Immersive Audio, Festival Lighting, and Technical Standards to Appear at PLASA Focus Leeds

PLASA Focus Leeds, the essential event for entertainment technology returns to celebrate its 10th anniversary at the Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds May 1-2, 2018. Free registration is open for the show which has already sold out with over 130 international brands eager to introduce their latest products to a UK audience.

In addition to the wide array of exhibitors from lighting, audio, AV, staging and rigging sectors, attendees will have unlimited access to a program packed with heavyweight content, from hands-on technical workshops to inspiring key-note talks.

Right at the cutting edge of audio, journalist Phil Ward will explore the advanced challenges of spatial and immersive audio. Joining him are a panel of manufacturers and sound designers including Tom Slater from Call & Response and Scott Willsallen, an award-winning expert in sound design for major international events. They will explore how this emerging sector impacts system design and workflow for engineers and production professionals working in concert touring and live sound.

Lighting enthusiasts can look forward to Changeover Madness at a Festival, a lively panel of lighting designers and operators, chaired by Ambersphere's Philip Norfolk. They will answer burning questions such as: How do bands turn up at festivals and put on their show with a completely different rig from what they normally have on tour? How do LDs and operators cope with the myriad of different rigs over a festival period? What happens when the artist decides to do a completely different set from normal? These questions and many more will lift the lid on the realities of operating lighting at festivals.

Back by popular demand is a seminar on Technical Standards for Places of Entertainment presented by Robin Townley from the Association of British Theatre Technicians. A number of these standards, which are recognized by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), have been amended since PLASA Focus Leeds 2017. This vital session will guide attendees through the changes, review the importance of rehearsing control of risks in the production environment, and answer questions regarding safety and compliance.

Running throughout the entire show, ChamSys will run training sessions on MagicQ, and KV2 Audio will demonstrate their loudspeakers which have been making impressions on the West-End and Broadway.

Additional highlights include the Association of Lighting Designers' panel on collaboration and the Riggers Forum. Much more content will be announced in the weeks ahead.

PLASA Focus Leeds is free to attend on May 1-2 at the Royal Armouries, Leeds. Find out more and register at: http://leeds.plasafocus.com