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UK - Carallon Limited, an R&D company responsible for creating innovative control products, has announced it has become an employee owned business.
Carallon was founded in 2004 by seven colleagues who enjoyed working together creating new control products for the entertainment industry. All seven of those original founders still work for Carallon today, including Nick Archdale, Chris Hunt and Richard Mead who remain its board of directors.
Over 16 years, it has gone from strength to strength, growing substantially from seven to over 70 employees, and spawning spin-off companies Pharos Architectural Controls, Brompton Technology, and new start-up SixEye. Pharos and Brompton have both been regular winners of high-profile awards for their innovative products, with Brompton Technology recently winning the Queen’s Award for Enterprise 2020: International Trade.

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UK - The All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Events has now been re-established as an official group in Parliament following the appointment of a new chair and vice-chair.
Theresa Villiers, MP for Chipping Barnet, will be the chair of the group. Theresa takes over from James Heappey MP, who was chair for four years, until his appointment as Minister for the Armed Forces prevented him from serving in that role. Robert Largan, MP for High Peak, will serve as vice-chair.
The APPG will continue to act as the industry’s voice in Parliament and has been credited with establishing stronger links between the events industry, Parliament and government in recent years. Villiers is an experienced MP having served her constituency since 2005, and having previously held the positions of Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Secretary of State for Northe
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UK - Orbital Sound has launched a new product stream with its food & beverage (F&B) delivery platform OrderBoard - building on its success in the drive-In market with the Car-Link Retail wireless in-car audio and information system.
OrderBoard, part of the Car-Link Technology suite of products, is designed to address the limitations of remote location infrastructures, handling contactless payments, F&B kitchen orders, delivery, stock control and reporting in ‘a fast, reliable and powerful data-efficient package’.
As the live events industry focuses on re-inventing itself in the current environment, OrderBoard provides a novel solution to F&B delivery, directly addressing the all-important Covid compliance and secure socially-distanced operation, says the company.
MD Chris Headlam comments: “The addition of the OrderBoard software takes the

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UK - Safety consultants First Option have launched Event COVID-19 Supervisor / Compliance Officer Advanced Level Training. Adapted from the company's broadcast course, the new training material is written by event safety expert and course leader Martin Barraclough and incorporates procedures outlined in Tour Production Group’s COVID-19 Working Procedures Guidance.
The First Option course trains individuals to implement, monitor and oversee COVID-19 arrangements on event productions. Candidates have access to learning resources to support their ongoing education including First Option‘s The Yellow Book - COVID-19 Production Manual, written by a team of microbiologists, medical doctors, and chartered safety consultants.
The Event COVID-19 Supervisor / Compliance Officer Advanced Level Training has already received positive feedback from its first round of

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UK - Digital solutions company inurface media has partnered with Active International. This collaboration will allow inurface to offer several solutions and products and allow its customers to utilise the benefits of digital signage and health technology across any number and type of businesses by financing their investments through Active International’s trade model.
On this new partnership, Josh Bunce, CEO and founder of inurface, comments: "This new partnership with Active is something we are incredibly proud of. We want to ensure that as many people can access the technology solutions we have created and know that the Active team can help more people consider these options as viable. Right now while we are a business individually, but we rely on other companies opening and running to survive, so it is in everyone's interest to

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UK - Audiologic has announced a new partnership with background music service provider Perfect Octave.
The agreement “capitalises on a module available within QSC’s widely acclaimed Q-SYS software-based ecosystem and recognises the move to fully digital distributed audio is gaining pace” says Audiologic.
The solution allows for multiple zones of curated, fully licensed music for businesses to be run directly from the audio processor. Advance scheduling, importing music from third party platforms and custom mixes are now fully under control without the need to install multiple third-party boxes.
Peter Sheppard of Perfect Octave comments: “This market is always evolving. There has been rapid change in how people discover and experience music and that shows no sign of slowing. The way people are listening to new music has shifted from radio play to streaming

