Expanded Seminar Program Unveiled for PLASA Focus

Visitors to PLASA Focus: Leeds 2011, which takes place on Tuesday and Wednesday April 19-20 at the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds, UK, are invited to take part in an expanded series of seminars presented by some of the industry's leading names.

The two-day education and learning program proved a major success last year and this year PLASA Events have added a new strand of product demonstrations and training to the popular mix of case studies and seminars. The sessions run alongside a two-hall exhibition of new technology and are free to attend.

Kicking off the case studies is the RSC. The RSC's Vince Herbert, Jeremy Dunn and Adam Harvey -- responsible for lighting, sound and stage automation respectively -- will be joined by Jonathan Porter-Goff from Stage Electrics in a session entitled "Build a Theatre, Rebuild Another and Refurbish a Third." This will be an opportunity to learn how the theatres of the RSC were transformed and to join in a review of the design and installation of the production technical facilities within the theatres.

"The Story and Lessons Learned from the Refurbishment of the Leeds Grand Theatre" continues this theme, with an opportunity to hear Ric Green, of Opera North, recount the story of the refurbishment of the Leeds Grand Theatre from a client's perspective, and also assesses five years on the reality of living with these choices.

The SMA & ABTT jointly present Scenery Construction -- What is the Future? In this session, a panel of four industry experts debate commercial outsourcing versus in-house scenery construction, commissioning and delivery issues, the skills base and health and safety and construction regulations.

How to Eat an Elephant is a seminar presented jointly by Total Solutions Group and UK Rigging about how the sometimes overwhelming requirements to satisfy 'health and safety' (with particular regard to rigging) really needn't be as daunting as is often thought.

Theatres Trust presents "The Theatres Trust's 'DEC Pool' -- Dive In!" Does your venue have a Display Energy Certificate? Do you think it reflects your building's energy performance? Want to know who's getting all the As? Following government consultation on whether DECs should become mandatory for all commercial premises frequently visited by the public, this seminar discusses the issues and the findings to date from the ERDF-backed "Ecovenue" sustainability project.

Dave Swallow is a sound engineer who has worked with Amy Winehouse, La Roux, Seasick Steve and Corinne Bailey Rae. His seminar, "The Art of Mixing a Show," presented in conjunction with Audio Pro International, explores the most important ideas behind putting a mix together, explaining how to add a third dimension to a flat, two dimensional mix, using a simple understanding of how we hear distance. The session will examine the idea of using dynamic processors in a creative way, rather than just a way of controlling signal level.

ISCE presents "Digital Dividend -- the Impending Changes in Frequency Allocations" and the "Great Wireless Mic Swap Out." In this session, Alan March from Sennheiser will be giving a brief explanation of current spectrum policy thinking at Ofcom, talking about the digital switchover/digital dividend and the Channel 69 to Channel 38 transition. He will also discuss what type of wireless telegraphy licenses to use for specific wireless microphone applications and explain why it is critical for the future and how to obtain them.

InfoComm will help you to retain margin and add value with their seminar "Realizing the Value of Project Management," a talk about how effective project management and process can be.

RH Consulting's seminar "The Business of Working in Entertainment Technology" is aimed at those running businesses that serve the entertainment technology rental and installation market. This seminar discusses the issues that make our industry unique, the drivers of change, common company problems and how to approach solving them.

Product demonstrations and training will be provided at the show in a dedicated seminar suite. Sessions are available from MA Lighting - "Modern Control on grandMA2 Now and Into the Future;" Audio-Technica - "Wireless Installations on a Budget;" NEXO - "Introduction to NEXO's Simulation Software NS-1;" Cooper Controls - "An Introduction to Remote Device Management (RDM);" Vectorworks - "Vectorworks for Lighting Design;" Shure Distribution - "Shure Wireless Workbench - Understanding and Coordinating Wireless Equipment in a New Era for Radio Equipment;" Lanta - "Pro LED in AV and Architectural Installs;" Wireless Solution - "Interference Free Wireless Lighting Controls;" Clay Paky - "Clay Paky Seminar." All these product demo sessions can be booked online.

Further details of the expanded, free, two-day education and learning program, live product demonstrations and other show features, as well as information on how to book can be found on the show website, which is listed below.