Sound Image San Francisco supplied 30 events in 3 weeks for the annual Festival Napa Valley Summer Season, including the history-making, Lionel Richie headlined Arts for All Gala, which raised a staggering $4.5m for education and the arts. Over the years, the annual societal event in San Francisco’s wine country has raised $28m through contributions, sponsors, and sought after auction items. The Gala is a high-end affair, and every aesthetic and technical detail is executed with care. As a trusted production supplier to this prestigious event, Sound Image’s Bay Area team, led by Account Executives, Jon Morris and George Edwards,…
Author: Jacob Waite
Following ECI Partners’ investment in TAG (The Appointment Group) in April 2024, this move supports their long-term strategic growth plans to further consolidate TAG’s position as the leading travel management company in entertainment and high-end corporate travel. Jens Penny, Chief Executive Officer at TAG, announced the appointment of several executive positions to support the delivery of the long-term strategic plan and to ensure the company structure reflects the global nature of the business. Penny stated: “I am delighted to announce the following changes to the Executive Team: Gabrielle Carr is appointed to Chief Operating Officer for TAG, globally. In addition…
Fluge and Europalco have entered into discussions to explore a potential joint strategy for the Iberian market. Both companies are evaluating a collaborative model that could create new synergies and enhance their presence in the events and audiovisual production sectors across Spain and Portugal, as well as internationally, where they see substantial growth potential. This prospective strategic alliance aims to deliver innovative and tailored solutions for large productions, shows, and corporate events, while maintaining the standard of excellence and quality that both companies are known for. Luis Berlanga, CEO of Fluge, commented: “We are very excited about the prospect of…
AC/DC’s PWR UP Europe 2024 marked a monumental return to the circuit for the rock ’n’ roll titans, who performed in 17 cities and 10 countries across Europe. As the band’s 15th tour, this campaign required a production design befitting their storied history, delivering an electrifying experience, stripped of gimmicks, that put the energy of the band and the cross-generational crowd first. The long-serving creative team included Creative Director, Patrick Woodroffe and Lighting Designer, Terry Cook of Woodroffe Basset Design (WBD); STUFISH Entertainment Architects (stage design), Wonder Works (technical design) and Lighting Director, Charlie ‘Cosmo’ Wilson with the touring campaign…
One of my first trips at TPi was visiting ADJ Group’s European base. Almost a decade on, it was incredible to see the transformation of the company’s industrial park in Kerkrade, The Netherlands. The Group – which includes ADJ, Acclaim Lighting, Duratruss, Elation and Obsidian Control Systems – invited customers and staff members to see Hall 4 in all its glory. The latest addition for the Group’s premises has total space of 4,771 sq m over three floors, with room for further expansion. The bottom floor features a new state-of-the-art QC area with the upper floors featuring new R&D labs,…
What is your role for THE Conference, and how has the past year been since the past event? “I have had the privilege to work as THE Conference Director since our launch in 2022. Each year, we have been blown away by the interest and engagement from across the live event industry, and that was absolutely the case this year. This December, we are welcoming almost 80 sponsors and partners to campus as well as growing the audience to over 1,000 attendees. We look forward to welcoming everyone back, showcasing some new experiences, and maintaining the connectivity among our attendees…
Charli XCX and Troye Sivan joined forces for the SWEAT tour, where both artists played a large role in the overall look and feel of the tour’s design to create an enlightening, raw and powerful show each night. The industrial-inspired stage design included two-storey scaffolding, catwalks, truss automation and video ‘billboard’ walls that all lent itself to the impactful lighting. The tour was put together by Creative Director Imogene Strauss, Production and Lighting Designer Jonny Kingsbury of Cour Design, and the Tour Directors from Eighteentwentysix [1826]. TPi spoke with them and several other key talents about the tour’s production. 360…
Working for a professional services company that serves the live entertainment industry, the awards and exhibition season is always a useful opportunity to catch up with the people you’ve been working with over the previous 12 months. When I say professional services, I mean the likes of accountants, lawyers and, of course, my lot – insurance advisors. This year’s GTL Sessions was one such opportunity that we at SRG (Specialist Risk Group) certainly made the most of. As soon as I saw the launch of GTL Sessions and in particular the Speed + Sync sessions, I thought this was the…
In the fast-paced, unpredictable world of freelancing, it can be easy to get caught up and push beyond the usual limits. To discuss this issue further, TPi caught up with Cat Kevern, Director of Electric Cat Productions and NOWIE (The Network of Women in Events) along with Megan Johnstone-Mackie, a marketing specialist within the events sector, to discuss how freelancers might advocate for themselves and what strategies they can adopt to champion themselves as they move through the industry. NOWIE 2.0 offers a full rebrand for the organisation, seeing it become invested more in community interest than ever before and…
