Live Entertainment Expo TOKYO, Japan’s largest B-to-B exhibition for the live entertainment and media industry will be held at Makuhari Messe, Japan from Feb. 5 – 7, 2020. The show has been known as one of the key business venues in Japan for the past 6 years. This year, 650* exhibitors & 30,000* visitors are expected to gather. (*including concurrent shows)

Covers Various Live Entertainment & Media Product Industries
This show covers various products in this industry, such as LED Display, Pro-lighting, Pro-audio, PA System, AV, Special Effect, Stage Art and Digital Entertainment (VR, AR, Projection Mapping), Concert Merchandise Production, Ticketing System, Controlling/Staging System etc. for stages and entertainment places such as, concert venues, theaters and amusement parks

Live Entertainment & Media Products are highly expected in rapidly growing Market
Currently, Japan’s live entertainment market has been ranked 3rd biggest* in the world. Furthermore, Japan’s event-related market is remarkably active and rapidly growing for upcoming Tokyo Olympics 2020 and WORLD EXPO Osaka 2025. Equipment Rental Companies, Equipment Distributors, Event Hall Owners, Shopping Malls, Amusement Parks, Promoters, Stage Art Productions and Media, etc. are expected to visit the show to find the solution and something new in the industry. Demand for the new products, technologies and services related to the event business is highly likely increasing toward the coming the world-class national events.
(*Source: PWC Global Entertainment & Media Outlook 2016-2020)

Synergistic Effect from Concurrent Shows
One of the positive aspects of Live Entertainment Expo TOKYO is that it is co-held with Events & Amusement Expo TOKYO, Sports Business Expo TOKYO and Local Value Creation Expo. Since these powerful concurrent shows are held under a single location, a synergistic effect appears in purchasing from various industries. Exhibitors can also find the business partners from meetings with a wide range of industry leaders throughout the show.

Newly Launched Zone “eSports Business World”
Show Management announced that they will present a new special zone, “eSports Business World” inside Live Entertainment Expo TOKYO. eSports Sponsors, eSports Teams/Athletes, Company’s Advertisement/Marketing Division, TV Stations, Internet Service Providers, Schools/Colleges, etc. are expected to visit to discover variety of eSports related products and services.

Live Entertainment Expo TOKYO will be held from February 5-7, 2020 at Makuhari Messe, Japan. For more information, please visit www.live-event.jp/en-gb.html

Mig Burgess’s ground-breaking mental health installation will be at the PLASA Show from 15th to 17th September at Olympia London.

After an acclaimed initial run at Guildford School of Acting (University of Surrey) earlier this year, this unique fusion of cutting-edge technology, art, theatre and education visits PLASA as it gears up for a nationwide roll out.

Blackout is a multisensory experience that aims to give visitors a rare insight into the mind of someone with Bipolar II disorder. Utilising an innovative combination of light, sound, video and vibration, the installation creates a sensory journey into a Bipolar II patient’s head as they transition through a hyper manic and manic low episode. The experience has been created for a single viewer and lasts six minutes.

Mig, a lighting tutor at GSA and an experienced Production LX, has suffered from Bipolar II for most of her life. Her driver for creating Blackout was the need to bring this taboo subject out into the open, provoke discussion and offer solidarity to those who suffer. She also wanted to try and interpret her condition using the language of her profession.

“I’m a creative – it is far easier to express my feelings through art than through words. I see Blackout as much more than just a design installation. I want to provoke more discussion around the topic of mental health in this industry, and beyond. I want to encourage people to be honest about their mental health, to talk about it and be open. It’s only through discussion and openness that we can educate others to understand more, and be more understanding.”

The creative team behind Blackout is a collective of recognised professionals, including Theatre Director Simon Anderson, award winning Video Designer Finn Ross, Paul Burgess of Sadler’s Wells and Sound Engineer Zoe Milton. Simon Anderson comments “Blackout is a totally unique way of engaging peoples’ emotions and affecting them in a non-conventional way. It was an incredible directorial challenge!”

The installation was experienced by 250 industry professionals, young people and mental health experts at its launch at the University of Surrey and has received significant support from the industry, including key sponsor Robe Lighting who provided the initial funding and the brand new T1 fixtures and Cycbar 15s for the installation. Several other companies have provided additional equipment. As Mig says, “It’s been lovely to see the industry pull together non-competitively to support this project to promote mental health awareness.”

