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UK - A recent prosecution at Glasgow Sheriff Court has highlighted both the human and financial consequences when work at height is not properly planned, designed and managed, PASMA has said.
The association highlighted a recent court case, which looked at an incident from 2 September 2016 when an employee of JR Scaffold Services Ltd, who was erecting a tower scaffold to carry out roof repairs, fell 8m after the cantilever section on which he was standing collapsed. According to reports, the fall left him hospitalised for two weeks, with severe injuries including a collapsed lung, ruptured spleen and multiple rib and shoulder fractures. It was five months before he could return to work and he will be on daily antibiotics for the rest of his life.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found the company had correctly carried out a risk assessment and

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UK - Unusual Rigging has conducted a series of inspection and maintenance checks at the Royal Albert Hall in preparation for an eventual post-COVID re-opening. With the venue shut for the first time since the Blitz, it was unable to carry out its usual April inspections and maintenance and as such the statutory examination periods for some hoists had expired.
Alexander Tripp, deputy head of technical at Royal Albert Hall explained: “While being closed has meant that there is less wear and tear on some of the equipment than there would usually be, this is not the case for the majority of it, There were also a number of examinations that needed to be carried out – thorough examination of rigging equipment being one of them. We wanted to get this rectified as soon as possible, but there were many challenges that needed addressing before work inside the Hall could be safely
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USA - “Our goal is to prep our inventory and staff so as soon as things are ready to start up again, we can hit the ground running,” states Premier Entertainment Group president and owner Dave Guiler about a recent acquisition of Elation Fuze SFX LED moving head luminaires. “That was the goal behind the purchase, to get things together easily and quickly so when this is over we don’t have to worry about any missing pieces.”
Located in Dothan, Alabama, in the southeast corner of the state, Premier Entertainment Group recently acquired 20 Fuze SFX Spot FX fixtures along with other gear as part of a strategy that will see the event services provider put more focus on the touring market. In order to be well prepared once the Covid restrictions have passed, Guiler has put together lighting packages designed to quickly fill a touring rider, truck friendly gear that will

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Canada - Solotech has announced that it has established a partnership with Yoop eSpace, a virtual and multifunctional production environment that enables content providers to create and stream events in an immersive and interactive way. Benoît Fredette, businessman and Yoop founder, recently launched the new two-way Yoop platform, which offers a real-time visual and audio interaction between artists and spectators.
The partnership ‘represents an opportunity to innovate and to go beyond the barriers of distance by bringing content providers and their audiences closer together’.
Solotech supports Yoop by providing its production expertise, its equipment and technical teams to ensure the audio, video capture and the broadcasting of events. The Yoop eSpace is already planning to open locations in Los Angeles, New York, Nashville and the UK, adding to its first site in

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USA - Continuing to offer ionline training materials and provide industry professionals a platform to share their expertise, Harman Professional Solutions has added a further 12 free Live Workshops which are now available for registration.
The new workshops, scheduled through August, feature lighting or audio experts who have extensive industry knowledge and experience working with various artists such as 3 Doors Down, Bob Seger, Guns N’ Roses, Gwen Stefani, Iron Maiden, Jay-Z, Josh Groban, Journey, Justin Bieber, Linkin Park, Matchbox Twenty, Mötley Crüe, Ricky Martin, Shania Twain, Stormzy, Styx, Travis Scott, Van Halen, will.i.am and many more.
The workshops open for registration include:
Incorporating Martin MAC Encore and ELP into Modern Lighting Design with Paul Collison (27 July)
System Engineer Skills for the Mix Engineer with Cooki

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Sweden - Prolights has announced that Gobo A/S, already Prolights distributor for Denmark, will additionally take over the distribution of the brand for Sweden.
Gobo A/S has been in the business for more than 40 years in Denmark, and it has been present in Sweden for more than 13 years. Jens Lind, head of sales for Gobo A/S says: “Our focus has always been lighting and control for the entertainment industry, including TV and film. For the last seven years we have added this with museums, exhibitions and architectural special lighting. We have been working on expanding our business in Sweden, and here Prolights is the perfect match for us.
“We look forward to expanding the knowledge of the Prolights brand here in Sweden. This new partnership will undoubtedly have a significant impact on the growth of Gobo Sweden and we are impatient to begin this journey together.

