PLASA 2018 to open doors this weekend
- Details
Audio heavyweights L-Acoustics, Bose and Yamaha, and lighting pioneers Robe, DTS, ETC and Philips will all be present on the show floor and the seminar programme promises to deliver in-depth sessions across a wide range of topics.
Product highlights
Elation will be showcasing the Smarty Hybrid, their new LED lighting fixture. MA Lighting is showcasing its grandMA3 lighting console. Robe is launching a new product as well as showing its RoboSpot Multi Device Control. Robert Juliat will reveal new additions to its Dalis range. Prolight Concepts is bringing the all-weather Endura and Evora series from elumen8, and ignify (formerly Philips Entertainment Lighting) is lighting up their stand with their LED VL800 Beamline.
L-Acoustics and d&b audiotechnik will focus on immersive audio, demoing L-ISA and Soundscape respectivelty. Peavey Commercial Audio is bringing along the Crest Audio Versarray PRO VR112 line array, and RCF Spa will unleash the latest members of the TT family.
Green Hippo is releasing Hippotizer 4.4 software; Laserworld is showcasing the revised DS-1000RGB Diode series; Epson is bringing along their powerful EB-1755U laser projector; Artistic Licence is launching daliGate Quad for lighting controls, and BroadWeigh are unveiling their Advanced Handheld device.
Creative lighting and insightful stories
Respected lighting designer Rob Halliday will present Giudizio Universale - Michelangelo and the Secrets of the Sistine Chapel (see LSi June 2018), revealing details from this stunning €9m immersive production. Another magical seminar comes in the form of Creating The Tempest, which welcomes the Royal Shakespeare Company to discuss the innovative digital technologies used in their recent production.
In Drama Beyond the Stage, 59 Productions will explain how their combination of new technology and good, old fashioned storytelling techniques help to scale up highly dramatic and narrative experiences, bringing their work out of theatres and venues and out into public spaces.
Back by popular demand is a panel of festival veterans. This seasoned crew of lighting designers and front of house engineers will lift the lid on the realities of an artist changeover during festival season and how unique and surprising challenges are overcome.
Audio & AV
Audio experts Britannia Row Productions are hosting a series of seminars. As well as outlining their training courses and running a demonstration of speaker system prediction software, they will discuss the future of immersive audio. Additionally, legendary sound engineer Simon Hodge will build a mix from scratch using a multitrack recording.
Holoplot will explore wave field synthesis for 3D sound applications and challenging acoustic environments, going beyond theory to produce real world products and scalable solutions. In More Art, Less Noise, Oran Burns from d&b audiotechnik will look at recent advancements in sound system design which has improved off-site noise for outdoor events and festivals.
Audinate return with their popular Dante training, providing a taste and answering frequently asked questions which arise when designing and deploying a Larger Dante network. More AV offerings come from Genio Kronauer of L-Acoustics, and Henning Kaltheuler of d&b audiotechnik as they present an introduction of Milan, the new application layer protocol for future-proof AV networks.
Hands-on training
ChamSys and Zero-88 are on hand with practical training sessions on their lighting consoles, and Sennheiser is hosting workshops for their Speechline Digital Wireless System.
Aspiring riggers can take advantage of the all new Rigging Area where they can get to grips with terminations, knots, assembly and lifting in a designated area equipped with professional equipment under the trained eye of experienced riggers.
Rigging, Production & Structures Theatre
New for this year is a dedicated Rigging, Production and Structures Theatre which will offer free-to-attend content throughout the show. Highlights include Simple Rigging Calculations, Aerial Forces, Assumptions about Automations, Load Monitoring and Ask the Expert.
Audio demonstrations
Throughout the entire show visitors can immerse themselves in live audio demos from renowned manufacturers. KV2 Audio, Shermann, OHM, RCF and Aura Audio will be demonstrating their latest loudspeakers, monitors, subs, line arrays and amplifiers.
Bite sized business sessions
At the Fast Track Theatre, visitors can 'cut their business teeth and up their marketing game', says PLASA. Shéa Bennett from Identity will reveal how to add magic to your next live event, Darryn de la Soul from Soulsound will show you how to set up a small business and John Schwab from Curtain Call will emphasise the importance of networking.
Recognising pioneering products and influential developers
The jewels in PLASA Show’s crown are the PLASA Awards for Innovation which celebrate the most forward-thinking product designs. The awards, organised in association with LSi, will be presented on the Monday evening of the show with all entries available to view throughout the show at the Innovation Gallery.
PLASA MD Peter Heath comments: “PLASA Show has come a long way, and last year’s 40th anniversary confirmed that we are on the right track, carving a path for the live entertainment technology industry. PLASA Show has its gaze firmly fixed on the future and is excited to share many innovative technologies at the show.
“We look forward to welcoming thousands of visitors over the three days and are confident that they will be equally dazzled and inspired.”
