UK - 5 Star Cases reports yet another successful PLASA exhibition in London.

5 Star highlighted samples of its most popular product ranges for the entertainment industry, concert touring, television and theatre markets. Over the four days of the show these all attracted plenty of interest, with some deals also completed on the stand. 5 Star's MD Keith Sykes comments that visitor quality was "Generally very good".

5 Star's latest Drawered Racks attracted plenty of interest and were a prominent element of the stand display.

Three types of Drawered Racks are offered as 'standard' - two hinged versions and one with removable doors.

There's a choice of two dynamic styles for the hinged option - one with a fixed top and one with a hinged top, complete with very cool gas strut supports to prevent accidental closure.

The hinged top version also features a workstation a

UK - ETC's new Source Four LED luminaire has won the prestigious PLASA Award for Sustainability at this year's PLASA 2012 show in London, against some strong competition.

Performing at 30 to over 40 lumens per watt, the Source Four LED spotlight excels in efficacy. This powerful yet energy-saving light creates beauty and artistry in stage, studio and architectural applications. It combines the popular features of ETC's conventional Source Four profile spotlight with the intelligence and seven colours of ETC's Selador Desire LED luminaires. And it comes in three different models - the Lustr+, Tungsten, and Daylight - each using just a fraction of the electricity of its incandescent counterpart. As the PLASA judges also commented: "[The Source Four LED] has a highly efficient optical system, and you can reuse existing lens stock."

ETC's CEO Fred Foster responded to the

UK - Midas Consoles has presented live audio specialists Britannia Row with a special 'Pushing the Boundaries' award for its work on the Queen's Jubilee Concert earlier in the year.

Midas announced the gong during a pre-PLASA distributor's dinner and then later in the week on the Midas PLASA Stand during the European press launch of the PRO1 and VeniceU.

"The award was made in recognition of Britannia Row's design and application of the largest, most complex network of Midas consoles to date," explains brand manager Richard Ferriday. "The system was used on the hugely demanding Queen's Jubilee Concert where more than 250,000 people packed into The Mall, St. James's Park and at the Queen Victoria Memorial, to watch the stellar line up of bands, who performed in quick succession, as millions more watched around the world on TV."

"We are delighted to be

UK - At PLASA 2012, Spotlight promoted a comprehensive LED range. The company wanted to present in London the latest products of the new Green Line family specifically projected for performing arts and TV studios.

With the three new FresneLED 250 White Tunable, ProfiLED 200 and ProfiLED 250 RGBW - Spotlight LED range attracted an audience as probably the most complete LED products line of the highest quality and efficiency today available on the market.

The luminaires of this wide range are characterised by excellent performances, energy saving, clean light without heat and UV/IR emission.

ProfiLED 250W RGBW, optical discharge profile spot, was the real highlight of the event, showing a light power equal to the one of a traditional halogen 2000W and with an extreme precision of the projection.

ProfiLED 250W RGBW impressed because it is innovative, versatile and interesting

UK - Flightcase and speaker cabinet solutions specialist Penn Elcom showed its latest ideas and technologies at PLASA 2012 for the first time with all key brands in the group based on a single booth.

In addition to the latest ideas from Penn Elcom, the newest products from Pro Audio Stash, Rackz and CLD Distribution all attracted interest over the four day show.

Penn Elcom chairman Roger Willems states, "It was a good opportunity to meet many of our existing customers from the UK as well as make some new contacts."

The integrated stand also highlighted Penn's quality metalworking and manufacturing capabilities in the UK, and how this and other synergies help fuel the development of innovative and cost-efficient product lines across the sister companies.

"Overall this enables us to offer a very 'joined-up' range of complimentary products," confirms Wille

UK - Besides being one of the main PLASA sponsors, Clay Paky organised several activities at the Earls Court Exhibition Centre, which played host to the historic London show for the last time.

Clay Paky set up its main stand, overlooking the busy PLASA central bar and Innovation Gallery in the heart of the exhibition centre, in partnership with Ambersphere Solutions, the sole distributor of Clay Paky and MA Lighting products in the UK. The stand provided an overview of all Clay Paky's new products: the A.Ledas, the Series 800 Profile and QWO lights, and the GlowUp Strip 100 LED bars.

More than 40 new product demos took place on the various exhibition days, accompanied by an impressive light show. They were held in Clay Paky's magnificent demo room, where a spectacular rig was set up, comparable to those used at the best live concerts. The numerous visitors from the UK and seve

UK - Just over two weeks since it all ended and the highs from PLASA are still running through the office at Green Hippo, says the company.