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Planning Ahead - Theatres in England will no longer be at risk of demolition without planning permission, thanks to new laws introduced this week by the government. Housing and communities secretary Robert Jenrick has confirmed that theatres, concert halls and live music venues will no longer be subject to permitted development rights, which allow certain buildings to be demolished without full planning permission to encourage growth and redevelopment.
The changes cover venues that are not listed buildings. Many theatres are listed, and require listed building consent before any alterations can be carried out. The government said it had put the new laws in place to protect the country’s arts venues, which it said "cannot easily be replaced and are an intrinsic part of our cultural heritage". As such, permitted development rights have been removed for performance ven

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USA - Behind the Scenes has announced that Light Touch Designs has become its newest Pledge-a-Service member by pledging fees from speaking engagements and online training to the charity.
Light Touch Designs is a Chicago-based design firm supplying lighting design services to the corporate meeting and special event industry. Owner Michael Sharon, a 30 year veteran of the profession, is happy to share his knowledge of design, programming and Vectorworks drafting with the community.
On making his commitment to the charity, Michael commented, “As freelance workers in a high-risk industry, we are all just one accident away from financial ruin. BTS has provided a crucial safety net to help people back on their feet. In times of pandemic, when we are all working to share knowledge and keep the industry alive, it seems right that I should take my teaching income and put it

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Canada - BroaMan has appointed Contact Distribution as its exclusive Canadian distributor.
Contact was first introduced to BroaMan’s sister company Optocore in 2005. Since then both companies have enjoyed a successful working relationship and participated together on many large projects ranging from installations in performing art centres such as Massey Hall, Roy Thomson Hall and the National Arts Centre; sports venues including Rogers Arena, The Scotiabank Centre and Place Bell; and both special events and installations for Broadcast including the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.
“When we started with Optocore, many in the industry hadn’t taken those first steps into digital networking,” says Bill Coons, director of Contact Distribution. “We are now at a point where not only system designers and operators are more accepting of fibre solutions but fibre is a

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UK - 3LR Lighting has confirmed that it is now the sole UK and Ireland manufacturer’s representative for the Rosco range of architectural lighting. 3LR has been in discussions with Rosco about taking on the role since mid-2019, and recent events presented the ideal opportunity to finalise these arrangements.
In a move that will ensure service continuity and increase exposure for both businesses moving forward, Sean O’Callaghan, formerly Rosco Architectural Manager EMEA, has joined 3LR Lighting as business development manager for architectural lighting and control. 3LRs represent a number of international brands, including ETC, whose market presence will also be developed by Sean and the 3LR team.
Sean’s career has seen him occupy a variety of sales and marketing roles for several global lighting manufacturers, during which time he has acquired a thorough grasp of

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USA - Atlona has designated Seattle-based Brownestone, LLC as its manufacturer’s representative for the Pacific Northwest region, effective immediately. Brownestone will bring its sales-focused operation closer to commercial AV customers in the states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Alaska.
As an A/V manufacturer’s representative in business since 1999, Brownestone considers Atlona’s product line a complement to its specialised line card. Atlona’s AV over IP based video distribution and networked control solutions especially strengthen Brownestone’s message as a complete AV solutions provider, alongside its range of videoconferencing, audio production, and projection solutions.
“Representing the Atlona product line immediately strengthens and enhances our company’s value proposition,” said Mike Charles, principal, integration channel sales fo

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South Africa - Sharp NEC Display Solutions has appointed DWR Distribution as a South African distributor for their professional projectors.
“While NEC has a vast product range, DWR’s specialty will be the supply of NEC projectors ranging between 7 000k and 35 000k, to rental companies, houses of worship, theatres and auditoriums,” said Robert Izzett, director and head of sales at DWR. “We’ve just sold our first 8k and 20k laser projectors to churches, and that’s exactly where we are aiming at.”
“We believe there is still good opportunity within the South African market for professional projection, and we were intent on finding a suitable partner with which to promote our world-class projection technology. After having met Rob and the DWR team, it was clear they are a group of keenly skilled people and an organisation with the necessary infrastructure an

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USA - Elation’s Elation Hour livestream returns next week to discuss the challenges of lighting themed environments with special guests KC Wilkerson and Ryan Stumpp, both of The Walt Disney Company, and Norm Schwab of design group Lightswitch.
Says Elation, “Lighting plays a major role in the creation of any themed environment from atmosphere generation to aesthetic decorative enhancement to impactful special effects. Hear how lighting influences the experience and what makes dynamic lighting truly invaluable as some of the most experienced designers in the business share their own personal insight and experiences.”
The Elation Hour discussion on Themed Environments will take place Wednesday, 18 November at 10am Pacific Standard Time / 7pm CET.

