Futurist Ltd, the West Yorkshire-based provider of lighting and sound equipment and services, went into liquidation in early June. The company, which was owned by a charitable trust, the Robert Luff Foundation Ltd, was managed by Michael Lister.
Michael Lister has told PLASA Media that he and his wife, Dawn, have purchased the 'assets and goodwill of Futurist Ltd'. Furthermore, an existing company, DML Corporation Ltd, which was owned by Michael Lister, has been re-named Futurist Projects Ltd, and Lister has told us that the "Futurist brand will continue to be marketed and promoted" through this company, which will be based at Trinity Business Park in Wakefield.
The creditors of Futurist Ltd included a number of well-known manufacturers and service providers in the industry, some of whom were subsequently hit by the loss of Lighting Technology at the end of June (see L&SI July 2002). However, by far the biggest creditor was the Robert Luff Foundation itself, which was owed in excess of £374,000 by Futurist Ltd. The Robert Luff Foundation declined to make any comment to PLASA Media on Futurist Ltd.
The statement from Michael Lister goes on to say: "We intend to make further announcements on our new strategy, partnerships and senior personnel appointments within the next few weeks."
The statement concludes: "We are looking forward to our continued working relationship with our supply partners and customers and would like to thank them for their support. The company is in discussions at the moment with trade creditors of Futurist Ltd and man
L&SI magazine is running two Round Table discussion sessions during the forthcoming PLASA Show (September 8-11, Earls Court 1, London) designed to address some of the most central issues in the industry.
The first session Freelance Rates - Due for Review? will focus on the current rates of pay for freelancers, which over the years have shown a downward trend in real terms, and will be led by a panel of industry professionals on both sides of the fence. The second session, Discounting Rental Rates: Is it Economic Madness? will look at discounting in rental markets, and how companies may be devaluing the services they provide in their attempts to undercut competitors. Once again, the panel will be drawn from those who deal with these issues on a daily basis.
The Freelance Rates session will take place on Monday 9 September at 3pm in the Westminster Room on the Mezzanine Level of Earls Court 1.The Discounting Rental Rates session will take place on Tuesday 10 September at 3pm in the Westminster Room on the Mezzanine Level of Earls Court 1.Both sessions are free for all to attend, but as space is limited, we would ask that you register in advance by contacting Jane Cockburn at PLASA Media at the e-mail address below:
Avesco plc has sold its broadcast television studio business, Fountain Studios, for £7 million to Medal Entertainment and Media plc, subject to the approval of both companies’ shareholders. The amount is made up by a combination of £5.5 million in cash and £1.5 million in securities.
The move fulfils Avesco’s intention to focus on providing its core services to the events market. David Nicholson, Avesco’s chief executive, told us: "Fountain has been a good solid business for us, but there are limited synergy benefits, with virtually no relationship with any other group company. The cash we have generated from this sale allows us to cut our debt still further. We have taken actions this past year to reduce our debt rapidly. Following completion of this transaction, the Group’s net debt figure will stand at less than £11 million, having been more than halved since September 2001. Our businesses are highly cash generative and we are now in a position to look for new growth opportunities.
"We are pleased that Fountain is with a group where it can make a greater contribution to the whole and that all management and staff have been retained by the buyer."
(Ruth Rossington)
Union Connector, the connector and power distro equipment manufacturer, has moved to a new facility in Suffolk County, NY, approximately 15 miles from its prior location in Roosevelt, NY. Union had been located in Roosevelt for the past 40 years. The move is part of Union's long-range strategic plan to increase its ability to perform contract manufacturing for some of the industry's largest manufacturers, touring and rental companies.
The building is in an industrial park located within the Route 110 industrial corridor and near a general aviation business airport. The new, larger facility provides Union with room for expansion of its manufacturing capabilities. "The increased size of the facility has allowed us to install a new powder coating operation, along with expanding our existing CNC sheet metal and machining operations", said Ray Wolpert, VP of operations. "We'll also have room to house the new specialty lighting division."
(Lee Baldock)
The second wave of PLASA’s industry research is now complete, and reveals some interesting findings, particularly in terms of the overall growth of the market and the individual sectors which are performing best.
