UK - Laserworld, manufacturer and distributor of show laser systems, is holding a general laser training day in the West Midlands.
Taking place on 14 January 2020 in Solihull from 10am, the training is conceived as a workshop, considering not only laser safety aspects but providing a general overview of how show and event laser light systems are used. There will be technical background information as well as hands-on training with different laser systems. Laser safety will be one aspect included.
This workshop is primarily designed for DJs, smaller production companies and lighting designers. Attendees receive a certificate of participation from the Laserworld Academy that states the contents of the training.
Topics include: Laser Safety - legal aspects, basic physics, technical safety aspects, safe laser operation in public, safe laser control; Setting up a Laser - mounting options, wiring, different setups; Laser Control - different possibilities, programming basics, pros and cons of different control methods; Different perspectives to show laser light systems - learn about different ways of using lasers.
Prior booking is required. The day’s training cots £200 with lunch included. Reservations can be made on www.laserworld-academy.com.
(Jim Evans)

UK - A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET), in conjunction with Luminex, has hosted a number of sell-out network training events specifically for lighting, video and audio professionals.
Held at AC-ET's training facilities in High Wycombe and Leeds, industry experts have been teaching the fundamentals of networking, plus the specifics of networking and data distribution for professional lighting, audio and video applications.
The courses provided the chance to learn more about Luminex products - including the new LumiNode next generation Ethernet to DMX processor and the Araneo software tool that provides a complete graphical overview of a Luminex Gigacore Network.
Application specialists from Luminex led the courses; one focusing on networking for lighting & video and the other on audio applications. Both saw a massive demand throughout the year, with each date selling out within days and generating a long waiting list.
Jack Thompson, technical director at Manchester International Festival, comments: “The course content was very good, with an excellent instructor who knew all about his product and how it works in the real world. He was able to work with people at different levels of competence all at the same time.”
Ian O'Donoghue, head theatre technician at the University of Warwick, comments: “The course was really useful and was set at the right level. I felt very welcome and we were looked after well.”
“We are very happy to be able to work together with Luminex to provide these training courses,” commented N

UK - The Association of Sound Designers has announced the third of their flagship triennial seminar events: The Winter School 2020. It will be held in the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama’s Embassy Theatre.
This is a week-long series of theatre sound related seminars being held Monday 6 to Friday 10 January 2020, including leading industry professionals such as Carolyn Downing, Ben and Max Ringham, Richard Brooker and Scott Willsallen.
The seminars are aimed at undergraduates, recent graduates, apprentices and educators, as well as anyone else looking to expand their knowledge. Admission is free for all students and tutors, as well as ASD, IPS, AMPS and ALD members.
Winter School is also home to the Tech Hub this year. Running alongside the seminars in our main space, the Tech Hub will enable attendees to get hands on experience of the newest sound equipment available from d&b, L’Acoustics, AVID, Shure, Meyer and many more, with representatives there to talk and explain. Evening social events include the popular annual ALD v ASD Pub Quiz.
The last Winter School in 2017 attracted hundreds of attendees from RCSSD, LIPA, Goldsmiths, Rose Bruford, LAMDA, University of Surrey, Queen Mary College and many others.
(Jim Evans)

South Africa - DWR Distribution hosted a Robe Roadshow during the first week of December.
“It has been a while since a product has made such an impact in our market, and both the Esprite and Tetra2 have blown us away,” said Duncan Riley, managing director of DWR. “While the roadshow - hosted in Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg - coincided with the busiest time of the year for many in our industry, we were pleased to demonstrate the fixtures to several key industry players. We were very grateful to those who were able to join us, and for the positive feedback that they gave. A big thank-you to the Roxy Revue Bar at the GrandWest Casino in Cape Town and the Grace Family Church in Durban for hosting us.”
Demonstrations were held on the hour between 10am and 4PM throughout the Roadshow by DWR’s Jannie de Jager and Harry von den Stemmen, international sales director at Robe.
“The enthusiastic response to the new fixtures during the South African Robe Roadshow is in line with what we have experienced on a global scale,” says Harry. “We have just enjoyed what I consider to be the best and most successful LDI ever, as The Tetra2 and Esprite are breaking records. It’s amazing,” he states.
“While many people won’t admit it, LED deteriorates over time, which is something Robe wanted to address,” Harry explains. “We’ve developed the transferable engine for two reasons. Firstly, we wanted to demonstrate our independence as a manufacturer by building the engine in-house. Secondly, the transferable engine enables users to swa