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UK - Britannia Row Productions Training (BRPT) has been awarded £152,000 as part of the UK government’s £1.57bn Culture Recovery Fund (CRF) announced by the Culture Secretary to help face the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic and to ensure they have a sustainable future.
Britannia Row Productions Training is one of 2,049 cultural and creative organisations across the country to have been awarded £409m of urgently needed support (up to 24 October 2020). The Culture Recovery Fund grants programme is being administered by the Arts Council England on behalf of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. Further rounds of funding in the cultural and heritage sector are due to be announced over the coming weeks.
BRPT was founded in 2012 to provide holistic trainin

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USA - JAM Industries has acquired Connecticut-based The Music People (TMP), parent company of the On-Stage and TMP-Pro divisions.
Founded in 1979 by Jim Hennessey, TMP will operate as a division of JAM, managed by TMP’s co-presidents John and Sharon Hennessey, who now report directly to JAM Industries president & CEO Martin Szpiro.
“Since being acquired by DCC Technology in September 2018, JAM has the resources to operate as an acquisition engine,” Szpiro says. “While the purchase of TMP is our first acquisition since being acquired by DCC, it is by no means the last. We are aggressively pursuing MI and pro audio companies that compliment and extend our current portfolio of offerings.
“Over the last 48 years, JAM has grown organically and through acquisition into a $400m company comprised of eight divisions that serve a broad range of musical inst

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Europe - Shure is strengthening its focus on software solutions by announcing a strategic investment in Finnish software company Ab Wavemark Oy.
Known for its software solutions for theatre, broadcast, and content streaming applications such as Wavetool and WTAutomixer, Wavemark has recently expanded its software portfolio into streaming applications. It now offers WTAutomixer, a plug-in enabling seemless auto-mixing for uses like podcasting, remote learning, and house of worship services.
WTAutomixer automatically controls the gains of multiple microphones and is ideal for live streams, discussion panels, talk shows, religious services, and for any application that requires the use of multiple microphones. Wavemark software has been used in conjunction with several high-profile theatre applications using Shure Axient Digital Wireless Systems.
Shure’s software

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UK - At the beginning of this year, singer/songwriter Niall Horan had to take the decision to cancel his Nice To Meet Ya world tour. But earlier this month, he announced a special, one-off live streamed show from London’s Royal Albert Hall and promoted by livestreaming company, Driift.
Audio equipment for the show, which achieved a massive 150,000 ticket sales, is supplied by Wigwam Acoustics with Ant Carr, Niall’s long-term head of touring and production, at the helm and regular crew members Matthew Kettle and Joe Campbell handling broadcast and monitor positions respectively, both deploying DiGiCo SD5s.
Featuring songs from his two hit albums Flicker (No1. in the USA) and Heartbreak Weather (No.1 in the UK), the show streamed on 7 November and gave loyal fans a chance to be part of what they are so sorely missing. It is also providing much ne

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UK - Members of the events industry lit up part of Scotland’s Nevis Range – including the summit - on 16 October. Say the organisers, “This is part of our campaign to highlight our presence to the Government and that we need assistance to keep business surviving. Scotland's events artists, technicians and crew are fighting to resurrect the industry.
“We are looking for better grants as opposed to loans and a date to begin working towards reopening our sector safely. The present financial support schemes are limiting and many freelancers in particular are not eligible due to the criteria set out on the forms. Many people are falling through the gaps.
“We are representing live events and all of those people and businesses who are affected in the supply chain. We are also here in solidarity for everyone who has been affected greatly by COVID -19 - from tourism,

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The Netherlandsd - Further to JHS announcing its appointment as exclusive distributor for Kustom amplification for the UK, Ireland, France and Germany last month, the distributor confirms it will also be handling Kustom in Holland, Belgium and Luxembourg.
JHS Export Manager Adam Butterworth commented: “The Kustom amp range is iconic and fits really well into our Benelux portfolio of distributed brands. Dealers can benefit from a great opening offer this month across the whole range with each amp
Kustom caters for a diverse range of musical styles including the new KMOD20 1 x 8" combo. New lines also include the Sienna Pro Series of acoustic guitar combos.

