News

SANTA ANA, CA — Recent staging failures, such as  this year’s Radiohead stage collapse in Toronto that left one dead and three injured could have serious ramifications for the live event industry, according to Scott Carroll, executive vice president and program director of Take1 Insurance, part of the U.S. Risk Insurance Group, and a specialist insurance provider for the entertainment industry. The Toronto event could renew calls for stricter regulations for stage construction and engineering, potentially convincing less experienced insurance providers to abandon the industry.

And with fewer providers, there is less competition, which could lead to higher premiums.

GLENDORA, CA — At first, Grace Church, based here, was looking to upgrade its speakers, and turned to L-Acoustics dealer Pro Sound & Video (PSV) for support. Not long after that, church leaders opted to replace their aging analog console as well. PSV helped them evaluate digital console advantages including a plethora of onboard processing, snapshot features and effects. The church ended up buying an SD9 from DiGiCo.

HOUSTON — Lending further proof to the saying “everything is bigger in Texas,” L-Acoustics US reports that Houston-based LD Systems has now purchased a mega-stadium-sized K1/KUDO system. Hailed as one of the largest sales in the manufacturer’s 28-year history, the order includes 386 enclosures — including variable curvature, constant curvature and coaxial systems — all powered by LA-RAK.

BOSTON — Adamson Systems Engineering announced the formal release of its Project Energia V2.5 preset library. Energia Beta partners around the world had been fielding the new presets on major summer tours and festivals while reporting the results to Adamson’s R&D department.

BOILING SPRINGS, NC — A Sound Experience (ASE Service Group Inc.) specified audio gear from ISP Technologies for the new sound system in use at the $30 million, 110,000-square-foot Tucker Student Center at Gardner-Webb University here. The center, which opened Aug. 28, offers a variety of amenities to the university’s 4,300 students.

LAS VEGAS — The 2012 PLSN/FOH Parnelli Celebrity Classic, which will take place Thursday, Oct. 18, and the 2012 Parnelli Awards Dinner, set for Saturday, Oct. 20, may be a month away, but judging by the pace of registrations streaming in, both events could set new attendance records. To ensure that you don’t miss out, be sure to sign up for both of these sought-after events. Go to parnelliawards.com today!

SAN FRANCISCO — Construction is underway with a four-month countdown to a grand opening on January 21, 2013 (Martin Luther King Day) of the SFJAZZ Center, a new, state-of-the-art performance venue in the heart of San Francisco. Located at 205 Franklin Street, the SFJAZZ Center will be a hub of art, music, culture, and community in the Civic Center performing arts district, already home to Davies Symphony Hall, the San Francisco Opera House, the Herbst Theatre and the historic Bill Graham Civic Auditorium.