USA - Absen recently carried out the 100th training session of its free, globally-recognised ACE training programme as it welcomed technicians to its North American HQ in Orlando on 3-5 December.
The Absen Certified Engineer (ACE) Programme is aimed at the LED display manufacturer’s partners and customers involved in the installation, configuration and maintenance of Absen products. Since its 2014 inception, more than 1,500 professionals have been certified worldwide, with 518 engineers certified in 2019 alone.
“The goal of an ACE training programme is to teach participants how to set up a complete LED video wall from scratch,” comments Kenny Jin who heads up Absen’s ACE training programme. “Through the training programme, participants are able to master new technologies and develop their skills in this increasingly competitive marketplace. Moreover, it allows our partners to strengthen their customer service abilities and reduce costs by bringing the skills in-house.”
Split across two to three days, the ACE programme course allows engineers, technicians and freelancers to get a first-hand look at Absen’s LED products from the inside out, with instruction focussing on LED set-up, troubleshooting and LED control. At the end of the training course, participants must pass both a written and a practical test in order to be awarded the status of Absen Certified Engineer.
Absen’s ACE training programme is continuously updated to ensure engineers are well-equipped to deal with clients’ demands.
(Jim Evans)

UK - Stage Electrics has announced it is hosting a showcase for lighting, audio, trussing and staging equipment in January in Bristol.
Taking place on 29 January 2020 (Wednesday) at the SS Great Britain, the event is free to attend and will run from 2pm to 7pm, with drinks being served after 5.30pm. Over 20 manufacturers will be in attendance, including leading theatre brands Sennheiser, ETC, DiGiCo and Yamaha.
"This event will be the perfect opportunity for those who work within the industry to see and get hands-on with the latest products. Alongside live demonstrations, there will be three interesting seminars, as well as an exciting pyrotechnics display," says the company. Those wishing to attend can secure free parking if they register for the event by 20 December.

Europe - Over the past five weeks, Bose Professional has hosted Installed Sound Expansion events in 10 cities across Europe and the Middle East. Over 900 dealers, integrators, consultants and end users visited Bose offices and external venues to experience a two-hour showcase of some of the latest audio solutions that are now available.
These events were the culmination of the launch of over 50 new products earlier this year. The Installed Sound Expansion has one goal: to provide consultants and integrators with the components they need to deliver complete systems - from simple, repeatable background music systems, to sound reinforcement, to more complex, networked, and distributed solutions.
To accurately demonstrate how the expanded lines of loudspeakers, amplifiers, processors and controls can provide flexible, full audio solutions for more spaces than ever, the listening experiences were focused around two key verticals, Hospitality and Education. During the sessions, complete audio solutions for small, medium and large installations were carefully explained alongside a wide range of listening experiences.
Guests were able to experience the full and consistent coverage of the new, aesthetically designed DesignMax Premium surface and ceiling loudspeakers as well as the EdgeMax In-Ceiling Premium loudspeaker, the Panaray MSA12X steerable column line array as well as ArenaMatch Utility loudspeakers and MB210 compact subwoofers. Some events also featured demonstrations from the DeltaQ range of ArenaMatch stadium loudspeakers and ShowMatch portabl

