BP The Budget and the World Cup
I manage various event industry websites for a long list of clients.
Yesterday I received an email saying a tuxedo hire business was folding, I also received a call from a Conference Venues Specialist asking me if we should run a few contests on the websites to increase enquiries as it has been very quiet, my answer to that was ‘don’t bother’.
The numbers that make up the event industry is largely consumed and managed by Middle Britain, mainly the middle class and upper middle class. The event industry constitutes, companies involved in the management and production of private events like weddings, birthdays, annivesary parties and conference and Corporate production specialist mainly involved in the producing of conferences for large private and public companies.
These conferences usually end with a party which involves various London Caterers and Entertainment Companies.
Since the 3rd Quarter of 2008 the event industry as a whole has been limping, everyone from equipment hire companies to wedding bands. Generally if you were a Wedding Band you would still be ok if you were a cheap or midpriced one and off course your band was extremely good. However if you were relied on corporate events to pay the bills, then chances are some of the band members have signed up for benefits. Generally the lavish and slighltly lavish corporate events utilising live muscians have almost completety stoped using live bands, there has been a drop of almost 90%.
Up to about Easter, it looked like the Labour Goverments actions to help the economy recover were showing some signs of recovery as companies begun to receive enquiries for their services right up till Christmas, this involved Christmas Party Entertainment . The smiles and the enthusiasm begun to return, then easter came, then the elections came, then the BP Disaster came, the World cup and finally the nail on the coffin the Condems Budget.
Now all of Britain is watching the World Cup to divert their attention from their real worries, trying to forget about the budget and its implications, on whether their jobs or businesses will survive and will the BP disaster wipe out some of the nest eggs and pension plans and further damage the economy and the diving currency (UK Pound) as billions of pounds flow out to America.
So what does this mean to the limping UK event industry, it means, everything to do with their business is on hold, should everyone be worried and fold their business like the tuxedo business? I don’t think so, I think those being hit by the further slowdowns, who have weathered the slowdown since 2008 should call their banks, afterall we helped them, there is no reason why they should not help us, reschedule payments, enjoy the world cup and wait for the light at the end of the tunnell.
Once everyone realises their business will go on and they are required for their jobs, their insecurities will go away and they will start planning their private and corporate events again.
Adelphi Theatre painted black for latest show
The Adelphi Theatre is one of the most popular and well-known theatres in London’s West End but it recently became the subject of some criticism after it was painted black to promote its new show Love Never Dies.
Andrew Lloyd Webber, who owns the Adelphi Theatre, came under fire for painting the exterior of the theatre in black gloss paint before permission was received from Westminster Council.
The council’s report said: “The works have changed the character and appearance of the theatre and harmed its special architectural and historic interest, and also the Covent Garden conservation area’s character and appearance,”
Although one of their planning officers said the damage was “unacceptable” it looks like the matter has been settled on the basis that the appearance of the theatre will be restored to its former appearance after the show has ended.
The current Adelphi Theatre was originally designed by Ernest Runtz who designed the theatre to be decorated in a modernist 1930s art-deco style with cream tiles and was notable at the time for its complete lack of curves in the design; it is mostly straight lines and angles.
What we know today at the Adelphi Theatre was opened in December 1930 with the musical Evergreen and went on to run various musical and comedy shows. Some of the longer running shows include the musical comedy Me and My Girl which ran for almost eight years after opening in 1985. The Broadway classic Chicago was also well received by audiences and ran from 1997 until 2005. The musicals Evita and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat also graced the stage at the Adelphi before the new show, Love Never Dies, opened earlier this year.
The Adelphi was threatened by demolition in the 1960s when developers wanted to use the area to build offices but luckily was saved and extensively restored to its former glory in 1993 when Andrew Lloyd Webber became co-owner of the theatre.
Visitors to the Adelphi often comment on its art deco design and if you are lucky enough to be able to visit this impressive theatre then the clean line design is best seen from the outside by the glazed window, from looking out of the window in the Dress Circle Bar or from the front of the two circles and side boxes.
Software writer brings stages alive from U.S. to London
Chris Ashworth had studied computer science but never written an entire piece of software when a North Carolina theater production company asked for his help. What he came up with would be a huge hit with creative professionals who design elaborate stage productions across the world.
The theater company needed software that could help manage sound effects for a play while running on an Apple computer. Ashworth was a computer science graduate student in North Carolina, and he and a friend built one for them in a little over a month.
“It was completely starting from scratch,” Ashworth said. “It was a crazy project. … It was a simple problem being solved by a rudimentary piece of software.”
That was five years ago this month. Today, Ashworth’s modest piece of software has grown into what he now calls QLab, a full-featured program with a foothold in the niche industry of sound and video design for live productions. It’s being used at professional theaters from Baltimore to London and in major Broadway productions that have won Tony awards for sound design.
Shows at the Metropolitan Opera and the Kennedy Center also have featured music and sound crafted by designers using QLab. Other clients include trade shows and corporations that use the software to power their events.
“This little thing I threw out into the world is being involved with this stuff,” Ashworth said. “I’m still not used to it.” As an independent software developer working out of his Charles Village rowhouse, Ashworth attributes the increasing adoption of his product to an enthusiastic corps of theater multimedia professionals around the world who helped him improve his software and market it through word-of-mouth compliments.
His software can blend sound effects, video, animation, stage lighting and other effects, and also enable an engineer to set up an automated queue for the effects to play. He likens it to a production engineer first laying down dominoes of audio and visual effects, and at the push of a button, knocking them down during a show.
Traditionally, software for sound design that could power large-scale shows and events has been expensive and geared toward the PC-user market.
Ashworth focused on building software for the Mac because that’s what his first customer needed. He quickly discovered that there was a whole world of creative theater professionals using Macs who were looking for the software he was developing.