The research (conducted as before by Business Diagnostics) draws on a number of sources, principally PLASA members, but is also supported by a broader market analysis. The findings indicate that the UK market in 2001, in terms of user expenditure (and excluding any cross-selling among suppliers) is worth £1,139m. That figure has been broken down into five main product categories: professional lighting is valued at £229m, pro audio for presentation and performance purposes at £332m, pro audio for architectural or commercial purposes (e.g. voice alarm, public address systems) at £49m, staging at £44m and professional AV at £485m.
It’s clear from the research that the market has been detrimentally affected by several factors - among them global recession, 11 September and the resulting global insecurity, domestic events such as the outbreak of foot and mouth, and the return to ‘normality’ following the millennium year.
Many people’s fears of the market shrinking are not borne out by the research, though it’s clear that the rate of growth is slowing down - following a period of sustained growth up to the year 2000 it has slowed to 8% in the year 2000 to 2001. The traditional PLASA product areas of professional lighting and staging have been sluggish, the main growth coming from the AV and pro audio markets (particularly
Earl’s Court Ltd was yesterday fined £70,000 for health and safety failings discovered after the death of a lighting technician at Earl’s Court Exhibition Centre in December 1999 (see L&SI January 2000).
The company appeared before a Judge at Blackfriars Crown Court yesterday morning to plead guilty to two offences under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. In addition to the record breaking fine, Earl’s Court Ltd was also ordered to pay £70,000 to the Royal Borough in respect of its legal costs.
26-year-old Kevin O’Bryan fell 60 feet from the roof of the Exhibition Centre as he attempted to de-rig lighting equipment following a pop concert at the Centre. O’Bryan, who was employed as a lighting technician, had gained access without authorization to the highly dangerous roof void area that was under the control of Earl’s Court Ltd staff. He was working without supervision or a safety harness in breach of Earl’s Court’s own Code of Practice for roof and rigging.
Councillor Daniel Moylan, deputy leader and cabinet member for the Environment, told PLASA Media: "This was a truly awful accident made worse because it was so clearly preventable. It does not matter if they are using contractors and sub-contractors, companies must take responsibility for what goes on in their premises. I hope that this sentence gets the message across to all companies that the Council is serious about prosecuting those who do not adhere to the correct health and safety procedures at work."
(Ruth Rossington)
Aggressive lawyers and the increasing amalgamation of artist management companies were among the topics discussed at the Music Managers Forum (MMF) Open Day, held recently at the Landmark Hotel, London.
Over 90 delegates attended the event, including a number of record producers who were invited through the Music Producers Guild that, in recent months, has been developing closer links with the MMF. "We were delighted with the attendance and with the quality of debate from both panelists and members of the audience participating in question and answer sessions," said the MMF’s Executive director James Fisher. "It was particularly satisfying that, in our 10th anniversary year, we were able to provide such a highly professional list of panelists to discuss matters that are becoming increasingly important in this new and difficult age for managers and their artists."
The Open Day incorporated four panels: Focus on Finance, Management Agreements for the Present Age, Getting the Gig and Releasing Your Own Record. Panellists included Stephen King (Creation Management), Jazz Summers (Big Life Management), Ed Bicknell (Damage Management), Peter Jenner (Sincere Management) Nick Moore (MMF Council), David Stark (Songlink), Tony Moore (Kashmir Klub), John Peat (Royal Bank of Scotland) and Rob Holden (IHT Records/Mondo Management), along with the MMF’s industry advisors.
MMF legal advisor Nigel Parker, who chaired the Management Agreement panel, commented: "The debate was informative, lively and highly entertaining as we were treated to plenty
Literally bringing light relief to PLASA visitors and exhibitors alike will be a massage area on the mezzanine level adjacent to the main escalator from the lobby where it is hoped both upper body and foot massages will be on offer. The space is being provided by PLASA itself, with the additional costs being taken on by sponsorship. All proceeds on the day will go directly to the Light Relief charity to help further its work in the industry, providing support to lighting designers when they have personal difficulties.
