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UK - Three new trustees have been appointed to industry charity Behind the Scenes UK, joining the board of trustees led by chairman John Simpson. Their combined expertise and reputation are set to help promote awareness of the charity within the industry as well as enabling greater representation across its different sectors.

Sue Dunford is currently head of production for entertainment for ITV Studios UK, responsible for the delivery of over 1250 hours of television a year. Having started her career at the BBC, Sue worked in production management across various genres. She joined ITV in 2001 as head of production for arts. Since then she has been head of production for all the non-scripted departments within ITV production, managing large teams in both Manchester and London.

Tom King began work as event manager at the Royal Albert Hall in 2006, working on a host of shows, inc

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UK - Entec was involved in a recent collaboration with The Gig Company as technical production partner for An Evening With Suggs and Friends, an intimate action-packed showcase staged in the Woolwich Suite at the Emirates Stadium which raised over £130,000 for Pancreatic Cancer UK.

Hosted by Suggs and Stephen Kelly the gala dinner evening included an auction which was presented by Charles Hanson plus incendiary performances from Rudimental and Madness together with a house band comprising top session musicians.

Entec took care of all aspects of the lighting, sound and staging design and realisation, which was project managed on site for them by Matt Arthur working closely with Noreen O'Riordan and Mark 'Magic' Ellis Cope in Entec's west London base.

Jenny Johnson and Viva McPherson of The Gig Company comment, "It is wonderful working with Entec - as well as

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Theatre Matters - UK Theatre has drawn up an arts policy wish list for the incoming government. In a new advocacy document - Theatre Matters - published ahead of the general election in May, the membership body said the arts should receive the same additional investment and focus as the so-called STEM subjects: science, technology, engineering and maths. It also calls for a safeguarded funding system whereby the Treasury would increase arts subsidy if National Lottery sales were to fall.

UK Theatre president Rachel Tackley said: "These are challenging times for theatre around the UK, but we have an incredibly positive story to tell about an industry that is universally acknowledged as the world leader. UK Theatre is talking to politicians with a national brief for the arts and culture, but we also need more theatres and theatre companies up and down the country to be

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UK - A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET) has announced their continued sponsorship of fast-rising UK racing driver, Jack Goff, who after garnering much praise for a podium and top-10 finishes in his first two seasons, is joining reigning constructor / manufacturer champions, MG Triple Eight Racing for his drive in the 2015 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) season.

AC-ET are one of four key partners supporting Jack Goff Racing in the 2015 BTCC season. The company has watched his progression competing in the Clio Cup for three seasons - which saw him clinch the Clio Cup UK Crown in his final season (2012) - and his first two BTCC seasons to date.

AC-ET's UK sales director, Jonathan 'Jono' Walters, who looks after the company's sponsorship of Jack Goff Racing, states, "We are hugely proud of what Jack has achieved in only his first two BTCC seasons. We a

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UK - Neg Earth has announced that the company remains operational following the fire which devastated its Park Royal warehouse during the early hours of Thursday 2 April.

A statement issued by the company says:

As you may be already be aware, Neg Earth Lights Ltd's building in Western Road, NW10 was subject to extensive fire damage in the early hours of Thursday 2nd April 2015.

Fortunately, no one was hurt and despite the damage, you can be assured that Neg Earth Lights remains operational.

Email and phone contact details are unchanged.

If you have any questions please contact Lindsey Markham at lindsey@negearth.co.uk or on 07557 430908 in the first instance.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their support, good wishes and offers of assistance which have been truly appreciat

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Keeping Music Live - Small music venues are "operating under significant pressures, both financial and regulatory", a new report has found. The report, called Understanding Small Music Venues, also highlights concerns over the negative public perception of small venues. It has been created by the Music Venue Trust, which was established in 2014 to protect and support independent music venues in the UK.

Chief executive of the MVT Mark Davyd said that the research would contribute to the MVT's understanding of "what we can do to ensure we act together to protect, secure and improve the UK's grassroots music venues". In total, 109 venues across the UK responded to a survey as part of the research, of which almost 80% were dedicated music venues. The report said that small music venues were suffering from a negative image as well as from financial pressure

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USA - The American Society of Theatre Consultants (ASTC) Annual Meeting for 2015 was held 21 March, 2015 at the Duke Energy Centre in Cincinnati, Ohio in conjunction with the USITT meeting. At this meeting a new Board of Directors and officers were elected as well as the acceptance of a new ASTC full member.

