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UK - Shure has announced details of its 2021 pro audio roadshow. The company previously committed to free training and continued education for the live performance, production, AV rental, film and location sound professionals, as the industry gets back on its feet.
The pro audio roadshow is an extension of support to the industry after a challenging past 18 months. The team will be visiting several different locations across the country to offer some hands-on experience with Shure systems and face to face time with the Shure experts. The roadshow will offer refresher training on RF, answer any questions about equipment or wireless training and a general overview of the new product launches over the last 18 months, including new additions to the Axient Digital family and Wavetool software.
Stuart Moots, director pro audio comments: “The team are all looking forward t

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UK - The Roadie Cookbook: Toured There, Ate That is a new charity publication created by live music crew members with the mission of funding Mental Health First Aid training for every tour bus in the UK.
Borne out of an idea by production manager Nick Gosling (Nile Rodgers & Chic) in April 2020, the project was curated with friends production coordinator Julie Cotton (Massive Attack), production assistant Athena Caramitsos and backline tech Rich House (Elbow). The team set out to help their peers re-engage in the much-missed mealtime connection of crew catering by sharing recipes over social media and Zoom.
When the devastation of Covid-19 hit, live music stopped overnight, and tour buses stood still. While almost every venue in the world closed, home kitchens became the new catering hub for unemployed music workers. As stories of memorable meals and secre
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Vaccination Proof - Delfont Mackintosh Theatres has become the second major theatre group to require audience members to show proof of vaccination before seeing a show. The company follows Ambassador Theatre Group in introducing the requirement, after all social-distancing measures were lifted.
DMT owns eight West End theatres, including the Novello, the Noël Coward, the Sondheim and the Prince Edward Theatre. The company states on its website: “As capacity restrictions are lifted, we ask that all audience members bring with them proof of double vaccination, a recent negative lateral flow test or natural immunity.”
Audience members providing “proof of full vaccination” can do so through the NHS App. Those without both vaccinations are able to “present proof of a negative lateral flow test”, either via the NHS App or from a text message, and this test must

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UK - SES is moving from its Datchet base to a new facility in Colnbrook. Having continuously expanded over the last few years, SES has taken the decision to move to much larger facilities which will enable the company to expand further over the next few years.
“Our new home enables us to have all our manufacturing, design and production under one roof,” says group director Gordon Cooper, “and allows us to continue to develop industry leading products and facilitate customers’ requirements in a more efficient manner.
“The space that we will have will allow us to purchase our third CNC router, increase the number of production staff and increase stock holding of raw and finished goods. We will also have a separate R&D workshop, which allows us to increase the capacity of our already large test and inspect facility.”
SES is planning open house days c

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UK - Gravity Media, provider of live broadcast facilities and production services to content owners, creators and distributors – has made further significant investment into its real-time communication systems for live event broadcasts. The new equipment meets increased demand for Gravity Media’s services, particularly for live sports. It will initially support a project with long-time client, UEFA European Soccer League, before being made available to other customers worldwide.
The purchase includes 20 new V-Series Iris Panels, in addition to Gravity Media’s existing Clear-Com Eclipse HX Digital Matrix within their London facility, as well as Station-IC Virtual Desktop Client licenses. The Station-IC client will enable Gravity Media’s expert technical teams to create a completely scalable intercom user station, which includes talkback both on desktop and for working

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Qatar - Creative Technology (CT) has supported its clients with AV technology across various events in Qatar for over a decade and continues to provide technical advice and show-stopping event experiences in the region.
This year marks the 10th anniversary since CT opened its first Qatar office in the heart of City West Bay in Doha.
Although CT have been delivering projects in Qatar as early as 2001 out of its UK facility, it was realised in 2011 that having a local office and warehouse would make CT’s services, skilled engineers and event technology easily accessible to clients in the region.
Irum Ashraf, CT Qatar general manager, comments, “Within the first year of opening, the success of our organic growth saw CT Qatar move from our first warehouse in Al Rayyan with three full-time employees to a 14000sqf.t space in Logistics Village with over 14 full-ti

