UK - This year, the Association of British Theatre Technicians took the opportunity at its Members’ Christmas Party on Friday 2 December, generously supported by ETC and LW Theatres, to present honours to two of its members.
Howard Potts, recently retired technical director at Warwick Arts Centre, and Matthew Freeman, currently working as an associate project manager at TAIT, were both appointed Honorary Members of the Association.
At the start of the event Robin Townley, CEO of the ABTT, welcomed everyone gathered at the Gillian Lynne Theatre thanks to the generous hospitality of LW Theatres.
Robin's welcome was echoed by Matt Cowles of ETC, co-hosts of the ABTT Christmas Party, who also took the opportunity of the popular annual gathering, returning after two years' unavoidable absence, to thank the ABTT for all the work it undertakes to support the sector highlighting the Theatre Green Book and the new ‘W’ series of ABTT Guidance Notes providing recommendations on how legal duties to ensure the welfare of workers are met.
ABTT co-chairs David Evans and Mig Burgess Walsh spoke in turn - each introducing one of the new Honorary Members and explaining the scope and commitment of their efforts in supporting the Association.
David Evans introduced Howard Potts commending him to the gathered company for his "numerous and long-serving support and contributions to the work, governance and in particular training delivery of the ABTT”.
Mig Burgess Walsh then introduced Matthew Freeman by stating that "as a teacher

Canada - CAST has appointed Stuart Green as their new CEO. Green will succeed CAST’s founder and CEO, Gil Densham.
Gil, who has been CAST’s CEO for 28 years, is retiring, as well as moving to an advisory role within the company. “I am thrilled to become the new CEO of CAST and to oversee the exciting innovative progress we anticipate in the years to come,” says Green. “I, however, feel that this is the right time to express on behalf of all at CAST and within the community our sincere gratitude to Gil for his industry-changing contributions, being visionary, and his passionate leadership that allowed us at CAST to achieve many award-winning results and industry standards.”
For Gil, finding the right type of replacement was a long process, and had to be someone who could tick lots of boxes for the ongoing good at CAST. “Stuart is that person, I’m very happy to hand over all responsibilities to Stuart and am confident he will do a great job, leading the company and developing our products further into the future. His strong entertainment background will be paramount to CAST and its product’s successes, as we continue to investigate exciting future feature updates in our core products and new innovative product ideas.”
Green, whose career spans the entertainment business and education, has a clear understanding and appreciation for innovation. After almost 15 years of being associated, in one form or another with CAST, originally in a training and sales role, then as VP of Education and Community, and now freshly appointed as CEO.

PLASA recently hosted its AGM, complete with Christmas drinks and canapes, at the Victory Services Club in London on Wednesday 30 November, bringing members together from across the industry for a festive get-together.
Official proceedings began with PLASA Chair Adam Blaxill giving an overview of the association’s recent achievements and future plans, followed by Treasurer Mark Surtees for a recap of the figures detailed in the latest annual report.
The event continued to be lively and productive, with keynote talks from Richard Parry from the Department for International Trade, Lewis Keller from the CBI, and renowned behavioural economist Roger Martin-Fagg.
Parry gave recent examples of what the DIT has been doing to support the live sector, including the ongoing partnership between PLASA and LDI trade show in Las Vegas. He also urged people to get in touch before his retirement next year, so that he can help implement future initiatives.
Lewis Keller gave a comprehensive presentation, explaining how the CBI is working closely with both parties of the UK Government to promote growth and stability. He also addressed the ongoing complexities of Brexit and answered several questions from the audience.
Roger Martin-Fagg then delivered a full keynote talk, diving deep into his economic forecast for the year ahead, and how he made his calculations – from global inflation and money supply to the unique challenges facing the UK in recent years. He also unpacked issues regarding the housing market and employment.
Looking forward to 2

