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Europe - Prolyte has appointed Sound light and system (SLS), a sales partner for the company since 2014, as its new distributor in Portugal.
Established in 2014, SLS provides complete solutions for the professional audio and lighting market in Portugal.
“With the development of the market during these uncertain times, it is reassuring to have a strong trustable partner to further deliver high-end quality products and structural solutions that are in increasing demand in Portugal,” says Prolyte manager William Voskuil.
Rui Nunes, SLS CEO, comments: "We’ve worked with Prolyte for years now and we firmly believe that Prolyte is in fact the best truss solution for the Portuguese market. Being a well-recognised and known brand, Prolyte is ahead of its game in the market, as it is not only used and trusted by everyone but also recognized for its potential to lea

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UK - iMAG Displays has added a Brompton Technology Hydra to its inventory.
The Hydra is an advanced measurement system custom-designed for LED panels fitted with a Tessera R2 receiver card. Panels must be measured with Hydra to benefit from Dynamic Calibration, the technology that enables Brompton HDR.
iMAG has invested in a Hydra not just to recalibrate its own stock of LED panels, but also to make it available for hire to other UK rental houses so they can update their own panel inventory.
The decision to purchase Hydra was made before the pandemic but was put on hold whilst the company – previously focused on servicing live events – realigned its focus and looked at new business opportunities. Such an investment may seem like a bold move in the current climate, but the decision was based on seeing first-hand the benefits of Dynamic Calibration and Brompto

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USA - Symetrix has launched its newly designed, mobile-friendly website complete with a new community forum.
Visitors to the website will find a visually enhanced, user-friendly format with improved navigation, functionality, and responsiveness on all screens and device types. The site features redesigned vertical focus pages, images and testimonials from real Symetrix projects, along with an online warranty claim form, and more robust support pages.
“It’s important to us that the Symetrix universe of users can easily find what they need from our website, whether it’s technical information, product documentation, or project inspiration, and be able to do it all from a phone or iPad if they’re not in front of a computer,” explains Symetrix owner and CEO, Mark Graham. “The new website provides that functionality, along with a cool new forum to give us a pla

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UK - Highlite UK has embarked on a UK roadshow during October and early November to present some of its new latest products.
After hosting the first session at its office in Calne, the company is heading to Future Technical Solutions in Torquay on 15 October; Subfrantic in Bromley on 20 October; Vector Lighting in Milton Keynes on 22 October; MRL Productions in Clacton on Sea on the 27th; Stage Management Company in Leeds on the 29th, and Musicmann in Walsall on 3 November. Those who wish to attend should register via Eventbrite. 
“We will be taking the roadtrip to seven venues,” says Highlite. “There will be two sessions at each venue, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. The first session will take place from 10am until 12:30pm and

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UK - PLASA Online 2020, a five-day programme of business, technical and product sessions, kicked off yesterday and will run daily until 16 October. The week-long programme includes live key notes, panel discussions and training sessions designed to provide education, guidance and inspiration during these challenging times.
In light of challenges that have emerged in the COVID era, chartered safety practitioner and production manager Tom Goode will discuss event production in the new COVID environment. Joining him will be Karl Raw, Health and Safety Inspector for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Dominique Perrissin-Fabert, Health and Safety Manager for the Royal Opera House, and Ben Stephen, Head of Operations & Production for the Albany. Together they will share how they have adapted workplaces and practices and will answer questions from the virtual audience. In

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UK - PLASA’s Managing Director Peter Heath spoke to the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee on Employment and COVID-19 on 6 October.
Alongside Horace Trubridge from Musicians' Union, Abigail Pogson from SAGE Gateshead and Julian Bird from UK Theatre, Heath gave evidence of the live events and entertainment sector is suffering and why the sector needs further government support. The session was broadcast on Parliament TV and is available in full here: //parliamentlive.tv.
During the introduction, Heath commented: “The events industry has been absolutely devastated, but the question is, can it survive? This is subject to how soon we can return to work and what support

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Mixed Reactions - Venues and organisations including The Cavern Club in Liverpool and the London Symphony Orchestra are to receive a share of £257m government arts funding. The Cavern, which hosted early gigs from The Beatles, has been given £525,000 to fund the recording of performances from local musicians. More than 1,300 organisations are set to benefit, including the Birmingham Royal Ballet and the Bristol Old Vic. Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden described the move as "a vital boost".
Fairport’s Cropredy Convention music festival has been awarded £200,000 under the scheme. Gareth Williams, Cropredy’s festival organiser, said: “We have all seen how hard this Covid pandemic has hit the festival industry; 2020 has basically been a write-off. This most welcome grant from the CRF secures the future of our festival for 2021 and will help us cover any additional costs