UK - The aptly-named GreenHouse at Manchester’s MediaCityUK was the chosen setting for a Green-GO training workshop presented by audio, video and broadcast solutions specialist Canford. As the UK and Ireland’s distributor for the scalable, digital comms system since 2016, Canford has seen demand rise sharply in festivals, live events and broadcast applications.
“The Canford team regularly delivers bespoke, on-site product demonstrations, both for new clients taking their first look at Green-GO, and for those who are already regular users but want to further explore the system’s more advanced possibilities,” explains Erika Dobie, BDM and Green-GO commercial manager at Canford. “Now, with Green-GO experiencing record-breaking demand, the time was right to host the very first UK Workshop event.”
Held on 5 November, the packed workshop session attracted rental partners, consultants, system designers and operators to share their Green-GO experiences and ideas. It also gave them the opportunity to discuss solutions with product experts from Canford, and from Green-GO itself, whose Silvio Cibien and Henk-Jan Blok were on hand to support the event.
As well as giving new clients an overview of the Green-GO system’s basic advantages, the workshop also allowed regular users to take a deeper look at its more advanced features.
“The event has proven to be extremely successful, attracting visitors from far and wide and giving them really valuable insights into the benefits of the Green-GO system,” says Erika Dobie. “I am already being

UK - The market value of the UK entertainment technology industry has grown by an estimated 5% in the past 12 months, according to PLASA research.
This puts the industry’s value at £1.36bn in 2018/19, up from £1.30bn in 2017/18. The sectors with the largest growth include architecture, broadcast and corporate events, which are valued at £250m, £220m and £160m respectively.
Only a third of the businesses surveyed expect the industry to grow in 2019/20 however, the main concern being how and when the UK will exit the European Union.
The full report, which follows on from PLASA’s comprehensive industry research released in 2018, details sector by sector performance, investment in marketing and R&D, and the future outlook for the industry.
“We are delighted to offer this important resource,” comments PLASA managing director, Peter Heath. “It provides vital insight for business planning, budgeting and benchmarking performance - I encourage all businesses to download the full report.”
He adds: “Whilst it’s great to see that the industry has performed so well over the last year, we are clearly looking towards a period of uncertainty as Brexit looms over the sector. PLASA will continue to support our members to the fullest extent that we can.”
The 2019 PLASA industry research report is available to download free of charge to PLASA members or £500+VAT for non-members. For more information, visit <

UK - Live event production educational facility Backstage Academy has signed a new partnership agreement with professional loudspeaker manufacturer KV2 Audio.
KV2 Audio, whose R&D and manufacturing base is in the Czech Republic, has worked informally with the academic institution, based at Production Park in Wakefield, for the past two years, providing equipment for student-led events on an ad hoc basis and presenting seminars.
“These seminars are always well received,” says Tom Weldon, who is in charge of UK sales. “We have an exclusively point source approach to loudspeaker design and are proud to be able to present this approach to the technicians of the future. We strongly believe this is the best way to reproduce the original source, and in a market that is dominated by alternative designs it’s important that students are exposed to all options. We try not to blind people with the technology side, but instead encourage them to really use their ears and from that starting point, it’s surprising how quickly they begin to understand our philosophy and approach.”
In their engagement with the Academy, KV2 has provided a ‘tool kit’ of products, enabling students to create a six-way monitor mix via the passive ESM26 and ESM12 alongside a portable plug and play FOH system with the active EX series, offering complete reconfigurability that can be set-up by individual students quickly and easily.
In sharing close geographical proximity to Wakefield - KV2’s UK headquarters are in Harrogate - the other benefit of partnering wit