USA - Magmatic atmospheric effects is offering the first dedicated fog generator in its Magma series of dependable haze and fog machines. Now in stock and shipping is the Magma Fog 1500 IP, a durable, water-based fog machine with advanced technology and IP65 rating that provides a high output fog for professional applications of all types.
The Magma Fog 1500 IP is a tough, all-purpose fogger whose powerful output can be used to add atmosphere to stages in busy venues and demanding rental projects alike, indoors or out, says the company. A thermally-protected 1500W heat exchanger produces an impressive output of 60,000 CFM (cu ft/min) and when operating at 100%, the unit can shoot a 40-second burst of all-enveloping dense fog.
The unit is ‘hard to break but easy to use’ with an onboard LCD touchscreen control panel with manual and timer control options, intuitive DMX-512 and RDM control, and optional wired and wireless remote-control options. The Magma Fog 1500 IP comes with IP65 locking power in and IP65 locking 5pin XLR connectors (DMX In/Out) for safe and reliable operation outdoors.
Built to withstand travel and repeated use, the Magma Fog 1500 IP features a durable aluminium housing and robust design for powerful performance that delivers on time, every time. Relatively compact for such a powerful fogger, Magma Fog 1500 IP is easy to set in a corner, position side stage, or hide in a venue. Two convenient carrying handles make handling easy and a hanging bracket for truss mounting is included.

UK - UKCA is a new product marking that will soon be required for manufactured products placed on the market in Great Britain. The UKCA marking is intended to eventually replace CE marking and requires that certification of construction products, such as voice alarm control and indicating equipment, is performed by a ‘UK based approved body’.
Baldwin Boxall confirms that all VIGIL2 and VIGIL3 voice alarm products and systems are certified to UKCA and the certificate is available to view on the company’s website (baldwinboxall.co.uk/ukca-certificate-for-vigil2-vigil3-voice-alarm).
Further guidance and information regarding the new UKCA mark can be found on the Government website (gov.uk/guidance/placing-manufactured-goods-on-the-market-in-great-britain).

UK - Birmingham-based event services partner Taylex Group has unveiled its new look to mark significant post-pandemic growth and expansion of its event and exhibition services.
During 15 years of continued expansion, Taylex Group’s team has been synonymous with the delivery of exhibitions and event builds for the likes of Kawasaki, Raleigh, Commonwealth Games 2022 and BST in Hyde Park. Following post-COVID reflection, the business is now primed to enter 2023 with an evolved, expanded range of services and solutions.
The all-new Taylex Group offers full in-house CAD and technical expertise, production and fabrication of state-of-the-art special projects, events, interiors, environments, design and exhibitions.
A supportive and collaborative approach is taken with all clients, reflected by the launch of Taylex located at the NEC, providing modular solutions for exhibiting brands, Expo Supplies strategically located on site to help any business overcome last-minute show hurdles, plus two Londis store fit-outs to assist with retail requirements.
Karl Clark, Taylex group managing director, explains: “I am immensely proud Taylex Group has emerged from testing economic times in its strongest position to date – ready to support a wealth of global brands returning to a once-again flourishing European event market. Working not just as a contractor but as an integrated project partner, our client-first mentality is whole-heartedly adopted by our talented, fast-growing team.
“As we all look to the year ahead, we’ll be championing new educ

Germany - Kramer has announced its distribution partnership in Germany with Exertis Pro AV, headquartered in Uhingen.
With this new partnership, Exertis Pro AV will be able to market Kramer's entire portfolio while delivering the most intuitive audio-visual experiences through its wide network of resellers, integrators, planners and architects in Germany. Customers will now have access to a dedicated team offering reliable support that drives the business forward.
Marc Issan, global VP sales at Kramer, said: "Partnering with a distributor as credible and professional as Exertis Pro AV makes me excited for the future of this collaboration. With each other’s help, customers in Germany will gain access to Kramer’s secure and reliable AV products while experiencing seamless support from Exertis Pro AV through innovative audio-visual experiences that power creativity, collaboration, and engagement in the physi-digi world.”
Rainer Sprinzl, managing director DACH at Exertis Pro AV adds: "Kramer stands for a high level of innovation. We will gladly use this for our customers and ourselves to increasingly offer holistic solutions. The partnership with Kramer combines an A-brand manufacturer with an A-list distributor. In doing so, the range of solutions ideally complements the existing Exertis product range."

