UK - Michael Grandage CBE, will open this year's TheatreCraft event by giving a welcome speech at 9am on Friday 30 November 2012, at the Royal Opera House.

TheatreCraft, which is now in its seventh year, is the essential free event for anyone aged 17 to 25 looking for a non-performance career in theatre. Participants can explore topics including producing, stage management, wig-making, lighting, marketing, theatre journalism, sound, directing, costume design, playwriting and designing.

The event on Friday 30 November at the Royal Opera House will welcome more than 1,000 young people

USA - PLASA Events has announced the line-up for the next three editions of its North American regional trade show series. Following PLASA Focus: Stamford 2012, to be held on 12-13 November, 2012 at the Stamford Marriott in Connecticut, the new-style regional events will roll into Orlando on 15-16 May, 2013; Austin on 10-11 September, 2013; and Nashville on 5-6 February, 2014.

Having made a name for itself in its first year, the PLASA Focus series is committed to providing live production professionals that can't attend national shows with a chance to check out new technologies in the

UK - The new official website for the forthcoming Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Show 2014 is now live, the organisers have announced.

Visitors and exhibitors can now visit the site (www.acrshow.co.uk) to see the latest news and developments on the event, the only national exhibition dedicated to the air conditioning and refrigeration industry, which takes place at the NEC, 11-13 February 2014.

People can register via the website to receive regular updates on the show, including the latest exhibitors confirming stands, planned technology launches, visitor attractions and the hug

UK - Mike Foyle has recently been appointed by Midlands-based TechPro Events as account manager. "Mike brings with him vast project management experience and exceptional client facing skills, built up during a 12 year stint at his previous company," says TechPro.

TechPro's M.D. Mark Stokes commented: "We are really pleased to welcome Mike into the TechPro team, his knowledge and experience will be a great asset to our clients"

(Claire Beeson)

USA - It's only a matter of weeks until PLASA Focus: Stamford 2012 shines a spotlight on the very latest entertainment technology products making their way to the tri-state Area. Now the third regional PLASA event to be held in North America, PLASA Focus: Stamford 2012 takes place on 12-13 November, 2012 at the Stamford Marriott, in Connecticut, just 30 minutes outside of New York City.

Visitors to the show will be among the first to see many of the new products being displayed and demonstrated such as Elation's new Energy Saving DMX moving heads, Rayzor Q7 and Rayzor Q12, Volt Q3 and

USA - With one week remaining until PLASA Focus: Stamford 2012 opens its doors to the tri-state area for the first time, over 50 companies are currently preparing to debut new pro audio, lighting, video and stage technologies at the event, which takes place at The Stamford Marriott, Connecticut, on 12-13 November 2012.

PLASA Focus: Stamford will also host the popular PLASA Professional Development Programme, a two-day programme of free seminars and events running alongside the exhibition - including a Keynote Session presented by legendary lighting designer and one of the world's pree

USA - CAST is pulling out all the stops for PLASA Focus Stamford with not one, but four new products, plus an educational seminar. PLASA Focus will be held 12-13 November at the Stamford Marriott in Stamford, Connecticut where CAST will be exhibiting in Booth 121 and will demonstrate their newest products, BlackTrax, wysiwyg R29, Vivien 2012 and Vivien Online.

Jim Hutchison, product manager wysiwyg and Vivien, will present the seminar entitled, The Birth, Childhood, and Apparent Adolescence of Lighting Design Technology as part of the PLASA Focus Professional Development Progra

UK - Live Experience, the showcase for event and experiential production services has announced its exhibitor line-up which already exceeds the 2012 list. With five months of the sales cycle remaining ahead of the exhibition, this is a real testament to the growing appeal of live production in the events mix, say the organisers.

Event director, James Samuel explains: "The live event industry is buoyant after a record year in 2012 when this country's expertise was showcased to the entire world. It's clear that professionals are determined to maintain and capitalise on this exposur

Denmark - The AV Alliance, of which Blitz Communications is a member, is a Bronze Sponsor of the FRESH conference being held in Copenhagen early next year.

