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USA - The Entertainment Services and Technology Association (ESTA) Technical Standards Programme (TSP) has launched a control protocols satisfaction survey project to gather public input from end users about their usage of control protocols in the entertainment industry. The survey may be accessed at estalink.us/survey.
This survey was commissioned by the TSP’s Control Protocols Working Group (CPWG) and seeks to understand how well lighting control protocols are serving end-users. The CPWG is the working group that develops control technologies you use every day, like DMX512, RDM, and sACN, although the survey includes questions on other industry protocols as well.
Survey questions determining what features are currently being used and what challenges have been encountered comprise much

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Immersive Theatre - Further details have been revealed for a multi-million pound immersive theatre venue in London’s West End, which will be spread across seven buildings and 200 different rooms. Located in a former club and office block on Oxford Street, Space 18 will open on 13 April with immersive survival experience Variant 31.
The producers behind it - Dalton Dale, producing artistic director of Big Dreamer Productions, and Stephen McGill for McGill Productions - have revealed more plans for the venue. According to Dale, Space 18 will include five bars and a nightclub and has a maximum capacity of 1,500 audience members.
The project, which costs £2.5m, will become London’s first purpose-built immersive theatre complex. Last year, plans for another purpose-built immersive theatre, in Elephant and Castle, fell through, meaning when Space 18 opens in Ap
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UK - Industry charity Backup has revealed a busy fundraising schedule for 2019.
First in a line-up of events is the inaugural Bikefest, kicking off on 18 May with a day of two-wheeled action and fun for all levels of riders.
There will be a 100km ride through the Sussex and Surrey countryside, which will take in much of the famed Olympic and Prudential Ride London-Surrey 100 route, including Leith Hill, the highest point in Surrey, and the famous Box Hill Zig Zag.
“Whether you’re riding as an individual, with friends or as a company Peloton, this will be a great day out to sport your finest padded shorts, have an excuse to shave those legs and pack as many bananas in your cycling top as possible,” says Backup.
The event will also feature a 50km route across the Surrey countryside, past a number of isotonic watering holes en route to allow riders to

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UK - In anticipation of a busy 2019 order book, Triple E has recently completed a move into larger premises, which has also included a complete restructure of the warehouse to improve efficiencies and production work flow.
Triple E had outgrown its previous warehouse, having been there for the past 16 years, and the company has now settled into a larger facility which has doubled the square footage of their office, factory and workshop. The expansion has also provided for improved training facilities for distributors, installers and specifiers who visit Triple E, as well as dedicated meeting room spaces and improved office facilities.
The increased footprint has enabled a more streamlined factory and warehouse layout with additional yard and storage facilities and a larger demonstration area for clients to see the products first hand in the factory setting.
The

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Creative Support - Projects funded by Creative Europe will continue to receive support from the government if the UK leaves the EU without a deal next month, thanks to new legislation. It is intended to put contingency arrangements in place in case no deal is struck before 29 March and the EU decides to cease funding Creative Europe projects involving a UK organisation.
Creative Europe currently funds schemes across the creative industries through two programmes – culture and media – providing a total of €1.46bn to cultural projects. On exit day, it is estimated that Creative Europe will have between 160 and 200 projects involving a UK organisation. According to the government, about €18.9m has been awarded to British organisations through these projects, with approximately €8.9m left to be paid.
However, this figure is dependent on the EU allowing all curren

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UK - Television lighting rental specialists Version 2 has appointed Laura Byrne to its account management team. She brings considerable experience from the film, TV drama, commercial and music video genres to the company.
Starting her career with rental giants Panalux, Laura was part of the rental desk team at the company’s’ busy Waxlow Road operation. A move to global lighting company Cinelease subsequently followed. Most recently, Byrne worked with equipment supplier LCA.
As account manager at Version 2, Byrne will be liaising with DoPs, LDs, gaffers and production managers to offer support and advise on all aspects of the production process.
Managing director Nick Edwards comments: "I’m excited to be welcoming Laura to our management team, I see many similarities between our career paths, her enthusiasm for the industry is clear. Laura has not only a p