Spain BikeFest, the fundraising cycle event, will return to Spain for a second year from 27-29 January 2023, cycling up to 400km towards ISE in Barcelona. By doing so, the BikeFest team will raise money for industry charity Backup Tech and create lasting friendships across the live events and AV industries.
Organised by PLASA, #WeMakeEvents and AFIAL, the growing BikeFest team is seeking new members to join them for the upcoming ride, as well as sponsors who are interested in aligning with important industry values. Furthermore, those who wish to support the event from afar can donate or buy branded merchandise.
The three-day route will begin in Valencia and travel along the stunning Mediterranean coast via Peñiscola and Tarragona toward Barcelona. Once at ISE, the BikeFest team will be invited to a drinks reception and presented with their medals, where they can celebrate their achievement and network with like-minded industry peers.
People can sign up for the full 400km route or join in for the last leg on day three which is a more manageable 95km. As part of the entry fee, team members will receive meals and accommodation. Plus, a support vehicle will on hand throughout the route and specialist bikes are available for hire.
Corporate sponsorship opportunities are also available for those companies who want to align their brand to the cause. With additional team members and sponsors, the BikeFest team hope to exceed what they raised last year. Once the basic event costs are covered, Backup will use these vital funds to help industry profess

Europe - Nearly 45 years after founding Belgian event staging pioneer Stageco, Hedwig De Meyer is stepping down from his leadership role, and has named Hans Willems as Stageco Belgium’s new executive CEO, effective 1 January 2023.
The move, says De Meyer, 68, was intended to take place two years ago but was delayed due to the pandemic lockdown. “Now that our business has begun to stabilise after a very busy summer, the time feels right to pass the baton to Hans, who gave us every confidence that he was the most logical choice of successor,” he explains.
Formerly head of R&D at Stageco, Willems, 51, established his own business, Wicreations nearly 18 years ago. As CEO, he has driven his company to become one of the global live industry’s leading creative players in motion technology. Together, Stageco and Wicreations have collaborated on many of the world’s leading concert tours by the likes of U2, The Rolling Stones, Beyoncé and Rammstein among many other premier acts.
“Hans knows the industry inside out, and possesses exemplary leadership skills,” comments De Meyer. “The manner in which he has grown Wicreations is extraordinary and while our two companies will remain independent of each other, there is now greater potential for partnership and creative collaboration.”
Until the end of 2022, Willems will divide his time between the two companies, working with his teams to align their cultures and shape a new ecosystem that further exploits their already existing organic synergies.
Says Willems: “I have always h

Germany/UAE - Neumann&Müller Veranstaltungstechnik has sold its subsidiary companies for the Middle East and system integration as a spin-off. The current managing directors of the two companies, Jens Gießler and Felix Erdmann, take over 100% of the two and will run them under the name BeWunder. They will act independently in the Middle East event market with a new brand.
N&M projects were previously planned and executed by two Neumann&Müller Veranstaltungstechnik subsidiaries. The teams in Dubai, Berlin and Munich created technical solutions such as those for national and thematic pavilions at Expo 2017 in Astana (Kazakhstan) and the World Expo2020 in Dubai; other system integration jobs include projects for Porsche in Stuttgart and Topgolf in Oberhausen. The team for the Middle East implemented large-scale events such as the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi and the World Government Summit in Dubai.
In future, an N&M spin-off will look after clients in these segments and execute their projects. Jens Gießler and Felix Erdmann have acquired the subsidiaries Neumann&Müller Event Technology LLC and Neumann&Müller System Integration GmbH and are now operating as an independent company in these markets.
Says a statement, “The independent BeWunder will create optimised framework conditions for its clients. Organisational structures and workflows in the company are aligned to the demands of event clients in the region as well as to the needs of system integration customers. And the spin-off will still be able to draw on th