What's more, US glass-gobo manufacturer, Apollo, has offered to make any number and size of gobos featuring the Light Relief logo, the idea being that as many exhibitors as possible will use them in their on-stand demos.
The Designer Outlet @ The Lowry is the new £90million waterside shopping and leisure ‘destination’ in Salford Quays. It’s the latest spur of a regeneration programme that has seen the former Docks - once Britain’s third busiest port - transform itself into a three-mile waterfront for leisure, business and residential use.
Note the word ‘destination’, because it’s entirely appropriate for the modern retail experience. And the Designer Outlet - a project undertaken by Orbit Developments (Manchester) Ltd - is as much a destination as it’s possible to be, as witness its recent opening marked by the imaginative use of exterior colour changers.
Both the exterior and interior lighting scheme for the project was devised by Into Lighting Design’s Northern Studio in Nottingham, and supplied and installed by A.C. Lighting.
The exterior lighting system is built around 32 Martin Professional Exterior 200 colour changers at the heart of which is a powerful 150W discharge lamp. These are rated at IP65 for outdoor use. Control for these is routed via DMX using Artistic Licence’s Grand-Master Flash V4. This was programmed by AC Lighting to provide an ever-changing and dramatic ripple of colour round the exterior of the building - and features a special red and white sequence activated when England football matches are being played at Old Trafford!
Within the centre itself, Astralite trussing has been installed, carrying an array of low voltage fittings. In each of the atrium areas, for example, customised white 8.5m x 3.
PLASA’s ‘Association Day’, held at Down Hall Country House Hotel in Hertfordshire on 14 June, and incorporating the Association’s AGM, was a great success. The event was attended by a record number of PLASA members, and drew a positive response from all involved.
The format of the AGM has changed gradually over time, and has for some years included an industry dinner event at the close of the day. Last year, a series of ‘Break-out’ meetings were held for the first time, providing valuable discussion and feedback on a number of topics.
The aim of the Association Day is to gain further advantage from the opportunities offered by having a large contingent of PLASA members, plus the PLASA Executive Committee and head office staff, together in one place. Rather than concentrate on the AGM itself - a legal formality - the emphasis has now been shifted fully to making the day an ‘event’ in pleasant surroundings, with opportunties for communication, debate, suggestions and networking.
This year’s break-out meetings covered Membership Services, Standards/Health & Safety and Training. These lively sessions raised valuable feedback for the PLASA Executive Committee and staff, and were well-received by all who took part.
Following the ‘business’ of the day, around 100 people sat down to an enjoyable dinner with entertainment provided by two guest speakers - ex-pro footballer Paul Fletcher and impressionist Kevin Connelly - before retiring to the bar for some serious networking.
PLASA’s managing director
The long-awaited return of the PLASA Credit Circle is now complete. The Service returns in a web-based, free-to-use format at www.plasa.org/creditcircle - bringing this useful service right up to date.
The Credit Circle has been created to benefit PLASA members by helping them identify companies which have defaulted on payment. The information gathered is displayed on the PLASA website in real-time so that all contributing members can immediately profit from this exchange of data. The success of the Credit Circle depends entirely on the input provided by members - it costs nothing to join, but could prove to be a valuable resource in maintaining the financial health of your business.
The service is open to all UK PLASA members and only requires agreement with the terms of the Constitution created specifically for contributors to the Credit Circle. For details of how to sign up for this service, visit
Lee Baldock and Ruth Rossington report from ABTT 2002
From its now established base at the Royal Horticultural Halls in London, the ABTT Show continues to underline its role as a key event for the theatre industry. Well over 100 exhibitors from across the wide spectrum of supplies and services were at the show, drawing in over 2,500 visitors.
Before we get down to brass tacks, a quick mention of the Dinner, staged on the first evening, at which Major Sir Michael Parker, famed for his work on such events as the Royal Tournament and more recently All the Queens Horses, was the guest speaker. During the dinner, Andrew Bruce of Autograph Sound collected a Lifetime Achievement Award; Nick Wade, chief electrician at the Birmingham Royal Ballet, was handed Technician of the Year;
Vari-Lite’s VL1000 won Lighting Product of the Year; AVW’s Impressario stage motion control system was voted Engineering Product of the Year and Rosco’s Image Pro picked up the coveted Widget of the Year award. There’s always a good feel to ABTT and a real sense of a community coming together, no doubt fed by the presence of such organizations as BECTU, ALD, Central School of Speech and Drama, Society of British Theatre Designers and Loughborough College.