UK - Music industry charity Music Support has partnered with 10 companies and organisations to train industry professionals in mental health first aid (MHFA).
The drive has been prompted by an in-house initiative led by the charity in 2018, when it invested in MHFA training for its own staff and volunteers.
Music Support will work with The Event Safety Shop (TESS), a live event production safety service; industry charities Help Musicians and The BRIT Trust - the charitable arm of BPI; PLASA; The Association of Independent Festivals (AIF); Production Park; Backstage Academy; PSA and its benevolent fund, Stage Hand; and Thrive: Mental Wellbeing - an NHS-endorsed app designed to help people combat stress.
Matt Thomas, Music Support’s co-founder and chair of trustees, comments: “MHFA training is becoming a priority for businesses across many industries and sectors, both nationally and internationally. We’ve received a lot of support and encouragement from partners about the prospect of Music Support delivering training, and MHFA England [the only provider of licensed mental health first aid instructor training in England] is currently campaigning for the Government to put mental and physical health on an even footing. This is gaining traction from politicians and is likely to become an area of statutory responsibility for employers in the future. Now is the time for our industry to get in ahead of the curve.”
He adds: “Ultimately, we’d like this initiative to be an industry-wide adoption of good practice which will significantly imp

UK - Wakefield’s cathedral staged the official ceremony for 74 Backstage Academy (BA) students who graduated recently.
Students had their various production degrees conferred by Dr. Sue Duncan, assistant Vice chancellor and registrar, University of Bolton (with whom Backstage Academy is partnered).
They were also honoured by their various course leaders as they prepared to leave academia and enter the production world. Johnny Goodwin (Live Events Production), Graham Thorne (Live Visual Design & Production) and Claire Porter (Stage & Production Management) in turn accoladed their respective students as they filed up to the stage.
As Goodwin put it, “It’s always a great occasion to meet the families. They shake your hand and thank you for the guidance once they can see there is a job at the end of it, and that [students] are not simply running away to the circus.” And many have already found full-time employment within the industry.
The Ceremony also saw Backstage Academy’s first Honorary Fellowship conferred on Ash Nehru, co-founder of Disguise (formerly d3 Technologies) one of Backstage Academy’s enduring industry partners. Nehru was awarded the inaugural fellowship in recognition of his inspirational work and dedication to innovating the field of visual design and technology integration.
“We are delighted that 75% graduated with a first or 2:1. Our partnership with BA provides unique opportunities and conversion rates are high,” stated Dr. Duncan in her address. “Backstage Academy has earned a reputation as a

UK - Audio visual production supplier SFL is running a series of courses, inviting anyone working in the audio industry to attend.
These include a Yamaha Networked Audio Systems workshop, DiGiCo SD consoles training, Midas PRO Series consoles training day, and an Introduction to Live Audio For Church.
Harvey Appleton, SFL project manager who is also one of the course teachers, comments: “We believe that education is vital and running these courses is a great way for SFL to share its knowledge with the industry and we find it extremely rewarding. This is why we have developed a range of courses that focus around the equipment we use most frequently and subjects, such as live audio for churches, where which we know can be challenging, particularly for those that don’t have years of experience.”
The Yamaha workshop is an opportunity to get hands-on with the latest Yamaha equipment, covering a broad set of important industry skills, from networking and Dante to console operation and integration with a variety of Dante products, whilst the DiGiCo SD and Midas training provide an introduction for sound engineers and system technicians wanting to get up to speed on the equipment.
The Introduction to Live Audio for Church course is suitable for beginners as well as for experienced engineers who want to brush up on their skills and plug knowledge gaps. It is also designed for volunteer church tech operators, ministers or church staff who may occasionally have to operate audio equipment, as well as musicians or worship leaders se