USA - At LDI 2022, Behind the Scenes’ booth (#2551) will promote all the tools and resources available through BTS’ Mental Health Initiative alongside industry-themed holiday cards and decorations.
Visitors can also order signed copies of Queen: The Neal Preston Photographs with a show special of free shipping in the US. All proceeds go to support your colleagues in need who are seriously ill or injured and the Mental health Initiative.
On Saturday at 3:30 on the LDI Stage in the Circle Bar and Lounge join Steven Michelman, Founder of EPS, and Lori Rubinstein, executive director of Behind the Scenes, for an in depth look into mental health challenges and the available support in our industry. Steven will be speaking publicly for the first time about his own mental health journey and about trying to provide a psychologically safe workplace for his employees.
Lori will speak about the Behind the Scenes Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Initiative and how it can benefit you, your family, and your colleagues. The presentation will provide an overview of the tool and resources developed specifically to support entertainment industry workers and promote mental health and psychological safety.

USA - More than 350 touring professionals, students and mentors gathered at Nashville's SoundCheck rehearsal studios for the 11th Annual Touring Career Workshop (TCW). There they participated in workshops and heard from experts from a variety of fields including affordable health care, tax and savings advice, mental health wellbeing, personal safety, diversity and touring as well as giving back.
Bandit Lites chair and founder, Michael T. Strickland delivered the keynote address where he addressed current legislation before Congress and the industry’s need of The Entertainment Association.
“As we returned back live to our flagship event after a three-year hiatus, we were truly honoured to have Michael Strickland join us to talk about the work he has been doing with Congress and his fantastic initiative with the Entertainment Association,” said Chris Lisle, co-founder and executive director of TCW.
In the event of another industry wide shut down, the entertainment industry requires a single organisation as a representative before Congress. With no PAC, Lobby, or unified NAICS Code to establish the industry’s real size, legislators cannot and will not listen to the thousands of voices from the entertainment sector.
“I want to thank Chris Lisle and Erik Parker for their dedication to the industry and for holding this very important event,” said Strickland. “Huge numbers of people gain greatly from this amazing gathering. I was proud that TCW was the world premiere of The Entertainment Association informational tour as we educate p

UK - The Association of British Theatre Technicians (ABTT) has launched Guidance Note W2: Mental health and well-being in the workplace – A practical guide to conducting Stress Risk Assessments and creating well-being policies. This is the second in the ABTT’s ‘W series of Guidance Notes which deal with legal duties and best practice for ensuring the welfare of all workers.
Guidance Note W2 is launched to coincide with International Stress Awareness Week 7-11 November 2022.1 The guide provides guidance for risk assessing stress in the workplace. It is closely aligned with the HSE’s current advice provided as part of the Working Minds campaign2 . The guidance note offers concise guidance and a step-by-step methodology by which to begin risk assessing work related stress.
Guidance Note W2 is part of the Code of Practice for the Theatre Industry in the UK which is produced by the ABTT with the support of the national Theatre Safety Committee and which is recognised by the HSE as an Established Standard.
Work-related stress is a major cause of occupational ill health and can cause severe physical and psychological conditions in workers. It can also lead to poor productivity and human error, increased sickness absence, increases in accidents, high staff turnover and poor performance.
HSE statistics show that work-related stress is a significant issue with more than 15.4m working days lost as a result of stress, anxiety or depression. This equates to an estimated cost of £5.2 billion.3 Stress, anxiety and depression ar