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UK - The collective behind the #LightItBlue campaign has formed a community interest company (CIC) dedicated to raising funds for mental health charities, with particular focus on benefitting people from the events and entertainment sectors.
#LightItBlue was created at the onset of lockdown by a group of events and entertainment industry professionals to show a united display of gratitude to the NHS and frontline workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Within four months the campaign had become a global movement spanning 23 countries across six continents and enjoying a social media reach of 700m.
The initiative began on Thursday 26 March when over 100 of the UK’s most famous event venues, sports stadiums and giant LED screens were illuminated in blue to coincide with the nationwide applause for the NHS and frontline care workers.
Since then, landmarks ac

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Belgium - Starting in September, AED Studios in Lint will offer TV, film and event producers the opportunity to use a high-tech XR studio. Extended reality (XR) is the umbrella term for virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR) and other immersive technologies. At the XR studio, the physical and digital worlds are connected, allowing for new, expanded possibilities for audiovisual productions.
The XR Studio is a partnership between a number of specialised European companies - AED Display, MalfMedia, AV Wizard, by Lex Concept Design Control and Eurogrip - which fitted the Studio 4 complex at Lint with a high-tech XR setup. By using premium LED screens (floor and side wall screens), real-time rendering by powerful media servers, camera tracking systems and streaming facilities, the installation is immediately ready to use for interactive business presen

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Australia - Astera LED sales have been growing in Australia since the brand was fully introduced there at the start of 2019, with several leading lighting rental companies investing, including Elite Event Technology based in Canberra.
Elite, headed by owner and founder Darren Russell, will typically supply a full production package – lighting, audio, video rigging and staging – to its clients, embracing all sectors of the industry, from music events to corporates and industrials, TV and theatre productions.
Last year Elite purchased 96 x Astera AX1 PixelTubes in kits of eight with “all the bits”, supplied by ULA Group, Astera’s exclusive distributor for Australia and New Zealand.
More recently – and in spite of the pandemic - the company has invested in another 48 AX1’s and 48 x Astera AX5’s with a full complement of accessories which are for gen

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Spain - Now in its eighth year, BIME Pro takes place on 26-28 October. Say the organisers, “BIME Pro will once again bring together the biggest names in the music industry to discuss the future of the sector and debate the issues it faces in light of over 800,000 concert cancellations globally in 2020.”
Under the hashtag #masceraquenunca (closer than ever) the event urges the industry to move forward together through these unprecedented and challenging times.
BIME Pro will be held this year in a new setting – downtown Bilbao – supported by “a digital ecosystem that will amplify the reach of this unmissable date for music professionals on a global level”.
“At BIME Pro we believe in the need to feel that we’re closer than ever - closer to all the businesses, professionals, students, institutions, sector entities, brands, to all of us who make up

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Germany - Pioneer Pro Audio has appointed SLD Distribution as its new distributor in Germany.
The Fürth-based company distributes a number of leading international industry brands across the audio, lighting and AV sector. Its CEO Daniel Danzer has more than years experience in the audio industry, and in particular, the nightclub sector. He founded SLD Distribution last year to be a hub for installation, planning, rental and distribution of pro AV. SLD Distribution works closely with an established network of systems integrators and offers planning, advice, training and certification associated with all its brands.
Daniel Danzer comments, “We are very pleased to be representing Pioneer Pro Audio. The brand has a formidable reputation for sound and build quality. Where other brands manufacture plastic loudspeakers, Pioneer Pro Audio takes a different approach which I

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South Africa - In a live stream filmed at MGG Productions in Sandton, and hosted on SACIA's YouTube channel, the technical production and live events industry announced the launch the national campaign #LightSAred, to be held on 5 August 2020.
Sharif Baker, chair of the TPSA, announced that the technical production and live events industry will be spearheading a symbolic resistance campaign that will see buildings across the country lit up in red on 05 August.
"The colour red is the international colour of emergency," Baker explains. "We are following the example set by our colleagues in Germany and the UK in lighting our national monuments red to highlight the desperate plight of our industry under current lockdown policies and regulations." Baker went on to emphasise that the #LightSAred campaign is not affiliated with any political body or ideology. "We are simply a

