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Liechtenstein - Neutrik, the world's leading manufacturer of audio connectors for entertainment applications - has celebrated its 30th anniversary. In June, the company invited L&SI out to its brand new headquarters and factory in Schaan, Liechtenstein, the tiny Principality sandwiched between Switzerland and Austria. It was here in 1975 that the company began with just two people in an old stables building.

Today, the company employs 650 people in subsidiary companies around the world including the USA, UK, Switzerland, France, Japan, China and Germany, and has a network of exclusive distributors in more than 80 countries. CEO Werner Bachmann, one of those original two staff members, heads up a truly international company which is tackling the move into digital technology head-on with its EtherCon RJ45 connectors, the new USB and FireWire chassis connectors, and its latest Opti

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USA - Due to "overwhelming interest", the ETCP (Entertainment Technician Certified Program) Council has voted to extend the application deadline for the first ETCP rigging examinations (arena and theatre) to 1 September, 2005. Both exams will be held on Saturday, 12 November, in conjunction with the ETS-LDI tradeshow in Orlando, Florida.

Candidates who pass the examinations in November 2005 will be acknowledged as the only members of the 'Class of 2005' on the ETCP website and will be the first ETCP Certified Riggers in North America. The rigging certifications are designed for highly experienced riggers (rigging supervisors, high steel riggers, flypersons, etc). Qualified riggers can apply for either one or both exams, and individuals must meet eligibility requirements to apply.

Under the auspices of the Entertainment Services and Technology Association (ESTA), ETCP

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UK - On Tuesday, 29 November 2005 at The IEE, Savoy Place, London, UK the IEE Engineering for a Sustainable Future Professional Network will present the seminar Beyond WEEE: Unsustainable Product Design, and how to avoid it.

The EU Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) directive begins to roll out across the member states of the European Union from August 2005. This directive requires the collection and recycling of WEEE, and passes the responsibility for this back onto the producers. Manufacturers and designers of EEE now have a vested interest in sustainable product design, as by employing suitable design techniques, companies have a chance to minimize these costs, maybe even reducing overall product cost.

The event has two threads running through it. The "Practical" thread will seek to explore the state of the art in Sustainable Product Design an

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UK - Showsec reports some impressive landmarks in its ongoing educational programmes this month. Two of the company's senior managers became the first to receive foundation degree qualifications in Crowd Management, the 1000th Showsec employee has achieved their Level 2 NCFE event stewarding qualification, and the 500th member of staff has been SIA accredited - all in addition to the recently qualified IOSH staff.

Leading by example, managing director Mark Harding and southern regional manager Simon Battersby are amongst the first intake of students to successfully graduate from the newly established foundation degree in Crowd and Safety Management at Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College, with two other managers expected to complete the course within the coming months.

In September 2004, the company embarked on a policy to train all staff to the NCFE Event stewarding l

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USA - Two draft standards are available for public review on the ESTA website at the address provided below. BSR E1.20, Entertainment Technology - Remote Device Management over USITT DMX512, is available for public review until 11 October 2005, while BSR E1.24, Entertainment Technology - Dimensional Requirements for Stage Pin Connectors, is available for review until 18 October 2005.

The ending dates noted on the website are when the reviews end; on those dates the links to the review documents will disappear. BSR E1.20 describes a method of bi-directional communications over a USITT DMX512/1990 data link between an entertainment lighting controller and one or more remotely controlled lighting devices. The protocol also is intended to work with the ANSI E1.11-2004 control protocol. It allows discovery of devices on a DMX512/E1.11 network and the remote setting of D

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UK - With little more than two weeks to go until PLASA 2005 opens its doors, here are 10 reasons why you can't afford to miss out on this year's Show - taking place between Sunday 11 and Wednesday 14 September at Earls Court, London:

1. You'll see lots of new ideas - over 1,000 new products will be launched, and the best of these will be featured in the Innovation Gallery.
2. You'll see all the major international brands and manufacturers from around the globe.
3. You'll find more new companies exhibiting this year than ever before.
4. You'll hear about numerous new industry initiatives.
5. You'll find out what others are spending their money on and why.
6. You'll get to talk to lots of different people, many of them potential customers.
7. You'll take back knowledge to your workplace.
8. All the major industry trade associations will be there to offe

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UK - DJs keen to see all the latest DJ technologies should head to this year's PLASA Show, which runs for four full-on days at Earls Court 1 in London, from 11-14 September. Both show floors will be packed with the hottest DJ gear - everything from the smartest decks to top-of-the-range mixers.

