Business

Details
It was announced yesterday that the Dome Europe bid has won the race to take over the Millennium Dome in the new year. The company plans to turn the beleagured venue into a high-tech leisure attraction - based on the theme of Europe. The bid, backed by Japanese finance house Nomura, was widely regarded as the front runner, and the company will assume control of the attraction when the current exhibition closes at the end of this year. The rival bid from the Legacy consortium aimed to turn the dome into a new technology park - create a British version of Silicon Valley. The new attraction will be built by Dome Europe's partners in the bid, Hyper Entertainment, whose credits to date include successful leisure attractions in San Francisco, Berlin and Tokyo. A key attraction of the new Dome will be virtual reality version of the Beatles' Yellow Submarine film, while the BBC has offered to pr

Details
Martin Professional is launching its first national UK Roadshow with a specially equipped 'customised' coach that will tour Martin Preferred Retailers this August and November. The coach, which will feature Martin, JEM and Mach equipment, will offer Preferred Retailers the opportunity to host their own customer open days using the bus as a central feature.

Details
The Association of Theatre Technicians has announced major developments to its well established annual trade show. With a name change to emphasise its identity, ABTT Theatre Show 2001 is expanding the range of products on show to include front of house goods and services including seating, soft furnishings, box office systems, print and publicity, insurance and legal services. The show will be held on 4 and 5 April in the Royal Horticultural Halls, Westminster, London SW1. The newly refurbished Lindley Hall will accommodate front of house exhibits, while the Lawrence Hall will continue to concentrate on backstage services. The organisers hope that as a result of its expansion, the show will attract new visitors from theatre and entertainment building managements, as well as architects, consultants and specifiers.

Details
MAD Lighting has gained an out-of-court legal settlement to stop UK distributor Terralec Ltd importing the Pearl River Tornado - a product which is practically a look-a-like of its own MAD Scan. The settlement followed MAD's decision to register the design for its MAD Scan fixture and, in particular, its plastic casing (reg. 2058915). As a result, Terralec has given an undertaking not to import, sell, and advertise infringing goods in the UK, nor can it infringe the design or assist others to do the same. Full story August L&SI.

Details
The Association of British Theatre Technicians (ABTT) committee has appointed Point Promotions, organiser of the Sound Broadcasting Equipment Show, to manage its show operations. This comes at a time when the physical size and importance of the Show has surpassed the ABTT committee with the organiser, Roger Fox conceding that it is now "very much a full time job" and it can only meet the demands of the industry with professional exhibition management. This announcement follows the news of the show's change of name and widening focus for 2001. The ABTT Theatre Show 2001 will be held at the Royal Horticultural Halls, London, on 4-5 April 2001.

Details
Newly formed distribution company MilTec have been appointed sole distributor for UK and Ireland for the entire Ecler range of mixers, amps and speakers. Ecler is now structured in three different divisions - DJ, Entertainment Sound Systems and Industrial Sound Systems with innovative and competitive product range to suit. The entire product range will be on display at the Plasa 2000 on stand E58.

Details
Geoff Jones of Laser Studio and Illuminatum, has teamed with Dublin-based Kevin McCarthy (AVL) to form a new company, JMC Lighting. The new enterprise will be dedicated to providing an exclusive UK and Irish dealership for the full range of Coef intelligent lighting products and will operate out of both the UK and Eire. AVL has already used an assortment of Coef products for a series of high profile venues in Ireland, including many of Dublin's major recently opened venues.

Details
Celestion loudspeakers have been specified by two competing chains of café bars in Greece; both companies have chosen the same sound design and the same Celestion cabinets. Autocafé and Olé Olé are both embarking on nationwide roll-outs of new cafés across Greece. The Autocafé café chain has begun the programme with a 600-capacity café-bar in Athens and has specified Celestion KR2 and SR cabinets - 14 x SR1 speakers for the interior, 18 x KR2 speakers for the gardens and terrace areas. In contrast, a more conventional design utilising Celestion's club installation products has recently been completed on the island of Kalinos near Rhodes. The brand new 1000-capacity club called Freesound, features ten Celestion CX 1520 and ten CX 1220 cabinets which utilise Celestion's own high power cast chassis drive units and CDX-1 compression drivers.

Details
Sheffield-based Q-Max Professional Audio has decided to discontinue distribution of Opal Audio's range of products. Opal, the company behind the GAE audio range, was surprised by the move, the company's Steve Smith commenting: "The Q-Max decision has come as a shock, particularly in view of the upcoming PLASA exhibition. We had extremely high expectations for a prosperous show in the wake of recent GAE installation successes including, most famously, Volkswagen's multi-million pound Autostadt project in Wolfsburg, Germany." Glyn Baxter, principal of Q-Max Professional Audio, has assured Opal that the decision was based entirely on personal issues, and does not reflect the business relationship between the two companies. As a result, Opal is currently in negotiations to find a new distributor.