The run at the PLASA Show is intended to be industry-specific, a way for Mig to give back to the profession that has given her so much. “Our industry has been slow in acknowledging the effects of mental health and there has never been any significant research for this industry in this country about how it affects people who work in it.”

To address this Dr Paul Hanna – Senior Lecturer and Research Director in Clinical Psychology at University of Surrey – will also be conducting industry-specific research alongside Blackout at the PLASA Show. The aim of this evaluation is to explore attitudes to mental health so we can begin to help people that suffer in the technical entertainment industry. This research has been commissioned by prominent industry associations: PLASA, PSA, ALD, ASD and ABTT.

Blackout is appearing at the PLASA Show from 15th-17th September at Olympia London. To find out more visit www.plasashow.com.

Find out more at the Blackout Eventbrite page: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/blackout-tickets-68216283741

When you book to see “Blackout” at the PLASA Show you are agreeing to participate in our exciting industry specific evaluation to research mental health within our working environment. This will help us to improve our working practices within the entertainment technology sector.

Blackout has ONLY been made possible with the continued support of:
Guildford School of Acting, Robe Lighting, Blue-I, Hawthorn, HD Pro Audio, Light Initiative, MDG, Nocturnal, Shure, Stage Sound Services, and White Light.

White Light has returned to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe where it is supplying the lighting and rigging equipment for all of the Gilded Balloon venues for the sixth year running.

Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the world’s single biggest celebration of arts and culture. Every August, the Scottish capital welcomes around 3,500 shows in over 300 venues, including theatre, comedy, dance, circus, opera and much more. As a leading lighting supplier to West End and UK touring theatre, WL is currently working with Gilded Balloon – one of the Big Four venue operators at the Fringe.

WL’s Customer Service Key Account Manager Dan Last comments: “We work closely with Gilded Balloon across their five buildings: Teviot (nine spaces), The Museum (auditorium space), Old Tolbooth Market (three spaces), Rose Theatre (three spaces) and the newly-acquired Patter Hoose (five spaces). Our role is to supply the lighting and rigging solutions in each of these, ensuring that they are well-equipped and able to host a range of performances throughout the Festival”.

Prior to the Fringe, Dan and the WL team work closely with Gilded Balloon to decide on the equipment that will be used in each space. Dan explains: “We initially work with Karen and Katy Koren who each run Gilded Balloon, which is one of the only ‘Big Four’ producers who are Scottish based and operated. As we move closer to the Festival, we then liaise with Production Manager Meredith Rehburg and Technical Manager Simon Cook to finalise the specific technical requirements”.

This year saw the Gilded Balloon take on a new venue: Patter Hoose. Unlike the other spaces which were utilised at previous festivals, the producers had to create the technical set-up completely from scratch. Dan explains: “With Patter Hoose, we were asked to go up in January to see the space, which at that time was essentially four blank rooms and one lecture theatre. We were shown round the different spaces and asked to give recommendations as to what was needed to transform them into areas suitable for performance”.

Dan and WL’s Project Manager Luke Hance travelled back to Edinburgh in mid-July, two weeks before the Festival opened. They spent the first week working at Patter Hoose, building the truss structures, installing the lighting and ensuring the whole set-up worked efficiently. The following week they moved onto Teviot and the other three venues. With the Teviot having nine spaces, this meant that WL had to oversee a large install in a short amount of time. As a result, Gilded Balloon brought in a crew of 30 technicians who were overseen by WL’s Production Technician Thomas Tomkins.

Dan explains: “Once the second week finishes, this is when the companies and technicians who will be there for the month start to arrive and tech their shows. As a result, we make sure we are on hand to offer them any guidance or assistant when using the equipment. This is something we also offer throughout the entire month”.

Alongside the Gilded Balloon, WL is also supplying the lighting equipment for CanadaHub, a church which has been converted into a theatre space and showcases the very best of Canada’s contemporary performance scene.