Denon, Numark, Pioneer, Stanton and Vestax will be just some of the big-name brands at the Show, and a key part of the 300-strong line up of exhibitors showcasing current trends in lighting, sound, AV and multimedia technologies.

DJ Sunday, sponsored by iDJ magazine, will get the show off to a flying start with numerous events, giveaways and on-stand demos by leading DJs. In the DJ Lounge (at the back of the hall), visitors can watch the winners of iDJ Magazine's monthly Raw Talent competition and there will also be an opportunity to take the first steps into music production with a Tal

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Canada - Cast Software launched WYSIWYG Release 14 featuring multiple streaming video display capabilities, plus many more feature updates, including speed efficiencies found primarily in the CAD engine and shaded views.

"WYSIWYG has been the indisputable leader in lighting design software for the past decade. Over this period, we've listened to the needs of our users and strived to provide dynamic software solutions. The introduction of Streaming Video in Release 14 will give them the opportunity to bring live or pre-recorded video streams into WYSIWYG and play them back while creating looks in Design mode or pre-cueing in Live mode," says Gilray Densham, president and CEO of Cast Software.

Other new features that have been implemented include a cross-fading function giving users the ability to see a timed transition between any two stored looks in Design mode. Desi

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USA - The ESTA Foundation has announced the launch of its new website (follow the link below). The entire range of ESTA Technical Standards Program publications, including American National Standards and recommended practices, is for sale, available via electronic download or hard copy. Discounts are available to ESTA members and for quantity purchases.

The Foundation's Seminars and Training area offers educational resources for entertainment technicians, including a comprehensive bibliography of rigging reference materials and rigging seminars. The site also includes information about the Essential Skills for the Entertainment Technician Program, now in development.

The ESTA Foundation is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization established in early 2005 to create and support educational and charitable programs for the entertainment technology industry. The primary goals of the

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USA - Northern Sound & Light (NSL) recently received the Outstanding Sales Performance Award for 2004-2005 from dbx/Lexicon Professional Products. The company was chosen from many competitors in the Eastern region of the United States

The award was given to NSL based on a phenomenal sales performance representing 23% sales growth year over year for the dbx/Lexicon product line. It was personally delivered to Steve Raslevich, president of NSL, by sales rep Bob Podolinski of RLA and Aaron Kunz, eastern regional sales manager for dbx/Lexicon Professional Products.

"The partnership between NSL and dbx/Lexicon is a winning combination," said Kunz. "We have a collective goal to increase sales and brand promotion while offering first rate service and expertise to the pro audio market."

"I am thankful that Bob and Aaron took the time and effort to recognize

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UK - The Liverpool Culture Company this year gave the City's Mathew Street festival a compete makeover, resulting in record crowds of up to 350,000 enjoying Europe's largest free urban live music festival.

The three-day event culminated on the August Bank Holiday Monday with six stages in and around the city centre, featuring top live performers from all over the world. Liverpool Culture Company's general manager of events, Lee Forde explains that the Culture Company took over full control of this year's event: "It was an absolutely essential move to keep the festival progressing and diversifying."

Two stages were installed at the Pier Head for the first time - North and South. The North stage was effectively the main stage. On the Sunday, it featured The Buzzcocks, The Stranglers, Tony Christie, The Christians, Liverpool Express and Neville Skelly among others. The

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Sweden - Based at Krylbo, near Avesta, about 160km north-west of Stockholm, Starlight is one of Sweden's leading providers of full-service touring production, a position boosted by its merger with the Stockholm-based VLSC AB (formerly VLPS Scandinavia) in 2003. Today, the yellow trucks and tour buses of the company's growing transport fleet are a regular sight on Sweden's roads in summer.

CEO Per Eriksson first began DJ'ing in 1974 at the age of 14, and started Starlight Disco in 1980. With a bus, a lighting rig and a Cerwin Vega sound system, he found regular work providing lights and sound to events staged in Sweden's 'People's Parks' - something of a national institution in the 1980s.

