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Risk Research - Scientists in Germany held three pop concerts in a single day to investigate the risks posed by mass indoor events during the pandemic. About 1,500 healthy volunteers aged between 18 and 50 - only a third of the expected number - took part. But the head of the study, which was carried out in Leipzig by Halle University, said he was "very satisfied" with how the event unfolded. Singer-songwriter Tim Bendzko agreed to perform at all three successive gigs.
The concert study, called Restart-19, was created "to investigate the conditions under which such events can be carried out despite the pandemic", researchers said. The first of Saturday's three concerts aimed to simulate an event before the pandemic, with no safety measures in place. The second involved greater hygiene and some social distancing, while the third involved half the numbers and each person stand

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Armenia - Ayrton has appointed LSystemsPro LLC as its new exclusive distributor for Armenia, effective immediately.
Based in Yerevan, LSystemsPro is one of the country’s leading companies for sales, design and installation of many major brands of professional lighting and audio equipment.
“We work with many big event companies and large-scale venues, where we both sell and install the products we represent,” explains LSystemsPro founder and CEO, George Hakobyan. “We have been following the development of Ayrton closely and see there is great potential in the brand. We love the design and functionality of Ayrton products and believe there is great scope for the full range of their fixtures in this market.”
LSystemsPro’s views were compounded by feedback received from other sales and rental companies and designers who have experience of using Ayrton pro
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UK - Singer-songwriter Joe Bygraves has produced the single, Stand As One in support of charities helping the live entertainment and events industry. Its official release on Spotify, iTunes and all streaming services is today, 21 August at 12.00pm.
The 24-year-old from Bedfordshire has written and performed the song, which aims to reach out to people struggling with issues surrounding mental health during and looking past the COVID-19 pandemic, especially focusing on the behind-the-scenes professionals who, in any other year, would be pulling together to create the infrastructure for world-class live performances.
Joe was challenged to write the song by the organisers of the #MakeItBlue campaign started by the UK the events and entertainment industry to support colleagues in need, and to promote public mental health awareness through arts, culture and entertainm

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China - Prolight+Sound Guangzhou (PLSG) 2020 is taking place from 21-24 August at the China Import and Export Fair Complex.
Organisers Messe Frankfurt and the Guangdong International Science and Technology Exhibition Company say they have put all of the necessary safety precautions in place to provide a safe and effective business platform for the industry.
“Participants will be able to reconnect with industry peers and explore sourcing and networking opportunities to help the industry reboot,” say the organisers, “677 exhibitors will utilise 80,000sq.m across eight halls. The fair will also provide enhanced services including online participation to facilitate interactions between buyers and exhibitors. Furthermore, over 40 seminars, forums and product demonstrations will be featured concurrently, highlighting the latest industry knowledge in the entertainment,

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Europe - Wireless LED lighting manufacturer Astera has announced four new exclusive distributors for Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden reflecting the dynamics, diversity, and potential of these four key Nordic nations.
In Denmark, Astera will be represented by Light Partner, Finland it is Oy Lafoy, in Norway Prostage takes up the Astera portfolio and in Sweden, Bellalite takes on the distribution.
The move enables customers in each country to deal directly with a trusted and well respected local distributor, all of which have been chosen for their reach into both live show and events plus film and TV markets, in addition to their stellar after-sales service and support infrastructures, says Astera.
“Astera sales to Scandinavia started to take off in 2011,” explained the brand’s sales director Sebastian Bückle. With the volume of business at that time, i

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USA - Two world-renowned touring and sound reinforcement companies are joining forces to focus on building industry capabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic pause.
Clair Global has announced the acquisition of Eighth Day Sound Systems with the specific goal of continuing to support the dedicated relationships for touring customers from both rosters.
The Eighth Day Sound brand will be maintained and will conduct business as it has for the last 40 years, under the same management and with the same staff. The company will become a stand-alone brand under the Clair Global umbrella, joining Britannia Row Productions in the UK, JPJ in Australia, and AudioRent Clair AG in Switzerland.
Before the industry slowdown, Tom Arko, president of Eighth Day, and Troy Clair, owner of Clair Global, discussed how this union could further improve and strengthen future tour support.

