Full-service production houses are on the uptick and HansTolo Enterprises is no different, with co-founders Tone Lopez and Raphiki Rhodes at the helm. TPi caught up with the tour and production management specialists to get an insight into the beginnings of HansTolo Enterprises, highlights from the past year, and where the duo see the industry headed. After starting the company in 2010, Lopez explained how “things started to get serious between 2014 and 2016”, when the pair were given some bigger opportunities. “We’ve been fortunate to be part of the development of some of the younger artists that are really…
Author: Alicia Pollitt
Naming a tour The Next Level, the expectation for a great production was already set, yet when it comes to decorated Hollywood composer, Hans Zimmer, whose shows are already equal parts epic and cinematic, TPi wondered what more could be in store for audiences. TPi met the team behind the tour at The O2 in London to uncover what pushed this live show up a level. Production Manager, Jim Baggott, and Tour Director, Michael Weiss, took care of the 150-strong touring party and the 20-truck production. The suppliers included Neg Earth Lights (Lighting, Rigging and Automation), Britannia Row Productions –…
Evolving from the Live Event Summit, which was hosted for three years at ISE, the Live Events Stage was created to provide a space on the tradeshow floor for free content covering a wide array of topics from the world of entertainment. Not only that, the stage offers a platform for some of the event’s most distinguished practitioners. Managing Editor of TPi, Stew Hume, was responsible for curating the content, welcoming back headline sponsor MA Lighting. In the opening session, the company’s Managing Director, Stephan Saremba shared his thoughts on the state of the live events sector and how MA…
With the industry swapping their show blacks for their black-tie attire for yet another year, the TPi Awards saw its largest attendance yet, with the Mondiale Technology Media team scanning a whopping 1,962 attendees through the doors. What’s more, this year saw the event reach an important milestone – 25 years. To mark our silver anniversary, the creative drew heavily from the theme, with disco balls and glitter aplenty. The evening’s theatrics began as attendees approached Evolution London. Tucked in the middle of Battersea Park, the venue was given an exterior makeover with a temporary installation from Robe, special effects…
From Glastonbury to Eurovision and Strictly Come Dancing, Next Robe Generation offers unique work experiences across the live sector, and the TPi Awards is no stranger to the organisation, with a select few students gaining experience at the event for many years now. This year’s volunteers were selected from a pool of other like-minded students and were then invited to Robe’s UK HQ for training and a sneak-peak into this year’s rig before the night. This year’s NRG Students featured Nottingham Trent University’s Daniel Nunn, Assistant LD in the main room, Jamie Mather, LD in the bar area and Kayleigh…
IPS is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2026, marking two decades of steady growth from a small local hire business into an established supplier of staging, structures and technical production services to the UK events industry. IPS has grown alongside the changing demands of live events, evolving from early school theatre projects and regional shows, roots grounded in hands-on technical work and a passion for equipment, into supporting major premieres, festivals, brand activations and broadcast productions. The company’s journey mirrors the wider development of the industry itself, driven by practical innovation and long-term relationships. Over the past 20 years, IPS…
TAIT has acquired Silent House Group, the Emmy Award-winning production studio and creative agency that designs and produces large-scale events. This partnership brings together technical execution and forward-thinking creative design, offering artists, promoters, and productions a platform capable of realising touring, experiential, and broadcast productions at the highest level. By joining together, TAIT and Silent House Group aim to unify creative, technical, and delivery expertise to build productions at any scale, balancing creativity and practicality at the inception of the process. From initial ideas to the final show and beyond, their combined strengths will design and deliver smarter shows that…
L-Acoustics opened its first dedicated Americas regional headquarters in Nashville today, a move that puts the company at the centre of the entertainment industry’s creative power base. Located within the CAA Creative Office Building at Nashville Yards, the new 11,100-square-foot facility features the first L-Acoustics Showroom with HYRISS on the American continent and an L-Acoustics Creative Studio equipped with L-ISA and L-Acoustics DJ technology. The entry to L-Acoustics’ new Americas home. The 11,100-square-foot facility at Nashville Yards puts the company alongside CAA, AEG Presents, and Amazon Music, exactly where creative decisions get made. “L-Acoustics is claiming our place in the…
The Green Events & Innovations Conference (GEI) welcomed over 400 delegates to the Royal Lancaster London for the 18th edition on 24 February, uniting Industry leaders, artists, indigenous voices, scientists, and more. The event tackled critical sustainability topics and demonstrated that the events sector is leading the way in innovation, collaboration, and creativity to reduce environmental impacts, and that going green makes financial sense. Many deep and moving discussions took place throughout the day, demonstrating a united stance on standing up for values, listening, and bringing people together, rather than feeding division. Dale Vince OBE (Ecotricity) and Kneecap’s manager, Dan…