It was during this period that Eriksson first encountered Ulf Brynte. The pair worked together in 1989-1990, when Brynte rented Eriksson's van, some equipment and an employee to help service a

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UK - In order to make full use of your days at the PLASA show, the show's organizers are encouraging visitors to 'check in' early. The doors to the exhibition will be open from 9am every morning and you will be invited to go up to the Top Deck to collect your show catalogue, and have a cup of coffee at one of the outlets around the PLASA stand while planning you day, prior to the show's official opening at 10am.

Please note: due to the current security situation, there will be full bag checks as you enter the show and all visitors are being asked for their co-operation. In the meantime, to help you plan, don't forget to check out the show website - see address below - for all the up-to-date news in the final run-up to the show.

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UK - The chain of supply in any industry is a fascinating animal, one mistake or miscalculation along the line can screw up numerous other businesses in that same chain. However, it is something most end users rarely consider.

In the lighting industry one of these links is Mico Lighting. Started in 1972, when it was run from a small unit and an upstairs bedroom in Pudsey, West Yorkshire by Michael Kitching and Colin Durber, it is now one of the largest privately-owned distributors of lamps in the industry and boasts in excess of 100 years of lighting experience by its three directors (Kitching, Durber and Graham Waite-Pullan).

Today, the Pudsey-based company distributes, in the main, to UK-based commercial end users and specialist suppliers from a 30,000sq.m warehouse. The company's dedication to customer support and total quality is the key to its success, say Mico, an ISO 90

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Europe - PRG Europe is making room for new and updated rental equipment by selling some of its older stock. The sale, at PRG's Greenford offices in west London, will feature control consoles, automated and fixed lighting, followspots, dimmers, truss and motors, special effects equipment such as smoke and haze machines, strobes and LED battens, along with cabling.

Scheduled to run at the same time as PLASA, so that show visitors can visit both while in the capital, special offers include Wholehog II consoles, Source Fours and Vari*Lite fixtures and infrastructure.

PRG Europe group asset manager Paul Weaver says: "As a single source provider of lighting and projection solutions for the entertainment and events industry, we offer a range of resources unmatched anywhere. This means we have an enormous amount of stock, and storage space isn't cheap, so to make room we'd prefer

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UK - It's still possible to pre-book spaces for this year's seminar programmes at the PLASA Show by logging onto: www.plasashow.com/seminars. Tickets cost £10 per session, or you can save money by booking a three-session pass for £20. Tickets can be collected on the day from the Seminar Theatre located on the Top Deck at Earls Court.

(Lee Baldock)

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UK - The 2005 PLASA Show opened its doors at 10 o'clock this morning, and the crowds streamed in to the show floor, which looks better and brighter than ever. Sunday at PLASA is DJ day, of course, and the annual Gemini DJ competition will once again prove a big draw for budding mix artists, with the contest taking place in the DJ lounge at the rear of the hall, and the final taking place at 4.30pm. There's plenty more going on as part of DJ Sunday, supported by iDJ magazine, offering all kinds of opportunities to learn about the art and practice of DJing.

Appropriately for DJ Sunday, seminars today include a session on Digital Turntablism and Mixing, chaired by David Eserin, editor of the Technoscan section of DJ Magazine, the session features world-renowned DJs Chris Liebing and Jonathan Lisle, and Eitan Zilkha of Sapphires. Following the session, Jonathan Lisle will be perform

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UK - E:cue has launched its 'Butler' Ethernet to DMX gateway, which features 1024 DMX channels and an integrated replay unit.

The Butler allows up to two DMX lines to be controlled an e:cue programmer or media engine. Soft-Patch allows two different DMX lines to be inserted or the same line can be repeated several times. The DMX signal is available via RJ45 connectors or, optionally, XLR adaptors.

The Butler can also be used as a standard replay unit, and an internal SD card provides memory for several shows generated by the e:cue programmer including the use of liveFX functionality. Show size is limited solely by the SD card capacity, and if a show requires more than two DMX universes several Butler devices can be linked via e*net and synchronised during replay, while the integrated IR receiver provides a simple method of recalling shows from any IR remote controller.

(Mike

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UK - Simon Brophy, the former head of lighting at the Millennium Dome who was earlier this year found guilty of defrauding the New Millennium Experience Company, was yesterday sentenced to a four-and-a-half year prison term.

