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Industry information

Accessing current industry information is an important part of maintaining an up to date knowledge of the entertainment industry. Employees who fail to continually update their industry knowledge often find that their career opportunities are limited. New and emerging technologies are very much a part of the industry and entertainment personnel are expected to keep abreast of them.

There is a number of ways of keeping current or updating your knowledge of the entertainment Industry. The following list of sources of information about the industry will help you to do this:

Industry associations and organisations
- Live Performance Australia (LPA) is the peak body for the live entertainment and performing arts industry. Information about LPA can be found at:
  http://www.liveperformance.com.au/
- The Exhibition and Event Association of Australasia is the association for the exhibition and event industry in Australia and New Zealand. It aims to establish and maintain high industry standards. You can find information about the EEAA at:
  http://www.eeaa.com.au/
- The Festivals and Events Association (FEA) is a national body representing the festivals and events industry. The FEA website explains that they work towards promoting the social, economic and cultural value of events and festivals to government, the community and the private sector. You can find more information about the FEA at:
  http://www.fea.org.au
Unions and other sources of industrial relations information
- The Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) is the union which services entertainment, media, arts industry and sports employees. Information about MEAA can be found at:
  http://www.alliance.org.au
- The Office of Industrial Relations is a part of the NSW Department of Commerce. Information can be found on its website regarding awards and pay rates, rights and responsibilities, issues and policies and specific information for workers. It can be found at:
  http://www.industrialrelations.nsw.gov.au/index.html
Industry journals - Common Australian Entertainment industry magazines are CX magazine and EQ magazine.
Media – The media provides information about the entertainment industry through televised events, newspaper and magazine reviews. Accessing current media makes it easy to keep current with popular trends in music and theatre.
Internet – The Internet is an excellent source of information about the entertainment industry. Using a search engine such as Google, which can be found at http://www.google.com , information can be found by typing in key words in the area you are interested in. The search engine then generates a list of relevant websites to assist you. The internet provides information such as reviews, manuals, products and training courses.
Reference manuals are valuable sources of information about specific pieces of equipment. Before using new technology a technician should read through the reference manual. Reference manuals for most equipment can now be found on the internet, which means that prior to working with hired equipment a technician can read the manual and become familiar with it.
Policy and procedures manuals are part of the essential records companies produce. They ensure a consistency of service to customers and to employees. When first starting work for a company a new employee should ask for access to the company’s mission statement and general workplace policies. This enables the new employee to follow correct procedures when applying for leave, packing a vehicle for an event, speaking to customers and many other facets of the daily running of the company. The new employee should become familiar with the company’s organisational structure as this will enable the correct person to be approached if further information is sought.
Personal observations and experience are an excellent way for a new employee to learn about the entertainment industry. Often a new employee will be partnered with a more experienced employee, allowing the new employee to learn ‘on the job’.
Discussions with industry practitioners and colleagues are an excellent way for entertainment industry technicians to broaden their knowledge of the industry. General discussion can lead to learning about the idiosyncrasies of particular pieces of equipment and the pitfalls of certain venues. Discussions about difficult situations with customers or co-workers can provide less experienced employees with strategies to use in similar situations.
Industry functions such as award ceremonies are a regular source of work for entertainment companies. For example, in 2007 Bytecraft provided the lighting for the Australian MTV awards. They started bumping in a week before the event followed by three days of rehearsals and the actual event. Working at or attending events such as this are a good way for workers to gain further understanding of the industry and practice networking skills.
Industry seminars are an excellent way of keeping up with new and emerging technologies. Trade shows such as Entech (held at the Darling Harbour Exhibition Halls every second year) are an excellent source of current industry information. Apart from a large variety of product stalls (usually filling three halls), they have seminars on a variety of topics, including issues of concern within the industry. You can access information about Entech from its website:
http://www.entech-tradeshow.com/
Training courses are very important for young people planning a career in the entertainment industry. Qualifications are becoming increasingly more important in the entertainment industry. In the past, the only thing you needed to get a job was a lot of industry experience. The only way to get started in the industry was to start at the bottom by offering to work for free for a company until you proved you were worth employing. Today, with training courses and traineeships available, this is not the only way to get a start in the entertainment industry. TAFEs and Universities offer courses from Certificate III to full degree courses. Private colleges such as Julius Events College and 313 Training offer a variety of training courses from short courses through to Advanced Diploma. You can look at their websites for more information:
Julius Events College Rydalmere http://www.juliusmedia.com/training/default.asp
313 training Coniston http://www.313.com.au/index.html
In-house training is the traditional way entertainment industry employees have learnt their trade. It continues to be a popular option with the introduction of government funded traineeships. These traineeships provide an excellent way for a young worker to gain entry to the entertainment industry while gaining training and being paid. Young workers are able to work alongside experienced members of the industry and learn by observation and supervised experience. Information about traineeships can be found at the Australian Apprenticeships website at: http://www.australianapprenticeships.gov.au/default.asp >>Jobseekers

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