Details
The high-profile circus of the Republican National Convention 2000 in Philadelphia, which ended yesterday with George W Bush's nomination as the Republican Presidential candidate, featured an extensive entertainment lighting system, composed mainly of High End Systems fixtures. Lighting designer Bill Klages specified 44 Cyberlight Turbo units, 40 Studio Color 575s, 30 Studio Spots and 40 Dataflash AF-1000 xenon strobes, supplied by the Production Resource Group (PRG), to enhance the stages, seats, ceilings and spectators in what is literally a political arena. Performers during the four-day event have included Jimmie Vaughan and his Tilt-a-Whirl Band, Harold Melvin's Blue Notes, The Delfonics, Jon Secada and Lee Greenwood.

Details
PLASA Exclusive: In a move which aligns DHA's international marketing strategy with its UK business practice, DHA and Rosco have redefined their long-standing marketing agreement. Effective from September 10 - the opening day of PLASA 2000 - the new agreement will enable DHA to market direct its catalogue of 900 plus metal gobo designs and its range of moving effects products, in all countries except North and South America, Canada and Australia, where Rosco maintains its exclusivity. The decision to redefine the partnership, which gave Rosco exclusive worldwide (except UK) marketing rights for DHA gobo designs and moving effects, and DHA the right to market the Rosco images, recognises that design and international business practices have changed dramatically in the 16 years that the two companies have worked together. The gobo design of DHA's business will also continue to devel

Details
Our telephone numbers at PLASA Publishing have changed. The old number - 01323 642639- has now been replaced by a new number - 01323 418400. Callers to the old number will, for the time being, be redirected to the new one automatically. The PLASA office number remains 01323 410335, although each member of staff at head office will now also have a direct line. The fax number for the entire office - 01323 646905 - remains unchanged.

Details
On Wednesday August 2nd, at the idyllic setting of Littlewick Green Cricket Club, Berkshire, Clarion Events (organiser of the PLASA Show) managed to retain the Hayden Laboratories Annual Pro Sound and Lighting Cricket Trophy. This shock result was thanks largely to poor weather and the unbounded generosity of opposition team captains and gentlemen, Simon Curtis (Hayden Laboratories) and Paul DeVille (Lighting Technology), not to mention Clarion's inclusion of some extremely talented individuals who, James Brooks-Ward assured us, do work for Clarion, honestly.This was the second annual competition for the Hayden Laboratories trophy, which Clarion (then P&O Events) won last year. Interest in the event had grown significantly since 1999, so that three teams took part this year - Clarion, Lighting and Sound. Taking the rather damp field were representatives of Hayden Labs, Lighting Technolog

Details
Registration and sponsorships are now being accepted for High End Systems' Third Annual Gary Whittington Memorial Golf Tournament, in conjunction with LDI 2000 in Las Vegas. The shotgun/scramble event tees off at 8am on Thursday 19 October at the Las Vegas Paiute Resort at Snow Mountain, 10325 Nu-Wav Kaiv Blvd. Team prizes will be given, with individual prizes for longest drive men's and longest drive women's, closest to the pin and hole-in-one. If you would like to participate, the cost is $179 per player and deadline for registration is 1 October.

Details
Generale Location has augmented its worldwide presence by establishing a London office. With its head office in Lyon and further offices in Paris, throughout France, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Australia and the Middle East, the company has expanded its impressive product range of temporary structures, exhibition stands, lighting, sound and audio-visual services to include daylight LED display systems with the purchase of 72sq.m of Megascreen, engineered and built by Unitek Displays Ltd. With the system's debut at the 'Bollywood' Film Awards held recently at the Millennium Dome, GL then flew the system to Singapore for the country's National Day Parade Celebrations. The company's UK's sales manager is Anita Tate (née Page), formerly of Screenco and Unitek. This expansion of Generale Location's network of offices takes place simultaneously with one of the company's biggest contracts to date, na

Details
Mackie Designs Inc has completed the purchase of Canadian company Acuma Labs Ltd - a developer of real-time embedded systems for professional audio applications. Acuma specializes in digital signal processors, microprocessors, digital audio effects, analogue and digital software, real-time operating systems, interfaces, and hardware design. "Acuma provides focused digital technology resources to Mackie's engineering group," said Peter Watts, Mackie's executive vice-president of engineering, "enhancing our development of increasingly sophisticated professional audio products".Jamie Engen, Mackie's COO, added: "While not material from a financial standpoint, Acuma's world-class digital software and hardware engineering team does materially strengthen our engineering group. Acuma will help Mackie provide unique and powerful solutions to the professional audio commun

Details
Ehitiki of Cyprus recently provided a Nexo sound system for the BBC Radio One Roadshow live broadcast from The Square in Ayia Napa, Cyprus. The system consisted of six Alpha EMs and B1-18s per side together with two S2s, all controlled by a single NX241 Digital TDController. The broadcast, presented by DJ Dave Pearce featured performances by Dreem Teem, Mikee B, Timmi Magic & Spoony. The collaboration between Ehitiki and the BBC was described as a complete success and future work together for this type of event is looking very likely.

