UK - James Thomas Engineering has realigned its distribution network to maximise the efficiency with which its customers are served and supported across Europe. To this end, A.C. Entertainment Technologies Ltd (AC-ET) has been appointed as the new exclusive European Master Distributor for the James Thomas Engineering lighting product range in Europe.

With immediate effect, the legendary James Thomas Par 64, and all other parcans from the Par 56 down to the PAR16, JTE SpotBanks, CycLites, 8-, 4- and 2-Lites and lighting bars will be exclusively distributed and supported in Europe by AC-ET across its large base of entertainment technology dealers and end users.

"We, and our customers, will benefit from the extensive reach of AC-ET's international business," says Paul Young, JTE's operations director. "The new appointment will ensure JTE lighting products will be m

Scandal - Andrew Lloyd Webber has launched his new West End musical, saying it would show how the man involved in the 1960s Profumo Affair was made a "scapegoat" by the establishment. The musical, Stephen Ward, opens at London's Aldwych Theatre in December. Lord Lloyd-Webber said Ward's life was a "wonderful subject" for a composer. Ward, an osteopath and socialite, was instrumental in the Profumo sex scandal, which threatened to topple the Conservative government in 1963.

More Thrills - Thriller Live has extended its run at the Lyric Theatre in London by an extra year. The show, which is a concert of music by Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5, is now booking until 28 September, 2014. It was first staged at the venue in January 2009 following three UK tours. The show has extended its run at the theatre every year since then, with the last

World - PLASA Members worldwide have begun voting in the Association's yearly elections, which commence this week.

The month-long ballot will decide places on PLASA's European and North American Regional Boards, together with a single seat on its over-arching Governing Body.

The role of the Regional Boards is to represent the interests of members affiliated to those regions, ensuring that PLASA offers strong on-the-ground support to members. Both the North American and European Regional Boards are looking to fill a number of places for 2014.

For the European Regional Board, Adam Blaxill, of Stage Electrics, has put his name forward for the position of Vice- Chair; Duncan Bell, of Autograph Sound Recording Ltd., has put his name forward for Secretary; Mark Cooper, of SES Entertainment Services Ltd., Peter Heath, of Roland UK Ltd., and Matt Lloyd, of Global Design Solutions Lt

USA - ARRI welcomes Jim Davis to the position of Broadcast Sales Specialist, where he will focus on field production, news and sports magazines, reality markets and more for the Americas region.

Bill Russell, vice-president of camera products comments: "We welcome Jim Davis to the ARRI camera sales team as we prepare to bring the new AMIRA documentary style camera to market. Jim is well known and well respected in our industry and his knowledge and experience will help us broaden our market with AMIRA."

Davis has been a veteran in TV broadcast sales and technology for over two decades. He formerly worked for Vitec Videocom Inc. as a Channel Partner Manager. At ProSource, he served as Inside sales manager, overseeing the sale and packaging of camera and sound equipment for news production. His experience also includes sales and systems integration in lighting while wo

UK - Dave Roberts has is to retire from the helm of the British Standards for Imaging Committee CPW/04. A statement reads: "Developing Standards is a fairly dry occupation at the best of times and yet many in the industry give of their time (often voluntarily) to help ensure that all of our working - and indeed our personal - lives benefit in all manner of ways, whether by ensuring a safe workplace or that our equipment operates as we expect it to. Having held the helm of the British Standards for Imaging Committee CPW/04 for the last six or so years, Dave Roberts has decided that the leisure activity opportunities offered by retirement are more attractive than running a BSI committee. Those who've been involved in standards development work will appreciate that such a choice is an easy decision to make."

CPW/04 as a committee is best known more recently for the develo

Denmark - A year and a half ago, Peter Johansen took ownership of the Italian lighting company SGM and started up in humble facilities in Aabyhoj, Denmark. Now the entire production, warehouse and administration are combining in a new 6,500 sq. metre facility in Aarhus.

In the intervening 18 months since Peter Johansen became CEO, a complete new LED product range has been launched, a global distributor network established, top international touring references have appeared across the world's media - and now the entrepreneur aims to establish a dedicated Danish base. What this will mean is Danish manufacturing, Danish employment and - to a great extent - Danish and European sub-suppliers.

"We anticipate that this move will create up to 400 new jobs over the next two years," stated a bullish Peter Johansen, announcing the decision.