After decades of dedicated service to ETC, CEO Dick Titus has announced his retirement. “Throughout his 35-year tenure, and in his seven years as CEO, Dick Titus has provided ETC with steadfast leadership and guidance. His legacy will continue in ETC’s ongoing dedication to its employees and customers,” said Susan Foster, Chairman of the Board. As the company ushers in the next era of leadership, ETC is pleased to announce that James Foster has assumed the role of President. As the incoming President, Foster brings with him over a decade of experience. He has worked closely with Titus and with…
PSCo and Dry Hire Lighting have appointed Lee Dennison as Director of Trade Rental and Peter Jones as Operations Director, reinforcing their commitment to customers across the live events industry. Dennison brings more than 25 years of experience in the live events rental sector, with senior roles at Creative Technology, White Light, Delta Live, and Autograph, as well as running his own consultancy practice. He will focus on shaping the trade hire strategy with customer service at its core – ensuring the offering remains brand-agnostic, highly responsive, and aligned to how rental businesses operate day to day. Dennison commented: “Our role…
Production Park has received planning approval for the next phase of its expansion. The development will increase Production Park’s footprint to nearly 30 acres. It will enable Production Park to attract more large-scale stage and screen productions, delivering two new state-of-the-art studios, additional space for supply-chain vendors, and expanded training and education facilities. The project underscores Production Park’s ongoing commitment to regional regeneration, job creation and supporting the UK’s creative industries, which contribute over £124 billion to the economy. The new purpose-built studios will strengthen Production Park’s offer to live entertainment, TV and film clients. Production Park was the main…
In live production, cultural impact is often what the audience remembers, but technical precision is what makes it possible. INCA Productions, founded 25 years ago by Nina Ferguson and Charlotte Clark at a kitchen table as their first office, understand that balance and have evolved from a start up into a global creative agency. The global events agency’s DNA is visible in its long-standing partnership with The British Fashion Council. The Fashion Awards returned to the Royal Albert Hall in 2025, a venue that requires precision from the moment the first truck arrives to the final cable coil. The planning…
Green Events and Innovations Conference (GEI), the foremost conference for sustainability through live music, sport, and culture, is gearing up for its 18th edition on Tuesday, 24 February at the Royal Lancaster London, with the full agenda now revealed. A partnership between green event pioneers A Greener Future (AGF) and the world’s leading platform for the live music and entertainment sector, the International Live Music Conference (ILMC), GEI18 will tackle the hottest topics facing the industry with a jam-packed programme across three rooms, a networking and exhibitor lounge, and a five-star plant-based lunch. The event also includes the International AGF…
At the 2026 NAMM Show, RCF’s JAMM NIGHT once again stood out as one of the week’s most anticipated and attended live music events, filling the Anaheim Convention Centre Arena with over 5,000 attendees on Friday, 23 January, with an unforgettable evening of performance, community and tribute. Produced in support of the David Z Foundation, the event united musicians for a high-energy yet deeply reflective celebration of music’s enduring legacy. Hosted once again by Paulie Z, the evening featured standout performances from an all-star lineup spanning rock, metal, pop and beyond. Highlights included appearances by Nuno Bettencourt, Corey Glover, Billy…
A major production at London’s Royal Albert Hall relied on Shure’s Axient Digital Wireless System to deliver RF performance and audio quality for a demanding, multi-act show produced for Cascade Productions. Audio Alliance, Shure UK’s trusted partner on the project, specified and deployed Shure Axient Digital to support a complex programme featuring a full orchestra, an international A-list artist, a second major ensemble, an opera singer, speeches and playback elements, all delivered within an exceptionally tight production schedule. With the entire production loaded in, rehearsed, performed and loaded out in under 20 hours, reliability and certainty were critical. Audio Alliance…
Digital Audio Denmark will be presenting a full program of professional training sessions at the AES Live Sound Training Expo in Nashville, TN, on 24-25 February 2026. The sessions will demonstrate the capabilities and versatility of DAD’s best-in-class Dante audio network control application DADman and playback management software Control|Pack for a wide variety of live audio applications. The sessions will also include a special workshop on Plugin Processing and Redundancy in live audio with monitor engineer Salim Akram [Billie Eilish, Finneas, Dijon]. DADman / Dante Workflow Session, presented by Jon Schumann and Kurt Howell. An in-depth discussion on working with…
With nearly 2,000 seats and a highly transparent acoustic environment, Barbican Concert Hall is a venue where technical decisions and consistency matter. It was in this setting that a collaboration between Soweto Kinch and the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) took place, with both a live concert and a live album recording. This ambitious performance was supported by Freelance Sound Engineer, Jack Jordan. “The task was to balance the detailed requirements of an orchestral recording with the immediacy and impact of a contemporary, hybrid live production,” he explained. “The solution came not from reinventing the signal chain, but from refining it,…