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UK - Sound, Light & Laser FX has been known as SLLFX by much of the industry for most of its existence. Now, as part of a larger rebranding and investment initiative, the Birmingham-based AV rental company has officially taken SLLFX as its name.
The new name and logo is just one element of a full brand refresh and investment process that has helped to transform the equipment rental company. The investment process started ahead of the UK’s national lockdown with the addition of Unilumin HD LED screens to the company’s hire stock.
Following this, during lockdown the company launched two streaming services. First, a streaming studio complete with full DJ setup and LED walls for DJs to deliver the professional look they are used to at clubs. Joining this is the mobile media centre, a fully mobile virtual venue for corporate clients looking to overcome Zoom fatigue

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USA - Point Source Audio has introduced an AVIXA-approved training course in the professional use and cleaning of body-worn microphones on the heels of its recently launched Mike’s Academy online educational hub.
Titled Body-Worn Microphones and Personal Audio Equipment - Applications and Maintenance, the course will deliver 1.25 Renewal Units (RU) towards achieving or retaining CTS / CTS-D certification.
Focusing on both the everyday use and upkeep of high-end body-worn microphone technology, the course will provide invaluable insight into close contact mic placement as well as teaching artists to effectively self-mic - a particularly hot topic in the midst of the current global pandemic. The course will be available to newcomers to AVIXA certification as well as current CTS holders.
Point Source market development manager Mac Johnson comments, “AXIV

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USA - Genelec has completed a new demonstration facility at the company’s US headquarters in Natick, Massachusetts, where visitors can experience the full range of Genelec professional audio products in configurations from stereo through immersive 9.1.6. The new Genelec Experience Centre, the first in the United States, joins existing Genelec demonstration facilities in the UK, Germany, China and India.
This latest Experience Centre is a total rebuild of a former surround sound demo studio designed in-house in 2004, with Will Eggleston, Genelec Inc. US marketing director, providing the acoustical design. Earlier this year, Eggleston called on world-renowned studio architect and designer Francis Manzella, president and principal designer at Francis Manzella Design, to create a new aesthetic and acoustical treatments for the renovated space, which serves as a mix room, a th

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UK - Technical entertainment charity Backup has set up a new fund to help industry workers who have received no or limited government support during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.
The Hardship Fund will provide financial assistance to crew/production personnel, and people working in the technical supply chain across the UK entertainment sector, including those from live events, theatre and TV and film.
The fund has been allocated an initial £200,000, with further fundraising in progress. £100,000 was raised by Backup and its supporters, including #WeMakeEvents, whilst charity Light Relief matched this with a further £100,000.
Backup chairman John Simpson comments: “The technicians and their families in our industry, particularly freelancers, are experiencing incredible hardship at the moment and, with the lack of ongoing financial support from the government,

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UK - Persistent and torrential rain didn’t dampen any spirits or enthusiasm at Silverstone Circuit in the UK where moving light manufacturer Robe UK, rental and production company Clearsound and Silverstone’s events and conference team transformed the race track’s Wing building and conference centre ‘resplendent red’ for the evening of 30 September 2020.
This massive effort was in support the #WeMakeEvents Global Day of Action.
Nearly 100 Robe moving lights supplied by Clearsound and Robe helped light two key locations at Silverstone – The Wing pit lane and paddock building, which resembles the wing of a race car with extensive event and conference facilities on the higher floors, and the BRDC (British Racing Drivers’ Club) Clubhouse which was a couple of kilometres away on a different part of this enormous site.
The Robe luminaires were combined w

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UK - From 12-16 October, PLASA is hosting PLASA Online, a five-day programme of curated business, technical and product sessions. Each session is designed to provide education, guidance and inspiration during this challenging time.
Several leading brands will present their latest products, including lighting brands Chauvet, Elation, ETC and Martin. Sennheiser will showcase their new range, and Adam Hall and Highlite will take a look at a variety of their products for both lighting and audio. DiGiCo will detail how they use Audinate’s Dante with their mixing platforms, Vectorworks will host a training session on event production and design, and Broadweigh will present case studies of their wireless load monitoring solutions being used in international shows and tours.
Business webinars are planned throughout the week: renowned economist Roger Martin-Fagg will outline