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UK - The Sustainability in Production Alliance (SiPA) is joining forces with the Association of British Technicians (ABTT) and The United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT), to stage a free webinar on 29 July (Wednesday), where a panel of experts will discuss how the industry can use the current hiatus to create a more sustainable approach to its work.
SiPA’s Carol Scott, principal advocate for sustainability at TAIT and SiPA, will be joined by a host of respected live production industry and environment leaders to discuss how we shape the future of touring and performance to reflect the climate emergency the world is facing.
Alongside Carol Scott will be Jon Bausor - multi-award-winning international stage designer and creative director; Spike Brant - CEO of Nimblist and a designer and advocator of sustainability; Ian Garrett - USITT member and design

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UK - The entire events supply chain is at risk of collapse without further government support, PLASA has warned.
“Research has already shown that the majority of companies are running out of reserves fast with no prospect of work on the horizon,” the Association says in a statement. “It is only a matter of time before companies begin to fail and skilled individuals are lost to other sectors.”
It has been a devastating year for companies and freelancers across the industry, with the latest PLASA survey revealing that 70% of respondents lost all their revenue in the past four months. Meanwhile, the survey also found that 60% of the respondents don’t believe the government’s £1.57bn arts rescue package would have an impact on their business.
“This financial challenge was exacerbated for companies who were denied business grants, despite the chancello

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Beyond The Fringe - Performers due to appear at this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe and theatre shows whose runs were cut short due to COVID-19 feature on the line-up of a new festival conceived during the pandemic. The New Normal outdoor theatre festival has been put together in little over a week, following a call-out to producers for shows that could be ready to perform at short notice.
Its creation came after the government green-lit outdoor performances earlier this month, with shows on the programme of the New Normal beginning on 3 August and running until 31 August. It will take place in the walled courtyard of the Royal Victoria Patriotic Building in Wandsworth, south London, with a line-up of theatre, comedy, magic and music for socially distanced audiences.
The festival has been put together by director Sean Turner, who said: "I am absolutely over the moo

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UK - As a manufacturer and supplier of engineering solutions to the entertainment and creative arts sector, Triple E’s factory output has been mostly stalled as a result of the pandemic.
However, the management team have been making use of the time, ensuring the business is match-ready for when the wheels of the industry start to turn again. This has included finalising the development of a new website which has launched along with a new domain name - www.triplee.ltd.
Listening to feedback from clients about what they needed from the company website has been central to the new look site. www.triplee.ltd features a customer friendly interface and clearer layout making it easy to navigate and inform the customer as they seek the products best suited to their project requirements.
“Engineering solutions are complex by their nature, and so with the launch of our

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France - Jacky Fregonese of French lighting and visual rental and production company Loctambule, based near Strasbourg, has put smiles on faces with a series of amusing product and business tutorials that have gained a large fan following on social media.
With all events and shows cancelled and the industry closing down with the French COVID-19 lockdown, Jacky, who heads the company with his wife Catherine Saint-Georges, wanted to do something creative to boost morale while so many usually busy companies and talented technicians, designers, production managers, event organisers all push through until events can re-start.
Jacky was originally inspired to start the funny tutorials with products Loctambule has in rental stock, which includes Robe MegaPointes, Esprites, BMFL Blades and PixelPATTs, all of which have featured and generated interest amongst technicians and ot

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Germany - German Light Products (GLP) has announced an automatic 12-month product warranty extension for any of its products with an original warranty due to expire between 1 April 2020 and 31 March 2021.
The company has been using the hashtag #keepthelighton and #KTLO during the pandemic.
The year-long extension is being applied to every product within the GLP portfolio. In order to simplify the process, the extension has already been registered through every GLP office and those of their distributors. Customers are not required to take action in order to ensure that the extension will be applied as this has already been done.
“GLP recognises and understands that the vast majority of our products have been sitting idle for many months, and will continue to do so in anticipation of their next call to duty,” declared Ud

