PLASA Announces Upcoming Focus Events

Now that LDI is over, PLASA has announced the next couple of PLASA Focus events in the US and UK.  Here is a listing of the upcoming events around the country.

• Nov 12-13, 2012 – Stamford Connecticut
• Apr 30, May 1, 2013 – Leeds England
• May 15-16, 2013 – Orlando Florida
• Sep 10-11 2013 – Austin Texas
• Feb 5-6, 2014 – Nashville Tennessee

I personally LOVE smaller events like this.  I have been to one of them and plan on getting to more.  They are a little more relaxed than the big shows.  They allow for more one-on-one time and not the big rush to get around to see every single exhibitor with fear of missing something.  I highly encourage you to take up the chance to visit one of these FREE events!

Learn more about PLASA Focus and all of the upcoming events at www.plasafocus.com.

PLASA 2013: Goodbye Earls Court, Hello ExCel

Big news on one of the largest trade shows in our industry. PLASA 2013 will no longer find home at the famous Earls Court in London England. The PLASA Show will find a new home at the UK ExCel. Not only is PLASA moving locations, but timeline as well.  PLASA 2012 will be the last time the show takes place in early September.  PLASA 2013 will now happen in early October, 6-9 2013 to be exact.

What does this mean for the other big trade show in our industry, LDI which happens at the end of October? Time will tell, it is over a year away. Learn more about the PLASA show at www.plasashow.com and the new ExCel location at www.excel-london.co.uk.

Breaking News: PLASA Focus Stamford in November 2012

Just before PLASA Focus Nashville opens tomorrow, details have spilled that PLASA is planning yet another Focus series of mini/regional trade shows in Stamford, CT in November 2012.  The only details released so far is that PLASA Focus Stamford will take place November 12-13, 2012.

PLASA is sure to announce more details about PLASA Focus Stamford tomorrow or in the next couple of days while PLASA Focus Nashville is underway.  Stay tuned for more details. You can check the PLASA Focus website in the next couple of days to learn more.

Plugfest 2011 Announced – July 22-24 in Westlake Texas

The next PLASA Control Protocols Plugfest will take place July 22—24 at the DFW Marriott Solana in Westlake, Texas. The event brings colleagues and competitors together to further the industry by testing the limits of control protocols and working out the bugs they encounter. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Plugfest began in January 2009 as part of the ESTA (now PLASA) Technical Standards Program by members of various Control Protocols Task Groups represent a variety of manufacturers. Twice a year, when they are all in the same place at the same time, they bring controllers, lights, analyzers, and various other tools and devices, and connect them all through a network to look for and resolve problems. People attend from all around the world in an effort to improve their products.

Plugfest was originally created to support the Remote Device Management protocol (ANSI E1.20 RDM) but now it has expanded to cover all CPWG protocols, including the popular ANSI E1.31 Streaming DMX over ACN protocol. As the scope has grown, so has attendance, and consequently, the space. It began in a small suite but this year Plugfest moved into a large suite with room to grow. Coffee, bagels, and scones serve to fuel the event.

Although the schedule runs until 10pm, the group can often be found working into the early morning hours. Most of the members of the E1.20 and E1.31 task groups, who wrote the standards, are there and they are happy to provide their expertise. They will answer your questions and tell you about protocols. Take advantage of their knowledge and experience. Drop in and experience Plugfest.

For more information or if you are interested in participating, contact Scott Blair at s.blair@ieee.org or sblair@rdmprotocol.org to register.

Lamps Have a Label, Why Not Fixtures Too

Early this morning, @PLASA posted an invitation of sorts to lighting manufacturers to meet sometime during September.  I would have to assume that the meeting would happen around or during the PLASA show in London as many or most manufacturers will be in town for the show.

The thing that caught my attention was the second part of what the meeting would be about, “new label(l)ing system for fixtures”. Can we expect to see the same sort of DOE, (Department of Energy) labels that can and will be found on LED lamps? I just hope the don’t leave off the fat content off the labels, I am on a diet!

What do you think, is this a good idea to standardize the information labels on lighting fixtures?  Leave your comments below.

Kinesys Announces New Fixed Speed Chain Hoist Controller Range – DigiHoist

Have you heard of Kinesys before?  If you fly truss, you really should!  Kinesys offers load sensing devices to monitor a rigs weight at the pick points.  It’s pretty important stuff to know, last thing we want is a truss out of balance or falling from the air.

Kinesys is expanding their product line with the release of the all new DigiHoist product range at PLASA next month. The DigiHoist brings digital technology to the forefront of chain hoist controller design.

Digital communications allow multiple controllers to be daisy-chained together,  eliminating the need for bulky multicore cables.  Self-healing emergency stop connections remove the requirement for shorting plugs, and monitoring of the hoist’s status means that information about hoist presence and the state of the limits can be displayed to the user, and acted upon immediately to provide Group Halting if limits are hit whilst moving.

If you are heading to PLASA next month, make sure to stop by Kinesys’s stand at 3.25T and 4.75T to demonstrate the versatility of the Libra system. For more information on Kinesys, visit their website at www.kinesys.co.uk.

FREE Month Long Registration for PLASA 2010

Everyone likes free stuff right?  Well, if you are on the fence about attending the PLASA show at Earls Court in London England in September, PLASA has some good news.

At the beginning of January 2010, PLASA is offering FREE registration to gain access to the show floor.  All you have to do is register on the site before the cut off date of February 11, 2010. Visit www.plasashow.com to register for FREE!!!