Brophy, who was given the £70,000 per year job at the Millennium Dome in 1998 despite his lack of experience, and used his position to award contracts to Pro Design - a company he had set up with his mother Ruth Barclay and his friend David Gordon as directors. £3.9m of lighting contracts were awarded to Pro Design - £2.8m of which was paid to the company before the fraud was uncovered. Equipment was rented by Pro Design from another lighting company and then hired out to the Dome at hugely inflated rates. In all, the investigation found that Brophy stole a total of £1.1m from the NMEC. During the trial, it was also found that that Pr

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UK - Specialist event branding company Sunbaba has been exhibiting its range of bespoke banners, screens and other branding materials at the PLASA Show.

The company, which began working in the events industry in 1997, followed on from its successful launch at PLASA 2004 of its DigiSound fabric and reported a busy summer season during which it supplied material to the Fifth Test Match at the Oval, as well as all of the Gcap Radio Party In the Park events.

The latter shows featured DigiSound fabric as PA scrims and PVC banners and stage décor. DigiSound fabric is design to take digital printing while its wide mesh minimises sound degradation when used in front of a PA system.

(Mike Lethby)

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USA - Biamp today announced that it has appointed Robert Yeager its new manufacturing and facilities manager. Yeager will oversee all manufacturing operations in Biamp's United States facilities. One of Yeager t's prime responsibilities will be to continue the process and production efficiencies and quality improvements that have been achieved over that last few years. Yeager will be located in the Beaverton office and will report directly to Ralph Lockhart.

"We've made significant progress in the last couple of years in upgrading our manufacturing facility and processes," said Lockhart, president, Biamp Systems. "We want this progress to continue in order to meet the demand for Biamp products. Given Roberts's impressive background and strong leadership abilities, we are certain that he is a good fit for this position."

A West Point Graduate, Yeager was the

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UK - The latest wave of PLASA's industry research - Market Trends 2005 - indicates that, after two years of declining value, the market for entertainment and communication technology served by PLASA members has started to recover. Since 2001, a number of factors including global insecurity and economic instability, have had a negative impact on many of the key sectors that make up the entertainment and communication technology industries. However, in 2004 the market stabilized and the research suggests some slight growth in market value.

The researchers, Purple Market Research Ltd, estimate that the UK market in 2004, in terms of end user expenditure (and excluding any cross-selling among suppliers) is worth just over £1.1bn. The market consists of five main product categories: professional lighting, pro audio for presentation and performance purposes, pro-audio for

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UK - At PLASA 2005 Hawthorn was awarded the UK Rental Company of the Year Award by Martin Audio, an acknowledgment of its continued growth, and the ongoing expansion of its Martin Audio stock.

"Our continued expansion and growth within the sound market, both hire and sales, has been tremendous" said Iain Reinhold, head of sound at Hawthorn, "allowing us to continue with our commitment to and investment in new kit and placing us in the right position to provide the best and latest equipment to our clients and customers."

Zero 88 in its 2005 Dealer Awards at PLASA also awarded the Independent Dealer of the Year Award to Hawthorn. The award is in recognition of the growth and development of its Zero 88 dealership and in recognition of its commitment and support for the brand over the last year.

"We are delighted to receive the two awards, which are furt

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UK - The summer of 2005 has been a busy one for UK cabling specialist VDC Trading, with a number of top bands turning to the company to provide specialist equipment for concerts and tours. Among the artists the VDC has helped are The Doves and US rock band The White Stripes, whose UK summer tour included a performance at Glastonbury.

For The Doves, VDC supplied Michael Jobson Management with multicore looms, single manufactured leads, cable, components and patch panels, which were used throughout the band's recent UK and US tours. For The White Stripes, VDC constructed a custom panel and multicore using Van Damme Black Series cable. This enabled the band's concerts to be recorded for future release.

VDC also provided dance band Goldfrapp with a new patch panel for its custom stagebox, enabling the band to significantly increase the number of channels available during live date

  1. Benefit appeal for Joe 'Light' Marchese
  2. Bright future for University lighting course
  3. Wilkes Iris acquires sheet metal specialist
  4. Blitz Charter reports strong profits
  5. Navigator launch new 'Try-it' download
  6. Vivien wins Technology Watch Award!
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