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Brit Awards Nominations - Singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran is leading the field at this year's Brit Awards, with four nominations, followed by Jessie J who is up for three awards - best female, breakthrough act and best single for her hit Price Tag.

Organisers have also announced that Adele will perform live at this year's ceremony next month. It is her first confirmed live performance since recovering from throat surgery. The singer is also nominated in three categories - best female, best single and best album for 21.

The trophies - including a lifetime achievement prize for Britpop band Blur - will be handed out at the O2 Arena on 21 February.

Yellowbrick Road Block - A performance of The Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium had to be called to a halt last week after the production suffered technical problems. Star Michael Crawford apologised when the mus

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UK - David Moran and Ulric Kenny of Ion Equity have acquired Ocean Media Group from Anglo Irish Bank. Ocean Media is a broadly based exhibition, publishing and new media organisation with core businesses in the weddings/bridal and social housing sectors within the UK, Holland and Germany. Its portfolio includes The White Book and Access All Areas magazine.

The buyout was financed privately and leaves Ocean Media debt free. As such it is able to, and intends to, launch and acquire new business. Kenny will be chair of Ocean Media while Moran will be CEO. Moran and Ion Equity owned Ocean Media previously from July 2006 to October 2007.

Moran said: "They say you should never go back, but Ocean is a great company with strong products and fantastic people and I am looking forward to growing Ocean again." Kenny said: "We enjoyed working with David and the

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USA - Three new sessions have been added to the attractions already on offer during the inaugural PLASA Focus: Austin 2012, taking place at The Renaissance Austin, on 22-23 February 2012.

Alongside 50 exhibitors and a two-day programme of free professional development sessions, visitors can now book a place on a very special discussion presented by world-renowned lighting designer, Peter Morse. From Madonna and Michael Jackson to Barbra Streisand, Bette Midler, Usher, Prince, Christina Aguilera and Janet Jackson, Peter Morse has worked with some of the biggest stars on some of the biggest tours in history. Peter will talk us through his inimitable personal style, and share some of his experiences in this very special session; Lighting the Big Stage with Peter Morse.

Another major scoop is Advanced Mapping Techniques with Hippotizer Media Servers, presented by TMB

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UK - Technical Marketing has been appointed to plan and implement a marketing campaign to promote the ABTT 2012 Theatre Show which takes place 13-14 June at The Old Truman Brewery in London.

Technical Marketing's Andy Collier announcing the engagement said, "we are delighted to have been appointed and thank the show organisers for the trust placed in Technical Marketing to deliver a successful campaign. What is particularly exciting is that although the show enjoys a fantastic heritage - 2012 will be its 34th year - it continues to evolve and retain relevance to the theatre industry now.

"As both a visitor and exhibitor over the years, for me the show has always been friendly and accessible. Not only is it a great opportunity to talk to equipment suppliers and examine new products, but it is also a 'must attend' event for networking and making or renewing contacts.&q

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USA - Randal (Randy) A. Lemke, the executive director and CEO of InfoComm International since 2000, has announced his planned retirement at the end of 2012, capping off 16 years of service to the commercial audiovisual association.

"It has been an honour to serve the needs of such an exciting and innovative industry these past years," Dr. Lemke stated, "and it's with mixed feelings that I leave the wonderful team of professionals and close friends I have made here at InfoComm."

The InfoComm International Board of Directors has announced that an extensive search for Dr. Lemke's successor will be undertaken, with the selection anticipated by the fourth quarter of this year.

On behalf of the Board of Directors, past president of the board, Jim Ford, said, "We are proud of Randy's extraordinary service to InfoComm International. During an economy when ma

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South Africa - For the second consecutive year, Dreamsets provided the full technical for Miss South Africa and Miss Teen held at Sun City's Superbowl during December 2011. Lighting designer from the company, Mauritz Jacobs, has worked on the show at least five other times.

The set and show was designed by De Wet Meyer and probably the largest challenge was having 96 LED screens to work with. However, this very obstacle was also Mauritz's highlight. He was very satisfied with the VPU, saying: "It's like having an added fixture, changing colours, shapes, images - all at the touch of a button."

The company says: "Robe lighting fixtures were scattered across the set and many areas had to be backlit, but the end result was a stunning picture for the live broadcast."