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USA - Inspired by efforts in the UK, mainland Europe and South Africa, the US live events industry is set to host its own #WeMakeEvents ‘Red Alert’ day of action on 1 September.
Using the hashtags #WeMakeEvents #RedAlertRESTART and #ExtendPUA to gain momentum, the move represents a major call to action on Tuesday, 1 September, imploring the US Congress to pass the RESTART Act (S.3814) as quickly as possible, offering economic relief to America’s live events industry, which has been shuttered since March, 2020, putting millions of people out of work. Additionally, the movement is to support ExtendPUA.org in their efforts towards continuation and extension of the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance to provide relief to those without work due to COVID-19.
#WeMakeEvents North American director, Brad Nelms comments: "The group has managed to gather incredible support fo

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USA - Golden Age Hollywood movie mogul Jack L. Warner called it ‘The Castle of Your Dreams’. The Warner Grand Theatre is the last of a series of classic Southern California Art Deco-Moderne cinema palaces from the 1930s designed by architect B. Marcus Priteca and interior designer Anthony Heinsbergen that retains its original contours.
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the theatre was renamed the Warner Grand Theatre in the 1980s, and in 1982 was designated as City of Los Angeles Historic Cultural-Monument #251. In 1996, the theatre was purchased by the Department of Cultural Affairs and has continuously operated this venue since that time.
Now, the 1,525-seat historic film house in San Pedro, California hosts classic and art films as well as concerts and other live performances. It’s doing that with very modern sound thanks to newly installed D

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UK - Lighting control manufacturer Zero 88 stages a product awareness livestream airing on Monday, 24 August, which will be broadcast from The Congress Theatre, Cwmbran - the nearest local theatre venue to the manufacturing facility.
Usually busy with a lively programme of music and performance shows in the centre of Cwmbran, The Congress has been repurposed to function as a virtual studio during the pandemic and for the immediate future.
The Zero 88 team will be highlighting some of the brand’s newest technologies and product releases during the stream and will be joined by local singer-songwriter Tobias Robertson offering live entertainment.
This presentation will last 30 minutes and embrace all three primary Zero 88 product categories - control, data, and power.
The stream will specifically address the new ZerOS Server, the Splitter 8 and Gateway 4 /

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Financial Guidance - Guidance has been published on how arts organisations can apply for the government’s £270m repayable finance scheme. The repayable finance was announced as part of the government’s £1.57bn Culture Recovery Fund, which also includes £622m of grants.
Theatres can either apply for grants of up to £3m or for loans for larger amounts. With the repayable finance package, which is geared towards larger organisations, the government aims to "stabilise cultural organisations until they can return to sustainable operations". Applications will be "assessed against rigorous cultural and economic criteria" including efficiencies made to date and ongoing viability for the future.
Organisations will also be asked to demonstrate national or international significance and outline opportunities to engage local communities through education and outreach. Arts

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Europe - Elation Professional’s European office recently launched The Elation Coffee Break on Facebook Livestream, an online presentation series that takes a up-close look at some of the company’s most popular product series.
Elation continues the webinar series on Thursday, 20 August at 11:00 a.m. CEST with Elation technical sales specialist Alistair Smyth and international sales manager Frederik Afif looking at the innovative qualities of the Rayzor 760 and Proteus Rayzor 760 LED luminaires. The presentation will air live on Elation Europe’s Facebook page. No registration is required.
The Rayzor 760 is an LED wash effect with wide zoom and innovative SparkLED pixel effect that offers all new design possibilities. Also available in an IP65 version, the Rayzo

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USA - Based in the Metro Detroit area, Allen Audio Systems has offered client- and artist-focused sound reinforcement solutions for indoor and outdoor events in and around the state of Michigan for over 30 years. Now, with the addition of a sizeable E-Series system from Adamson Systems Engineering to its inventory, the company is poised to continue that mission with a wider scope and scale.
“We decided to invest in an Adamson E-Series system based on the overwhelming success of the S-Series system we purchased for the Agora Theatre in Cleveland a couple of years ago,” begins Mark Allen, owner of Allen Audio Systems. “The comments about that system have all been really positive, and many touring artists have raved about it. Given that, we knew the next system we would add to our inventory was definitely going to be Adamson.”
After making that initial decision, o