Dan concludes: “It’s been fantastic working at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in its busiest year yet. When we first started working with the Gilded Balloon, they had one building and have since grown exponentially. What’s great is that, as a company, we’ve been able to support this growth every step of the way and ensure each of its spaces have the technical solutions needed to host thousands of performances across a short space of time”.

Photo courtesy of Gilded Balloon, Mihaela Bodlovic and Paul Walmsley.

The spacious facility on Brooklands Courtyard, Southampton, UK that ChamSys Ltd. now occupies represents more than a new headquarters for the growing lighting console manufacturer. The building also epitomizes a commitment on the part of ChamSys to build on its already-strong tradition of providing unparalleled quality products and customer service.

Occupying a large section of the new building is a multi-line manufacturing centre that will enable ChamSys to expand its volumes and simultaneously build MagicQ Stadium and MagicQ Compact consoles. An extensive product soak and QC area ensures ChamSys products are manufactured and tested to the highest standards. The new stores and dispatch warehousing will facilitate ChamSys’ ability to maintain high stock levels to service its worldwide distribution network as it experiences an ever-increasing demand for its products,

Prominently featured in the facility’s design are its service department and customer training area. Reflecting its commitment to customer service, ChamSys included a dedicated repair centre, two fully equipped training rooms for regular training courses, and a stand-alone pre visualisation suite for visiting programmers. The facility also houses ChamSys R&D facilities with space for the Engineering team, which has recently doubled in size as ChamSys invests in new product development.

“The new headquarters reflects our dedication to maintaining the highest quality standards as we grow,” said Chris Kennedy, Managing Director of ChamSys. “We’re extremely happy with how our new facility will enable us to accelerate our product development whilst maintaining our high product quality and software excellence. ChamSys is committed to providing the best value and service to the customer.”

ChamSys is celebrating its 15 years of designing and manufacturing lighting consoles with a facility opening event for its customers on 2nd September. For details go toopenhouse@chamsys.co.uk

As the ALD launches its annual award scheme, previously the Michael Northern awards, aimed at all students and recent graduates studying in the UK, it also unveils its streamlined rebranding with a new name, The ALD Awards for Excellence.

The ALD Awards for Excellence better reflects the association’s growing representation and introduces a new award category with restructured prizes that meet current needs of students with an interest in the production of lighting and video.

The awards remain a celebration of imaginative and creative lighting and video production and represent a chance for young designers to showcase their talent, bringing their work to the attention of experienced lighting and video designers, as well to the wider reach of industry professionals. Awards are presented to those who demonstrate strong, imaginative and creative lighting, video designs or skill in production electrics.

Rory Beaton, head of the ALD’s Working Group for Awards expressed that the rebranding was necessary to reflect the growing diversity of the association and the integration of new awards. He said, “The awards have grown in stature and like most things need a firm foundation from which to grow further. With the consolidation of naming and prize structure The ALD Awards for Excellence have a strong and flexible framework to shape them for the future.

Johanna Town, Chair of the ALD, adds, “As the ALD is growing so its diversity better represents all who work to highlight, light and shade a performer’s stage. It’s very important for us to encourage abilities in communication of all mediums. To be able to sell your ideas and passions for a design or methodology to other industry leaders is an important skill. For this reason, The ALD’s Awards for Excellence are so important to a designer’s future.”

The Awards are now open for submissions from students studying in the UK, recent graduates from 2017 onwards or corresponding affiliate members of the ALD, in the following categories:

The Michael Northen Award for Excellence in Lighting Design
(sponsored by the Mousetrap Foundation)
Prize: 

• £500 cash prize,
• a 512 ETCnomad™ Package,
• a six-month mentoring scheme with a team of industry professionals to run alongside the initial stage of their career.
• A copy of Michael Northen’s book, “Northen Lights”.

The Fred Foster Award for Excellence in Production Electrics
(sponsored by ETC)
Prize:

• £500 cash prize,
• a 512 ETCnomad™ package,
• a one-year subscription to the ALD’s PLI insurance
• a six-month mentoring scheme with a team of industry professionals to run alongside the initial stage of their career.

The Blue-I Media Award for Excellence in Video Design
(sponsored by Blue-I Media)
Prize:

• £500 cash prize,
• £1,250 hire credit towards their first commercial venture,
• a six-month mentoring scheme with a team of industry professionals to run alongside the initial stage of their career.