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UK - inspHire has announced the appointment of Martin Bestwick as sales director. Martin’s promotion from general manager coincides with the rental software providers recent acquisition by Kerridge Commercial Systems (KCS) and is geared towards inspHire further strengthening its position in the UK and globally.
When asked about his appointment, Martin says, “I’m incredibly excited and very much looking forward to the challenge. I’ve worked in the rental industry and have helped deliver value for inspHire’s customers for some time now. Whether that be through implementing solutions which introduce operational efficiencies, or helping prospects and customers discover the true value in any potential investment.”
Graham Dobbs, inspHire managing director adds, “Understanding the wants and needs of rental businesses, being empathetic to the challenges they face

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UK - Sparq, part of Saville Group, the technical event production specialist which underwent a brand transformation six months ago, is strengthening its senior leadership team with the appointment of John Moore as head of national operations.
Moore has been brought on board to spearhead Sparq’s ambitious growth strategy and oversee the operational direction of the brand, as it continues to develop its 360 technical event production offering. Moore’s remit will focus on improving efficiency across the division, developing and implementing strategic change, together with growing the specialisms and expertise within the national operations team.
Colin Nixey, managing director of Sparq, comments, “Following our rebrand in September, the last six months have been really momentous for us as a company. Our brand transformation formed part of a wider strategy to ensure w

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Merging Venues - Venue operators AEG Facilities and SMG - which runs arenas in Manchester, Leeds and Newcastle - have announced a merger, creating a new company: ASM Global. The company will be based in Los Angeles and will operate more than 310 venues across five continents.
SMG Europe, a subsidiary of SMG, currently operates venues such as the Manchester Arena, the First Direct Arena in Leeds, and Utilita Arena in Newcastle. AEG Facilities is the venue management arm of AEG and will own 50% of the company, with the other half owned by Onex, the parent company of SMG.
SMG chief executive Wes Westley described the move as a “major step for our industry”. He adds: “We are excited to bring together these complementary businesses to further elevate the standard of excellence in venue management. We plan to accelerate innovation by combining our expertise to deliver

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Record Takings - West End theatres enjoyed record box office takings of £766m in 2018, up 8.6% compared with the previous year. This was driven by ticket sales for musicals such as Hamilton, with revenue from the genre increasing by 15.4% in 2017 to £504m. The average ticket price paid for musicals was £53.27. A recent survey by The Stage revealed that the average top-price ticket for a musical in 2018 cost £153.54.
As well as having the highest box office revenue since records began, West End theatres also had record audience attendances of 15.5m, up 3%. However, while audiences for musicals were up, attendance for West End plays dropped by 6.5%.
Commenting on the figures, SOLT president Kenny Wax says: “London’s world-leading theatre industry is attracting larger audiences than ever after another record year. Increasingly, people seem to want t

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Europe - MDG reports that Nicolas Duhamel has returned to the company full-time to become its marketing and European business development director. Duhamel, who worked MDG’s marketing manager part-time, will now be responsible for the company’s marketing activities globally and be the central point of call for European distributors whilst seeking out new opportunities to develop the brand across Europe.
Duhamel had previously spent two years at MDG, overseeing the overhaul of its marketing resources including the creation of a new website. After returning to his native France in 2016 to take up a position in event management, he has now returned to MDG full-time.
"Nicolas never left us completely as he continued to look after our marketing part-time, so we are delighted to welcome him back to the MDG family full time,” says MDG president & CEO, Martin Michaud

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Europe - Typhoon is ER’s newest product, a CO2-free confetti blower designed to reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emitted in the industry.
Typhoon is not only a ‘greener’ product but is compact, stackable, easy to control, adjustable and versatile, says the company.
Typhoon’s adaptable design allows it to not only be rigged on top of truss but also flown, allowing for huge confetti hits at large-scale events. Typhoon works via a set of powerful but silent fans, which push confetti out through a specially-designed tunnel, and a controllable-hopper evenly distributes it.
David Holmes, ER’s technical manager who designed Typhoon, comments: “I love the finished product. The brief from ER’s co-founder and director, Ryan Hagan, was to build a confetti blower that would be able to run on electricity, without using the harmful greenhouse gas, and we hav