FRESH is a conference focused purely on meeting design. Attendees will experience, discover and learn about the latest tools and techniques to improve meetings and conferences and make them more effective. They can meet and confer with professionals in all aspects of meeting planning including design, production, facilitation, evaluation and much more. This mix of people and products make FRESH the conference of choice for anyone w

UK - Milton Keynes based Impact Production Services (IPS) supplied all the lighting, staging and rigging for the recent James Bond Premiere at the Royal Albert Hall, London. Working for Limited Edition Event Design, IPS built various Prolyte Truss and Layher Scaffolding based structures, which were then dressed with event branding and LED screens. IPS also supplied intelligent lighting fixtures from Martin, Clay Paky and Studio Due, along with a substantial quantity of generic fixtures, mainly 1k and 2k Fresnel's. All the lighting was controlled via a Chamsys desk.

Over 300m of Prolyt

UK - Following the success of Broadcast Video Expo's (BVE) inaugural Manchester event, Sennheiser UK heads back to the Manchester Central Arena, where stand E35 will see the company exhibiting its microphones, wireless systems, headphones and monitoring products as well as highlights from its distributed partners including Nagra and new addition Avalon.

Highlights from the Sennheiser stable will be the new MKE 600 shotgun mic, MKH 8090 wide cardioid condenser microphone and its Digital 9000 system, as well as the KH120 studio monitor from sister company, Neumann.

Launched at IBC 201

UK - The NME Awards event takes place on Wednesday 27 February 2013 at East London venue, Troxy, honouring some of the biggest and best artists today and celebrating the best in new music.

A new venue for 2013's NME Awards, Troxy has a rich music heritage and has become known for hosting some of the hottest live music events in London. The 1930's art deco building, which originally opened as a cinema, still has many of its original features.

NME editor Mike Williams says, "I'm incredibly excited to be able to announce that the NME Awards 2013 will be held at The Troxy, one of L

UK - Black Light was the sponsor of this year's Arts & Business Scotland Small Business Award. Tangent Graphic and the Edinburgh International Book Festival jointly won the Award, which was announced at a prestigious ceremony at the Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh on 24 October.

"We were delighted to get behind this very important award which is all about something that Black Light passionately believes in - the mutually beneficial link between arts and the corporate world," says Black Light's head of company development, Phil Haldane.

The Small Business Award was given for an

USA - Since 1998, Train has been at the forefront of the pop/rock industry with multi-platinum records and several Top 40 hits. Now at the conclusion of the California 37 Tour, the San Francisco-based band has been selling out venues of all sizes across the world.

To make sure the show was unlike any the band had produced before, lighting designer Brock Hogan had the opportunity to create their largest rig to date and he filled it with VL3500 Wash FX, VLX Wash, VLX3 Wash, and VL3000 Spot Luminaires. Lighting and LED equipment was provided by LMG Touring.

"This is was my

UK - After considering all the possible contenders, sound engineer Roger Lindsay decided the Midas XL8 console was the appropriate front-of-house mixing console to address and match the complex demands of the recent sell-out arena tour of Jesus Christ Superstar.

With a 10-piece live band and over 40 vocalists, all individually mic'd, Lindsay required a console that not only offered a high channel count but also gave him maximum direct control of parameters at console surface level.

The complex musical direction and dynamic pace presented a real challenge, even for a seasoned

USA - A Jands Vista L5 console was chosen by Chicago based lighting designer, Robb Jibson of So, Midwest Inc. to control lighting and media for multi-platinum selling rockers, Incubus. Sharing the headline of the North American 2012 Honda Civic Tour were Grammy award winning rap-rock outfit, Linkin Park.

Jibson was first introduced to the Jands Vista platform earlier in the year when he was supplied a Vista L5 on the Australian leg of Incubus tour. Although initially cautious, he was immediately impressed by Jands' flagship console with its powerful Vista v2 software, and after

UK - A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET)'s lighting division will showcase the latest film, television and broadcast products from its key distributed brands at the BVE North show, Manchester Central on 13-14 November (stand D60).

