The 2010 Theatre Show, held in London earlier this month, featured a host of first-time exhibitors and an award event with honours for Orbital Sound and White Light. A roster of more than 115 exhibitors included first-timers Lab.gruppen, Nexo and Roland, while organisers used an additional area inside host venue the Royal Horticultural Halls in order to satisfy the demand for stand space.
As previously reported on the IE website (read coverage here , and here), Martin Professional, SGM, Goboland and Avolites were among the companies exhibiting new products at this year’s show. But it wasn’t just visual technologies that were well-represented; with audio representation at the event rising by around 90% between 2000 and 2010, the show also played host to the latest innovations from Allen & Heath, d&b, Orbital Sound, Crown and Soundcraft (appearing on the stand of Sound Technology) and Canford, among many others.
Away from the cut and thrust of the daily tradeshow floor, the ABTT also revealed the winners of its new product awards ceremony. Best New Lighting Product was collected by White Light for its Prism Reveal, which was praised by judges for its flat field, colour-correcting ability and overall efficiency; Best New Sound Product went to the Da-Cappo Microphones range, distributed exclusively in the UK by Orbital Sound (whose MD, Chris Headlam, is pictured); Stage Technologies collected Best New Engineering Product for its Split Pulley solution for special flying effects; Best New Widget of the Year was awarded to AC Entertainment Technologies for the Leica Disto DXT – Laser Measure; and Best Stand of the Year was collected by XL Video.
Reflecting on the award for Da-Cappo, Chris Headlam commented: “This Award is an excellent and well-deserved accolade for the Da-Cappo brand – won for the performer-comfort and security of its ear-loop, as well as its technical, moisture-resistant performance. It recognises the products’ inherent financial benefits for theatres and production companies as, in this budget-challenged climate, no one can afford to throw away microphone capsules unnecessarily. Sweat damage to head-worn capsules is a constant problem in musical theatre, and represents a large overhead. Da-Cappo’s design helps minimise this overhead, by offering a longer potential working life in the typically hot on-stage environment. A further built-in cost advantage is Da-Cappo’s use of a plug-in, and therefore easily replaceable, cable that connects to the rear of the ear-mounting loop. This saves having to discard the whole product just because of a cable fault. As reflected by this Award, the Da-Cappo products offer an important set of benefits for the entertainment industry.”
Finally, Technician of the Year was awarded to David Droud, chief electrician at The Palladium, who was recognised for his “committed approach and strong work ethic… Over the years he has ensured that producers and their team were all given the best service, no matter the cost in his long working hours.”