The Board of Directors is the governing body of ASTC and is elected by members. The board members elect ASTC officers from the current board. Peter Rosenbaum will now serve as ASTC President with Chip Ulich serving as Vice President. Returning as Secretary/CFO is R. Duane Wilson. These officers also serve as board members with the addition of directors Scott Crossfield, Ed Kaye, Mike McMackin, and Peter Scheu.

ASTC has also announced that D. Andrew Gibbs has been admitted into membership after having demonstrated a broad range of capabilities and experience necessary to fu

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UK - Audiologic has announced the launch of sister brand Audiologic Connect. The essence of the new brand and website is to supply high quality cables and connectors to both the retail and trade sectors of the AV industry, although its remit is perhaps somewhat wider than that basic premise.

Included in its framework are racks, stage boxes, DI boxes and other ancillary products that are all essential to the success of any AV installation, large or small. Consistent with Audiologic's desire to communicate closely with its customers to ensure their requirements are precisely met, Audiologic Connect will offer a similarly 'engaged' approach to customer service, inviting clients to discuss their needs in detail and where necessary, offer bespoke solutions.

Andy Lewis, sales and marketing manager at Audiologic, extolled the virtues of the new venture and delivered an enthusiastic s

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UK - Panalux, a leading provider of lighting rental equipment for film, television and media production, recently announced that the company's Broadcast & Event division, Engineering and Product Development departments will be consolidated in a customised facility in Perivale. Allowing for greater operational flexibility, the 48,000sq.ft warehouse and offices located in the Perivale Park can accommodate a greater number of projects and allow future business expansion.

"Panalux Broadcast & Event have experienced consistent growth over the past years; as a result, we've outgrown our current location," explains Ed Pagett, Panalux Broadcast & Event managing director. "We're looking forward to settling into our new building, which will provide our different teams with the space they need to continue to expand on our services."

In the move, Panalux Engineering an

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UK - After a competitive tender process The Broadsword Production Group is delighted to announce that it has been awarded a three-year contract to The Science Museum as a production supplier. With a diverse range of interactive galleries, located in the heart of South Kensington, the award-winning Science Museum offers a wow-factor backdrop for corporate events.

Matt Green, Broadsword's Sales Director, led the tender process and is excited about the opportunities at The Science Museum. He explains: "It is a bespoke venue, visually stunning, with a unique mix of the modern and traditional. Here at Broadsword, we offer the perfect mix of flexibility and innovation; the ability to design and adapt production solutions so that they work within unique environments. The Science Museum is definitely a space where we will be able to find new and interesting ways to stand out from t

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UK - Behind the Scenes UK, the new industry charity, has just issued its first grant to a technician who suffered severe injuries from a fall while at work. Dealing with multiple surgeries and a long recovery process was hard enough, but trying to take care of his young family with no income during this critical time proved overwhelming. Then someone suggested he apply to Behind the Scenes UK.

Behind the Scenes UK is modelled after Behind the Scenes in North America which has issued over half a million dollars in grants since its inception. Each application is carefully reviewed by a committee and each grant is tailored to assist with the recipient's most pressing needs. Funds may be used for basic living expenses such as rent or mortgage and utilities, transportation such as car insurance or repairs, medical related expenses, retraining, or funeral expenses.

In this particula

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Germany - With great sadness, Martin Audio has announced the passing of its European account manager, Andy Weingärtner, who died of a heart attack over Easter.

Luke Ireland, managing director of Martin Audio, said, "It was a huge shock to all of us. Andy was always an exuberant member of the team, and even before he joined Martin Audio he was a long term supporter. He will be greatly missed."

With more than 28 years' experience in sales and marketing, covering all aspects of pro audio, Weingärtner was well known to the industry, especially in his native Germany. He is survived by his wife Sandra and their four sons.

A private memorial service will take place on Saturday April 11 in his hometown of Worpswede, and long term friend and colleague Andrew Davies will represent Martin Audio.

Paying tribute, Davies said, "Andy was one of the audio industry's good

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Germany - Flightcase and loudspeaker component manufacturer Penn Elcom highlights its new Case Automation machine on stand D20 in Hall 9 at Prolight+Sound in Frankfurt this year, which is designed to assist case makers' operations become more efficient.

