD).
The first, 40 Years of Lighting Design, looks back over the last 40 years of lighting design in the UK, considering how the role of the lighting designer and the practice of lighting design have changed in that time, whilst 40 years of in-house lighting departments looks at 40 years of changes and developments (good and bad) in in-house lighting departments at venues across the UK.
Finally, the Fast Track Theatre will host two sessions brought to you by BECTU and moderated by Liz Hardwick, co-founder of Digital Training and SEO company, DigiEnable - Conversations not Broadcast: build better relationships with clients/customers on social media and Boost your productivity with processes and apps – as well as the Production Managers Forum, which will be holding its Reboot Meeting.
Conversations not Broadcast: build better relationships with clients/customers on social media recognises the role of Social Media and its necessity as a tool within every business marketing toolkit, but looks at how many businesses still struggle to get past the concept of ‘push’ marketing and using it as a broadcasting tool.
In her second session, Boost your productivity with processes and apps, Liz will discuss the Pareto principle, which states that the 80% of your results come from 20% of your actions. By optimising the way you work and introducing productivity workflows, it is possible to achieve more in less time, and avoid costly distractions. Join Liz to look at some of the most popular productivity hacks and explore the many apps that can make you super productive and improve your work/life balance.
During the Production Managers Forum (PFM) Reboot Meeting, the PFM will launch of its new website and give a presentation about the future of the organisation. After a year of discussions and feedback from production managers all over the country and further afield, new life will be injected into the PMF, making it more relevant and more useful to production mangers and their colleagues working today, be they in house, freelance, theatre, events, conferences or festivals.
PLASA Show returns to London Olympia on 17-19 September. For more information and to sign up for a session please visit www.plasashow.com/seminars
(Jim Evans)

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