A.C. Lighting was showing examples of its wide range of lighting products, including its Tourmate range of connectors. AC was also promoting the introduction of free training courses on grandMA and Jands lighting control systems.
Allen & Heath showed the latest addition to its ML series, the 15-buss ML3000. The c
The renowned Albany Theatre in Deptford, south-east London, has recently undergone a complete technical refurbishment.
Opened on its present site in 1982, The Albany established a formidable reputation for itself in the 1980s as a thriving community theatre with the backing of some big names. But as the years passed, lack of funding took its toll and the theatre fell into disrepair, its equipment failed or was removed, and eventually, in 2000, it succumbed to darkness.
Since then, an energetic campaign to bring it back to life has seen the birth of a three-phase refurbishment programme, most of which is now complete. Thus, the Albany opened its doors again in March, boasting a fully refurbished interior, revamped flying grid and brand new sound, lighting, comms and patching systems with names such as Meyer Sound, XTA Electronics, MC2, Yamaha, ETC and Strand in the rig.
The team responsible for the project includes ‘chief instigator’ Jenny Harris and Albany theatre designer Kate Owen. A Stage Electrics team (led by Nick Ewins) was brought in for the technical design and installation, and they worked alongside project managers AFH Shaw Sprunt (under Chris Turnham) and builders Lenguard, with project manager Mark O’Grady and Martin Neaster. Richard Howey, production manager at the Globe Theatre, liaised between all the various parties, whilst David Wadey headed the Pinnacle team of mechanical and electrical engineers, and technical manager Tania Peach and assistant Jake Strickland worked closely with Ewins on the audio specification.
During the regen
Just over a year after being appointed to the ABTT Council as Honorary Secretary, Mark White, ETC's manager for the UK and Ireland, has taken over as Chairman of the Association, following David Edelstein's decision to stand down.
Edelstein’s resignation comes in the wake of the de-merger of his company Triple E from Blackout and issues including the relocation of his business have put pressure on his availability and time. David told us: "It is with much regret that I resign, as there are a number of initiatives that I would have liked to see through to completion. I will, however, continue to serve on the Council and the ABTT will have my full support."
The Association of British Theatre Technicians (ABTT) is run by a Council of eleven volunteers and Mark White will now serve as Chairman until July 2003. Having worked in the theatre industry since 1985, his career has included the development of bespoke lighting and control equipment for well-known shows including Cats and Phantom of the Opera. He has also designed lighting and effects for major exhibitions and displays, including Euro Disney and his extensive knowledge and experience will prove invaluable to the ABTT. White was also a member of the team of theatre consultants at the Royal Opera House, until, in October 2000, he joined ETC as a sales manager.
(Ruth Rossington)
Evenser Group, the UK's largest event services Group, has created a new division - Evenser Broadcast and Presentation Services. The creation of the new division will enhance the service offering available to clients through greater access to technical expertise, equipment and project management, say the company.
The division will incorporate the Group's international broadcast and audio-visual activities, including Charter Broadcast, Cinevideo, ABS and Blitz Communications, all of whom will continue to trade under their own names. David Carr continues as managing director of the broadcast businesses, whilst Paul Hutton, a director of Blitz Vision since 1993, will become the managing director of Blitz. The new division will be headed up by Evenser main board director Michael Breen.
Michael Breen comments: "This is a great opportunity for both the audio-visual and broadcast businesses. I'm very excited to be spearheading the development of these two areas." Barry Day, chief executive of Evenser Group, added: "The creation of this new division reflects the Group's desire to see sustained organic and acquisitive growth from our broadcast and audio-visual businesses. The simplified divisional structure and combined management team will enable us to maximise the opportunities available to these businesses."