Case Automation has been designed and engineered to aid specific elements of the production process by speeding up some of the most difficult and challenging tasks associated with case making e.g. punching extrusion and others.

Penn Elcom's Case Automation system has a footprint of just one metre square and the machine costs around 10,000 Euros, depending on which sets of quick-change tools are selected from an array of available options.

Cutting 19 inch rack rails for example becomes extremely straightforward using Case Automation.

When doing this manually, the physical cutting is wasteful and long-winded as the rail has t

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UK - At the end of April 2015, both Lighting&Sound International sales manager Barry Howse and sales executive Jane Cockburn will be leaving LSi after over twenty years of working with PLASA's members, advertisers and readers and exhibitors and visitors. LSi editor Lee Baldock comments: "On behalf of the entire PLASA Media team, I want to thank Barry and Jane for their many years of hard work and thousands of miles of travel undertaken in our cause. We will all miss them and wish them the very best in the future."

Barry Howse joined LSi in March of 1992 as Advertising Manager, then as Media Sales Manager. He also served on the PLASA Exhibitor Working Group. Jane joined in 1993 as LSi's sales coordinator, then Media Sales Executive and has also regularly provided valuable organisational support for a succession of Showlight events which Jane will continue to work on. Bo

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On The Campaign Trail - Labour has confirmed its commitment to the arts in the party's manifesto ahead of the general election, declaring they should "belong to all and be open to all to take part in". Earlier this year Labour leader Ed Miliband vowed to place arts and culture "at the heart of the government" if the party came to power in May. In its newly published election manifesto, the party promises to work with public bodies to tackle the regional imbalance of arts funding. Labour also pledges to strengthen creative education in schools and after school clubs, and ensure that publicly funded venues "open up their doors" to young people.

As well as increasing the number of apprenticeships in the creative industries, the party has reaffirmed its commitment to creating a 'prime minister's committee' on the arts, culture and creative industries -

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Belgium - Chauvet has opened a full-service subsidiary in Ghent, Belgium. The facility, which follows in the steps of a Chauvet branch in the United Kingdom, acts as the Chauvet distributor in the Benelux area serving dealers of Chauvet Professional and Chauvet DJ brands in Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, while supporting Chauvet distributors and strategic partners elsewhere in Europe.

"Given the success of our operations in the UK, it made sense to expand to an inland facility so we can better serve customers not only in the Benelux area but also throughout the continent," said Chauvet President Albert Chauvet. "With high profile products like our Chauvet Professional Nexus and ÉPIX being seen worldwide, and the widespread following of Chauvet DJ in multiple countries, we've established globally recognized brands. This facility will help bring the

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UK - Star Events has published CDM Ready! the first event industry specific interpretation of the updated Construction (Design & Management) Regulations, written to complement the recently released Code of Practice document.

Introduced on 6 April, the revised regulations mean all events with structures must have a client who in turn appoints both a principal designer (PD) and a principal contractor (PC). The PD's primary role it is to ensure that health and safety is planned into a project from the design stage through to the start on site, while the PC takes charge of, and manages, health and safety on site.

Available for free download at http://www.stareventsltd.com, Star's 20-page CDM Ready! document draws from the HSE's latest draft to explain the impact on the event industry and how to comply.

It goes on to detail the company's own response, from designing

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Germany - Leading into Musikmesse on Tuesday evening was the opening reception for the exhibition of the Lightpower Collection of Neal Preston's extraordinary photography In the Eye of the Rock'n'Roll Hurricane.

One of the highlights of the evening, attended by over 350 people, was the presentation by Ralph-Jörg Wezorke, owner of Lightpower, of the Lightpower Neal Preston donation of $50,000 to the Behind the Scenes charity. The donation, which represents proceeds from three previous exhibitions over the last year, will be split between BTS in North America and the newly launched BTS UK. Future showings of the exhibition are currently in the planning stages.

Neal Preston has spent more than 40 years capturing rock and roll, with unprecedented access to musicians ranging from Bruce Springsteen to Led Zeppelin, Mick Jagger to Queen, both on and off the stage.