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Canada - ALC NetworX, developer of the Technology & Engineering Emmy Award-winning Ravenna technology, has welcomed Canadian audio electronic experts, Eon Art, to the Ravenna community.
Based in Chandler, Quebec, Eon Art specialises in the design and manufacture of ultra high-end, high-fidelity audio electronics, and more recently - since the acquisition of Venus Acoustic in 2017 - hi-fi loudspeakers. The company also offers laboratory services for the audio industry and boasts the largest audio electronics lab in Canada. With a limited production run every year, Eon Art’s products are highly sought after by audiophiles worldwide.
According to Eon Art founder, CEO and chief electronic designer, Stéphane Hautcoeur, joining the Ravenna community is a logical step. “Our Tachyon digital audio converter (DAC) is a concentrate of the highest musical technology that

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UK - Torpedo Factory Group has upgraded the audio-visual system at the central London home of the Royal Over-Seas League (ROSL), a non-profit private members organisation originally formed in 1910 with the collective aim of bringing people together from around the world to meet, socialise and foster an interest in the Commonwealth.
A long-standing and fervent supporter of the arts, ROSL has over the last 65 years developed a diverse portfolio of activities in music, visual arts, and literature. ROSL Arts regularly supports talented young professional artists and musicians through an annual music competition as well as a programme of music and visual arts scholarships.
In providing performance opportunities for its prizewinning musicians, concerts and other events such as wedding receptions, banquets and conferences take place at the ROSL’s historic Princess Alexandra

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Germany - Since its establishment in 1917, ARRI’s historical location in Munich's Tuerkenstrasse has been the main hub of activity for the business. Now, the globally active film technology company is relocating its headquarters and the entire Camera Systems division to Munich’s Parkstadt Schwabing.
On 6 October, 2020, Judith Gerlach, Bavarian State Minister for Digital Affairs and also responsible for the state’s film industry, commemorated the opening with a visit to the new building. She was welcomed by ARRI executive board members Dr. Michael Neuhaeuser and Markus Zeiler, the two managing directors of ARRI Cine Technik Stephan Schenk and Walter Trauninger, as well as by the members of the supervisory board and representatives of the owner family Dr. Carolin Stahl and Christoph Stahl.
ARRIAL is the new production and office building, offering over 600 workspac

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USA - Eastern Acoustic Works (EAW) has announced DirectLink Marketing as its manufacturer’s representative serving Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and the El Paso, Texas area.
“With over three decades of industry experience, DirectLink Marketing has a reputation for representing only top tier brands - we are honoured to have EAW as part of its esteemed line card,” comments TJ Smith, president for EAW. “Principal Dave Larsen has a deep understanding of his customer base and the market, and we look forward to better serving this expansive territory.”
Based in the Salt Lake Valley, UT, DirectLink is a manufacturers rep firm that focuses on audio, video and lighting brands with a primary focus on resellers. Larsen founded DirectLink Marketing in 2007 and today, the company has become a leading rep firm in the Rocky Mountain states.
“W

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USA - Brompton Technology reports that ROE Visual US has received its anticipated purchase of Brompton Technology’s Hydra system for their West Coast office in Chatsworth, Los Angeles.
Hydra can perform recalibrations on all LED panels equipped with Brompton’s R2 controller cards. This means that the panels, once measured, will benefit from Version 3 of Brompton’s Tessera Processor software and be fully compatible with Brompton’s Dynamic Calibration technology, to allow greater brightness, improved colour gamut and, crucially, the ability to display HDR imagery.
“When we saw the Brompton Dynamic Calibration system in prototype form at LDI last year, we knew it was going to be a game changer, so we immediately placed orders to ensure that we would benefit from this technology as soon as it became available to the market,” says Frank Montero, general manager

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UK - JHS has been appointed distributor for Powerwerks sound reinforcement products in the UK, ROI, France, Benelux and Germany. Powerwerks offers a comprehensive range of sound reinforcement products, designed in the USA and based on the knowledge and manufacturing expertise of the Hanser Music Group founded in1924.
New lines distributed by JHS include, 50, 200 and 300w, lightweight and highly portable, full-range, active Powered Towers, with built-in powered mixer, Bluetooth facilities and 24-bit digital processing.
Facilities included within the Powered Tower’s rear control panel, include a ‘Powerlink’ circuit to create a multi-Power Tower system and outputs for Powerwerks 400watt sub-woofer cabinets, loaded with an optional 10” or 12" speaker format.
Sonic flexibility is also a specialty of the Powerwerks PW Series of high-powered active 1000watt c