Dreamsets moved in on 27 November and had two days to set up for the Miss Teen competition, wh

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Reasons To Be Cheerful - The UK music industry is celebrating after the Live Music Bill passed its third reading and report stage in the House Of Commons. The Bill, introduced by Lib Dem Peer Tim Clement-Jones and promoted in the Commons by Bath MP Don Foster, should now proceed to Royal Assent.

As a result, small venues wanting to host live music events will no longer need a local authority entertainment licence - cutting bureaucracy and expense, and making it easier for pubs and clubs to host live performances.

Jo Dipple, acting chief executive of UK Music, the UK commercial music industry's umbrella body, said, "This is a great day for music. The Live Music Bill will make a real and positive difference to lives of musicians. There is no doubt that the current Licensing Act has created needless layers of bureaucracy - making it complicated and expensive for pubs and oth

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UK - The Green Lighting Social took place on 18 January 2012 at The Globe on Bow Street. Organiser Robin Barton of The Royal Opera House says: "The aim was to get lighting people together to carry on the discussions which are inevitably cut short at formal meetings during the year. Hopefully, with more time, these discussions will evolve and lead to more action and combining of efforts. A lot of the discussions revolve around reducing waste, rather than just trying to be traditionally energy efficient - i.e. turn things off when not needed; specify the right kit - for example, if you have a 4k HMI that never runs at more than 50% could you use a 2.5k. What started out as a niche topic has now become mainstream and provokes much discussion."

The first Green Lighting Social brought together people from across the lighting industry to share their experiences in an informa

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UK - Following 26 action-packed years with stage set fabricators Brilliant Stages, John Gittins has branched out as a consultant offering his design and project management skills on a freelance basis.

Gittins, a qualified engineer and CAD designer, spent his time at Brilliant Stages project managing and designing specialised sets for large-scale tours, cruise ships and events. Originally coming on board to look after the woodwork side, with Tony Bowern on metalwork and Charlie Kail on welding, Gittins experienced every aspect of the industry and, as operations manager, spent the last 10 years running the company with general manager, Tony Bowern.

"It's been a brilliant journey and I have had the opportunity to work on some of the greatest, largest and most technically challenging projects of the last quarter of a century," says Gittins. "I'm now looking forward

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UK - A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET)'s Video and Lighting divisions are holding 2012 UK open days in conjunction with Green Hippo and PixelRange on 28 February in the South and on 1 March in the North of England.

The events will highlight the latest innovations from these brands, and "explore the hottest developments in video and lighting convergence".

AC-ET - the exclusive UK and Ireland distributor for Green Hippo and master European distributor for PixelRange - will host the two open days at its demo facilities in High Wycombe and Leeds.

Geared for all types of user, the events will include separate introductory and advanced training sessions, lunch and refreshments, and a prize draw to win various branded swag and other goodies.

(Jim Evans)

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UK - Production management and technical services specialist Illuminate Design has signed up with Digital Deluxe for PR and marketing services.

Illuminate Design, which is headed by Ben Payne, Robin Shephard-Blandy and Andrew Wales, was set up in 2005 with the intention of providing production services to the entertainment industry. However, in recent years, the company has expanded its offering to include technical services - including offering venues a complete overhaul of theatrical lighting and sound equipment.

The company now has a diverse mix of clients, including local theatres, hotels, dance companies and even holiday parks. By maintaining a mix of different client types, the company intends to continue to service clients of all sizes, from a large international tour to a one off night of entertainment.

(Jim Evans)

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Theatre Figures - The West End enjoyed record box office sales in 2011 for an eighth consecutive year, according to figures released by the Society of London Theatre (SOLT). Takings topped £528.3m in 2011 - up 3.1% on a like-for-like basis on the previous year. Due to the closure of a number of theatres while new shows were set up, the overall attendance was 13.9m - down 1.73% on 2010. According to SOLT, though, the average audience at each performance was up. The Society said the growth in sales could be attributed to sell-out productions such as Matilda the Musical and the continued success of Les Miserables, now in its 26th year.