Belgium - With more than 45 AV Stumpfl media servers as part of their rental stock - all of which are updated to run the latest version of the Pixera system - AED Display has become the world's largest provider of AV Stumpfl media server systems.
In addition to offering the new Pixera servers as a rental product to their customers, AED Display has organised and successfully conducted multiple Pixera training sessions in Belgium since ordering additional servers at this year's ISE exhibition in Amsterdam.
AED Display managing director Thierry Heldenbergh explains the importance of providing training sessions in addition to the hardware itself: "Compared to other systems out there, Pixera is still the new kid on the block. This has many advantages and also brings some challenges. The advantage is that we can be among the first companies worldwide to offer a new media server system that presents users with a ground-breaking new usability approach. The challenge is the knowledge transfer process. By empowering our customers, we create a win-win situation."
AED Display's media server rental stock includes Pixera mini, Pixera one, Pixera two, and AV Stumpfl RAW servers for uncompressed playback.
Product manager Dave Vos comments, "It's not like there is no diversity in the media server market. So one could ask, why another new system? The reason why Pixera is appealing to many users has to do with the user interface. The same mechanisms apply to multiple workflow scenarios. It's also a great feeling for our customers to be able to join a growing com

USA - Global design and BIM software provider Vectorworks has announced open registration for its fifth Vectorworks Design Summit.
From 22-24 April 2020 in San Diego, California at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa, design professionals, educators and students in the architecture, landscape and entertainment industries will have the opportunity to attend industry workshops, product training for all levels of expertise, keynotes, networking opportunities and a customer appreciation party.
“This is our first time hosting the Design Summit on the West Coast, and we look forward to the networking opportunities, training workshops and events we’ve planned for attendees in beautiful San Diego,” comments Vectorworks director of channel operations, Tara Grant. “With the resort’s numerous activities and this year’s speakers, we know everyone will have the perfect mix of business and pleasure. Most importantly, they’ll obtain inspirational takeaways and lessons from the Summit structured to enhance and develop their design careers.”
From now until 31 December, attendees can register with early bird pricing for just $499. Plus, with each paid registration, attendees can buy a second registration at half price. Attendees who book a hotel room by 30 November will receive a $25 SWAG store gift card.
This year sees the introduction of two exclusive training courses: Basecamp for Spotlight Users and Basecamp for Architect & Landmark Kick off the Design Summit with eight hours of in-depth training for a $200 discount off the normal price

USA - With just less than a month to go until LDI 2019, organisers have announced they expect record attendance and participation in this year’s events.
LDI runs from 18-24 November at the Las Vegas Convention Centre, starting with the LDInstitute and LDIntensives sessions and LiveXperience Symposium, culminating in the exhibit hall tradeshow from Friday 22 to Sunday 24 November.
“We’re thrilled that this year’s LDI Show looks set to be the most well-attended yet, bringing the global live production community from over 80 countries to Las Vegas to share ideas, exhibit and do business,” says LDI's managing director, David Johnson. “Our registration process shows us that people are coming from a wide range of international live and broadcast venues - festivals, corporate events, theatre, concerts, clubs, theme parks, architainment, and houses of worship. LDI has more to offer than ever, to more people than ever.”
LDI 2019 will expand its focus with emphasis on the next generation of design and technology, including AR/VR, drones, live for broadcast, and experiential design. The move will make LDI the place to discover what’s hot and what’s next and what it means for the industry.
This will be in addition to LDI’s ongoing commitment to the core live event categories of lighting, staging, video, and sound, and the awards ceremonies that take place during the week.
The LDI Debuting Products and Booth Awards Ceremony is back for 2019 and will be presented on the show floor at the end of the day on Saturday 23 November, i

South Africa - DWR Distribution is inviting interested parties and companies to attend an L-Acoustics demo on Tuesday, 29 October in Durban.
Taking place at the Glenridge Church in Stamford Hill, the free event will run between 12:00 and 15:00, with a focus on the L-Acoustics Kiva II and the A15 (Wide & Focus). Those wishing to attend should register at dwrdistribution.co.za/register/l-acousticsdurban.