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Taiwan - Seapower Technology has partnered with Renkus-Heinz to strengthen the company’s loudspeaker offerings in the Taiwan market.
“We are very happy about this strategic partnership with Seapower, a highly recognised company that is excited and passionate about high quality audio solutions,” said Karan Kathuria, director - sales and business development. “We are sure this collaboration will enable the best support, education, and training for end-users, integrators, and system designers across various business verticals in Taiwan.”
Based in Foothill Ranch, California, Renkus-Heinz has a global presence in permanent installations at auditoriums, transit centres, sports venues, houses of worship and musical performance venues as well as in the concert touring industry.
“We’re extremely excited to partner with Renkus-Heinz,” said Douglas Chang, MD

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Europe - In view of the ongoing COVID-19 situation worldwide, Showlight has decided to further postpone the lighting quadrennial in its traditional form. Showlight chairman, John Allen, explains the reasons behind the decision:
“The Showlight committee has been reviewing the current state of our industry and the effects of the COVID pandemic on employment in many of our theatres, conference centres, touring venues, and within our manufacturing and servicing companies. We have also considered the difficulties and unpredictability of travel bans, quarantining and the effect of Brexit, and none of our conclusions are encouraging.
“As a result, we have reluctantly decided that a traditional Showlight in 2022 at Fontainebleau is not viable in any form so a further postponement will be necessary, and we will reconsider our options for Showlight 2023 next Spring, ideally

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UK - Fourier Audio is a new company that aims to bring cinematic audio to live audiences with a set of new audio processing tools. Fourier Audio is one of eight of the University of Southampton’s most promising start-ups that unveiled technologies ‘to make the world smarter, safer and more sustainable’ as part of the Future Worlds Founders Cohort.
It has been created by multi-Olivier award-winning sound designer, Gareth Owen, acoustical engineering postgraduate student, Henry Harrod, and lighting designer and software engineer, Peter Bridgman.
Henry says: “Fourier Audio is reinventing the tools used by sound designers on live productions, enabling them to create amazing new sonic worlds and revolutionise the audience’s listening experience. While live events have the most electric atmosphere, so often there simply isn’t the same immersive and mesmerising au

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USA - Burbank-based Volt Lites has marked another first with Claypaky lighting products, becoming the first company in the US to acquire a complement of Claypaky’s ReflectXion Moving Mirrors. Previously, Volt Lites was the first in the country with Claypaky Mini-B lighting fixures.
ReflectXion is a compact moving mirror that allows users to bend and shape light without ever losing it: It redirects beams of light from any stage light with the same intensity as it receives them.
“ReflectXion is a unique piece of technology; we haven’t seen anything like it in a long time,” says Harrison Lippman, co-founder with Matt Shimamoto of Volt Lites. “We felt that ReflectXion would be a very interesting and creative new tool to offer our clients.”
ReflectXion offers 540º pan and continuous tilt movement at adjustable speeds. Its mirror is the same on both sides

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UK - Recently launched UK manufacturer Optimal Audio has announced the appointment of distributors in China, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam.
Optimal Audio, part of the Focusrite Group, manufactures a one-stop solution of control, amplification and loudspeakers for small to medium sized commercial installations, with a focus on supporting multi-zoned venues.
Newly established Guangzhou Guidance will distribute the brand in China. With team members who have considerable experience of the Chinese audio industry, the Guangzhou-based company has quickly established a dealer network across the country, and sees big potential in promoting Optimal Audio to the education and conference sector, as well as the broader markets of hospitality and retail.
In Thailand, Bangkok-based ProPlugin is an established company with a strong dealer channel network supported by a varie

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UK - Global event specialist, The Spendlove Group has announced the launch of THE Production TEAM. The new company will combine the skills and expertise that exist within the group to deliver a global event recruitment business.
Launched as the event industry makes a welcome return, THE Production TEAM will offer ‘a myriad of recruitment services to event management companies, venues and production houses operating within film & TV, events and theatre’. Offering complete transparency for both clients and freelancers with competitive rates of pay, all candidates will be vetted, pre-qualified and selected to fill job vacancies globally.
For UK clients interested in its contract recruitment services THE Production TEAM will renumerate employees, including sickness and holiday payments. This will also be the case in the Middle East, but the company will also faci