The strategy is based on the winnin

UK - A.C. Special Projects (ACSP) Ltd. will be on hand at the PLASA Show (stand Q41) to discuss how they can provide bespoke integrated solutions of lighting, audio and AV equipment - including the very latest technologies showcased nearby on the stand of their sister company (stand P40/P41) - to the performance, architectural, educational, corporate and retail sectors.

The company's highly experienced Project Managers can handle all aspects of a project and have a diverse portfolio of previous client examples ranging from theatres to nightclubs and bars, restaurants, schools, houses of worship, cruise ships and live performance venues.

With access to over 200 leading brands, ACSP can cater for any size of installation from a simple six circuit lighting bar with dimming and control, to a full blown multi-media theatre system.

Staff will be happy to discuss the company's full

Switzerland - Merging Technologies has announced that from 1 October 2013, Salzbrenner Stagetec Mediagroup Sdn Bhd (Stagetec Asia) has been appointed the distributor for Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam and Thailand.

This appointment is the latest in a number of changes being made to Merging's worldwide distribution in a quest "to find young, dynamic companies that have sales and marketing ability and sufficient technical resource to satisfy demanding customers in rapidly growing markets".

Merging's sales and marketing manager, Chris Hollebone comments, "Stagetec Asia came highly recommended and the first time I met David Chan and his team, I was extremely impressed with how they presented themselves and their brands. Having now spent more time together, I know the choice is right."

Managing director of Stagetec Asia, David Chan remarked, &

UK - The British Safety Council has formally launched its 2014 International Safety Awards, which are designed to recognise an organisation's commitment to good health and safety management during the 2013 calendar year.

2014 will mark the 56th year of the International Safety Awards, which have made a significant contribution over that time to promoting and celebrating the benefits that well-managed and proportionate workplace health and safety bring.

The awards are open to organisations of all sizes and sectors, both members of the British Safety Council and non-members in the UK and overseas. Applications are welcome both from past winners and first time entrants; there is nothing to stop a first time entrant being successful if they can demonstrate clearly their commitment to good health and safety management in the application process.

Last year, 470 organisations from

Armonk, NY - October 4, 2013-Production Resource Group, L.L.C. (PRG) will be demonstrating their innovative proprietary products as well as debuting new products at the PLASA 2013 show, October 6 - 9 in London. PRG will be on Stand R20 at the ExCeL London Exhibition Centre, where attendees can get in-depth demonstrations of new, ultra-portable lighting and media control products, two new compact UV blacklight luminaires, PRG's award-winning automated luminaire line and control console range, as well as PRG Nocturne's LED video module products.

PLASA 2013 attendees will get an opportunity to try out the compact V276 on Mac control interface and Mbox® Studio, a software-only version of the popular Mbox Extreme® media server, both of which are available for sale. Both products are designed for use with a user-supplied Apple Mac computer. Individually these solutions are feature-ri

Alex Fernandes, a student at the University of Edinburgh, has won this year's Michael Northen Bursary (MNB), picking up a £500 cash award at a special presentation at PLASA London today.

The Bursary is awarded annually to a student or recent graduate who has demonstrated strong, imaginative and creative lighting designs. It is organised by the Association of Lighting Designers, a professional body representing lighting designers in the live performance industry.

Northen was both a former Chairman and President of the ALD and the first credited Lighting Designer in the UK.

Each year an award of £500 is presented to a young lighting designer who has shown excellence in the field of lighting design. The project must be a performance-based lighting design in or out of the college environment. Two runner-up prizes of £250 each are also presented: an ETC sponsored award

UK - The sixth Knight of Illumination Awards (KOI), held on October 6th at London ExCel's Platinum Suite, saw lighting and video professionals enjoy a glittering night of celebration and recognition for the exceptional creative talent within their industry.

The ever-popular awards - organised by The Society of Television & Lighting Design (STLD), The Association of Lighting Designers (ALD), Clay Paky and Ambersphere Solutions and generously sponsored by Chroma-Q, Hawthorn, MA Lighting, Osram, Robert Juliat and XL Video - provide public recognition for outstanding achievements in touring, television and theatre lighting and video design.

