Robe - LEADERBOARD - Feb 2025
Doughty - Banner - from 6 June 2025

Rigging / Staging

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UK - Stagecraft is celebrating after winning and completing a new live events contract with global pharmaceutical company Schering-Plough. Salisbury based Stagecraft has worked with Schering-Plough on a number of events over the last year and was responsible for the creative and technical management of the Company's National Business Conference in January 2005.

Colin Hurst, Head of training and development at Schering-Plough commented: "Stagecraft won the business after showing a clear understanding of our local business needs and corporate drivers. The company offered us a creative approach to our move forward, showing a clear vision of what and how our meeting would look, feel and sound."

Working with Schering-Plough, Stagecraft was responsible for the production of the conference, which was attended by 600 delegates. The company provided all creative, editorial, t

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UK - Workwear manufacturer Setwear has announced the availability of EasyFit 2 - a tough yet flexible glove made from 0.5mm synthetic leather with durable gel foam padding in the palms for extra grip and neoprene reinforcement over the knuckles for flexibility and protection, while Lycra panels between the fingers increase mobility and give extra comfort.

Machine washable and fast drying, these gloves allow you to dial your phone, tie knots and operate equipment without taking them off, say the company. The gloves "built for the needs of the technician working in the live entertainment industry" are now available from stockists in the UK and Europe.

(Lee Baldock)

PLASA Show 2025 - Banner - June-Aug 2025

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UK - Stage Electrics London has complete the move into its new shop, after more than 12 months at its Long Lane premises. "We wanted to give our customers easier access to the facilities at Stage Electrics," says Linda Moore, head of sales and marketing for the company. "We have the added value of parking at the rear of the building where we now have customer access to the shop and hire warehouse."

There have also been some additions to the team at Long Lane. Stephen Bray has joined as sales manager for the branch. Bray has come to Stage Electrics from a background in sound, most recently at Media Tools. Also, James Morris has joined as a customer service representative after working at Vodafone. Bray and his team will shortly be holding a series of open evenings to introduce products and services now available from London.

Pictured left to right are: Ed

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Germany - ChainMaster of Eilenburg, the German manufacturer of chain hoists and chain hoist controllers, has developed a new eight-channel load indicator for chain hoists. The 19"/1U device is of universal application and is especially recommended for use with a BGV-D8 chain-hoist controller, which can be upgraded with the load indicator to BGV-D8-Plus.

(Sarah Rushton-Read)

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UK - Serious Stages was brought in to design and build the bespoke structure that's housing the high profile 'London 2012 Bid Experience' in Trafalgar Square, and also designed and fabricated the adjacent 9m high statue of an athlete. The structure is part of a public awareness raising initiative for the City's bid to stage the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.

The walk-through project, wholly funded by Ballymore Properties, was conceived and led by PR agency Fleishman-Hillard on behalf of Ballymore. Serious was asked onboard by production company Vibe, which is working with RPMC on staging the event. It remains at the high profile Trafalgar Square location for two weeks before moving on to Canary Wharf for a further two weeks. Serious's project manager is Steven Corfield.

The 15m wide, 22m long and 8m high custom-designed building provides 300sq.m of exhibition space a

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UK - Vertigo Rigging, the UK Service Point for the award-winning InMotion 3D/CyberHoist motion control system, has announced the introduction of two-day training courses on the system at its south-east London headquarters. Applicants' names will go into a prize draw on 31 May and first three lucky winners will get their training free - their courses will be fully sponsored by Vertigo.

As a special introductory offer, Vertigo is offering these sponsored course places - free to the trainee - for the first three applicants whose names come out of the hat. Applications must be made by 27 April and the minimum qualification is four years' full-time professional production industry experience. Applicants should confirm their interest by email to Vertigo Rigging director Becky Loughran (e-mail address below), attaching a brief CV.

The revolutionary system, developed by Holland's XL

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UK - Lift Turn Move Ltd (LTM) has relocated to larger premises, just six months after starting trading in September 2004. The company has expanded so rapidly that more space became essential almost immediately. The new 5,600sqft premises is triple the size of the previous unit, but still located on the same trading estate - with all its transportation and access advantages, including easy access by train.

The new space offers a much larger office and a voluminous warehouse and workshop production area, which will be utilized for LTM's constantly expanding product range. A bigger prep area will make it easier for equipment to be assembled, tested and packaged before despatch.

LTM's John Jones says: "We started off modestly on the Argyle Industrial Estate because we had to be operational in time for our official launch at PLASA 04 - at only eight days old! However by the en

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The Netherlands - Prolyte has developed a hybrid coupler the CCS6-610, an innovative product for the 30 and 40 series truss. The first introduction of the CCS (conical coupling system) has changed the way truss can be used and assembled. The introduction of a hybrid conical coupling system is a step further ahead.