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Canada/Europe - Bluesound Professional, specialist in distributed audio ecosystems for commercial spaces, has announced the addition of four new distribution partners covering key territories in Western Europe. The new distributors are Gaplasa Pro (Spain), M-Pro (BeNeLux), Magnelusa (Portugal) and Polar (UK).
“We are delighted to be able to welcome another four great distributors to our European team. We are fortunate to be able to work with some of the best distributors in the business. Having worked with most of these companies before, this new relationship for Bluesound Professional will prove viable as this will help cover almost all of the key European territories,” said Graeme Harrison, vice-president and general Manager, Bluesound Professional.
Bluesound Professional is continuing its efforts to grow its distribution network. Since its launch at the Integrat

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South Africa - #LightSAred will kick off with a live interactive broadcast, Live, via the SACIA YouTube and SACIA social media platforms today, Monday, 20 July at 15:30.
The broadcast will officially launch the #LightSAred campaign and will be presented by Sharif Baker, Duncan Riley and Projeni Pather.
“For too long we have been the forgotten industry, but the fire has begun. Join friends and colleagues in the live entertainment industry as we stand in solidarity to make our voice heard,” say the organisers

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UK - Owing to the ongoing situation regarding COVID-19, the decision has been taken to postpone 2020’s BPM DJ show.
A statement from the organisers says, “Since the start of the Coronavirus outbreak the BPM team continued to monitor guidance and advice from the government whilst remaining optimistic that we would be able to safely deliver the BPM show this year, however unfortunately due to the restrictions that would need to be implemented, we felt that in the interest of safety to both our staff and the customers, it is best to postpone until such a time as its 100% safe and we can deliver a great show without limitations!”
The new dates have been secured and BPM will now take place on Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 March 2021 at the same venue - Cranmore Park, Solihull. Further details will be issued in due course.
If you have already purchased advanced ticke

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UK - Similar to other musicians who had found themselves restrained by the coronavirus lockdown, five-piece UK band Mamas Gun, widely known for their album Golden Days, was struggling to find a way for all band members to play together remotely without latency or other issues. A solution was found in the form of Tin Pan Studio, which allows remotely based musicians to jam, rehearse, create, record and perform music together over the internet in realtime. Thanks to this innovative technology, Mamas Gun was able to deliver a successful live stream concert as part of the global #DontStopTheMusic music initiative by Sennheiser.
When the pandemic hit, Doug Hunt, live sound engineer and MD of Doug Hunt Sound & Light, had all his work cancelled, so he started looking for ways to help bands perform together remotely over the internet. “Like everyone else, I came up sho

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USA - The Audio Engineering Society (AES) has released preliminary details on the upcoming International Conference on Audio for Virtual and Augmented Reality (AVAR), set to take place in its own online virtual venue on 17-19 August.
The event will serve as a hub of innovation for the latest research in the fields of spatial audio and technology for virtual, augmented and mixed reality, with a focus on technical solutions and recommended practices in the field.
“The necessity to take AVAR 2020 fully online is ideally suited to the Conference content,” says Matt Klassen, chair. “Our attendees can plug in entirely, create an avatar and participate and interact inside a virtual environment. One of the primary advantages of holding the conference in VR is the very compelling nature of the 3D audio for small group conversations - a big step up from flat screen teleco

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South Africa - The South African event industry is planning a widespread protest action to highlight the lack of government support for the sector, which has been severely affected by the COVID-19 crisis.
Taking place on 5 August, the Light SA Red campaign is calling on anyone concerned about the future of live events to join in by illuminating a building in ‘emergency red’.
The campaign is inspired by Germany’s Night of Light and the UK’s Light It In Red. To shine a light on the lack of state backing for the industry, it will take place exactly five months since South Africa enforced a blanket ban on all live events due to COVID-19, leaving many freelancers, venues and businesses out of work.
“The South African events industry is dying, and we are being ignored,” say the organisers in a statement. “Our aim is for government and financial institutio
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