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UK - Having enjoyed a friendly business relationship for some time, Artistic Licence and Global Design Solutions (GDS) have announced that they will be working together more closely following the appointment of GDS as VAR for Artistic Licence products in the UK.
Bristol based lighting solutions provider, GDS, has over 15 years of experience working with architectural buildings and venues. With a focus on the use of innovative products to bring the best of LED lighting to new spaces, the company's interests are closely aligned with those of Artistic Licence.
GDS managing director Richard Cuthbert comments, "We find ourselves increasingly specifying Artistic Licence products. We are working through a lot of commercial projects where the AL range is really helping us provide some great solutions. It's pleasing that we can continue our support for Artistic Licence as a va

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Hardest Hit - Music, performing and visual arts has been the creative sector hardest hit by the pandemic – losing 80,000 jobs and an estimated £4bn in gross value added for the UK economy, according to new data.
Before the pandemic, music, performing and visual arts contributed £10.6bn in GVA and employed 314,000 people. However, new data from Oxford Economics, published in a report by the Creative UK Group, estimates that these sectors have lost 39% of GVA, equating to a loss of £4bn to the UK economy. According to the report, music, performing and visual arts have also lost 26% of jobs – 80,000 – due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The creative industries as a whole – made up of nine sub-sectors also including film, tv, video, radio and photography; design; architecture; and museums, galleries and libraries – are estimated to have lost nearly £12bn in GVA, wi

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Europe - ISE @ London marked the final stop for ISE Live and Online, a series of events created to ‘bring the AV community together and look towards building a brighter future’.
Mike Blackman, managing director of Integrated Systems Events, said: “It’s been an incredibly challenging 18 months for events. Thankfully, at ISE, we have an amazing team and like so many in our industry, we wanted to keep pushing forward. I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved with ISE Live & Online – 3,000 in-person visitors to the live events and the debut of ISE Digital a rich content resource which will remain accessible for months to come – it’s not been an easy ride, but we did it and we did it for the right reasons.”
ISE @ London welcomed visitors across two days to experience in-person networking in a safe environment and feedback has been positive.

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UK - On Saturday 4 September, a group of industry professionals will band together for BikeFest, a fundraising bike ride from SFL’s headquarters in Reading to PLASA Show at Olympia London. BikeFest aims to raise funds for industry charities and mark the return of live events and entertainment following 18 months of unparalled challenge. 

The organisers of BikeFest are calling for fellow cyclists to sign up and follow them on one of two routes: a relaxed 40-mile ride direct to London via flat roads and cycle paths, or a more strenuous 80-mile ride traversing the Surrey Hills. The two routes will cater for all levels of cyclists, from casual and commuting cyclists to serious road bikers. London-based cyclists are also invited to join for the last leg through the capital. 

All money raised will go

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UK - Amplifier manufacturer Marshall has built a recording studio next to their Milton Keynes factory in the UK. “This has been a passion project for the Marshall crew,” said commercial director Alex Coombes, “our ambition was to build a versatile and flexible commercial multimedia facility to serve the modern entertainment market, and at the same time to promote young talent and give something back to the artist and producer community.”
The spacious new-build facility is on the site of an old theatre, adjacent to the Marshall factory. The live room has a stage with lighting and PA, along with an artist green room, bar and reception area – with the large recording control room featuring a 40-channel vintage Neve 8048 console. The self-contained studio has the benefit of ample parking in front and a ready supply of Marshall amps and Natal drums.
Producer Chri

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France - Gaetan Byk is now the principal and majority shareholder in charge of Amadeus, the Paris-based manufacturer of high-end audio equipment. Michel Deluc, who co-founded the original Amadeus brand with Bernard Byk 30 years ago, has created many of the company’s speaker designs and remains at Amadeus to lead specific design and manufacturing projects.
“For many years, my mission has been to find a space for Amadeus, a unique place where technological innovations with arts and crafts, combine and complement each other,” states Gaetan Byk. “I think we need to go where our main competitors cannot, do not know how to, or do not want to go. Designing tailor-made solutions, responding to existing architectural, acoustic, and technical constraints have been our areas of expression for a long time. Over the past few years, some rather out-of-the-norm products were bor

