PLASA Focus Leeds Offers Topical Advice, Discussions, and Exciting Product Demos

PLASA Focus Leeds, running May 10 - 11 at the Royal Armouries, seminars this year offer visitors the chance to attend sessions on a variety of topics and to demo new products from leading brands in the world of entertainment technology.

Highlights include sessions from d&b audiotechnik, MA Lighting console training from Ambersphere Solutions and Hog4 training from High End Systems. The seminar from d&b audiotechnik's Steve Jones explores how loudspeaker size affects its whole performance including its directivity, the direct to reverberant ratio and what loudspeaker throw actually means. The three sessions available from Ambersphere Solutions on MA Lighting dot2 compact lighting consoles will provide visitors with an overview of all the features of the new console, including hands-on instruction covering all the basic operational features. High End Systems will also offer training for their latest Hog4 Platform which offers 10 lighting consoles on one platform with state-of-the-art hardware coupled with a tried and tested backbone.

Industry-focused sessions give visitors advice and insight on topical issues facing the live entertainment technology industry. Tony Lennon, from the media and entertainment union BECTU, offers "Tax Essentials for Freelancers" including top tips for freelancers -- from offsetting business expenses against income, to understanding their employment status. The ALD will use their session as an opportunity to discuss approaches to solving the lack of diversity in the industry. Association executive director Ian Saunders believes that opening up a discussion at a show such as PLASA Focus Leeds gives their organization the chance to learn how to relate to both its members and the public as they look to develop future schemes and initiatives.

The ever-popular sessions from Soulsound continue at Leeds, offering visitors practical advice for sound engineers. Justin Grealy's "A Sound Engineer's Guide to Guitars and Guitarists," follows on from his previous presentations at PLASA Focus Leeds 2015. Meanwhile Dug Guthrie's (Soulsound / Surfing Cow) in-depth presentation on "Category Cables for Touring Applications" aimed at touring professionals and Jon Burton's "Stepping Up" offer visitors insight on key topics from speakers with expert knowledge.

The Riggers' Forum also returns to PLASA Focus Leeds, offering riggers the opportunity to get together and discuss issues with peers and experts alike. Led once again by Harry Box and Chris Higgs, known for their thought-provoking seminars. Their "Shouty, Shouty" presentation will discuss working attitudes and communication. Total Solutions' rigging training manager, Higgs says: "'Shouty, Shouty' is about the blend of planning, communication, and people skills that are as important when rigging in arenas as they are in theatres world-wide. People working at height usually don't want to be up there too long and as a result can put pressure on people working below. If you combine this with fatigue, poor communication, and any number of auditory and visual obstructions, it can be a recipe for disaster. This seminar will explore the needs of up-riggers, grounders, flymen, and stage staff and will suggest ways of managing them safely."

For more information about seminar sessions or to register go to the URL below.