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UK - Stagehand, the PSA live event production industry’s welfare and benevolent fund, has received £100,000 from PPL to boost the charity's new COVID-19 Crew Relief Fund.
Launched by Stagehand trustees in September, the fund was deemed a necessary move by the charity as a means to support crew, technicians and live events industry workers that have fallen through the cracks in state aid. Open from mid-October, the fund will help those struggling to meet the cost of basic living - a roof over their head or food on the table.
Mike Lowe, chair of trustees, comments: “We are extremely thankful to PPL for coming on board so generously at the beginning of our campaign. As a sector-specific charity, we’ve already seen devastating effects suffered by some of our workforce caused by the lack of work and financial support. The relief of having rent paid and mouths fed wi

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Recovery Fund - Theatres expecting to receive news of whether they will receive Culture Recovery Fund grants have been told they must wait a week longer, due to the "volume and complexity of the applications". Arts organisations that have bid for grants of £1m million or less as part of the £500m fund were due to be notified about Arts Council England’s decision no later than 5pm on 5 October. However, 72 hours before the original deadline, organisations were contacted by ACE to say that the announcement would be delayed by a week and decisions would be confirmed on 12 October instead.
ACE is administering the part of the fund for arts organisations, with the British Film Institute and Historic England also responsible for distributing parts of the funding. The body said: "We understand this is an anxious time for many people and many organisations up and down the count

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UK - As part of Qdos Event Hire’s ongoing plans for growth and national expansion, it has opened an office in Glasgow with Jonathan Reid appointed regional manager. Reid, an event professional with 28 years’ experience in delivering temporary accommodation and welfare facilities, will be developing the business throughout Scotland and the north of England.
Vice-chair of NOEA Scotland with strong links to Portable Sanitation Europe (PSE) and regular involvement with the Event Industry Forum, Reid brings with a wide knowledge of events in the region.
Commenting on his appointment, James Thomas, managing director of Qdos Event Hire said: “Extending our reach nationally has been part of our long-term ambitions for the business for some time now. Jonathan’s reputation and dedication are very much aligned with Qdos’ commitment to delivering high quality products a

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USA - The BTS Boutique is offering a range of festive decorations. Add some unique holiday decorations to your home this year and support your colleagues who are seriously ill or injured as well as Behind the Scenes’ new Mental Health and Suicide Prevention initiative. These ornaments have been generously made and donated to Behind the Scenes by Mike and Sue Wood, so every penny goes directly to helping your colleagues in need.
Have cut-outs of your favourite tools hanging on your tree this Christmas by choosing from a crescent wrench, shackle, paintbrush or scissors as well as holiday designs. Available in 3” round acrylic disks in red (in keeping with the #WeMakeEvents theme) or clear.
There’s a BTS ghostlight etched on clear acrylic. Ghostlight Tree, a garlanded Christmas tree features a ghostlight star that’s available in three styles: etched on clear acry

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UK - Started in Newcastle last Saturday, 3 October and finishing in London on Sunday, 18 October, five industry stalwarts (plus one driving the bus) will cycle between 80 and 125km per day, representing the UK tour season that never happened this year.
Stopping off at over 50 of the most iconic festival, tour and performance venues that have all been standing empty, dark and silent, since the start of lockdown, all in all the tour will cover over 1,500km.
The tour aims to raise awareness of the plight of the million-plus workers in the UK events industry, a sector regarded as the best in the world, to raise funds for Backup #WeMakeEvents’ chosen charity that provides help to employees, freelancers and their families suffering in the entertainment sector, and to kick off Restart, the next phase of the #WeMakeEvents campaign.
The five riders and driver of the sup
  1. JHS to distribute Kustom amplification
  2. Funktion-One appoints Ko Team distributor for Israel
  3. Freelance musicians unite in call for government support
  4. The Backup Pumpkin Challenge is back!
  5. Britannia Row’s Bryan Grant calls for government action
  6. Event industry campaigns unite in joint taskforce
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