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Kenya - Gearhouse South Africa supplied full technical production - sound, lighting, AV & video, staging, sets, rigging and power - and one of their massive new In2Structures SupaDome venues for Swedish cosmetics multinational Oriflame's 2010 Diamond Conference.

This was hosted at the Sarova Whitesands Hotel & Spa in Bamburi, near Mombasa on the Kenyan coast, and produced by Oriflame's in house production team.

The project, the site and the logistics were managed for Gearhouse by Bill Lawford and Eyal Yehezkely, working closely with account handler Gareth Hadden.

Forty four Gearhouse SA crew - designers, engineers and technicians - worked across all the disciplines, utilising 63 tonnes of production equipment that was air freighted out of SA via Nairobi in a 747 freighter. The SupaDome was transported to Mombasa in seven 40ft Hi-Cube sea freight containers.

The event compr

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UK - MTA Audio is a new company specialising in the sales and distribution of RF audio for broadcast, film and live work. Focusing initially on Lectrosonics products, founder members Rob Piddington and Paul Hodsman will be concentrating on reintroducing this brand back into the UK marketplace.

Piddington is well known within the pro-audio community having held long-term senior sales and marketing positions at companies such as Sennheiser and Harman. Piddington says: "Lectrosonics have long been recognised as a global leader in wireless systems and now that Ofcom have allocated Channel 38 for PMSE users in the UK, it means 2010 presents an exciting opportunity for Lectrosonics' comprehensive product line."

Hodsman, who formerly ran his own advertising and marketing agency in the City, adds, "We are the first significant post-recessionary dealership to come into t

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UK - An appeal court defeat for the company that licences music in shops is a victory for retailers, said the British Retail Consortium (BRC). It will save retailers £5 million a year and win them a £20 million refund of excessive charges they have paid over the last five years.

Today (Friday 12 February) Phonographic Performance Ltd (PPL) lost an appeal against a ruling - made last October by the Copyright Tribunal - that licence fee increases it had imposed were excessive.

Shops and other businesses that play recorded music (including from television and in-store or conventional radio stations) have to pay for a licence. PPL collects the copyright fees on behalf of record companies. In 2005 PPL dramatically increased the licence fee charges. Some outlets saw their costs more than double overnight. For example one clothing retail group's bill rose from £176,

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UK - London-based theatre consultancy Theatreplan has announced that Robin Townley joined the practice at the beginning of February. Prior to taking up his position at Theatreplan, Robin had been responsible for managing major venue development projects for over 12 years, most recently as building project director on behalf of DanceEast in Ipswich.

Robin's involvement in the project to create a new dance facility within the new Waterfront development, called DanceHouse, generated plaudits from the whole development team. Robin Bater, Area Building Control Surveyor for Ipswich Borough Council said: "It has been a pleasure to work with someone who has such a depth of knowledge in the field of theatre design." Russell Williams, Interim Chief Executive of Ipswich Borough Council added: "On behalf of Ipswich Borough Council, I would like to thank you for your hard work

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The Brits 2010 - Lady Gaga, Lily Allen, Florence and the Machine and Pixie Lott go head-to-head at the Brits tonight, leading the shortlist with three nominations each. X Factor runners-up JLS are also up for a possible hat-trick.

Performers at the UK's biggest music awards include Lady Gaga, Kasabian, Cheryl Cole, Jay-Z and Alicia Keys. Prince Harry has recorded a message for the live show, as the ceremony celebrates its 30th anniversary. The awards themselves began in 1977. Comedian Peter Kay will host the event, at London's Earls Court, which will include a duet between Florence Welch of Florence and the Machine and rapper Dizzee Rascal. Robbie Williams will receive the honorary award for outstanding contribution to music, ending the show with a live performance. Two special categories have been created to celebrate the best of the Brits over the past 30 years - the best Brit

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UK - The winners of the 2010 Whatsonstage.com Awards were announced at a star-studded awards ceremony held at London's Prince of Wales Theatre last Sunday, 14 February. Run by theatre news website WhatsOnStage and covering all the shows to open in London's West End and beyond over the last 12 months, the awards represent the voice of the theatre-going audience: nominations in all categories come from members of the public, and the public then vote for the winners.

