UK: Rigging industry experts from across the UK joined forces at Birmingham’s’ Barclaycard Arena to trial the Trailblazer Live Event Rigging Apprenticeship assessment on June 29. The Live Event Rigging Apprenticeship, part of the governments’ Trailblazer scheme hoping to train three million new apprentices by 2020, has been developed by the National Rigging Advisory Group (NRAG) to provide formal training to new recruits, supporting them beyond the National Rigging Certificate Level 2, and plug the gap in trainee numbers to fill increasing demand throughout the rigging industry. Key rigging leaders from Blackout, UK Rigging, RTM Rigging, PSI Production Ireland and…
Author: Festival Insights
USA: JBL’s VTX Series line arrays recently helped JHE Production deliver the highest quality live sound at Circle K and Kangaroo Speed Street, presented by Coca-Cola. The 22nd annual festival was held in conjunction with the Coca-Cola 600 weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway and featured a line-up of top country music artists, including Montgomery Gentry, Chris Young, Kellie Pickler and The Band Perry. In order to provide the highest quality audio and meet the challenges of setting up a mobile stage in the middle of the city, JHE selected JBL VTX V20 for its clean and transparent sound, ease of…
FRANCE: French wholesaler LA BS, which has been supplying professionals and end users for 25 years, has signed an exclusive distribution partnership with GLP for its lighting fixture solutions in France. “It was important for us to find a strategic partner in France whom we can trust, to expand our presence in France”, commented GLP’s managing director Udo Künzler. “With such potential in the French market, we have high expectations and I think we’ve found the right partner in LA BS.” “This very prestigious German brand widens our portfolio of top-of-the-range brands such as Lee Filters and others,” said Bruno…
UK: Harvey Goldsmith has announced OnRoundhay Festival, a brand new family, music and food festival in Leeds launching in partnership with John Lewis on September 17. Taking place in Roundhay Park, the one-day festival will feature live music, an eclectic array of food & drink, and an in-depth programme of entertainment for all ages. Confirmed for the inaugural festival’s line-up are the multiplatinum-selling James, Scottish rock legends Primal Scream, London four-piece Wolf Alice, Max Jury, and The Haggis Horns. Working in partnership with Leeds Indie Food, the John Lewis Food Village will make its OnRoundhay debut, packed with dining experiences,…
Julian Spear is a co-founder and director of Symphotech With over 40 years of experience within the events industry, Julian is lead consultant for the company’s production and procurement offering, and a specialist in noise consultancy and orchestral sound design. From Glastonbury to The Jockey Club Live, Julian has experience working on some of the industry’s biggest events. Keeping the noise in check at your event doesn’t have to be a chore, and it shouldn’t lessen the enjoyment of your guests. Here, Julian Spear writes about monitoring noise at your event, and the factors you must take into account to…
UK: July 14 marked the launch of FanFair Alliance – a new campaign which will see artists, managers and trade bodies lobby the government to clamp down on ticket touting. Stuart Cain, managing director at The Ticket Factory, says that ticket touting is damaging the reputation of venues that are left to clean up the real mess. “The FanFair Alliance has highlighted the industrial scale of ticket re-sales on the black market, with UK secondary ticketing now worth more than £1 billion per year,” said Cain. “The alliance argues that ticket touting is systematically ripping off fans, breaching a range…
Easily one of the most multi-faceted and engaging ticketing outlets currently in operation, Skiddle is an eminent voice in the festival and music industries thanks to its prolific editorial output, strong social media presence and the clear passion of all those involved. Its comprehensive events calendar and festival guide are both widely popular fixtures with live event lovers, and the company is in the midst of becoming even more consumer-friendly with its newly launched Re:Sell and Cool:Off features. Insights recently spoke with Jimmy Coultas, Skiddle’s Head of Content and Communications, about Skiddle’s reaction to the secondary ticketing-related Waterson Report, the…
UK: Festival 23, a brand new outdoor festival celebrating Discordian counterculture and positive activism, will launch from July 22 – 24 at a secret South Yorkshire location. The programme includes a conspiracy-off, art installations, zen philosopher puppet shows, discos from outer space, games and cosmic rituals, as well as a multitude of secret happenings. Artists confirmed so far include Jimmy Cauty, John Higgs, Alan Moore, Knifeworld, Super Weird Substance, Richard Norris, Cosmic Trigger Cabaret. Festival 23 is a celebration and exploration of contemporary counterculture, inspired by generations of radical artists and writers, from William Burroughs to Alan Moore, Alan Watts…
UK: Festivalgoers at this year’s Cornbury Music Festival benefitted from The Dorset Cereals Campsite Takeover, as Circle Agency helped spread the joy of breakfast to campers from July 8 – 10. Taking place at The Great Tew Estate, Oxfordshire, Cornbury Music Festival welcomed 20,000 music lovers each day, and boasted performances from Jamie Cullum, Bryan Ferry, All Saints and James Morrison. Dorset Cereals called upon experiential marketing expert, Circle Agency, to help surprise and delight festival campers with a fun and engaging campsite takeover. To kick off this activation, Circle Agency offered a ‘helping hands’ service as people arrive onsite,…
UK: Raindance Film Festival has partnered with Uxbridge College to offer an accredited BTEC Level 5 HND (Higher National Diploma) in Moving Image. Aimed at those interested in screenwriting, directing, producing, virtual reality, documentary filmmaking and cinematography, the course will provide its graduates with the opportunity to progress onto a one-year Masters programme with Raindance upon completion. Uxbridge College is a leading FE college, currently ranked number one in London. The Department of Creative Technology specialises in a range of courses from level 2 to level 5 in areas such as Games Development, Visual Effects and Animation. The media provision…