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UK - Cardiff-based events specialist 11th Hour recently took possession of additional warehouse premises to cope with the demands of its continued expansion. Its 6,000sq.ft of space will be assigned to 11th Hour’s growing festive ice-rink operations, allowing the entire inventory of rink apparatus to be stored independently, close to its principal Cardiff Bay operations base.
Growing demand for its ice rink services in 2018 saw 11th Hour install new rinks in Swansea, Caerphilly Castle and Aberystwyth, adding to its established Cardiff, Celtic Manor and Bargoed sites. More locations are expected to be brought onstream in 2019.
Business development manager Jason Venables comments: “We’re conscious of always trying to remain ahead of the curve at 11th Hour. It’s important to ensure that our processes and logistics remain up to speed in the face of ever-growing de

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Night Train to Georgia - Gladys Knight has accepted an invitation to perform the Star Spangled Banner at this year’s Super Bowl Halftime Show, which is being held in her hometown of Atlanta, Georgia on 3 February. It was confirmed this week that the halftime show will be performed by Maroon 5, with rappers Travis Scott and Big Boi supporting.
There has been criticism directed at some black artists for failing to show solidarity with former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kapaernick, who has been without a club since 2016 after “taking a knee” during the performance of the anthem in protest against racial injustices. Artists including Rihanna and Cardi B reportedly turned down the show, traditionally seen as a massive opportunity for artists to be seen by a TV audience of hundreds of millions.
Gladys is now facing similar criticism but, in a statement

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The Netherlands - ELC Lighting has announced that Production Resource Group (PRG) has made a significant investment in ELC's GBX Distribution System.
Specifically tailored for live entertainment applications, the GBX Distribution System transforms how DMX can be distributed from an ethernet network. Recognising this, PRG has purchased multiple units, including ELC’s switchGBx10 and switchGBx18 switches, nodeGBx8 nodes, and the innovative new nodeGBx8 Slave node.
Bob Walpot, director of operations and asset strategy at PRG Europe, says, “With this investment, we evaluated various brands and involved our technical teams from our various markets and segments. ELC was the preferred choice because of the technical and financial efficiency of the products. The Slave node is the perfect example of this. It has been really well thought through. Without losing any technical

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UK - Penn Elcom, manufacturer of 19-inch racking and flight case hardware, has expanded the latch producing line its Washington, Tyne & Wear UK base, adding three new jobs, and 10 new machines as part of a £50,000 investment to update and expand its production of latching mechanisms.
Nearly everything needs a latch of some sort, and multiple types and styles of Penn latches are made here - for a range of flightcase and 19-inch racking products used in all sectors of the entertainment, professional AV and IT industries. This includes anything from technical rental company equipment flight cases to installed racking systems housing amplifiers, servers and other devices.
The investment and reorganisation of the latch line took just five months and will boost capacity by 30% to over 2m latching parts per year. It has been overseen by Penn Washington production manage

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UK - Devon-based specialists for LED visual effects, drapes and starcloths S+H Technical supplied 550sq.m of its LED starcloth product to help realise designer Joshua Grace’s set for ITV’s Best Christmas Ever.
The show, a Christmas special, was hosted by Alexander Armstrong with a live audience on D Stage at Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire, and was produced by Remarkable, part of the Endemol Shine Group.
Armstrong invited celebrity guests to his winter lodge to discuss their favourite elements of the season, and a member of the audience had the chance to win a Best Christmas Ever hamper. A house band played popular Christmas tunes, with some of guests joining in for a sing-along.
Josh wanted a twinkly festive feel for the show and to suit the environment - a cosy fireside chat scenario with a wintry forest scene visible through the windows of t

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The Netherlands - Peerless-AV has announced its new, outdoor Smart City Kiosk. The Smart City Kiosk combines functionality and aesthetics and can endure the rigours of everyday use when unattended, says the company.
Four models are available in the new Smart City Kiosk line - 49" or 55" with Peerless-AV’s Xtreme High Bright Outdoor Display included (KOP2549-XHB-EUK, KOP2555-XHB-EUK), or as a kiosk enclosure only, designed for 46" or 55" Samsung OHF Displays (KOP2546-OHF-EUK, KOP2555-OHF-EUK). The new all-weather rated solution is suitable for sharing corporate or community information, travel and weather details, as well as wayfinding, advertising, entertainment and more.
“Our new Smart City Kiosk opens up many new opportunities in the outdoor AV market,” says Keith Dutch, managing director - EMEA, Peerless-AV. “We’ve received positive feedback from partners