White Light is the sponsor of the Best Lighting Designer award, which was presented to Natasha Katz for her work on the hit musical Sister Act at the London Palladium. Her fellow nominees in the category were Johanna Town for Speaking In Tongues, Mark Henderson for Enron, Mike Robertson for On The Waterfront and Neil Austin for Life Is A Dream and Madame de Sade.<

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UK - GearSource Europe has announced the appointment of Benjamin Hollenberg to assist in developing the market for pre-owned lighting and sound equipment in Benelux and Germany.

Hollenberg has worked many years in lighting and sound sales, having previously been sales & investment manager with Focus, Amsterdam. His understanding of the business stems from his earlier 'hands-on' activities as a lighting technician for local Dutch bands and musical theatre.

Garry Nelsson, GearSource Europe's owner said, "I've known Benjamin for several years and had always considered him to be the ideal candidate to expand our activities in the Benelux region and on into Germany. He joins Keith Dale in London, Michelle Morin in Paris and Monica Savio in Milan."

(Jim Evans)

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Germany - Following a period of major growth, Optocore has bucked the economic trend and marked the start of the new year by moving into larger premises in West Munich.

Situated on one floor, the new industrial unit in Gräfelfing gives them twice the space that they had previously to service the additional production and customer requirement; meanwhile the 'loft' style layout has enabled them to incorporate a show/seminar room and dedicated meeting room alongside warehousing and offices for the first time.

Sales and marketing director, Tine Helmle, said that with its 4m high ceilings, bright rooms and large picture windows it is the perfect environment in which to pursue their vigorous development programme following the introduction of their acclaimed SANE (Synchronous Audio Network plus Ethernet) protocol last Autumn.

"Our large R&D room will enable us to support con

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South Africa - For the fourth year running, Gearhouse South Africa supplied technical infrastructure to the Top Gear Live show on its recent visit to South Africa.

The event was staged in the Coca Cola Dome in Johannesburg and at the Grand Arena at Grand West, Cape Town, with Gearhouse working through technical production company Lucidity for Brand Events SA, the official licensee for Top Gear Live in South Africa.

Gearhouse project manager Michael Lewis worked closely with Lucidity's Paul Newman, technical production manager, and the international Top Gear Live touring production team to ensure that sound, lighting, staging, rigging and 6000 seats (from Havaseat, also a Gearhouse company) were installed into the Dome to create the Top Gear Live arena.

Live arena lighting was designed by Steve Sinclair from the international Top Gear Live team, wh

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Good News - Behind the Scenes, the entertainment technology industry charity, has announced it has received a grant of $50,000 from Broadway Cares / Equity Fights AIDS. In his cover letter to the grant, BC/EFA executive director Tom Viola said: "BC/EFA is very grateful to the companies and individuals working in the technical professions - from lighting and rigging to scenery, special effects, audio and more - who have participated in and made so much of BC/EFA's fundraising in the theatre community possible."

Rick Rudolph, chair of the Behind the Scenes Committee, responded: "We are incredibly grateful for this generous grant and the recognition of what Behind the Scenes is accomplishing and the community we represent. We have had an unprecedented number of requests for grants in just the first six weeks of this year and this gift from BC/EFA will ensure we can c

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India - India's Premiere haute couture fashion designer Tarun Tahiliani called on the assistance and skills of technical director Dave Parry, from Most Technical India, for a recent society wedding in New Delhi.Most Technical India, which is slowly gaining a strong reputation with their designs for hotels and clubs, have also been involved with many fashion shows and high society weddings. Working alongside the world renowned Tarun Tahiliani, Dave Parry used his own Avolites Tiger Lighting Desk to light up the vast private farm in South Delhi.

Having recently bought his own Avolites Tiger console, Parry emphasised: "It was great to use a desk that I knew wouldn't fall over and the Tiger was the perfect size, enabling me to go from tent to tent programming the lights, and then leaving it backstage for the evening."

The glamorous wedding organised for over 1000 people

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Canada - Imagination has launched the Samsung Pavilion at the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver. This is the third time Imagination has created an Olympic environment for the Samsung brand. The Olympic Rendezvous @ Samsung will remain open to the public throughout the duration of the Games until 24 February and is expecting up to 8,000 visitors a day.Imagination and Samsung's global agency Cheil Worldwide have partnered on numerous extraordinary experiential destinations over their 10-year partnership, including previous Olympic activation programmes in Salt Lake City (2002) and Beijing (2008). This year's Olympic Rendezvous once again underscores Samsung's commitment to connecting with a wider audience, and its enthusiasm for bringing the public closer to the Games in new, interactive and engaging ways."Recognising that the public is seeking better and more seamless engageme

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UK - Entertainment lighting supplier White Light has enjoyed a busy start to 2010 in the world of theatre, the market in which the company first established itself.