South Africa - Audinate and its local partner, Stage Audio Works, are offering free certified Dante Level 3 training courses in South Africa at the end of October. The two-day courses will be lead by Audinate’s Kieran Walsh and will take place in the distributor’s Johannesburg and Cape Town offices on 29-30 October and 31 October – 1 November respectively.
Dante Level 3 training is an advanced level course aimed at those who have already been using the networking protocol and want to gain more insight and knowledge in setting up and managing larger Dante-enabled systems. Building on what has already been learnt in previous Dante training sessions, the Level 3 course delves deeper into various advanced networking concepts, mixed-use networks, networking best practices and troubleshooting techniques.
“Dante is the networking protocol of choice for audio professionals all over the world, whether they work in live, AV or broadcast, so a high-level understanding of how you can get the best out of it is vital for your career,” said Nathan Ihlenfeldt, technical director at Stage Audio Works. “We have worked closely with Audinate over the years to bring all three levels of Dante certification training to South Africa. As with all the educational events that we host, we have had excellent feedback from our Dante classes in the past and we are sure these courses will prove to be beneficial for our students.”
Stage Audio Works’ marketing manager, Shaun Xavier added: “Empowerment is one of our core values here at Stage Audio Works, and we are

Germany - The Laserworld Academy is holding an LSO-certified laser safety officer seminar in Munich in January 2020, with more dates set to be announced shortly.
The organisation holds events dedicated to laser safety and the training and education of Laser Safety Officers across Europe. This upcoming seminar, to be held in English at the Leonardo Hotel Munich City South, addresses regulations in Germany which require a laser safety officer (Laserschutzbeauftragter) to take responsibility of any laser system class 3R, 3B or 4 that is used. It is suitable for those utilising lasers in trade and for show/display applications, as well as for industrial purposes.
The contents of the LSO seminars meet the requirements of the German legal framework for laser use (OStrV and TROS) and base on the international regulatory IEC 60825-1. Upon successful completion, participants qualify as Laserschutzbeauftragter for work with laser systems in Germany.
“The more diverse the society gets, and the more companies work all across Europe and worldwide, the more demand came up for those specific Laser Safety Officer Seminars in English language for the German market,” explains Norbert Stangl, CMO of the Laserworld Group and head of the Laserworld Academy. “We can definitely see the demand for this kind of certification and have therefore scheduled the first dates for 2020.”
Further details and reservations are ava

The Netherlandsd - Amate Audio Benelux / Imagination AV is holding a two-day showcase in Rotterdam this month.
On 10 October, the company will run a comprehensive demo of its new X212AF line array at Onderzeebootloods, a 5,000 capacity venue on the former site of the EDM Submarine Wharf. Amate Audio Xperience will demo the new X2121AF line array and X218WF sub systems, with vice-president and chief technical officer Joan Amate giving an overview presentation of the systems.
On 12 October, attendees will be taken to the Dagvlinder Festival, where the same system provides the Main Stage sound, with a second system of eight-a-side NÍTID N208 line array elements and 12x N18W subs on the Jack’s House stage. More details on attending are available from the company's Facebook page.
The X2121AF line array has V-shape geometry, totally phase linear line array, with a 2x 12”, 4x 6” MF and dual 3” HF transducer configuration and proprietary acoustic design features - including the ABS mid-phase plugs, all-new HF waveguide and sonically transparent 1.5mm speaker grille - the X212AF incorporates discrete 3-way power channels with independent limiters (with differing time constants), and multi-channel DSP system management via Amate Audio’s Active+ integrated power and control platform.
The X218WF is a matched 5000 W X218WF sub system, loaded with 2 x 18” LF neodymium drivers with 4” double-layer voice coils in a compact bass reflex de