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Europe This week’s Elation Coffee Break is hosted by Alistair Smyth and Frederik Afif and will focus on the creative possibilities unique to three of Elation’s most popular automated LED luminaires.
The narrow-beam Dartz 360, Chorus Line pixel bar, and compact Rayzor 360Z will take centre stage for a discussion of their creative potential and the dazzle, drama and excitement they can add to stages big and small.
The Elation Coffee Break (www.facebook.com/ELATION.Pro.Europe/live/) with a focus on creative LED luminaires will air live on Thursday, 12 November 1at 11:00 a.m. CEST. No registration is required.
The Elation Coffee Break is an online presentation series from Elation’s European office in Kerkrade, the Netherlands that takes an up-close look at some of the company’s most popular product series. To view previous Elation Coffee Break webinars, vis

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Germany - Lean-pro & Co has invested in Prolights EclPanel TWCJr. With the new LED softlights, the Paderborn-based company has equipped its livestream studio for trade fairs, product presentations, workshops, lectures, concerts, general meetings and much more, thus further expanding its professional image, lighting and sound technology.
Joachim Flottmeier, managing director and partner, says, "The decisive criteria for me were the excellent price-performance ratio and the enormous output in relation to the size of the device. Thus the EclPanel TWCJr makes the competition look old. It is also unrivalled in this price league in terms of the range of functions. In addition, the wide range of accessories such as diffusion filters, egg crates and snap grids convinced me".
The Prolights EclPanel TWCJr offers not only a wide range of colours, but also white tones from war

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South Africa - Viral video footage of an African National Congress (ANC) rally held at the Luthuli 9L Sports Grounds in Polokwane on Sunday, 8 November, attended by thousands not adhering to the social distancing regulations, has infuriated the region’s live events industry who have not been able to work for over eight months.
“We as the TPSA, SACIA and SA Events Council have lodged a complaint with the South African Police, in particular with the Provincial Commissioner of Limpopo, Lieutenant General Nneke Ledwaba,” said Sharif Baker, chairman of the TPSA. “We are absolutely disgusted at what has happened. It’s a smack in the face for the lives at stake, and literally a smack in the face of us in events who are abiding by the law.”
The Siyanqoba Rally in Ward 14 in Pokowane and issued by the ANC Peter Mokaba Region, included live entertainment and was atte

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Freelance Pressure - The government has been urged to do more to help performers and other arts freelancers as venues are shut again during lockdowns in England and Wales. Labour MP Chris Elmore told the House of Commons there were "growing numbers of freelancers, musicians, performance artists who are excluded" from support. Theatre workers face "adding to the queues at food banks", another MP said.
Arts minister Caroline Dinenage said the government was "working very hard" to help freelancers access support. She said Arts Council England had allocated £119m for individuals, on top of the £1.57bn available to venues in England through the government's Culture Recovery Fund.
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden acknowledged that a third of freelancers in all walks of life had not been able to access the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme, which the government confirmed

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UK - Claypaky and CAST Group of Companies have launched the Wackit virtual lighting design competition based on a concept by lighting designer Durham Marenghi and his partner Jennie.
“Whilst planning this event, we had no idea that England would enter a second lockdown,” say the organisers, “and given that colleges are still open - giving our students access to lighting systems - we feel that this is actually a very appropriate time to launch our Wackit competition.”
Two side-by-side competitions require professional and student lighting designers from UK and Ireland to create a virtual video of their work from a model of the prestigious Royal Albert Hall. CAST will support Wackit with free WYSIWYG Educational Licences for the period of the competition for Professional LDs as well as a 12-month free Design Educational Licence for
  1. Powersoft Crew Nation total nears €50,000
  2. Elation Europe celebrates first decade
  3. AES Show recognises outstanding service
  4. Chauvet ReSet Fund supports Behind the Scenes
  5. Fairlight to distribute Absen LED in Benelux
  6. Event firms in England eligible for latest grant funding
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