Joining the company's West End roster of shows in January were productions including Jerusalem, transferring from the Royal Court Theatre to the Apollo and lit by Mimi Jordan Sherin, The Little Dog Laughed at the Garrick, lit by Jon Clark, and Six Degrees of Separation at the Old Vic, lit by Jason Taylor.

The long-awaited sequel to The Phantom of the Opera, Love Never Dies, is also currently previewing at the Adelphi with White Light supplying Paule Constable's complex design; the show is due to open on 9 March. December was also a busy period for new shows, with the openings of The Misanthrope at the Comedy, lit by Peter Mumford, and the RSC's Twelfth Night at the D

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UK - A growing number of wireless DMX success stories are coming to light, many of them involving RC4 Wireless, a front-runner in the field with experience all the way back to early productions of The Phantom of the Opera in the 1980s. Today, RC4 products are reliably used all over the world, in numerous productions by Cirque du Soleil, Disney and many others.

"My technical support channels are so dead, I sometimes wonder if anybody is actually using my stuff," says James David Smith, president and product designer at RC4. "Last year I started contacting past customers, to ask them if everything was OK. What a thrill to discover that my systems are not only working well, they are being used constantly. There are numerous repertory companies that purchased an RC4Magic Series 2 system for one particular show, and have incorporated it into every production sin

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Money Matters - U2 made more money than any other music act in the US in 2009, according to Billboard magazine. The music journal said U2 made $109m (£71m) from touring, record sales and other royalties - almost twice as much as the second place, Bruce Springsteen who took home $58m (£38m), followed by Madonna with $47m (£31m) and rockers AC/DC with $44m (£29m). A string of younger pop stars - Britney Spears, Pink and the Jonas Brothers - came next on the list. Coldplay were the most successful British group, at number eight, with takings of $27m (£18m).

Culture Matters - The final four cities hoping to be named the UK's first city of culture in 2013 have been revealed. The cities chosen by an independent judging panel are Birmingham, Derry, Norwich and Sheffield, with a winner due to be announced in the summer. The competition aims to

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USA - The deadline for submitting applications to sit for the paper and pencil examinations to be given at USITT has been extended to 12 March 12, 2010.

All three ETCP examinations will be offered at USITT in Kansas City, MO. All applications must be submitted to the ETCP office no later than 5pm on 12 March 2010.

The exam dates are: Entertainment Electrical Exam: March 31 (9:00 am); Arena Rigging Exam: April 1 (9:00 am) and Theatre Rigging Exam: April 1, (2:00 pm).

All three exams are available at over 190 testing centres in the US and Canada on most business days. The Arena and Electrical examinations will also be given at InfoComm this summer in Las Vegas.

(Jim Evans)

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USA / Europe - Following our news in January that US-based manufacturer Technomad had added three new companies to its dealer network in Europe, the company reports that it is now looking to make contact with local pro audio dealer/installers in the UK who are interested in adding Technomad's range of weatherproof loudspeakers and amplifiers to their product ranges. However, the company says it is not, looking for distributors or web-only sales partners at this time.

Technomad has a product warehousing facility in Amsterdam with a wide range of stock available for quick supply to the UK and the rest of Europe.

(Lee Baldock)

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UK - Stage Electrics is sponsoring Zero 88's brand manager, Claire House, who is taking part in the Bath Half Marathon on Sunday 7 March. Claire is one of a group of industry professionals that have come together as 'Team PSA' to run the 13.1 miles of this challenge, on behalf of Production Services Association (PSA) in aid of their Welfare and Benevolent Fund.

This is the first year that Stage Electrics has sponsored the PSA and is delighted that Team PSA are raising money for such an important and beneficial charity. The Charity was first registered in April 2000, on behalf of people who work in the UK Entertainment and Production Industry. The charity is able to offer support in many ways, such as, providing small grants for emergency relief and support towards re-training when an unexpected injury, or illness, prevents an individual from working, or forces an unplanned chang

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UK - Ian Staddon has just weeks to go before he lines up on London's Blackheath with more than 30,000 others to run all 26 miles and 385 yards of the Virgin London Marathon. Better known for running Studer's global sales team, Ian Staddon is making his second attempt at the distance and is hoping to raise a pile of money for his charity, Alstrom Syndrome UK.