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Singapore - Serapid Group, a supplier of lifts, quick die change and horizontal transfer systems, has announced that as part of its international growth strategy Serapid has opened a new company in Singapore, with Robert Degenkolb, formerly of J.R. Clancy, joining the organisation as managing director.
Degenkolb has 30 years of experience in the entertainment industry in project management and sales and most recently as managing director of J.R. Clancy‘s Singapore operation. He will remain based in Singapore where he has been residing since 2011. Prior to Singapore, Robert worked as a project manager for J.R. Clancy and oversaw the successful completion of numerous entertainment projects in both domestic and international markets.
As part of the opening of the Singapore office, Ivan Seigneur has transferred from Serapid France

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UK - PLASA has announced the latest changes to its Board, with Koy Neminathan appointed as the Manufacturer’s Representative and Matt Lloyd moving in to the role of Vice-Chair. These changes were voted for by PLASA manufacturer members and Board members respectively, and the terms began at the start of 2019. 
Koy Neminathan, sales director for Avolites, will represent the best interests of manufacturers from all sectors. His experience of working at all levels within a major brand provides him with the practical skills and in-depth knowledge to ensure that manufacturers are supported and understood on a wide range of issues. Former Manufacturer’s Representative and well-known industry figure, Matt Lloyd has moved to the role of Vice-Chair. Lloyd’s expertise come from his vast experience within the industry which includes being the co-founder of GDS. Meanwhi

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Vital Statistics - Almost a quarter of young adults never go to the theatre, preferring to stay at home to watch TV or use social media, according to new research. A study of 2,000 18 to 30-year-olds found that 24% of respondents said they never attend theatre performances, with this figure higher among men than women. And 20% of respondents said they go once a year, with 27% attending two to three times a year.
Of those surveyed, 51% said they most enjoyed watching TV in their spare time, compared to 11% who chose going to the theatre. More respondents chose using social media (36%) over a trip to a theatre production. The survey found that ticket prices was the top factor which, if improved, would encourage young adults to attend the theatre more regularly.
Respondents also said they would welcome interactive technologies, such as virtual and augmented reality, if th

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Europe/Asia - Two teams will take part in the 2019 Mongol Rally to raise money for technical entertainment charity Backup.
The rally, which takes place in July and spans 10,000 miles from the Czech Republic to Ulan Ude in Russia, requires participants to ride a very small vehicle, with no support or set route to the finish line, which must be crossed in four to eight weeks.
Team Backup, comprising Salvador Avila, Ethan Forde and Duncan McLean, are aiming to raise £50,000 for the charity, with team The Nomadic Numpties of ‘Turbo’ Anthony Hall and ‘Henri’ Abby Cooper targeting

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USA - With holiday shows, tours and our personal circumstances to balance, the holiday season can pass in a blur. Each year at Bandit Lites, team members are provided funds and encouraged to take an afternoon to come together to serve their communities and children in need.
“I look forward to this event every year because it brings us all together and provides Christmas wish for children in need,” says Bandit Lites HR coordinator Cori Link.
Link and office manager Lisa Fodge spearheaded this year’s efforts to give back, gathering Christmas lists and dropping off the bundles to the charities.
In Nashville, Erich Hudgens, Bandit Lites shop foreman spent the afternoon shuttling multiple groups out to shop for children, participating in the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree programme. After choosing a child themselves, team members fulfill the wishes as seasoned

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UK - The Northern School of Art is one step closer to realising its vision of establishing a major film and TV production facility in the North East.
A planning application has been submitted for The Northern Studios - a Hartlepool-based, 30,000sq.ft film and TV studio and production facility designed in partnership with Logic Architecture.
The new development would provide the North East with its first dedicated production facility capable of housing large-scale film and TV production. It will support specialist technical and skills training for undergraduates on a range of creative degree programmes available at The Northern School of Art, but will also be available for commercial studio use, allowing business users to take advantage of the specialised technical equipment for stage, screen and events production.
Pat Chapman, vice-principal (employability and
  1. The Week in Light & Sound
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  6. ESTA announces 2018 Swan Award recipient
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