Comeback News - Led Zeppelin are planning to tour and record but without frontman Robert Plant. Bassist John Paul Jones told BBC Radio Devon that a new singer was being sought after Plant ruled himself out. The last time the band performed together was at the O2 arena in London in December 2007. Speculation has since been rife that the surviving members of the band, with Jason Bonham, son of
PRG CEO Jere Harris said: "We are very excited about the acquisition of Essential Lighting which underscores our commitment to a specialist brand strategy in the UK. The EL business has been driven by an engaged and committed leadership team that will strengthen the management of our UK businesses"
Essential's managing director, Martin Locket commented: "We are looking forward to becoming a member of PRG's group of companies. The resources available to us from a global organisation will help us provide a wider range of products and services within our offer to our customers."
Essential Lighting will be keeping their name, logo and identity, continuing as an independent brand, focussed on the mark
Systems integrators are encouraged to nominate themselves or their industry peers who have demonstrated outstanding success in the past year in various categories.
Submissions are due 31 December 2008. The NSCA Business and Leadership Conference Committee will announce the winners on 15 January 2009.
"Creativity, vision, flexibility, economic security - these are key to the success of today's integrators," said Chuck Wilson, NSCA executive director. "NSCA is pleased to promote and recognise integrators who excel in their day-to-day activities."
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It will deliver funding for training, with the minimum level of bureaucracy or delay. This will be for subjects such as business improvement techniques or leadership and management, which are proven to provide skills to increase the productivity of individuals and firms. John Denham said:"Small businesses are an important engine of our economy and we must make sure that we support them during tough economic times.
"We are overhauling the training system to make sure that they can
The new company directors are Lisa Tapper, Mike Naish (formerly Stagecraft Ltd production manager), Kevin Hughes (former projects manager) and Simon Sketchley, who has joined the company from AJS Theatre Lighting and Stage Supplies, where he was general manager.
Tapper reports that eight key members of staff have been retained as part of the new operation, while a further eight have lost their jobs.
Tapper was also confirmed that all forward orders on Stagecraft Ltd's books will be honoured by the ne
Tom Bewick, chief executive of Creative & Cultural Skills said: "This action plan is employer-driven and therefore entirely employer focused. The creative and cultural industries in Northern Ireland have grown considerably, but there still isn't a clear progression route for those entering the industries and skills gaps exist within the workforce. In Northern Ireland, we are delighted to have received funding from the Department for Employment and
"This wasn't just an act of veneration," explained Grant, "Pavarotti touched many people in his lifetime, particularly through his work as United Nations Messenger of Peace. It's rare to see stars the calibre of Sting and Zucchero rubbing shoulders with the likes of Carreras, Domingo and Bocelli, but that was the nature of the man."
Naturally, such a potent mix of performers brings its own challenges, the services of Britannia Row being engaged to bring their own
Live News: Big-name bands like Take That and Oasis are leading a boom in gig ticket sales, with UK stadium shows selling in record time despite the credit crunch. Take That sold 700,000 tickets for their 2009 tour, a week after 500,000 tickets to see Oasis were
The winning ticket for the Second Prize of a $2,500 Amazon Gift Card was drawn by Rick Fisher, who took a short break from lighting Billy Elliott on Broadway to receive LDI's Theatre Lighting Designer of the Year Award. Rick is one of the founders of Light Relief, the UK based industry charity. Holmes Brown from PRG was the lucky winner.
Peter Finder of Rose Brand was the winner of the Third Prize, a $1,000 Amazon Gift Card which was drawn by Tim Hansen. Tim
The newly-created DAC Pro-Media has opened its account by signing up GCI Technologies, the American conglomerate, whose brands include Gemini, Cortex and iKey Audio. DAC will also act as a specialist sub-distributor for premier pro-audio and M.I. supplier Sound Technology, selling its portfolio of products including the Harman Pro brands JBL, Crown and AKG into the DJ market.
Having also spent ten years as MD of Numark Alesis Europe, Crisp's knowledge and experience spans all sectors of audio and MI. "And ultimately we will be looking to represent the right lighting and accessories suppliers too," he says. "In this respect I hope to be able to announce new partnerships either at the start of 2009 or at the Winter NAMM Music Co
Over 30 nominations were received from across the industry and these were narrowed down to a shortlist of nine finalists for the panel of judges to ponder upon. The judges for this year's awards were Rick Baxter, Ken Billington, Cory Fitzgerald, Elaine J. McCarthy, Rocky Paulson, and Bruce Rodgers.
The judges panel was chaired by Mike Wood, who said prior to announcing the winners: "We wanted to create an award series that had no rules except for excitement
From 1 January 2009, the 11 AMG venues will be renamed O2 Academy. O2 customers will gain priority access to tickets to all gigs at the venues, as well as other Live Nation events across the country. In total, O2 customers will gain special access to as many as 4,000 Live Nation produced shows a year in the UK up to 48 hours before they go on general sale.