UK - PLASA has launched the National Lifting Event Training (NELT), a training programme for production technicians who use lifting equipment during event production.
Designed in conjunction with the Live Event Production Group with the aim of improving safe working practices of lifting operations, NELT is currently available at UK Rigging in Bolton and Production Services (PSI) in Northern Ireland, with more approved centres expected to offer the programme in 2020.
Nicky Greet, PLASA’s director of membership, skills & technical, comments: “PLASA is pleased to offer this national training for production technicians that has been developed in collaboration with industry professionals on PLASA’s Live Event Production group. The aim of NELT is to standardise good practice and knowledge, making work environments safer and more efficient for all those involved.”
The course will take place across three days under the guidance of expert trainers in specialist facilities. Trainees will complete a series of practical activities and receive guidance on how to establish cohesive and safe working partnerships with NRC riggers. Upon successful completion, candidates will receive a certificate and a listing on the PLASA website.
To enrol, please visit www.plasa.org/nelt. Experience of working in the live events or broadcast industries is recommended but not essential.
NELT is the latest addition to PLASA’s

UK - KV2 Audio has announced a partnership with RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Art) to support the training of young students in theatre sound production. KV2 has provided a range of EX Series loudspeakers to equip RADA’s Jerwood Vanbrugh and Gielgud theatres, and will also offer masterclasses on sound design and the use of point source technology in a theatre environment.
Steve Mayo, RADA’s head of sound, comments: “These partnerships are the life-blood of hands-on training for our students. I am very eager for our sound students to have the opportunity, not only to work with high quality, modern equipment, but also to meet the people behind it. The support we’ve had from KV2 has been invaluable in paving the way for this partnership, from our initial conversations at ABTT in June through to them organising for all our students to have a proper demo of the full KV2 range at PLASA last month.”
Mayo recalls that his decision to approach KV2 was sparked initially by well-known theatre sound designer, Richard Brooker, when he came in to talk to the students about working on musicals and mentioned that KV2 had become an important part of his designs. He was further prompted by the fact that Autograph Sound (with whom RADA already has a close relationship) are an important KV2 user, a fact endorsed by Autograph sound designer, Avgoustas Psillas.
“We were lucky enough to get Avgoustos in to mentor to our sound design students when we were preparing for our musical production during the last summer term, and he was very complimentary about KV

UK - Industry electrical expert and LSi columnist James Eade has announced the October dates for his recently-launched accredited training programme, BS 7909 Temporary Power for the Events Industry.
The course has been fully updated to align it with current industry guidance and standards. It is the only course James Eade is associated with and not offered by any other provider.
BS 7909 is taking place across three days on 21-23 October at the Whatlington Village Hall, East Sussex TN33 0NE. There are still a couple of spaces left to book for this sesion, with further events scheduled by the end of the year - more details are available on  www.eade.uk.com/training.
Pearce Hire is also hosting a series of standards update courses at its HQ in Peterborough. This course is an accredited one-day course that takes the candidate through the latest industry-relevant changes to BS 7671:2018 as well as the new IET generator guidance. Also covered are updates to event industry lightning guidance as well as the ABTT Technical Standards for Places of Entertainment. The next course is on 25 October with more in November.
(Jim Evans)

Germany - Over 250 guests were in attendance throughout the nine-day Ambion Digital Jungle open-house event. Attendees enjoyed an hour-long sensory journey of innovative installations focused on tracking, immersive interactivity, sensor technology, realtime control and reactive, generative content using BlackTrax, disguise and Notch.
Ambion is a full-service provider that plans and produces technology for concerts, sports events, trade shows and congresses around the globe.
The company recently held open house days where they invited selected clients, partners, innovation agencies and event planners to attend. The Digital Jungle demonstrations focused on technology and its application in a live event scenario.
OBJ.Studio the Ambion design department has been trying some interesting light and media tech projects in Berlin. The last one was a smart installation with curved LEDs. It was a collaboration with another design studio and 22 digital artists from all over the world.
“Ambion has a BlackTrax Lab. Here employees from different departments come together and experimenting with the system. So, we build knowledge together and find creative new ways and solutions for clients and upcoming projects,” says Jo Rychlik, creative director & head of OBJ.Studio Berlin.
Ambion received their training directly from CAST Software at their headquarters in Kaufungen. They purchased their own system as well, going along with their brand of owning their own equipment to have ownership over their projects.
The plans for Amb