“It was the right opportunity waiting to be exploited,” he said.
In his early days, Ashworth had customers telling him that his software’s price was too low and that they’d be willing to pay more for it.
Sales were boosted last year by the release of a 2.0 version of QLab, Ashworth said, though he declined to release revenue figures. He gives away a “lite” version of QLab, which only offers sound design features for two speakers. Full versions for audio, video and musical instrument digital support cost $249 each, or $599 for a bundle of all three. Competitors’ software systems can run into the thousands of dollars.
“This whole thing grew from me giving away a free version,” Ashworth said.
Rory Dale, a sound designer at the Playhouse on the Square in Memphis, Tenn., said he has been a faithful user of the software for more than four years. He plans to use it to run sound and visual effects at the theater’s opening production of “Pippin” later this month. When Dale first started doing sound design, he’d have to juggle CDs and work in various programs, he said. But QLab has allowed him to better structure and automate his work quicker than ever.
“It really revolutionized what I do,” Dale said. “I can’t overstate that.”
Baltimore’s Center Stage has been using QLab for nearly three years, said Amy Wedel, the theater’s audio engineer. For Wedel, who’s been doing theater audio for 14 years, QLab was an easier-to-use alternative to more expensive software. Arranging audio effects was a more manual and complicated process before QLab came along, she said.
“A complex sequence you might not have been able to achieve otherwise, because you only have two hands … you can do that now by just hitting one ‘go’ button,” Wedel said.
On Broadway, QLab was used in a revival of “South Pacific,” which won a Tony award in sound design in 2008, Ashworth said. Two other shows using QLab won Tony awards in sound design last year, he said.
“It’s wonderful, but in some sense, it’s terrifying,” Ashworth said of his success. With QLab, he said, “I’m all of a sudden responsible for these productions not failing.”
Ashworth isn’t just a computer geek. He loves theater, having double-majored in it and computer science when he was in college in Minnesota. Originally from Kentucky, Ashworth attended graduate school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
He and his wife moved to Baltimore to continue her education and, at first, he didn’t think they’d stay long. But they ended up buying a home, and Ashworth is happy with the local tech scene.Ashworth now has two employees and they all work remotely: Ashworth in Baltimore and the others in Seattle and California.
“It’s exciting,” a smiling Ashworth said of QLab’s growth. “And it’s a little nerve-racking.”
Copyright © 2010, The Baltimore Sun
Christmas Carollers
These four piece A Capella Quartets are some of the most popular performers in the London area in their genre, singing Christmas carols for every variety of event in London and the UK throughout the holiday season.
The Christmas carollers bring “Joy to the World” and a festive atmosphere “Decking the Halls”, and “Wishing you a Merry Christmas”! The quartets help you to create a light and spirited atmosphere and a memorable occasion that your guests will talk about long after.
The quartets are made up of some of the best young voices in the UK, students and graduates of the Guildhall School of Music and professional singers hand selected to perform to the highest standard.
Mobility and flexibility of the carol singing quartets allows them to greet guests as they enter, roam amongst them with a song while they eat and mingle, or sing by the Christmas tree enchanting guests as they come and go.
For Details
0207 993 8007
Christmas Carollers
Christmas Parties Cancelled
Cancelling office Christmas parties could have a damaging effect on small businesses, employers have been warned.
The Forum of Private Business lobby group said entertainers, florists and chefs could suffer if parties were cancelled as the recession drags on.
London events company Concerto group estimates that the festive party market is worth £1bn.
It said its research showed one in five businesses had cancelled their celebrations and half were undecided.
Last year’s financial woes led to companies cutting back on the cost of Christmas parties, but this year some are cancelling them altogether.
But the Forum of Private Business (FPB) is urging businesses to try to put one on, to thank staff and keep morale up.
Appreciation of workers
FPB spokesman Phil McCabe said a huge number of businesses were in the supply chain, with implications for businesses and jobs.
Laser Hub in Crawley, West Sussex, hosts corporate Christmas bashes for groups of 50 or so in its indoor arena or function rooms, but has had fewer bookings than expected.
Managing director Andrew Snowdon said bookings were down by a half on last year and he was not expecting to be able to make up the financial losses elsewhere.
Phil Orford, chief executive of the Forum of Private Business, said: “Staff Christmas parties are about recognition and appreciation of workers, not indulging fat cats.
“They are a valuable way of saying thank you to employees for their hard work during this turbulent time.
“In turn, good employee engagement delivers bottom line results.”
One in five firms plans to axe the traditional Christmas party this year due to the financial pressures of the recession, figures showed today.
And around half of the remaining 80 per cent of firms say they still have not decided if they will go ahead with a party.
Cash-strapped companies fear paying for their employees’ Christmas parties could leave them with an added financial burden.
But employers were today urged not to cancel office parties this Christmas because of the devastating effect it could have on small firms.
A group representing leisure and entertainment businesses launched a campaign warning they faced bankruptcy unless festive celebrations went ahead despite the recession.
The Christmas party market is worth £1 billion but this year hundreds of Britain’s small businesses, including florists, chefs and entertainers could go bust if Christmas parties are cancelled, it was warned.
‘Staff Christmas parties are about the recognition and appreciation of workers, not indulging fat cats,’ said Phil Orford, chief executive of the Forum of Private Business, which is leading the campaign.
‘They are a valuable way of saying thank you to employees for their hard work during this turbulent time.
‘In turn, good employee engagement delivers bottom line results.’
Figures from one of the leading events companies in London showed that one in five businesses have cancelled their Christmas party and half are undecided.
This could have a detrimental impact on the supply chain as the events industry could lose between £350 million and £500 million of Christmas party funds, it was claimed