UK - Following the extensive report released by PLASA and #WeMakeEvents last winter, they have now released a follow-up survey, investigating the ongoing recovery of the supply chain to the live events, entertainment and installation industries. Companies and individuals are invited to complete the survey, which closes at midnight on Sunday 20 November.
This new survey will build upon last year’s findings which were sourced from nearly 2,000 industry professionals in over 40 countries. The subsequent 2021 report revealed huge challenges: 45% of companies took on additional debt to survive the lockdowns, 94% of manufacturers experienced delays in components, 69% of companies faced skills shortages, and full-time freelancers in the industry dropped by 52%.
With last year’s survey serving as a solid benchmark, the new follow-up survey will accurately measure the progress made and clarify outstanding challenges, including emerging issues such as spiralling living costs and the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
The resulting data will strengthen the position of the industry at government-level and will provide key insights for business leaders to plan for the future. Once the data is analysed, the full report will be available to download for free on PLASA and #WeMakeEvents’ respective websites.
Nicky Greet, PLASA director for membership, skills & technical, and member of the #WeMakeEvents Steering Group, comments: “The results of the 2021 report were striking, demonstrating the huge – and ongoing – impact of recent years. We now need to upd

UK - The live production industry faces mounting pressure to operate more sustainably, despite a multitude of persistent challenges. A newly published whitepaper by Sony aims to present the key opportunities for businesses within the industry to implement change.
The report underlines that sustainable practices are not one-size-fits-all, as each production has unique requirements. By analysing the key areas of challenge for the industry, Sony has been able to look for spaces where creating change that benefits business and the environment is possible.
The report suggests that the key challenges at hand are:
Quantifying environmental footprint: Without clear knowledge of current emissions, it is difficult for companies to accurately perceive their carbon impact and justify the disruption and cost of moving to new systems and processes.
Considering individual production needs: Transport and logistics are core to live production, and perhaps its biggest challenge in terms of sustainability concerns. 
The limitations of OB trucks: Providing the lion’s share of a production’s emissions, these cannot be removed from the process, but opportunities to lighten their loads can and should be explored.
Battling uncertainty around power supply: A reliable power infrastructure and network is essential on a live production. This leads to overprovision to account for possible energy failure, and subsequently, copious unused resources. 
The whitepaper explores a modular approach to live production that enables companies to redu

Germany - DirectOut has named Aspen Media (UK) as ‘Distributor of the Year’ for the third time in the history of the company, while Tonspur AG (Switzerland) and tm stagetec systems (Australia) are recognised with the ‘Best Sales Performance’ and the ‘Prodigy of the Year’ awards.
Aspen Media previously received the accolade in 2013 and 2018. Chris Collings, director of Aspen Media accepted the 2021 award.
Jan Ehrlich, CEO of DirectOut, comments: “This award is our special thanks to Aspen Media for a great and long-lasting cooperation and for the very special commitment Aspen Media shows according to their clients and us as a manufacturer. The last few years have been quite challenging for everybody, but Aspen Media is one of the very few examples which is always demonstrating comprehensive performance at its best.”
The second award handed out by DirectOut recognises the sales performance of business partners operating in smaller markets that have proven to be reliable and successful distributors: this is the case for Tonspur AG. The company based in Lucerne has been the official DirectOut distributor for Switzerland since 2017. Over the years the knowledge of the products by Hansjürg Meier and his team has been steadily growing and the sales have followed the same trend.
For the third time in a row, tm stagetec systems has received a DirectOut award collecting the full set of different trophies handed out by the company. This time it receives the Prodigy of the Year award for being one of the distribution companies which not on