Would you be able to explain what MVT is? “The PixMob MVT is a controller technology that casts advanced animations and graphic effects across crowds. Paired with our immersive LED products like wristbands, the MVT turns audiences into a human-resolution tv screen, projecting effects across the entire venue to immerse them in the live experience.” How many MVT fixtures are required for a large stadium show and how long does the setup tend to take? “It really depends on the effects we want to create. If you just want to have a shape (a heart or a moon), you can…
Working in freight and logistics, we’ve always had to monitor geopolitical shifts closely, from 9/11 to the Iraq War, each event triggers a ripple effect. But, no past event compares to the widespread and lasting disruption caused by COVID-19. The pandemic reshaped almost every facet of global logistics, forcing us to adapt to unprecedented changes in demand, operational hurdles, and other constraints. Post-pandemic, the live music industry has thankfully rebounded, but COVID’s legacy remains – a significant increase in supply chain disruptions, and high inflation (touring costs are estimated to have risen by as much as 30%). The perennial question for…
Beginning his journey as a composer in the ’70s, Hans Zimmer continues his worldwide tour that has already traversed the world over the past two years and continues into 2025. Travelling through his discography of grand filmic scores – the maestro’s show features subtle nods to the colour palettes of his wide filmography from Inception through to The Lion King. Catching up with father and daughter duo John Featherstone, Co Show-Designer, and Hailey Featherstone, Lighting Operator, TPi delves into the design that utilises exclusively Robe fixtures. “There are these familial threads through everything Hans does,” John began. “He liked what…
What was the primary goal of expanding the Infinity Raccoon Series? “From the outset, the primary goal of the Infinity Raccoon family has been to offer a diverse range of lighting products aimed at the professional lighting designer. The latest expansion is a logical addition to the Raccoon family and adds a powerful weapon to the portfolio. With a strobe output of over 72,000 lumens, operators are sure to wow the crowd!” What feedback did you get from lighting designers that aided in the creation of the S420/4? “Feedback from the field included the need for an extremely bright strobe…
Following over a decade-and-a-half working in the food industry and specialising in sustainability, Françoise Cardoso made the move into the live events market – specifically to L-Acoustics to take up the role of Director of Corporate Social Responsibility. Her remit: to formalise a sustainable strategy that could then be implemented company wide. “Sustainability has been deeply woven into the L-Acoustics’ strategy for 40 years,” began Cardoso when she sat down with TPi to explain her role at the company. “I’m here to valorise this rich heritage of sustainable practices and formalise a comprehensive strategy moving forward, while engaging employees across…
The last time TPi covered a Niall Horan show, the world was in the throes of a global lockdown, which meant that going to gigs was an experience we could only reminisce on. Back then, the singer-songwriter and his crew had decided to support the wider live events workforce by staging a live stream that fundraised for WE NEED CREW [see TPi #257]. Almost three years later and with the industry back to full strength, descending on Manchester’s Co-Op Live to witness a full-capacity show with all the bells and whistles felt like a full-circle moment. With the tour 73…
Beginning its expansion into the UK in early 2020, NicLen UK has now become an important part of the NicLen family, alongside its headquarters in Germany and bases in the Netherlands, France and Switzerland. The UK operation recently moved into a new warehouse location, over five times the size of its previous space. Heading up the UK operation is Managing Director, Luke Merrilees who gives TPi a brief history of the branch. Having already worked in the dry hire business, Merrilees knew the team from NicLen in Germany and together decided to open a UK base for the business, spotting…
While it’s only been in existence for five years, Canada-based Onedot has already made a name for itself as a multifaceted business working in the industry. As well as being able to create impressive stage designs, the company’s vast production experience also ensures each project is feasible, offering a turnkey solution to event producers in multiple sectors. Started by industry stalwarts Jean-Sébastien Guilmette and Mathieu Couture, currently 90% of Onedot’s work takes place within the Canadian borders, with the company also exploring more international options. This year’s highlights have included numerous festivals coving a range of genres, such as Latin…
This isn’t the first time Porter Robinson has appeared in the pages of TPi, having covered his tour back in 2021 [see TPi #266]. One of the main things that struck us at the time was that although Robinson originally came from the world of EDM, he is an artist who is now very much a ‘live performer’ – playing multiple instruments as well as singing during his live performances. However, for this to work seamlessly, the artist’s audio team had to devise a way to network this complex hybrid model of playback and live instrumentation. Speaking to TPi during…