An esteemed panel of judges will deliberate over submissions to decide the deserving winners. Awards will be presented at the annual “Lighting Lunch” held in London in December 2019.

The full criteria, including checklists, for submission to each award can be found on the ALD website: https://www.ald.org.uk/awards/ald-awards-for-excellence
The awards are open NOW and all submissions MUST be received before the closing date of midnight on Thursday, 31st October 2019.

This September (19-22), the first ever King’s Cross Design District will see creative thinkers, innovators and designers showcase their sustainable products at designjunction. Through skilful and sensitive design, designjunction’s exhibitors have created innovative installations, collections and products that respond to this year’s theme (Re)act, and will all be available to see for the first time in London’s newest creative quarter. Ranging from furniture, lighting, jewellery, accessories and ceramics, sustainability will be at the forefront of this year’s show.

Above: LSA International & Friends’ The Greenhouse, an immersive shop concept celebrating sustainable living
in Coal Drops Yard as part of designjunction 2019

As part of designjunction, leading glassware brand LSA International will present The Greenhouse, an immersive shop concept celebrating sustainable living. Set within a 260sqm retail unit in the spectacular Coal Drops Yard in King’s Cross, an empty industrial space will be transformed by LSA International into a green urban oasis. The Greenhouse will showcase LSA International’s CANOPY collection alongside a range of other products and concepts from like-minded brands with a shared commitment to sustainable living. CANOPY is a mixed materials collection of cork and handmade, 100% recycled glassware, vases and planters designed by LSA International and launched in collaboration with the Eden Project. The Greenhouse will showcase LSA International’s collection alongside a selection of interior products from celebrated partner brands including Vitra and String as well as other best-selling designs including the mixed material PLANT collection.

Above: LSA International & Friends’ The Greenhouse, an immersive shop concept celebrating sustainable living
in Coal Drops Yard as part of designjunction 2019

This immersive installation will bring the CANOPY collection to life, while enabling visitors to gain insight into the design and craft required to create it. Each item within the CANOPY collection is sustainably manufactured from 100% recycled glass, using only discarded material. A pop-up Greenhouse Café will offer plant-based food and cold brew coffee, surrounded by live demonstrations and workshop activities.

Solidwood will debut at designjunction with its Hembury Chair, showcasing for the first time the collection and Solidwool as a surface material. Husband and wife duo Justin and Hannah Floyd were inspired by their hometown Buckfastleigh, Devon – a once thriving woollen industry, now an old industry in decline. Solidwool is a new and unique way of working with wool and is a material with a story; the coarse wool from hill-farmed, upland sheep has dramatically lost its value in recent years, rendered almost worthless, yet Solidwool has found a new use for this low value wool. In using locally sourced wool from the Herdwick breed of sheep that is produced yearly, Solidwool reinvents working with this wool with the incentive of returning a declining industry to its prime. The result is Solidwool, a strong, beautiful and composite material. When used in Solidwool, Herdwick wool is beautiful, producing a dark grey composite with the lighter guard hairs standing out.

In a throwaway culture, Solidwood designs with longevity in mind, manufacturing to produce the best quality products with as little carbon footprint as possible. With the aim of manufacturing the most natural, lowest impact and highest quality wool composite material, Solidwool wants its material to be considered as a sustainable alternative to today’s petrochemical based structural reinforced plastics. The resins currently used by Solidwool can be classed as bio-resins. They have a 20/30% bio-based renewable content andd sourced from waste streams of other industrial processes, such as wood pulp and bio-fuels production. Solidwool’s environmentally conscientious resin manufacturer claims a 33% reduction in Carbon Footprint and Greenhouse Gas Emissions during manufacture over traditional resins.

Above: Individuate Collection by Zuzunaga launching at designjunction 2019

London based studio, Zuzunaga will return to designjunction this year to launch the Inca and Individuate collections. The Individuate collection – a new collection of one-of-a-kind books – has been conceived in order to utilise all waste material produced since Zuzunaga was founded in 2010. In a 360-degree creative approach, Zuzunaga collects all discarded textile materials produced from the production of the brand’s core collection of pixelated blankets and transforms the fabric remnants into books. This collection has been designed with the philosophy of creating a new purpose from mess, to generate work at the same time and ultimately, create a product that can then be recycled. The new Inca collection sees a series of hand made prints – developed using a 1950’s FAG proofing press machine- turned into a range of furniture products which will be unveiled for the first time at this year’s show.