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UK - A webinar designed to unite the live production industry in developing new working practices for a more sustainable approach has shown a “clear willingness” for change, according to The Sustainability in Production Alliance (SiPA).
The panel discussion, broadcast live on social media channels as well as via a Zoom video meeting, brought together many of the leading companies and individuals who are committed to a more sustainable future for live event production.
The webinar was a collaboration between SiPA, the Association of British Technicians (ABTT) and The United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT). Top of the agenda was how the industry can use the current hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic to create a more sustainable approach to its work.
SiPA’s Carol Scott, principal advocate for sustainability at TAIT and SiPA, was joined by

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USA - Clearwing Systems Integration has included Ayrton Diablo profile luminaires in provision of systems design and integration for the LED lighting upgrade at Waterford Union High School’s auditorium and other venues. The school is located approximately 25 miles southwest of Clearwing’s Milwaukee office.
Clearwing was charged with modernising the high school’s outdated lighting inventory from house lights to theatrical instruments as they migrate from conventional and tungsten-based fixtures to an all-LED roster.
“Flexibility and performance were the biggest factors in lighting fixture selection, along with the energy and cost savings that went along with moving to LEDs,” says Mitch Van Dyke, engineering & estimation at Clearwing Systems Integration. “The school trusted us to get the best lighting we could for their budget.”
Clearwing chose A

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USA - Eastern Acoustic Works (EAW) has appointed AudioPros as its manufacturer’s representative serving Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Vermont, Connecticut, Rhode Island and both metro and upstate New York. This provides dealers, rental houses and regional production companies with access to EAW’s entire suite of products including its new ADAPTive Anya and Anna speakers, and Otto subwoofer.
“Based on its solid reputation, we know that AudioPros will provide exceptional service to dealers and customers in the region,” says Paul Lamarre, national sales manager, EAW. “The Northeast territory is important for us as that is where our corporate headquarters is based, and we couldn’t be more excited to partner with our neighbors at AudioPros.”
Settling into its new greater Hartford County, Connecticut space, AudioPros is a manufacturer’s representative

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USA - Thriving and growing Daystar Family Church in Western Alabama hadn’t improved their video and lighting system since moving into their current facility well over a decade ago. That changed this year when AVL integrator Narrow Road Pro supplied and installed a complete new system.
This included a large video wall, constructed from ADJ AV6X LED panels, along with a comprehensive lighting setup of LED-powered fixtures from ADJ as well as sister company Elation Professional.
Founded by Bishop Patrick M. Schatzline and Lady Deborah Schatzline, with a congregation of just 50 people, today Daystar Family Church in Tuscaloosa, AL, has a congregation of over 1,300. Now pastored by Patrick and Deborah’s son Scott and his wife Kristi, it is multi-cultural, multi-generational, non-denominational church with praise and worship that is energetic and passionate. However, thi

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USA - The 30 July Under The Skin livestream by the Grammy-nominated band Code Orange combined music from the band’s March 2020 LP Underneath with early songs presented during the Mudbangers Ball pre-show.
Moving in step with this temporal tapestry was a harmoniously balanced Sam Jimenez lighting design that featured Chauvet Professional fixtures supplied by Star Design Event Services.
“From a lighting standpoint, this show was really a blend of the old and the new,” said Jimenez. “We tried to blend the surreal with reality in a way that flowed naturally. This show was something the band has been leading up to. It’s the product of three months of back and forth with different creative ideas, budgeting, and designing. We ended up doing this at the Trafford Theatre Factory, in Trafford, PA. My friend Chris Robin, who worked as a tech on the

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UK - As event professionals took to the streets of every major city across the UK on 11 August, in support of the PLASA-led #WeMakeEvents campaign, TechLED once again bathed Production Park, including the Studio and Rockwell cafe in the companion #LightItInRed campaign’s signature colour, emergency red.
TechLED’s MD, Gordon Addison, once again turned to the power of Prolight’s LEDJ Spectra QX40 Pixel exterior fixtures to illuminate the buildings. While the Production Park team attended the protest demonstration in Leeds, the team at TechLED kept alive the signal of allegiance, with many other theatres and cultural institutions across the country affected by the continued inability to open during the coronavirus pandemic.
Addison comments: “We would like to say a massive thank you to all our customers and everyone who came together on the eve of Tuesday 11 August,