Details
California-based Lumenyte International Corporation, a specialist in the development and manufacture of plastic fibre optic lighting systems, has emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings with the confirmation on 3 August of its Plan of Reorganization. The case was filed after LIC's secured lender, Imperial Bank, declared a default claiming that LIC tangible net worth did not increase at the rate called for under Imperial's loan documents. Imperial subsequently moved for the appointment of a state court receiver which compelled LIC to institute the bankruptcy proceeding. The Board of Directors of LIC decided to institute the proceeding to allow LIC to restructure financial affairs through a plan of reorganization. LIC had approximately $1 million of general unsecured debt, as of the bankruptcy petition date, which was all current within agreed upon terms with LIC's vendors. LIC has

Details
Gearhouse has underlined its expansion by setting up a new base in Bournemouth. The move will enable the company to service both the hotel trade in the seaside town, following the contract it signed recently with De Vere Hotels, in addition to events in mainland Europe. Heading up the new operation is the experienced Chris Eveleigh, whose background includes hotel management, a stint with British Airways and work for the AV and conferencing industries for AVA Europe. Gearhouse project manager Alex Quarterman, who will relocate from the company's Birmingham office, joins him in the new venture.

Details
Vari-Lite International has sold its operations in Madrid to an investment group led by Pablo Galindo Aragon and Sonia Martin, the managers of VLPS Madrid. Terms of the transaction are being kept under wraps, but we understand it includes the sale of Vari-Lite Production Services SL, the company's wholly-owned subsidiary in Madrid, and all the Vari-Lite automated equipment located in Spain and Portugal. Additionally, VLPS Madrid has been appointed a dealer for Vari-Lite International in Spain, Portugal and Northern Africa.

Details
A one-day conference will take place on Saturday 2nd September to celebrate the life and work of theatre architect Frank Matcham and the centenary of his beautifully-restored Gaiety Theatre and Opera House on the Isle of Man. The conference, to be held at the Manx Museum in Douglas, will focus upon the restoration of the Gaiety Theatre and the wider work of Matcham, who, during his amazing career, designed and rebuilt over 160 theatres in the British Isles -London's Palladium, Coliseum and Victoria Palace theatres, the Theatre Royal, Newcastle and the Olympia Liverpool amongst them. Speakers from the world of theatre history and architectural conservation will come together to discuss Matcham's influence. Delegates will also have an opportunity to see a performance of The Corsican Brothers on the Saturday evening, followed by a tour of the Gaiety Theatre on Sunday 3 September.

Details
US-based Total Structures recently delivered and commissioned a 135ft (40m) x 60ft (18m) stage roof and sound wing structure to Kanai Scene Shop, its Japanese distributor. The roof, which has a trim height of 60ft (18m) and a load capacity of 70000lbs (32000kg), was immediately used for a seven-date sell-out tour for the renowned Japanese artist Yamazaki Masayoshi, with each show attracting audiences of around 30000. The purchase of the roof represents the latest step in Kanai's huge commitment to the modern show and theatre market. Kanai has over 100 years of experience in set design and manufacture for the national Kabuki.

Details
Seelite has organised a series of workshops. The first covers the fundamentals of the software programme WYSIWYG. Lars Nissen and Leif Hellberg will introduce participants to WYSIWYG demonstrating how it was used on earlier projects such as the Danish Eurovision Song Contest 2000 and the Danish Grammys 2000. The briefings will take place in Aarhus on Tuesday 3 and Wednesday 4 October and in Copenhagen on Monday 9 and Tuesday 10 October. The company is also organising a rigging course, led by Martin Svane and Martin Corneliussen. Participants will become acquainted with subjects such as suspension of equipment, personal safety, choice and use of gear, and, finally, use of truss systems. The course is mainly theoretical, but includes a few practical features. This takes place on Copenhagen on Wenesday 1 November and Aarhus on Monday 2 November.

Details
On July 1st, Summit Steel left town and relocated from London to new premises near Maidstone, Kent. Company director Jon Bray explained that as a result of the expanding business and the need for a larger distribution centre it was the only sensible option. "The increase in our company activity over the past couple of years led to the need for more storage space for the range of truss and rigging equipment we supply to the industry." However, although the company has chosen to move 'out of town', it will continue to provide a 'London-based' service for its dry hire customers. The new Kent warehouse will be used to supply all Summit's equipment, and is the dispatch point for major productions. The new warehouse capacity is four times greater than the London base, which facilitates faster servicing and turn around of gear.
  1. Electrosonic Opens Fourth US Office
  2. ESTA Standards Announcements
  3. dnp Provides Casino AV Solution
  4. Coloram IIs for Costa Atlantica
  5. Beyer's MCW on Dhow Boat Conference Centre
  6. The Future of Music
Page 463 of 1813

Latest Issue. . .