"Our customers tell us that they really value having pri
Winners are determined based on evaluations completed by students participating in NSCA University courses. Instructors are evaluated on areas such as topic knowledge, engagement with students, and topic relevance. NSCA will recognise the 2008 recipients at the annual NSCA Member Meeting and Industry Forum as well as the President's Reception at InfoComm 09.
Additionally, individual Instructors of the Year were awarded for each college within the University. Recipients include: Karl Rosenberg, Extron Electronics, David Marsh, Pelton Mars
The Showsec Academy was launched in March 2008, becoming the UK's first training programme specifically produced to offer a combined theoretical and vocational course for event security professionals. The year-long programme creates a much needed progressive, operational career path within the crowd management industry, developing the knowledge, skills and experience required to become an effective operational manager.
Joining the academy are Catherine Wells, Andrew Thorn and Katie Valkovics, currently working for Showsec, Gemma Harvey and Neilesh Patel, who have previous security experience, and Simon Howard coming from the events management industry.
Keith Hackett, Academy project manager said: "We saw some strong candidates and the six selected be
Prior to joining Neutrik, Cowan held various positions with such companies as Texas Instruments, Panduit Corp. and Dialight-Kulka-Smith. He received a bachelor of science in marketing and economics as well as a master's degree in marketing from Monmouth University in New Jersey.
Beyond those organisations with ties to the professional audio community, he was a philanthropic benefactor to organisations such as Oceans of Love, which provides help for children with cancer, ALS Association (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, aka Lou Gehrig's Disease), the Food Bank of New Jers
Creator Franz Abraham said the show would have a "high level of artistry that would excite the audience". He added: "The show will have the speed of a musical, the depth of great theatre, the power of a rock concert and the visual opulence of a Hollywood blockbuster."
The thoroughbred horses will undergo 12 months of intensive training with a team of trainers and charioteers. A combination of light, sound, water, wind and pyrotechnic effects will also be used. Tickets for the new production will go on sale on 14
The award was presented by 2005 Swan recipient, Wally Blount, who had worked closely with Hansen in several areas, including the development of the Entertainment Technician Certification Programme (ETCP"I am honoured to be the 2008 recipient of the Eva Swan Award," commented Hansen. "To receive this recognition from your peers is truly a special honour. Everyone who has helped and supported me over the years, especially everyone at Oasis Stage Werks, also deserves a piece of the award. Thank you to ESTA for this very special award. It will always be the high point of my career, but certainly not the end poi
Creative Technology received a Gold Award for its contribution to the spectacular Opening Ceremony which became the hallmark of the Games.
Working closely with the Beijing Organising Committee Ceremonies team, CT developed, designed and delivered the complex processing and switching requirements used on the dramatic video LED floor and scrolls, one of the pivotal elements during the 2008 opener.
Dave Crump, managing director, Creative Technology London, comments: "Being recognised by industry peers is the highest compliment it also sends such a wonderful message to our dedicated team, who I know work tirelessly to deliver such complex projects."
(Jim Evans)
No Knebworth - Coldplay say they won't be playing a one-off gig in the grounds of Knebworth House in
The producers are looking for a writer, director, costume designer and production designer to join the team. No experience is necessary as the Skins creators will be mentoring the winners and providing support. Not only that - they get to join the set of series 3 for paid work experience. The mini episode will be screened online in 2009.
Entrants need to be between 18 and 23 years old and the closing date for all four competitions is Tuesday December 9th at 6pm.Directors: Skins are giving one budding director the opportunity to ge
New additions to the site (www.stage-electrics.co.uk) include case studies detailing the range of completed Stage Electrics projects from educational installations to West End shows. There is a new look web shop with over 4,500 items available.
(Jim Evans)
Navigation around the wide range of product information and support together with the extensive technical and educational resources that the site contains has been made simpler and easier, says the company.
New back-end enhancements allow for a more flexible operation of the Selecon site with a new 'search' function on products by either family name or luminaire type via the Support section in the main menu bar. This function is a one-click way to pull a quick overview, lighting calculator, specifications, downloads, related products and accessories together in one place for the product which is of interest.
(Jim Evans)
(Jim Evans)
A&O UK's warehouse will carry an extensive stock of its Falcon Architectural and Entertainment product ranges, and will be based in Blackburn, Lancashire, with easy transport links to all the UK and Ireland. A London office is scheduled to be announced, to provide a central administrative base for the new venture.
HSL will provide service and technical support. HSL currently holds the largest stock of A&O's Falcon range fixtures in the country, and has worked extensively with this technology for the last three years.
Marco Niedermeier, MD of A&O says: "This is a perfect opportunity to strengthen our worldwide business and commercial network. It will allow us to continue expanding the continuity of se