USA - A 3D stage production featured at the Red Rocks amphitheatre in late September for Rowdytown X, the 10th anniversary edition of Big Gigantic’s flagship party. Lighting and production designer, Justin Casey of Helms Projects and the production team created a deep and evocative stage presence that made it easy for fans to feel like they were entering a 3D space as they watch performances by the event’s hosts, as well as guests Joyryde, Mitis, Jantsen, and INZO.
A variety of design elements, from a curved set that wrapped around the artists on stage, to blow-through video walls with generative content, were seamlessly fused to create this immersive panorama. Contributing to the overall effect was a collection of 40 Chauvet Professional fixtures supplied by Helms Projects and Brown Note Productions.
“This production took a village to complete, so big thanks to all the vendors, not just Helm Projects, and Brown Note Productions, but also Pyromix Pyro, Laser Wolf, Photon7, Gallagher staging, Antic Studio and PSI,” said Casey. “There were also so many people involved like Jonathan ‘Jdub’ Watson, Tommy Mercer, Sean Ginsburg, and Bryan Saltarelli from the lighting team, Max Kohler, Collin Thielen, Andrew Gross, Daniel Fennell, John Batts from the video team; Marshall Rawley, Conner Ash from laser, Alex Curry our rigger; and Sean Mullens, Whitney Wangsgaard, Mike Norfleet, and Bryan Fletcher from the Big Gigantic team.”
Creating a distinctive focal point in the middle of their dimensional stage, the design team positioned a giant mirror

Austria - With the new Mythos Mozart exhibition, situated right in the heart of downtown Vienna, visitors are introduced to the life and work of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in the form of an immersive experience.
The timeless beauty of the musical genius’s legacy meets the latest audio-visual technology, with this process becoming a work of art in its own right that succeeds in entertaining both young and old.
“Mythos Mozart connects tradition with modernity, art and music, creativity with technology and creates a new space for innovation and culture to honour Mozart in a way that’s never been seen before,” explains Mythos Mozart managing director Hans Gasser.
Mythos Mozart enchants and informs across more than 1,500sq.m, at precisely the same location where the composer, who was born in 1756, spent the last year of his life and created unforgettable masterpieces like The Magic Flute. Nowadays the STEFFL department store can be found here.
The exhibition consists of five different rooms (‘Mozart’s world') that each offer a distinct access point to Mozart’s body of work and general legacy.
Equipped with a ticket and QR code, each visitor has their photo taken at the beginning of their audio-visual journey. Within two seconds, the photos are turned into digital 3D portraits with the ability to wink back at the visitor and to jump from one picture frame to the next.
The general soundscape, indispensable for the overall experience of the exhibition, was composed and re-arranged by musical director, Walter Werzowa. Mozart’s

UK - Andy Bell, former operations director at KB Event, has joined Truckingby as events operations director.
Andy has over 23 years' experience in live event trucking, working with bands and artists such as Ed Sheeran, Rod Stewart, the Stereophonics and many more.
“I’m looking forward to bringing a wealth of experience and knowledge into Truckingbyand being a valuable part of their team in expanding their live events division,” says Andy.
Kevin Hopper, Truckingby managing director said Andy’s appointment to the company adds additional strength and knowledge to our live events logistics operation, we are all looking forward to working with him, and wish him all the best for the future with Truckingby.”

USA - This month, the American Society of Theatre Consultants (ASTC) welcomed Michael Nishball as its newest full member. Membership into the ASTC, follows a highly selective process that considers a candidate’s range of capability and experience, their past industry achievements, and the quality of service they provide to clients.
“I can think of no person more deserving of full membership,” offered Scott Crossfield, Theatre Projects principal and fellow with the ASTC. “Michael’s experience in equipment and systems design is unparalleled, and he is the type of person we want in the ASTC: committed to the industry, dogged about the appropriate use of technology in the design of performance spaces, and invested in safety for audience and performer as his number one priority.”
Michael is Theatre Projects’ principal theatre equipment designer and one of the industry’s leading voices on structural systems, rigging equipment, and specialty stage machinery. He makes the eighth Theatre Projects employee currently on the ASTC membership roster and brings over 40 years of experience to the elite organisation.
Theatre Projects has been Michael’s professional home since 1995. Prior to Theatre Projects, he worked with Pook Diemont & Ohl, Inc. as a rigging contractor, and earlier on, he was a stagehand, production designer, and rigger with a variety of theatre companies. He supervised lighting and rigging for the Wooster Group all over the world and worked with the Boston Shakespeare Company, the American Repertory Theater, and several mode