Takin

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Germany - The three-day International Stage Technology Conference takes place in Berlin from 9 to 11 June 2015. The international conference organised by Deutsche Theatertechnische Gesellschaft (DTHG) comprises 130 events. Topics will include theatre planning, scenography/design, make-up, international projects, exhibition design and museum technology, media technology and sustainability, safety, stage technology, sound systems and lighting. Simultaneous interpreting into English and German will be available at the events.

On 9 June, Brigitte Zypries, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Economics and Energy, will open the symposium under the heading of Theatres and cultural spaces - urban centres and their continuous metamorphosis and cultural adaptation in the 21st century by delivering a keynote speech.

At the symposium a variety of concepts will

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USA - As part of its commitment to helping students succeed, global design software developer Nemetschek Vectorworks has launched the 2015 Vectorworks Design Scholarship programme. Students from across all design disciplines around the world are encouraged to submit their best individual or group work by Monday, 31 August, 2015 for the opportunity to win up to $10,000 USD.

The submission process is simple; students submit their best project, which may include work completed for a class assignment, and answer three questions, each in 150 words or less. An esteemed panel of judges will evaluate submissions on the basis of design integrity, effective use of computer technology and originality, as well as the articulation and communication of a design vision.

"Today's students are tomorrow's visionaries, solving all types of design challenges that the Vectorworks Design Schol

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UK - After a competitive tender process, The Broadsword Production Group has announced that it has been awarded a three-year contract to The Science Museum as a production supplier. With a diverse range of interactive galleries, located in the heart of South Kensington, the award-winning Science Museum offers a wow-factor backdrop for corporate events.

Matt Green, Broadsword's Sales Director, led the tender process and is excited about the opportunities at The Science Museum. He explains: "It is a bespoke venue, visually stunning, with a unique mix of the modern and traditional. Here at Broadsword, we offer the perfect mix of flexibility and innovation; the ability to design and adapt production solutions so that they work within unique environments. The Science Museum is definitely a space where we will be able to find new and interesting ways to stand out from the crowd.&

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Theatre Critic - Andrew Lloyd Webber has claimed a number of West End theatres are "not fit for today's purpose" and should be replaced. The theatre impresario said many venues have uncomfortable seats because people are now generally taller. He went on to criticise poor views in gallery seating, saying it was left over from "a class structure we don't have any more".

Speaking at the London Press Club Awards, where he was named Londoner of the year, Lloyd Webber said, "I believe that London would be a more vibrant place if we allow a more flexible use of theatres and recognise that some of the theatres may no longer really be exactly what we want in the 21st century. There are theatres from which frankly you can't see and that aren't fit for today's purpose."

Fame Academy - Ringo Starr has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame i

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Top Gear - The musical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is to tour the UK from December. The production opens at the West Yorkshire Playhouse on 2 December, where it will play for nine weeks. It will then begin a tour of the UK and Ireland, beginning at the Mayflower Theatre on 10 February, 2016. It is produced by WYP and Music and Lyrics.

Silver Scream - Primal Scream will be named musical icons at the Silver Clef award ceremony in July. The band, who were instrumental in shaping the indie pop scene in the early 1990s, called the icon award "a real honour". Previous winners of the icon award include Sir Cliff Richard, Dame Vera Lynn, Madness and Fatboy Slim. Rita Ora, a recent judge on The Voice, will be named best female, while music producer Mark Ronson will be given this year's innovation award.

The Silver Clef awards, which celebrate their 40th anniv

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UK - UK companies installing energy monitoring systems, such as the MeasureMyEnergy equipment offered by consultancy :entertaining sustainability, can now qualify for upfront financing from the Carbon Trust's Energy Efficiency Financing Scheme.

The scheme, which is run on behalf of the Carbon Trust by Siemens Finance, provides initial funding for the installation, with repayments made over a maximum of five years from the savings generated by working with the equipment.

The MeasureMyEnergy system - already installed at the Royal Opera House's Linbury Studio - utilises sensors on each circuit within a distribution board to log consumption, flag up anomalies and present real-time data via a secure web app.

Companies already working with the system - anecdotally report savings of between 10% and 20% through the ability to target the highest areas of consumption within a buildin

  1. TTD sponsors London's Serpentine Gallery
  2. Griffith and Veldy launch Entertainment Advisers
  3. AED Distribution UK and Prolyte strengthen partnership
  4. Showforce awarded BSI environmental certification
  5. The Week in Lighting & Sound
  6. Charcoalblue celebrates launch of its Bristol Design Studio
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