Now PLASA and ESTA Intend to Merge

Not to long ago, ESTA and PERA announced that they will be merging together.  Seems like that wasn’t the end of it.  ESTA, (The Entertainment Services & Technology Association) and now PLASA, (Professional Lighting and Sound Association), have announced that they too will be merging and combining forces! More from the Press Release:

PLASA (headquartered in the U.K.) and ESTA (headquartered in North America), two of the leading bodies worldwide for those working in the live events, entertainment, and communications industries, have signed a letter of intent to merge.

The announcement comes on the back of long-term strategic reviews conducted by both organizations, who believe that uniting as one body will lead to a stronger voice for members, the enhancement of existing initiatives, and an expansion of the range of benefits and services.

The proposed merger has the full backing of both the ESTA board of directors and the PLASA executive committee, who voted on the proposal this summer and who will formally recommend the move to their respective memberships, subject to due diligence being completed successfully during the spring/summer of 2010. If both memberships vote to go ahead, the first stage of the merger will be completed by December 2010, effectively creating an industry-wide membership network of over 1,100 dealers, manufacturers, installers, service providers, and consultants operating under the PLASA name. This will also include members of PERA—the Production Equipment Rental Association—whose members work across the film, video, and broadcast industries and which recently merged with ESTA.

In reality, any merger will simply be a continuation of an already established relationship between the two organizations who have worked together on a range of initiatives for many years and who share the same aims and objectives.

The planned merger will not lead to any immediate changes, and the direct priority for the ESTA and PLASA teams will be to continue to serve the joint membership in the strongest, most relevant way possible.

To reinforce this aim, the proposal outlining the merger recommends that leadership groups be established initially in North America and Europe, elected by their respective members to represent their interests and to shape the organization to meet their specific needs. Each of these elected leadership groups will provide representatives who will sit on an executive committee charged with overall responsibility for governance, strategic planning and financial direction. Joining these representatives on the executive committee will be members-at-large elected from the membership worldwide.

Work on key initiatives will continue as before and in many cases will be considerably strengthened by the projected merger. ESTA’s industry-leading Technical Standards Program has always received active participation from PLASA and its members, and the planned merger envisions a further development of this essential project.

The commitment to furthering industry skills will also remain a key priority, and while the methods of implementation differ, the goals of increasing the level of knowledge and skills in the industry and creating a safer working environment are jointly shared and will be fully implemented.

Other initiatives, such as market research, will be strengthened with current research exercises expanded and opportunities for additional research explored.

ESTA president Bill Groener and PLASA chairman Rob Lingfield view the proposed merger as a significant and essential move for members of both organizations, who, they believe, will benefit from having a much strengthened representative body safeguarding their interests and developing their commercial advantages.

In a joint statement, PLASA CEO Matthew Griffiths and ESTA executive director Lori Rubinstein said, “This is essentially about doing what is best for our members. The proposed merger will radically enhance what we can achieve on behalf of the companies and individuals we represent, making us a more effective and informed advocate for the industry. The industry needs an organization that is responsive to its members’ needs and one where they feel fully connected and involved. We share common goals and objectives and a united approach to the issues and challenges of our market will provide major long-term benefits and greatly broaden the role of the organization.”

Live Coverage of PLASA 2009

Are you planning on attending PLASA at Earls Court in London next week? You’re not?! Neither are we. We just could not swing the trip over the great big blue.  But have no fear, there are some UK based designers and friends that will be covering the show for all of us giving you and me updates via their website’s and twitter feeds.

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Wybron Updates Infogate Feedback Software

We received a press release from Wybron today about updates that are available for their infogate feedback software.

More from the press release:

Wybron has released an updated version of the software that powers its award-winning feedback system.
Infogate Version 2.2, which uses the industry-standard feedback protocol Remote Device Management (RDM), makes it easier for users to visualize and monitor an entire lighting rig from a computer.
The updated Infogate software includes:

• Simplified layout for the Device Parameter Spreadsheet, the heart of Infogate, to reduce screen clutter but still give users the option to customize the layout
• Ability to maintain Device Parameter Spreadsheet layout when closed, letting the user set up, and keep, an interface customized for his or her use
• New ESTA status message, recently added to RDM specs, to report lamp and cable failure.
• New RDM throttle to allow users to reduce the number of RDM data packets transmitted along the DMX cable, letting more DMX signal through when feedback isn’t as vital

Infogate 2.2 comes with a licensing fee, and to operate the software, the user must purchase a special USB dongle from Wybron, said Vice President of Engineering Lee Schlais

“What’s great about Infogate is that it can be used so many different ways, including architectural installations, retail, and cruise ships,” Schlais said. “An Infogate system will let you monitor each venue locally, but if you have a need for remote monitoring, we have a server system that will allow you to see that data from anywhere in the world.”

Infogate powers Wybron’s groundbreaking Infotrace Control and Management System, which took top honors at the PLASA, LDI, and WFX trade shows in 2006.

With Infogate, users can proactively check the condition of equipment, receive error messages and alerts when something goes wrong, assign DMX addresses from the ground, and monitor an entire rig from a world away.

Infogate Version 2.2 can be downloaded from the Wybron Web site, and it’s also available on a CD. For more information, visit Wybron’s website, www.wybron.com.

New Nonprofit: Institute for Feedback Excellence

We received a press release on the announcement of a new Nonprofit organization called the Institute for Feedback Excellence.  The Institute was organized by join ventures from Enttec, Martin Professional and Wybron to Harmonize the use of feedback protocols in entertainment lighting.  The IFE was established to standardize the RDM or Remote Device Management protocol across the lighting industry.

More from the Press Release after the jump.

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