Hosted by Andy Collins, the sparkling ceremony saw over 300 lighting and video professionals from the worlds of TV, Theatre, Concert Touring and Events come together to celebrate the diverse range of creative talent in production design today.<

UK - Yesterday, at PLASA London 2013, ETC donated a cheque for over £17,500 to the Light Relief charity from sales of their mobile app.

The cheque was presented by ETC's Anders Ekvall to Light Relief trustee John Simpson and freelance lighting designer Stuart Porter, who was recently helped by the charity.

(Jim Evans)

UK - Solid State Logic has appointed HD Pro Audio as its Live console dealer in the UK.

"We're very happy to be involved with SSL in bringing this console to our U.K. clients," says Andy Huffer, HD Pro Audio sales director. "When I first heard about SSL doing a live console, I thought 'here we go, another manufacturer giving an existing product a makeover and calling it the live version.' Then I saw SSL Live at Musikmesse/Prolight + Sound and quickly realised that I was completely wrong and that HD Pro Audio had to be involved with this product.

"Building on the company's established history of manufacturing high-quality analogue and digital mixing consoles, with rock-solid reliability for the demanding broadcast market, the SSL Live console is a force to be reckoned with. Beyond the outstanding control surface ergonomics, high channel count, routing flexib

Following a second hectic day at PLASA London 2013, a packed audience gathered yesterday evening in the AudioLab Arena to congratulate the winners of the PLASA Awards for Innovation, sponsored by Lighting & Sound International magazine. The winner of the prestigious Gottelier Award was also announced at the ceremony.

The PLASA Awards for Innovation recognise products that advance the industry by demonstrating a new style of thinking, improving technical practice or taking a key step forward in terms of safety. During the show's opening two days, 45 new products were judged 'live' by an independent panel of expert judges who toured the show floor to view each product presentation.

Eight awards of equal standing were presented, as well as the PLASA Award for Sustainability, to the following winners:

Clay Paky for the A.Leda B-EYE K20

The judges said, "The B-EYE had a &q

Record Sales - Tickets for next year's Glastonbury Festival have sold out in record time, according to organisers. Michael and Emily Eavis issued a joint statement confirming all 120,000 remaining tickets had been sold in just one hour and 27 minutes. They said they were "blown away" by the numbers logging on and were "genuinely sorry" that so many had missed out. Ticketing website See Tickets had earlier apologised to customers on Twitter for "technical difficulties". The site, which had been managing the sale of tickets for Glastonbury, wrote that the issues had led to "a very difficult half an hour" before the site stabilised, later adding that it was selling 3,000 tickets a minute.

Prices for the 2014 event had been increased by £10 to £210, plus a booking fee, but festival-goers could pay a deposit of £50 before sett

The first ever Technical Theatre Awards (TTA) - celebrating the best of 'behind the scenes' skill and talent - were presented at a well-attended ceremony at the PLASA Show at London's ExCel.

Fifteen awards were announced on the Theatres Trust stand in the midst of the PLASA hubbub.

Sponsored by AVW Controls, dbs Solutions, Load Cell Rental, Mayflower, Philips Entertainment, PLASA, Production Resource Group (PRG), StageBitz, Stage Jobs Pro, The Fifth Estate Ltd and Triple E, the TTAs are also very kindly supported by Lighting and Sound International and The Theatres Trust.

Host for the evening was prolific multi award-winning lighting designer Rick Fisher, perhaps best known for his work on Billy Elliot the Musical and An Inspector Calls. Recent credits include Great Expectations at Bristol's Old Vic, The Herd at The Bush Theatre, and Inside Wagner's Head at the Linbury Studio Royal

UK - In response to widespread interest in Focusrite's RedNet Dante-based Ethernet audio networking system, and in the wake of a year which has seen sales of the brand expand by over 60%, Focusrite Audio Engineering Limited - the leading studio-quality audio conversion and distribution systems manufacturer based in High Wycombe, UK - has announced the appointment of Mark Davidson to the position of Business Manager for RedNet.

Davidson joins the company with a strong background in both professional audio and data networking sales and marketing, including extensive direct experience with Ethernet-based audio networking systems. "I knew about Focusrite from its interfaces and heritage," says Mark, "and when I heard about the position I knew it was perfect for me, with my background in pro-audio networking."

He goes on, "Audio networking is emerging as a

UK - Organisers of Manchester's unsigned music festival Raw Fest presented cheques worth over £3,000 to two industry charities at a star-studded ceremony on 26 September at Band on the Wall.