(Lee Baldock)
Amek and Soundcraft have merged their operations to form a much stronger console group with a wide-ranging portfolio. Soundcraft sales director Adrian Curtis takes overall responsibility for sales of Amek and DAR, in addition to Soundcraft, with his existing team of Jon Ridel (Middle East and Asia), Karl Chapman (Europe) and Trevor Coley (UK and Ireland) heading up regional sales for the three brands. Inder Biant joins the team as product specialist and there are plans to strengthen the team further with new market and product specialists. All marketing activities for the group come under David Neal.
The combined portfolio means that the group has a much wider range of products and solutions for their existing markets. Manufacturing and production of the current portfolio of Amek and DAR products is being integrated into the Potters Bar facilities that already house Soundcraft and BSS Audio. Recent products added to the line include the Amek PurePath DMCL processor and DAR Trigger playout system.
(Ruth Rossington)
Three North Wales companies are the latest to join the Welsh Development Agency’s prestigious Commitment to Innovation (CTI) programme. Apple Dynamics Ltd of Mold (the training division of PLASA member company Apple Sound, specialising in audio and acoustics), Clogau Gold of Bodelwyddan, and NWP Electrical Ltd of Kinmel Bay, have each joined the programme, which is designed to build a core group of the most go-ahead organizations in Wales as exemplars of what can be achieved by innovative business practices.
Members of CTI commit themselves to innovation in their corporate strategies and business plans and to implement innovation in their daily businesses practices. As a result they have been able to prove that innovation has helped strengthen their business, secure new orders, create new employment and provide new investment opportunities. To date, 113 companies from throughout Wales have been enrolled onto CTI, which provides benefits including an innovation case study and a programme of workshops and seminars on international Best Practice in innovation.
The three North Wales companies each received certificates marking their commitment to innovation during the ‘DTI Living Innovation’ event staged this week at the North East Wales Institute at Wrexham.
(Ruth Rossington)
Dimes & Sillitoe, the Surrey-based PR management company, has appointed Taya Kajanus and Leander Browning to its PR team.
Taya Kajanus joins Dimes & Sillitoe from a background in TV and photography to take the role of PR support manager. She replaces Nicky Quentel who is moving to France with her family. Taya’s role will be to lend support to the PR team, dealing with enquiries, updating the company website and assisting with the general maintenance of the office. Leander Browning has joined the team as PR account manager. Leander previously worked as a music journalist for three music titles and as PR coordinator for a local authority housing association. She will be liaising with clients and the media to ensure positive publicity for all accounts held.
(Ruth Rossington)
Edwin Shirley Staging (ESS), the international staging and structures specialist, is one of four organisations sponsoring the current 'Private' contemporary art installation, taking place at the Aldgate Pump House in the City of London. The other sponsors are City North PLC, Cobra Beer and westside design and print.
The exhibition is curated by Swapna Tamhane and introduces the work of the artists Zeyad Dajani, Anthony Gross, David Gyscek and Seema Rao. The artists have come together to produce a series of site-specific works that explore the dialogue between the individual and the public. The venue offers visitors an intrusive view into a piece of London’s Victorian history.
ESS’s Stephen Court told us: "We were approached to provide support for the exhibition by Seema, one of the artists, and Swapna, the curator. We were able to assist the event by providing practical help and equipment that allows the artists to utilize the unusual space within the Pump House. In the past we have supported other ventures in a similar way, notably a community theatre production The Passion which was staged at Greenwich Park in London with a cast of one thousand actors in 2000."
(Lee Baldock)
In anticipation of its phased move to the 75,000sq.m Highbridge development in Uxbridge, ARRI GB was on royal duty last month when Her Majesty The Queen unveiled a sculpture in the town centre, of which ARRI was one of the major sponsors.
Commissioned by Hillingdon Arts Association, ‘Anticipation’ was the work of Welsh-based sculptress Anita Lafford. Crowds lined the streets outside The Chimes Shopping Centre in the town centre as Her Majesty The Queen and HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, performed their royal duty and the sculpture was revealed. ARRI GB were represented by managing director, Renos Louka, and finance director, Sean Leone.
The company will begin its three-phase move into its new three-storey home at the end of August. It has already forged links with the local Brunel University - which recently installed a media suite of television and video studios - and will offer further training facilities and equipment.