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UK - The Association of Lighting Designers (ALD) has voted to change its name to the ALPD - the Association for Lighting Production and Design.
The new title “demonstrates both the association’s breadth of membership and its appreciation of every lighting role in the design and production process”. The change is effective immediately and comes after ALD members voted in favour of it during a general meeting held on 17 July.
Johanna Town, chair of the organisation, explains: “While the ALD, which was founded 60 years ago for lighting designers, has for some time included production electricians, programmers, lighting managers, assistant electricians, associate designers, lighting educators and students, hire companies and manufacturers, we never acknowledged it in our name. It’s a real celebration of the association’s 60th year that our name now f

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Blunt Instrument - Future performances of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella have been cancelled, with the composer blaming the “blunt instrument that is the government’s isolation guidance”. Lloyd Webber said “Freedom Day has turned into closure day” as he announced the decision not to open the musical, which was due to have its press night on 19 July and a gala performance on 20 July. It follows the cancellation of two shows at the weekend, which Lloyd Webber said had been a "precautionary measure".
Producers have not yet indicated when Cinderella will return, however a spokeswoman for the show said: "It’s hard to see a route forward under current rules, but we will do everything else we can to come back as soon as possible."
Lloyd Webber said that, despite negative test results following one cast member testing positive, he had been forced

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UK - The Scottish events industry is appealing to the Scottish government to provide a further financial boost and additional support to secure a safe and sustainable return of the sector devastated by the coronavirus pandemic.
Scotland’s Event Industry Advisory Group (EIAG) is recommending an extra £40m in re-start funding be made available along with a raft of other initiatives including continuation of the Job Retention Scheme on a flexible basis from this September to March next year.
The group warns that failure to act could cost the country its status as a world-class event destination and the sector’s associated £6bn annual visitor spend within the Scottish economy.
The EIAG, which represents the events and festivals sector, has been lobbying Holyrood through pandemic and earlier this year presented Scottish Government ministers with a submission

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Europe - The pre-launch presentation of the PixlDrive Pro 8 from Lucenti has resulted in an immediate order from Tom Pardon’s AV rental company Screenit.
In recent years, Tom Pardon and his crew have been creating and installing eye-catching lighting setups with over 1,000 Blackwave LED bars in the Kara Savi stage on TML, Amelie Lens’ All Night Long events and Exhale livestreams.
“The advanced technology that puts these controllers ahead of every other alternative on the market is created by KLSTR and natively integrated into the device,” says Lucenti. “We are convinced KLSTR will revolutionise the lighting industry and we are proud to be the first manufacturer that is pushing this cutting-edge technology to market.”
Tom Pardon adds: “We are very excited to start using this technology, it is a huge leap forward in the implementation of

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The Netherlands - Full production company Events Light has made a major new investment in Robe’s latest T2 moving lights - among the first to be delivered in Europe.
The 32 x T2s together with 60 x Spiiders also from Events Light are being used for lighting Zodiac, a new musical production which is being lit by Marc Heinz. The show is staged at the Koepelgevangenis, a former prison in the same city. It is set to open next month in this domed venue, a heritage protected architectural masterwork designed by Johan Frederik Metzelaar that opened in 1886 and is based on the panopticon model.
Due to the pandemic, Zodiac’s production schedule has been somewhat fluid, but everyone has been equally determined to make it happen.
Towards the end of 2020, Robe’s Benelux distributor Controllux and other manufacturers conducted several tests and shoot-out

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UK - Woolwich Works is set to open in September, bringing a new creative district to southeast London.
Led by Royal Borough of Greenwich, the £31.6m project - which is transforming the historic Royal Arsenal site into a cultural hub that will include a concert venue, studios and other event spaces - will be the home for local performing arts collectives including immersive theatre company Punchdrunk, Europe's first majority black and minority ethnic orchestra Chineke! Orchestra, as well as National Youth Jazz Orchestra, Greenwich-based dance company Protein, and the Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair.
The new district includes a 1,200 seated or 1,800 standing performance venue; an external courtyard for performances; five studios, which will also be used for performances and rehearsals spaces; cafe, bar and spaces for community groups and the general public, plus hire
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