"We are extremely proud that our theatres have yet again gone on to achieve another record-breaking year of sales," said SOLT president Mark Rubinstein. "Despite the prevailing rigours of the economic climate, theat

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World - Have you worked on a complex or high profile project that you think others might be interested to hear about? Or solved a seemingly impossible lighting challenge? If so, then the organisers of Showlight 2013 would like to hear from you.

Showlight has always been regarded as one of the best networking events in the international lighting calendar, with a conference programme of around 25 papers presented by a real mix of industry people talking about their work and ideas. Supported by a focused exhibition of 40 companies, Showlight is fun and informative - no hard sells, no mind-numbing seminars and no hidden costs!

The programme of speakers covers the whole gamut of lighting genres - theatre, film, television, event and architectural - as well as the technical wizardry behind our trade. Since the first event in 1981, delegates have enjoyed hearing from those who are at

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UK - Unusual Rigging has announced that, with immediate effect, all its NRC assessments will take place at the company's facility in Bugbrooke, Northampton, including any originally scheduled for Earls Court.

Robin Elias, technical director at Unusual , explains, "Earls Court is out of commission for several months this year, as it's one of the Olympic venues, and this made the booking system difficult. We felt it was easier for all concerned to move assessments to Northampton. We're easy to reach from most parts of the country, the facilities here are excellent - and we lay on a pretty good lunch."

Unusual Rigging offers four assessment days each month, more than the other companies in the scheme, and last year assessed 55 riggers at Level 2 and 33 at Level 3.

With all the various events scheduled to take place in 2012, this year will be a busy one for riggers: Un

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UK - Organisers of the first ever Stage Management Conference (Arts Theatre, central London - 12th Feb) have announced that speakers and sessions for the event have now been finalised.

"As well as being hosted by Barbara Eifler, executive director, and Rebecca Emery - chair of the board of the SMA - and featuring a keynote speech by Vikki Heywood, we also have two panel discussions taking place. The first focusses on Valuing Stage Management, and is chaired by the charismatic Ken Bennett-Hunter, with Jamie Byron, James Williams, Antonia Collins and Charles Evans, all established professionals in the industry," say organisers.

The afternoon will feature five break-out sessions: Social Media and the Stage Manager, led by Caron Jane Lyon who specialises in online communications and networking; A Look at Life After Stage Management, with Antonia Coll

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UAE / Oman - Melody House, distributors of Radial Engineering in the GCC have recently supplied a number of Radial direct injection (DI) units that include the popular J48. Talentz have continued to invest in their rental inventory, as Oman has now become a permanent stop for many artists visiting the Middle East region. The company has also broadened their service coverage where they have recently provided their services for the A.R. Rahman concert in Dubai.

"Radial DI boxes are an industry standard in the touring market, with a lot of international acts visiting the Middle East it is crucial for companies like Talentz to have them in their inventory," commented Dino Drimakis, business development manager at Melody House. "We expect to see the family of Radial users to grow in 2012."

(Jim Evans)

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UK - The free programme of demonstrations, seminars and tutorials at PLASA's Leeds event is even bigger and better this year as visitor registration doubles in size.

PLASA Focus: Leeds 2012 looks forward to welcoming a record number of visitors to the fourth annual PLASA Focus event at the Royal Armouries in Leeds, on Tuesday 17 and Wednesday 18 April - as PLASA Events confirm that visitor registration to date is already up 100% on 2011. Building on the success of the two-day educational programme from previous years, PLASA Events is delighted to announce the launch of the new PLASA Focus Professional Development Programme: a series of free seminars and demonstrations delivered by some of the industry's leading experts.

Events manager Sophie Atkinson confirmed, "As promised, we are bringing a broad choice of sessions to Leeds, including a look at some exciting regional pr

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Live News - Madonna has announced the dates for her latest world tour, which will start in Israel in May. The 53-year-old will play two dates in the UK, while the tour will also visit South America and Australia, where she has not performed in 20 years. The announcement comes days after the singer performed during half time at the US Super Bowl. A record 111.3m people tuned in for the game. Madonna's 12 minute performance received mixed reviews.

According to Nielsen, the company that tracks TV viewing figures, the football game was the most watched show in US history. However, TV network NBC and the National Football League (NFL) apologised on behalf of rapper M.I.A, who appeared as a featured artist during Madonna's set. The British hip hop musician raised her middle finger whilst facing the camera during the performance. The picture was temporarily scrambled, but it came too l

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UK / USA - By Design Day, the annual fundraising day for Light Relief in the UK and Behind the Scenes in the US and Canada, takes place this year on Tuesday 24 April on both sides of the Atlantic.