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Germany - An Allen & Heath dLive system recently mixed a special performance by around 50 musicians from the Heidelberg Philharmonic Orchestra, livestreamed against the backdrop of the Königssaal (Royal Hall), within the walls of the historic Heidelberg Palace.
The performance was the centrepiece of a cultural evening on 10 July, staged by Heidelberg Theatre and Orchestra in partnership with the town’s municipal authority and livestreamed to Facebook and YouTube audiences. Full-service AV rental company, Konferenztechnik Kiel supplied the complete audio, video, lighting and streaming solution for the event.
Freelance audio engineer, Eric Siemens headed up the sound team, ably supported by mic tech, Florian Montabaur, and by Martin Hildebrand, who directed the sound and video via intercom. Eric mixed the performance himself, choosing a dLive C3500 Surface, teamed w

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Canada - Despite the current pandemic hitting the AV industry particularly hard, some organisations are making the most of the mandatory downtime by carrying out system upgrades that would have otherwise been challenging during regular event scheduling.
This was certainly the case for The Selwyn Outreach Centre in Peterborough, ON, which recently pushed forward with some much-needed audio system upgrades. A DiGiCo S31 console, plus a KLANG:fabrik immersive in-ear system and KLANG:quelle headphone amps, purchased through DiGiCo’s Canadian distributor GerrAudio, are central to the solution.
The organisation engaged Jason Reynolds, lead installation advisor at AV integrator, Production Service Industries, to design and supply a very capable, yet cost-effective front-end package for the upgrade.
Anchoring the system is a DiGiCo S31 at front-of-house that is equippe

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France - Over 160 Anolis LED luminaires have been used to illuminate public and connecting areas of the Les Bassins de Lumières, an imposing former World War II U-boat bunker in Bordeaux. Originally known as ‘Betasom’, four of the 11 vast submarine basin areas have been reimagined by private organisation Culturspaces for use as a sanctuary for immersive digital arts and mixed media installations.
Nicolas Valette from lighting design practice 4eleven was asked to create a lighting scheme that highlighted the internal architecture of these impressive 115m long water-filled bays which have a draft of between 9 and 11.40m – with a tidal allowance of 1.5m.
Each of these is separated by a 6m-thick concrete wall. In their former incarnation, each of the four giant basins could accommodate two submarines.
Nicolas found a stark and raw beauty in the functional, br

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South Africa - The South African entertainment industry joined forces on 5 August for the #LightSARed ‘Code Red’ activation.
The campaign aims to raise awareness about the critical state of the country’s live entertainment industry and its support infrastructure. The industry is yet to receive financial support from the government five months since mass gatherings were banned due to the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving the whole sector out of work and with no cash flow to depend on.
Over 500 buildings, structures, monuments, venues, spaces and places all over the country were lit including the side of Cape Town’s most famous natural landmark Table Mountain. Robe moving lights were used on many of the installations, and the various action was coordinated by project teams in major cities including Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Free State, Port Elizabeth, East London

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UK - As part of the #WeMakeEvents campaign, Calrec lit up its historic Nutclough Mill building in red on the night of 11 August to help raise the alarm for the live events and entertainment sector.
Backed by a wide range industry bodies and companies, a series of events was held on Tuesday across the UK to highlight the plight of those struggling for work as a result of the pandemic. The live entertainment sector has been particularly badly hit, with calls to the government to step in and provide more assistance.
Sid Stanley, Calrec’s general manager, comments: “This has affected our customers in every territory, and the impact on live events like sports and entertainment has been devastating. In the UK alone there are over one million people employed in delivering events, 72% of whom are freelance, and many of which have no access to any financial support. We work

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The Netherlands - The UK’s #WeMakeEvents campaign received support in the Netherlands, where local companies took part in a nationwide Red Alert action under the banner of #WijMakenEvents.
More than 250 buildings across the country were lit in red on the evening of 11 August. The original campaign is a PLASA initiative that was adopted by the VTTE (the Association of Technical Event Suppliers) in the Netherlands.
Trussing, staging and hoist supplier Prolyte participated in the protest action on the night. The event industry and sectors have been at a complete standstill since the very beginning of the coronavirus crisis earlier this year. It has been more than five months, which means there are all costs but no turnover. Despite the government’s support during this period, companies are now on the verge of collapsing.
In order to draw attention to this crisi
  1. Martin Audio supports #WeMakeEvents campaign
  2. #WeMakeEvents day of action makes waves
  3. Showforce and tess prepare crewing guidelines
  4. The Week in Light & Sound
  5. Mainstream media highlights #WeMakeEvents day of action
  6. TSE trainee project highlights new talent
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