As Marc Hendriks, Prolyte's engineering director, states: "Although it might seem very futuristic, for Prolyte it was a natural step, as we are constantly looking for way's to improve our products. In this process we do not hesitate to use new materials or methods."

The hybrid coupler is a combination of metal, encapsulated in synthetic material. The coupler can replace the current aluminium CCS6-600 coupler and lives up to the same specifications for strength and tolerances. The advantage of the hybrid coupler is first of all it's price, which will be less

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The Netherlands - Prolyte has announced the development of a hybrid coupler, the CCS6-610, a patented system designed for the 30 and 40 series truss. The first introduction of the CCS (conical coupling system) has radically changed the way truss can be used and assembled, say the company, adding that its success can be measured by the amount of copies on the market. The introduction of a hybrid conical coupling system is a step further ahead.

As Marc Hendriks, Prolyte's engineering director, states: "Although it might seem very futuristic, for Prolyte it was a natural step, as we are constantly looking for ways to improve our products. In this process we do not hesitate to use new materials or methods."

The hybrid coupler is a combination of metal encapsulated in synthetic material. The coupler can replace the current aluminium CCS6-600 coupler and lives up to the

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USA - Innovate Show Controls has announced a number of major installations for its new BlueLite X1 DMX show controller. In recent months, the X1 has been selected as the primary control system for several major shows, including the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, Six Flags Theme Parks, The Fremont Street Experience, and Santa Ana's Pavilion Theatre.

The Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, held annually in Las Vegas, requires a powerful system with reliability, and rapid programmability. Marty Canavan, chief show designer for YLS Entertainment, says he found all of this in the X1: "When I am on a show like the National Rodeo Finals, where I have maybe 10 nights of live performances to light and another half dozen pre-programmed laser and light shows to create, it all boils down to one thing: how fast can I get it right? When it comes to programming a show, time is the one thing

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UK - As a result of continued growth, Hawthorn has taken over the adjoining industrial unit, in a move that more than doubles its warehouse space to 90,000sq.ft. The extra space will be used to house the company's brand new AV Department, along with its ever increasing inventory of lighting, sound, rigging, staging, drapes and 65 full-time staff.

Hawthorn prides itself on its ongoing investment in new technology: most recently this has seen the purchase of James Thomas's brand new PIXELpipes and RADlite's revolutionary Pixeldrive, currently on tour with The Chemical Brothers, and their new Martin Line Array. Martin Hawthorn, managing director, says: "We just had nowhere left to grow. After building mezzanines in our current unit, we were delighted when we heard our neighbours were moving, as we could literally double our space overnight without relocating or running a spli

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UK - 5 Star, the Cambridgeshire-based flightcase manufacturer, recently supplied the 1000th 'Eurotrucker' road trunk to Blitz Communication. Blitz specializes in audio-visual equipment rental and AV services and has one of the UK's largest equipment warehouses for the hire of video projectors, sound equipment, display technology, stage sets and lighting. 5 Star has been a prime supplier of flightcases to Blitz for over two years, and in that time has manufactured a wide variety of case styles and specifications for different departments within the company, including audio-visual, sound and multimedia equipment.

Blitz Communication has headquarters in Elstree, as well as a branch in Manchester. The company uses the popular 'Eurotrucker' general purpose road trunk extensivley for cables and accessories. To commemorate the 1000th unit supplied to Blitz, 5 Star produced a 'Eurotru

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UK - PLASA 2005, Europe's definitive exhibition for professionals and decision-makers within the entertainment, event, corporate, architectural and installation industries, takes place at London's Earls Court from Sunday September 11 to Wednesday September 14 2005.

This annual event attracts visitors from all over the world and is run by people from within the industry - and the 2005 show promises to deliver precisely what the market requires - information, ideas and a strong forum for doing real business.

Over 300 companies are committed to making PLASA 2005 a solutions-led event: between them they will roll out over 1,000 new products and services designed to push existing technical and creative possibilities a stage further.

Both show floors will be packed with new ideas in audio, lighting, AV, rigging, system integration, engineering and effects: visitors will get to

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UK - Taking less than four hours per line to install, the DGS steelband counterweight drive from Hall Stage promises "powered flying at highly affordable prices".

The first operational units - a DGS 250 & a DGS 500 - are working in the Milton Keynes Theatre and will be touring the UK and Europe over the next few months, supporting Hall Stages 2005 Exhibition schedule.

"Once installed, the venue saves the time and effort involved in loading and unloading counterweight cradles," says Hall Stage director Phil Wells.