The new Chroma-Q Studio Force Phosphor range - available exclusively from AC-ET in the UK - has been developed specifically for use in film, TV and broadcast studio environments. Utilising innovative LED technologies, the units provide an equivalent soft edge output to a fluorescent fixture - up to 7,000 lumens. There's a choice of standard daylight (5,6

UK - Entertainment lighting specialist White Light heads to the BVE North Expo in Manchester, opening today, to showcase the latest lighting innovations for the film and television industry. Products from Altman, Coemar, CORE Lighting, Galaxia Electronics, and Prism Projection will be on display at White Light's stand - F71.

Visitors to the stand will get an in-person view of the new Altman Spectra Cyc 200, the buzz-worthy LED cyclorama fixture launched earlier this year. The Spectra Cyc 200 uses a patented LED lens to blend colours, which reduces pixilation from direct view. The Spec

The Netherlands - Building on the education programme presented at ISE 2012, CEDIA, joint venture partners of ISE (Integrated Systems Europe), will be delivering "an even bigger and bolder range of training sessions" for next year's show (28-31 January, RAI, Amsterdam).

"Training is a vital part of CEDIA's commitment to the industry and it's especially important for CI businesses to stay on top of new trends, technologies and best practice in our sector. We continually strive to provide a high quality education programme with plenty of opportunities for people at all le

USA - PLASA Focus at Stamford Connecticut saw d&b audiotechnik share booth 224 with leading audio consultants and Installtion Partner SAVI. "These regionally targeted exhibitions embody the d&b democratic approach," said the company's head of marketing in the US, Roger Keim. "Every visitor has the opportunity for a direct, hands on look at elements of the d&b product range, and can spend valuable face time with our Partner. The team at SAVI has a long term relationship with d&b that is highly valued, and they have vast experience of implementing d&b systems."

SAVI

USA - PLASA Focus's latest addition to the North American regional event series landed in Stamford, CT last week, impressing attendees with a wealth of new product launches, crowded seminars and a bustling show floor.

Over 600 visitors, dealers, distributors, and manufacturers gathered on the show floor and in the seminars and saw over 50 exhibitors and 100 new products making their regional debut at Focus Stamford including Clay Paky's new Sharpy Wash 330, A.Leda Wash K20, A.Leda Wash K10, A.Leda Wash K5; Elation's new Energy Saving DMX moving heads; Look Solution's TINY S Fog genera

UK - PLASA Events has announced the addition of a new event to run alongside its ever popular northern trade show, PLASA Focus: Leeds 2013. The PLASA Riggers' Forum will take place on Tuesday 30 April, at the Royal Armouries at Clarence Dock, only a short distance from the Leeds City Centre.

Following on from the success of the first PLASA Riggers' Forum, held in London earlier this year, this new event is an opportunity for members of the rigging community in the North of England to share their views and experiences and to have their questions answered by a range of industry experts,

UAE - Palme Middle East has announced that it will host Soundcheck, a dedicated product demo area, for the first time when the show's 2013 edition opens for trading at the Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre on 21-23 May.

In a dynamic response to exhibitor requests for a working environment in which to showcase their new technology, organisers Informa Exhibitions have created Soundcheck, which will be located in a purpose-built (and fully air-conditioned) temporary structure in the plaza area outside the Ibis Hotel.

Announcing the move, exhibition director, Richard Br

UK - Preparations are now underway for the inaugural Edinburgh Guitar & Music Festival, the largest of its kind to be held in Scotland. The three-day festival takes place in Edinburgh's historic Corn Exchange from 25-27 May 2013 and aims to attract participants and visitors from all over the world with an extensive programme of performances, seminars and competitions, as well as a trade exhibition.

Performances will embrace a variety of genres and styles, featuring an international line-up of artists that includes acoustic guitar virtuoso Peter Finger from Germany, Italian fingerstyle

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