(Ruth Rossington)
David Langton and Bob Bailey of PricewaterhouseCoopers have been appointed joint administrators for the Lighting Technology Group and its associated companies - Lighting Technology Projects Ltd and Cerebrum Ltd. The three are very high profile within the industry and the news, though not entirely unexpected, will still shock those who felt that the Group was beginning to put its recent financial problems behind it.
Operating from bases in London, New Malden, Corby, Manchester, Newcastle and Paris, the three companies had made their names specializing in the supply of lighting and sound equipment to the entertainment and leisure industries. Whilst Lighting Technology and Cerebrum concentrated on the distribution of a large portfolio of brand names, Lighting Technology Projects focused on installation, specializing in high profile architectural projects. It should be emphasized that the Paris operation is not in administration and operates as a stand-alone business which continues to trade profitably.
As recently as three years ago, the Group was picking up some of the biggest lighting contracts in the UK: in 1999, it won its biggest ever stage lighting order when it was awarded the £470,000 contract to supply London’s re-built Royal Opera House. At the same time, Lighting Technology Projects, and its subsidiary The Technical Department, were working as a main lighting contractor for the Zones at the Millennium Dome. This trend of high profile projects continued and in the last 18 months included work on the Theatre Royal, Newcastle; Magna in Rotherham; the Gatesh
US company The Screen Works has opened an office in The Netherlands. A joint effort with The Screen Works, Europe (an already established UK operation), the Hoofddorp facility, located just outside Amsterdam, will provide convenient, centralized access to presentation equipment and staging resources. It will have an extensive inventory of projection screens, pipe and drape systems, trim kits and skirting, modular scenic systems, a projection screen cleaning and repair service and presentation accessories.
Overseeing the new venture will be Gabriel West, a long-standing member of The Screen Works management team, who has relocated from Chicago to take up his new role of European operations manager - Netherlands. Company president, Lee Facklis explains: "An overseas operation allows us to manage equipment resources, accelerate turnaround times and contain freight costs. Customers will see a direct benefit in responsiveness and cost reduction."
(Ruth Rossington)
After 16 years of frenetic activity, Phil Pike, head of technical presentation at Tussaud’s, has left the waxworks and theme park company for a well-earned rest. "I feel that I have achieved a great deal during my time with Tussauds," Phil commented, "and that it was time to reconsider my future before embarking on another venture."
During his tenure, Pike, who started out as a theatre electrician, has been responsible for the systems design and implementation of presentation technology at numerous venues, including Tussaud’s in New York, Las Vegas, Hong Kong and Australia, as well as at Scenerama in Amsterdam and both Alton Towers and Chessington World of Adventures and numerous other destinations. A party was held to mark Phil’s departure at the newly opened Embassy Club, at the old Legends site in Old Burlington Street, towards the end of June. He now intends to take a few months off to consider his future options.
(Tony Gottelier)
The PSL music division team are midway through a hot summer of music. They have provided two of their High End Catalyst systems with Barco ELM R12 projectors, along with on-stage dome-cameras and front-of-house cameras, for Gabrielle’s UK tour. Lighting designer Patrick Murray also used these Catalyst systems for Gabrielle’s appearance at Picnic in the Park, Hyde Park on June 29.
The weekend of 22 and 23 June saw PSL out in force at Gatecrasher Tour Western providing crew and a total of 11 Barco projectors and folding screens across the four arenas. Orbital also continues its long-standing relationship with PSL for the Somerset House and Glastonbury gigs using two Barco G5 projectors, a motorized screen and magic DAVE for Orbital. Meanwhile, Mardi Gras 2002 at Hackney Marshes will see two of PSL’s new Barco DLite 7 screens in action along with a four-camera digital PPU and Jimmy Jib. Lenny Henry has a two-week stint of shows for the BBC during July with PSL providing a Barco G5 projector and screen.
The music division team based at PSL’s 70,000sq.ft facility continue through the summer with on-going projects including the Lord of the Dance European Tour, Supertramp European Tour and the Sunset Boulevard UK tour.
(Lee Baldock)