"Childhood blindness, hearing loss, heart failure, kidney failure, diabetes type two, obesity and many other health problems are caused by this horrible disease," says Staddon. "Providing support and advice to those who have to live with this illness, Alstrom Syndrome UK (ASUK) is a small family-run charity which has been fantastically helpful to my own family and our wonderful daughter Chloe.

"Chloe lost her battle to Alstrom Syndrome last year, quite suddenly and unexpectedly, just after her 16th birt

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UK - Sean Pagel from Production Services Ireland (PSI) has become the first person in Northern Ireland to attain the Professional Lighting & Sound Association (PLASA)'s National Rigging Certificate (NRC) Level 3 'rigging supervisor' level.

Pagel, a director of the Belfast based lighting rental and sales company, says: "With health & safety issues increasingly topping all rigging agendas, and our commitment to offering clients the very best and highest quality services, industry driven and recognised qualifications like this are vitally important."

PLASA's National Rigging Certificate demonstrates that individuals have reached a professional standard within their chosen rigging discipline. The NRC is not yet a compulsory scheme, but increasingly major UK venues are requiring it for riggers working in their spaces. PSI undertakes a lot of rigging projects in both Irela

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UK - David Neale, who has died at the age of 65, was one of the light and sound industry's great frontiersmen.

He helped start Disco International magazine in October 1976 at a time when the word 'disco' had scarcely been invented. And when the following month the inaugural meeting of the trade association now known as PLASA took place, David was on the founding committee.

Yet by this time he had already spent several years galvanizing the nascent sound and lighting companies, in pop weekly Record Mirror's burgeoning Disco Mirror supplement ... laying down the cornerstones which helped to shape today's great global industry.

Born in Maidstone, Kent, David went onto become a vigorous campaigner and outspoken commentator - particularly during his second term of office at PLASA (né BADEM), his Sabatier-sharp wit striking fear into fellow committee members.<

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UK - The multi-award winning company, Global Design Solutions (GDS) has announced the appointment of PRG Distribution as the exclusive distributor in a number of territories across Eastern Europe, Asia and South Africa.

PRG Distribution is a leading distributor of high-quality entertainment technology products. With offices around the world, PRG Distribution boasts a reputation for outstanding service and technical ability, both pre and post sales. A dedicated team of regional sales managers and a highly trained team of after-sales service technicians, represent brands including Vari*Lite, Seachanger, Pathway, Lycian and Gekko. PRG Distribution were the ideal choice for GDS to aid expansion of its global distribution network, says the company.

Andy Duffield, European sales manager at GDS commented: "GDS are delighted to welcome PRG on-board, we feel that their already str

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UK - Visitors to PLASA Focus: Leeds 2010 - which takes place on Tuesday 27 & Wednesday 28 April at the Royal Armouries - are invited to take part in a series of seminars presented by some of the industry's leading bodies.

The two-day Education & Learning Programme, which runs alongside the sell-out exhibition, proved a major success last year and this year will cover an equally diverse range of topics.

Beginning with The Theatres Trust Annual Conference, this year's debate focuses on the principles of School Theatre Design. That's followed by the Production Managers Forum with the SMA (Stage Management Association) and a session entitled Preparing for the Future with the NSA (National Skills Academy), who, as part of their quest to give people access to careers in the backstage industries, will explore why accreditation in the industry is important. It will also address

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UK - Hawthorn has announced the launch of its new servicing and testing division, ServiceSafe.

As well as the full design and installation of permanent installations, Hawthorn's ServiceSafe team offer full testing and certification of electrical, rigging and AV equipment. Fully documented safety audits are carried out by qualified personnel. From a small school hall to a large scale concert hall Hawthorns can provide a solution and peace of mind, keeping all PAT test and inspection records for future reference.

Hawthorn's ServiceSafe team offers fully tailored annual testing programmes for venues, schools and colleges across the UK and its City & Guilds and NICEIC certified engineers can carry out all aspects of portable appliance and rigging testing. All engineers are CRB checked.

Hawthorn's head of installations, Alan Jackson, comments, "We're delighted to launch Serv

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