WWW.LSIONLINE.COM • APRIL 2020 21iINDUSTRY ISSUES
RENTAL RESPONDERS
Phil Ward assesses the impact of the outbreak
on the rental sector...The moment the first exhibitors began to pull out of
Prolight+Sound, the writing was on the wall. Even before
the event itself was postponed to late May by Messe
Frankfurt, Adam Hall had withdrawn its participation
citing the virus outbreak - still mainly affecting China - as
sufficient grounds. As soon as the new dates were
announced, the axes fell: d&b audiotechnik, Yamaha and
Nexo, Allen & Heath, Martin Audio, L-Acoustics, Adamson
and Coda Audio. It now seems ludicrous that any
exhibition at all still seemed possible in the second week
of March.More devastating has been the speed at which an entire
industry has shut down. While manufacturers re-group
to consider long-term strategies and a tidal wave of
online training, thousands of rental and staging crew are
simply jobless. The scramble is on to source alternative
income, redeploy skills and fall back on more stable
revenue streams from education to studio work, but
nothing is certain anymore. All those who remember
their parents’ and grandparents’ stories of wartime
deprivation are now getting a taste for themselves.ROCK & TOILET ROLL
But this is not a war. Essential supplies are in fact
plentiful, because in peace time international
cooperation is safe and secure. For this reason alone,
the rental sector - which stands between the
manufacturers and the army of operatives nowTrade
HireTrade
Hireips.co.uk
IPS has extensive stocks of
Staging, Rigging, Lighting,
Video, Sound & Power
Equipment ready to hireFor any new or existing projects or hire, Please get in touch
with your existing contact, or using this email address:Due to COVID-19, the IPS
offices and warehouse are
currently closed, but we are
still working remotelyStay healthy and we’ll see you
on the other side
“What we’ve
gained for
the fi rst time
in our lives
is a chance
to reset
ourselves, take
a look, pause,
realise what’s
important.. .”
- Tim Routledge
VITAL SUPPORT
In these challenging times, if you fi nd you
need support, advice or someone to talk to,
there are a number of industry initiatives
available to you...SOLT and UK Theatre operate a free
24-hour Theatre Helpline supporting
theatre professionals with issues affecting
their health and wellbeing: 0800 915 4617Music Support offers support for individuals
in any area of the UK music industry
suffering from mental, emotional and
behavioural health disorders. Along with
a helpline (0800 030 6789), Music Support
is offering 1,000 industry peers the chance
to have free access to an NHS-approved
wellbeing app.Backup - The Technical Entertainment
Charity also offers valuable support to
those in our industry at times of need.P//theatrehelpline.org
P http://www.musicsupport.org
P http://www.backuptech.uk