With distributors, lighting designers and DJ's to students, technical managers and programmers the stand was buzzing and everyone was able to get a sneak preview into how easy just got easier.

Head of sales Samantha Bailey stated, "The response from customers to the new release was fantastic, they are thrilled with the new markets and customers it opens them up to and are heading back to their respective countries with new jobs on the horizon as a result.

"Not only has the development been with our products but with our staff and office. Many of you will have seen familiar faces on the stand and with a closer look discovered that we're not quite human. Looking at the people behind the product we make up the team of dedicated st

France - SIEL 2013 is scheduled for Monday 4 to Wednesday 6 February 2013 at the Grande Halle de la Villette - Paris.

SIEL is a showcase for 'products' but it is also the coming together of an entire profession in all its business sectors - audio, lighting, video, special effects and stage equipment.

The event features 11 demonstration workshops, four classrooms for training sessions and nine Lighting Showrooms for checking out lighting effects. Confirmed exhibitors include Chromlech, Soundcraft, JBL, Sennheiser, Yamaha, Robert Juliat, Clay Paky and more.

For the second consecutive year, innovations will be rewarded with an 'Etoile du Siel' prize by a jury of experts.

A friendly, convivial gathering is promised, and the opportunity to meet and talk in a setting that is unanimously popular.

(Jim Evans)

UK - The festival season drew to a close recently after a disastrous summer when many of the major festivals were cancelled due to the terrible weather. Luckily the rain stayed away for the final two major events in London's Hyde Park- the Proms in the Park and Radio Two's Festival in a Day.

Blinding Light Ltd, based in Reading, was chosen to supply lighting for both events. Part of the requirement was to light the huge windows in the Proms set. For this, they used 32 of MilTec's LEDHead Batten2 units (two mounted in the base of each window). Fitted with 18x 8W quadcolour LEDs and Powercon mains connectors and weighing only 6kg each, they proved a very effective yet lightweight and low powered solution.

Tony Hall, Blinding Lights' lighting designer commented, "The MilTec battens have proved to be extremely reliable, and pack a great punch for their size. I was extremely p

UAE - After initial enquiries and a visit to the PLASA trade show in London in September, Dubai-based event production supplier Eclipse has made an investment in the new Martin Professional MAC Viper Profile, winner of a PLASA Innovation Award.

Eclipse is the first in the Middle East to purchase the Vipers and are confident they will become a sought after item by event organisers and promoters.

The purchase of the Vipers increases the already large range of Martin lighting stocked by Eclipse which includes the MAC Aura, MAC 2000 Profile and Wash, MAC 301 Wash, MAC 401, MAC 700 Profile and Wash, Atomic 3000 strobes, Atomic Colors scrollers and popular Martin LC Plus LED screens.

Nour Assafiri, CEO of Martin Professional Middle East, says: "Martin Professional UAE LLC started collaborating with Eclipse since it was first launched in the UAE. The Eclipse team is known for

USA - Free registration is now open for the PLASA Focus: Stamford 2012 Professional Development Programme, a two-day programme of free educational seminars and workshops, running alongside PLASA Focus: Stamford, on 12-13 November 2012.

The programme will give visitors a unique opportunity to broaden their specialist knowledge and take part in discussions about innovative projects and cutting edge techniques.

Technical editor, Richard Cadena comments, "It's always been a dream to host a show like this in the Tri-state area, and with so much talent on our doorstep we've literally been spoiled for choice when putting this seminar series together."

Media, sales & marketing director, Jackie Tien adds, "Sharing knowledge and expertise is vitally important to the development of technology, techniques and talent. We wanted to produce a program that features current, h

UK - Training centre Backstage Academy reports a successful exhibit at its second annual PLASA Show, where it celebrated a year of growth with several initiatives.

The Academy took many enquiries for its Foundation Degree in Live Events Production, for which there are still places for this November. It also had a lot of interest from overseas companies wanting training delivered in their home country.

Said sales & business development manager Sara Gleadhall, "What was surprising this year was the number of enquiries we had from companies and professionals abroad who are desperate for us to take our training overseas.

"We are currently looking at developing packages of training in essential backstage skills and certificates to deliver in foreign countries."

The Academy launched a student competition to win a week's work experience on the set build of a major

USA - Avolites Media is heading Stateside this month to show off its award-winning Sapphire Media Infinity System.