A newcomer for this year’s show, Pad Home is the home of contemporary design, they are exclusive distributors of leading design brands from around the world and specialise in lighting, wall-coverings and giftware. Amongst other new launches on their stand at this year’s show, Pad Home will showcase the Scraplights range by Graypants lighting. Handcrafted from recycled cardboard, Graypants’ ‘Scraplights’ collection provides warm, intimate, and functional lighting for any occasion or space, designing with the environment in mind. Tough and elegant, each is precision cut with a laser and assembled by hand using non-toxic adhesive.

For the first time, designjunction will welcome exhibitor Kinshipped to showcase its sustainable stationery collections. Launched in January 2019, Kindshipped was born out of a stationery lover’s need for something fresh, different, modern, and most importantly, sustainable. With a strong focus on preserving the environment, Kindshipped offers consumers guilt free paper, chemical free wrap and plastic free packaging. Notably, 5% of Kindshipped profits will be going to selected environmental charities.

Visit www.thedesignjunction.co.uk for more details.

UK singer-songwriter and musician Howard Jones is back on the road celebrating 35 years since his massive Human Lib hit album, complete with a striking lighting design by Yenz Nyholm from New Illumination Lighting Design.

The moving lights include 12 x Robe MegaPointes, and 26 x LEDBeam 150s which were supplied in the UK and Europe by rental company Siyan.

Jones is considered one of the defining figures of the mid-1980s UK synth-pop genre and he has generations of loyal and new fans who enjoy seeing him live.

Yenz collaborated with Howard and his producer Stephen Tayler on the production design and look of the show, and the brief was to create something off-beat and interesting. The artist also wanted it to look and feel contemporary in an electronic / robotic way. He wanted an aspect of video in the production but stipulated that this should be part of the band rather than overpowering or a distraction to the music.

Yenz and Stephen created a stage set with an 8 x 3 metre transparent screen, which shows a variety of content throughout the performance. On message with the futuristic vibe, the idea was to keep the stage clean and streamlined, so most of the lights are concealed behind the screen, and the rig is always trimmed as high as possible.

One rear truss has the screen hung below it, and there is a black silk backdrop upstage of this.

Eight of the MegaPointes are rigged on this back truss, with the other four hidden behind the screen on the floor just in front of the backdrop.

The top ones are used for back lighting, gobo looks and animations onto the back as well as for some aerial interaction into the crowd. The deck-based fixtures behind the screen create powerful moody beams and silhouettes throughout the show.

Upstage of the screens are four ‘robot towers’ which are fully loaded with strobes and Moles.

The LEDBeam 150s are on the back truss – used for colour washes – and side-stage on the floor for cross washes and low-level key lighting.

It is the first time that Yenz had used MegaPointes, a decision energised by “other people raving about them.”

“The light weight and flexibility are fantastic,” he commented, together with the fact that they can go from a narrow pin-point to a super-wide wash. However, it’s the clarity of the gobos that has probably impressed him the most so far, enabling his backdrop looks to really stand out.

He has used LEDBeam 150s on all his designs since discovering them in a Howard Jones tour three years ago. “They are light and perfect for smaller venues and designs, and while they look amazing in a club, they are also not lost in arenas. They just always do their job.”

He also thinks both types of fixtures are aesthetically pleasing in appearance, something that’s important when the desire is for the lighting to be unobtrusive.

The overall concept of the show was ‘versatile’ – they wanted to go from looks resembling the early days when Howard was playing atmospheric clubs to those modern electronic and digital looks that are common today. Also, they needed to be able to strip right back to just piano sometimes … and the set starts with Howard on the piano for the first two numbers; a cool, slightly retro look achieved with the help of two well positioned Robe PATT2017s.

The biggest challenges – as is often the case – were weight, time and fitting into the budget!

The goal was to utilise plenty of lights and be as creative as possible with limited time and crew – it was a one-bus tour – so imagination and thought were needed.