Production suppliers and training centre Backstage Academy supported the festival at Jackson's Boat in Manchester on 15 June to raise money for charities that help disadvantaged and underprivileged groups launch careers in music and backstage production.

The second annual outdoor event grew threefold to welcome almost 1,000 people to the historic inn on the banks of the River Mersey in Sale this year, with Mr Scruff as the guest headliner supporting a line-up of 20 up and coming acts. The event supports unsigned artists and gives them a platform to perform in a professional festival environment.

LS-Live supplied its Mini Stage for the main performances and STS Touring, HSL, Euro Ge

Tourist Boom - Tourists going to concerts and festivals are boosting the UK economy by as much as £2.2 billion a year. Music tourism is also said to provide 24,000 jobs each year, a report by Visit Britain and UK Music shows. Spending by people from the UK and abroad was worth £1.3 billion last year. That includes buying tickets and paying for transport and accommodation plus other indirect spending, which adds another £914m.

Visit Britain says nearly half of the average live music audience is made up of tourists, with visitors from abroad spending an average of £910 while attending festivals and £602 going to concerts. Domestic music tourists spent, on average, £396 while attending festivals and £87 going to concerts.

The report also says that overseas tourists account for 6% of music tourism visits and 20% of music tourism spending.

UK - PLASA London 2013 proved a great success with exhibitors and visitors alike at its new home at ExCeL London. Over 11,000 visitors (subject to ABC audit) attended the show, of whom over 3,000 attended on multiple days. International interest was high, with more than 2,200 visitors from 84 countries. Stand rebookings for next year's show are also up on last year, and several major companies that did not make the move to ExCeL - including Philips Entertainment - have either already signed up for 2014 or are in serious talks to return.

Chris Toulmin, head of events, PLASA London 2013, said, "The response we've received to PLASA London 2013 has been overwhelmingly positive, both from visitors and exhibitors. They have embraced the new venue and also enjoyed the new features such as the AudioLab Arena, Theatre and Interactive. The PLASA team has worked very hard to get to th

UK - Stage One, the company that realised Thomas Hetherwick's spectacular cauldron for the London 2012 Olympics, has announced three new appointments to its senior management team.

Alan Ellis, Tim Leigh and Andy Smith join the business as Performance Director; Client Services Director; and Head of Projects respectively, at a pivotal moment for the business as CEO, Mark Johnson, explains: "The last two years have been fantastic for Stage One. The London 2012 Olympics firmly established us as world leaders in the design and manufacture of automated control systems for large scale public events.

"We have also developed our use of advanced materials, working on a range of stunning architectural pavilions, most recently completing internal features for Zaha Hadid's extension to London's new Serpentine Sackler Gallery. This included using FRP to manufacture the Zaha Hadid

Royal Visit - The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh are to visit the National Theatre today, as the institution celebrates its 50th birthday. They will be given a backstage tour by outgoing director Sir Nicholas Hytner and watch rehearsals for forthcoming family show Emil and the Detectives. Their visit marks the anniversary of the first performance at the theatre

Peter O'Toole opened the venue on 22 October 1963, playing Hamlet under the eye of founder Sir Laurence Olivier. More than 800 productions have taken place at the venue in the intervening 50 years, including premieres of plays by Tom Stoppard, Peter Shaffer, Harold Pinter, Alan Bennett and David Hare.

During their visit, the Queen and Prince Philip will enjoy a musical number from Guys and Dolls, which was the first musical staged at the National, in 1982. The royal visitors will also visit the props work

UK - Pearce Hire has barely stopped for breath over the busy summer festival season, supplying an impressive array of events for long-standing as well as new customers.

One of those new customers is Loudsound, who contracted Pearce Hire twice over the summer to supply generated power and site lighting on the Field Day Festival in London's Victoria Park, and power distro for the XX's self-curated festival, Night & Day at Hatfield House.

Loudsound is one of the UK's leading independent festival production companies, providing event management across a number of large capacity festivals.

Dan Wilson, site manager for Loudsound at Field Day was impressed by Pearce Hire's detailed tender, competitive pricing and knowledge of how best to manage greenfield festival sites - a particular area of expertise for Pearce Hire.

"We needed to find a new provider for these important se

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