The media server technology, developed by the R&D team at Avolites Media, will be exhibited for the first time in the USA at the annual LDI show Las Vegas, 19-21 October 2012 at Las Vegas Convention Center.

Avolites Media will be at Creative Stage Lighting's stand, the company's US distributor, on Booth, # 1129.

Since its groundbreaking use on major events in the UK and beyond the Sapphire Media Infinity System has been the talk of the entertainment technology industry and, at the PLASA show, it won the much-coveted PLASA Award for Innovation with PLASA judges commenting: "It's the first integrated video control surface dedicated to video. It's well thought out and well designed."

Steve Warren, managing director for Avolites Media comments, "The

USA - PLASA Focus: Stamford 2012 grows from strength to strength as new exhibitors and new seminar speakers join the party. PLASA Focus: Stamford will be the first regional PLASA event for the Tri-state area and takes place just 30 minutes outside of New York City at the Stamford Marriott, CT., on 12-13 November 2012.

Visitors to the show will be among the first to see many new products being displayed and demonstrated in the region for the first time, including the Hippotizer Version 3.2 Software on TMB's booth; LumenRadio's SuperNova; four additions to the ProPlex Devices range of tour-grade signal management systems; The Solaris Flare Color Strobe; the Schnick Schnack Systems LED Accent Lighting System, as well as a hands-on demonstration of Aereographer by Flying by Foy - the world's most advanced design tool for flying automation, with many more announcements coming soon.

The Netherlands - Adding a further attraction to the growing list of educational and networking events co-located with ISE 2013, Integrated Systems Europe has announced the launch of the MegaPixel Summit. To be held at the Amsterdam RAI over Monday 28 and Tuesday 29 January 2013, the Summit will be produced by market research, publishing and consulting firm Insight Media.

"Over the past couple of years, we have seen a substantial increase in the number of ISE exhibitors offering display solutions that are above full HD resolution," comments Mike Blackman, managing director, Integrated Systems Events. "The potential of these technologies is enormous, but these are complex systems and many industry professionals are enduring a steep learning-curve while implementing them.

"By hosting the MegaPixel Summit at ISE 2013, we hope to create a forum in which the cha

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 from across the UK and runs from 9am - 3.30pm. Participants will have the chance to take part in a choice of over 60 workshops delivered by skilled theatre professionals from, meet more than 40 exhibitors in the bustling marketplace and visit the 'Ask the Experts' zone which offers one-to-one advic

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 their own backyard.

The events are the first chance for many entertainment tech communities to meet at a dedicated event for their area. Each event showcases the very latest pro audio, lighting, AV and stage technologies, much of the gear making its U.S debut, fresh from international launches.

CEO

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 hugely popular technical and business seminar programme.

Building on the success of this year's launch event, the show has the backing of major industry organisations, including the Institute of Refrigeration (IOR), the British Refrigeration Association (BRA), the Federation of Environmental Trades A

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 Volt Q5, Platinum Beam 15R Pro, Platinum Spot 35 Pro, Platinum Wash ZFX Pro/ Platinum Wash ZFX Pro XL, Event Cylinder and the ELAR Quad series; MDG's versatile theFan; ETC's new Source Four Dimmer; Clay Paky's new Sharpy Wash 330, A.Leda Wash K20, A.Leda Wash K10, A.Leda Wash K5; the innovative W-D

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 preeminent theatre consultants, Richard Pilbrow. Richard will also be taking part in a book signing before the seminar, coinciding with a cocktail and hors d'oeuvres reception. This free to attend event takes place on Monday, 12 November from 5pm onwards. To book this session, and to see the full line u

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 Programme. The seminar will be held on Monday, 12 November from 1:30-2:30pm and again on Tuesday, 13 November from 12:30-1:30pm in the Massachusetts Room.

Hutchison's session will take trip through the last 75 years or so of lighting Design technology, from its birth with paper and pencil through the ab

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 exposure. The fact that bookings have already exceeded our launch year is an excellent testament to the show. It also highlights increasing optimism in the event sector and the UK's position on the international stage. We're delighted that Live Experience is growing at such pace in terms of floor space and

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 wishing to optimise the effectiveness of meetings, say the organisers.

This year the FRESH conference has a special focus on meeting formats, session formats and presentation formats, meaning visitors can expect an immersive and varied experience. Sessions include the 'learning carousel', featuring

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