“That’s why we chose MegaPointes and LEDBeam 150s,” explained Yenz, who has been working with Howard Jones since 2009. Initially, that was as a moving light operator for his original LD Nick Valdez, the MD and owner of UK rental company Siyan. When the 25th anniversary gig was staged at Indigo in the London O2 Arena, Howard wanted to reassemble the original team from his very first shows, and Yenz came in to programme for Nick. He took over the lighting design for Howard in 2014.

Howard started the show alone on the piano with the band hidden behind the gauze, and they started to appear as the set unfolded. Yenz and Stephen developed the look and feel of the different songs for the rest of the set from there. Once they had realised the scope and potential of the screen, they created many 3D scenes involving video content and lighting, like in “Speed of Love” where a moon onscreen is complimented by one of the upstage MegaPointes beaming through and into the audience.

Yenz runs the show on an Avolites Tiger Touch II console.

He has been using Robe moving lights for the last 15 years – since the brand was first launched in 2002 and while they were still the ‘young pretender’ of the moving light world.

“Now they are the industry leader in technology as well as price,” he states, “and those behind the brand seem to have their finger on the pulse, listening to LDs and constantly producing ground-breaking products.”

Photos: Lindsay Cave

Award-winning event design, technical and scenic production specialist Maestra Group opens a base in Bahrain and announces a new partnership with the eminent 5-star Ritz-Carlton, Bahrain for the debut of the luxury resort’s Arena, a new 43,000 square foot, state-of-the-art conference and exhibition facility.

As the exclusive event partner, Maestra will oversee all technical aspects of the new Arena facility, which offers a full set-up and capacity for large banquet receptions and global conferences, complemented with signature Ritz-Carlton service, fabulous hotel and resort facilities plus award-winning catering.

Maestra’s Tom Clements commented: “We are extremely excited about this new venture and to be involved in such a high profile and incredibly well-designed event space. For Maestra Group, this is a logical expansion of our work in Dubai, and it will also be the first step in some strategic expansion plans for Maestra Group in the Middle East.”

Maestra Dubai has already delivered a diverse amount of leading and innovative events in Bahrain this year and is looking forward to working with several locally-based clients as well as international brands, artists and agencies in this new enterprise.

“As Bahrain becomes a global destination for premiere conferences and events in the region, it’s our pleasure to partner with Maestra and unveil a new conference facility complemented with our signature Ritz-Carlton brand service we’re known for globally,” says Bernard de Villèle, General Manager of The Ritz-Carlton, Bahrain. “With modern interiors and high-tech capabilities, The Arena stands to be one of the sought-after venues in the region and a perfect addition to the resorts already existing portfolio.”

Overlooking the Arabian Gulf in the heart of Manama’s Seef district, The Ritz-Carlton, Bahrain offers all the amenities of a modern, fast-moving business hub and hotel in a beautiful resort setting. Adding to its portfolio of indoor and outdoor spaces, totalling over 90,000 square feet, including two grand ballrooms and intimate meeting spaces, the new Arena, a 4,200 capacity multipurpose venue, debuts as the largest in the Kingdom and the jewel in the crown of this 20-acre luxury beachfront property.

The new venue is designed to host all types and styles of gatherings and events, including conferences, trade shows, car launches, seminars, music concerts, exhibitions and more.

Maestra Bahrain will include a core project management and technical team as well as an essential inventory of sound, lighting, AV and rigging equipment.

Working in close conjunction with the Dubai base, Maestra Bahrain will have easy access to the vast resources there – both in terms of human skills, expertise, ideas and the latest technologies in all disciplines.

“Our new set-up will allow us to service events utilising The Ritz-Carlton, Bahrain facilities and services plus other Maestra clients in and around Bahrain quickly and efficiently with everything they need for a great event – from design to technical production,” said Tom Clements.

Maestra is known for its creative flair, lateral thinking and inventive solutions for producing entertaining and engaging events.

For more information on Maestra Bahrain please contact bahrain@maestra-group.com

For more information and to request a walk-through, please call +973 1758 0000 or email the Catering and Conference Services division at bahrzcarteringconferenceservice@ritzcarlton.com.

Photo: courtesy the Ritz-Carlton Bahrain