The main fundraising event for these charities, By Design Day focuses attention on the various ways that individuals can support the two organisations that are dedicated solely to helping entertainment technology professionals in need. Many make personal donations, some hold collections at their places of work and often designers support the day by voluntarily giving a day's royalties to one or both of these charities. Light Relief assists those involved in the UK lighting industry while Behind the Scenes aids professionals based in the US and Canada working in any area of the entertainment technology industry.

By Design Day 2012 has the full backing of a host of award-winning design

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UK - Events crewing firm Gallowglass has entered into a joint venture with Kirsten Henson, managing director of KLH Sustainability. A new company, Gallowglass Sustainability, has been launched to assist clients, suppliers and contractors in making cost savings and improving public relations through events planned with environmental and social considerations.

Gallowglass managing director Nick Grecian said, "Clients such as the BBC and Eve Trakway have already pledged to embed sustainability throughout their organisations' working practices, and we are committed to sharing their values. As a company, we have already achieved BS8901 and ISO14001, but we need to take this to the next level. Kirsten Henson is ideally-placed to ensure that sustainability policies convert into practical reality throughout the supply chain."

Kirsten Henson has been providing consultancy in

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Grammy Awards - Adele was the big winner at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, winning six prizes including record, song and album of the year. She also made her live comeback at the ceremony, performing for the first time since having throat surgery last year. Rock band Foo Fighters won five prizes, while rapper Kanye West scooped four. The event saw heartfelt tributes to pop star Whitney Houston, who died on Saturday, while Amy Winehouse received a posthumous award.

Accepting the trophy for best pop solo performance for her song Someone Like You, Adele said, "Seeing as it's a vocal performance, I need to thank my doctors, I suppose, who brought my voice back."

Theatre Opening - A replacement for the old Westminster Theatre will finally open this autumn. The St James Theatre will launch at the end of September, housed in a residential development near t

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UK - Newly formed installation business, Push the Button Ltd (PTB), launched in January 2012, is the brainchild of Nick Ewins.

"PTB's full time staff members, alongside our team of skilled specialist electricians and engineers, bring a friendly, expert approach to the demands of entertainment installation projects. Whether it's a top West End theatre, a cruise ship or a multipurpose arts venue, PTB understands the client's needs and has the ability to respond productively and positively every time," says Ewins. "This philosophy has brought work to our doors from the moment we opened them for business."

Push the Button's mission is "to bring an intelligent and sympathetic approach to its clients' projects". The business covers the fields of electrical design, installation, project management and test & inspection.

Although PTB is effectively a st

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UK - Venue IT, the permanent infrastructure division of Etherlive, has strengthened its ties to the hotel industry with its appointment by The Cumberland hotel, The Tower and Marble Arch.

The landmark London hotel has chosen Venue IT as its technology provider for meetings & events. The appointment follows discussions looking at the longer term conferencing needs for the award winning hotel.

Following a £95m refurbishment, The Cumberland is now looking to assert itself in the lucrative corporate events market set to be stimulated by the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games in London.

Venue IT will provide high-speed Internet connectivity which can be accessed throughout the hotel's 26 meeting & event spaces, including the ultra modern Ocean Room, which has a capacity of up to 350 people. The enhanced communications infrastructure will support innovations such as dedicated

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USA - Moving to provide its consolidated international distributor network with a new level of training support, The AVC Group has announced the roll out of a comprehensive 2012 training programme that combines trade show, internet, and field based classes into one comprehensive global training initiative.

According to Ken Johnsen, international training manager at The AVC Group, the new programme was rolled out last month at ISE 2012 and featured brand specific training on the ELAN, Niles, Xantech, Sunfire, and ATON brands. "Over a five day period we trained a large percentage of our European distributor partners and their trainers on every aspect of each brand's product line," Johnsen stated. "We are now taking this same integrated approach and bringing it to every part of the world."

The entire focus of The AVC Group's international education effort, Joh

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  6. Theatre secrets exposed at PLASA Focus - Leeds
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