DGS installations are designed to "massively reduce" the time taken on fit-ups and show rigging. A bar is available immediately as required and can be loaded and flown in minutes, without the need for re-weighting. "Although not currently illegal as such, various aspects of the tasks involved are definitely inhumane and the practic

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UK - Architectural lighting specialist Lighting Technology Projects has specified and supplied a tasteful fibre optic feature lighting installation at the Transco Gas Substation building in Swiss Cottage. The steel clad building - designed by Gustafson Porter - is an integral part of Camden Council's current urban regeneration project in the area, and lighting it required some lateral and unconventional application of the art and science of illumination.

LTP's Terry Reeves was contacted by the project's lighting designer Martin Richmon to help specify the scheme - the two having worked together on a myriad of previous projects. The substation is comprised of two structural elements. The rear portion which deals with distributing the actual gas, and the front 'market stall' area, which is prominent, highly visible and directly on the pavement and main vehicle and pedestrian route

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Italy / Germany - At last week's ProLight&Sound exhibition in Frankfurt, Italian manufacturer Manfrotto introduced a completely redesigned range of coupler clamps which, the company says, feature improved performance and safety, reduced weight, and unique design. The new, high-performance Eye Coupler range, which has been developed with the needs of professional users in the entertainment and film industries, all feature full TÜV certification.

Manfrotto has lightened the coupler's structure, optimizing resistance in major stress areas andhollowing excess material in low stress points, resulting in a lighter, yet more robust jawcomposition. The new washer seat on each of the couplers makes the Eye Coupler ultra-safe by eliminating slipping and aiding locking, and the unique design features optimized ergonomics, developed in order to smooth off the jaw's structure, eliminating s

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UK - Summit Steel provided production rigging for the opening ceremony event which launched HCA2005 - the ongoing bicentennial celebration of the birth of legendary Danish storyteller and poet, Hans Christian Andersen.

The two hour Once Upon A Time event was staged in in front of a live audience of 35,000 at Copenhagen's massive Parken Stadium, and starred a cast of over 300 international artists and celebrities including Jean Michele Jarre, who staged a special live performance interpretation of the fairytale The Shadow.

The show was commissioned by the Danish Broadcasting Company (DR) in conjunction with British production company Initial, and was broadcast live on DR1 and to the rest of Europe via the European Broadcasting Union. The production brief was to transform the stadium into an enchanting fairytale universe. Equipment was supplied by several UK compan

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UK - Stage Technologies has been working with prominent French company ECA2 and the world-renowned Canadian based company Cirque Éloize to realize an aerial performance for the Toyota Group's central show at the Aichi 2005 World Fair in Japan, which started on 25 March. The fair is oriented towards the future, and will be based on major issues including nature, the environment, durable growth and new technologies. For this event, founder of ECA2, Yves Pépin and his team have designed and produced a huge multimedia show, which will take place 14 times a day, everyday for a six month period, both a human and technological challenge.

The automation equipment was initially set up at the Cirque Éoize venue in Canada to enable the shows' creative team to experiment with its ideas and allow the performers to become accustomed to the equipment. Working closely with performance riggin

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USA - On Wednesday, 13 April 2005, two draft rigging standards were posted on the ESTA website for public review. BSR E1.4, Entertainment Technology-Manual Counterweight Rigging Systems, and BSR E1.21, Entertainment Technology - Temporary Ground-Supported Overhead Structures Used to Cover the Stage Areas and Support Equipment in the Production of Outdoor Entertainment Events, will be available on the ESTA website until the end of the day, midnight GMT, on 28 June 2005. They can be accessed at http://www.esta.org/tsp/documents/public_review_docs.php.

BSR E1.4, Entertainment Technology-Manual Counterweight Rigging Systems, describes the design and construction of manually powered counterweight rigging systems. The primary purpose of the standard is to enhance the safety of these system, which

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UK - Automation specialists Kinesys designed the motion control system for the revolutionary Barco "MiSphere" 'roll drop' low-res screens (also referred to as "Pixel panels"), a high impact visual special effect developed for U2's seminal "Vertigo" tour.

The screens are the most spectacular of several unique LED effects devised for the latest U2 tour by show director Willie Williams, with whom Kinesys has previously worked on the last U2 tour and the ongoing West End blockbuster, We Will Rock You.Conceived by Williams and designer Mark Fisher, the seven custom engineered trusses each carry 27 strings of 63 Barco MiSphere 'balls', totalling 1,701 balls per truss, weighing approximately 500 Kgs each.

Each truss, specially designed by Brilliant Stages for U2, is one metre square in width/height and five metres long, with an open bottom. Each s

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UK - When Production North approached LiteStructures to provide a Perspex sign and neon lettered sign suitable for touring, LiteStructures' Mark Jackson came up with the solution.

Briefed to create a signature stage piece for Westlife's recent No1s tour, it soon became apparent that neon lettering wouldn't be practical, because it's made of glass, but then Mark remembered seeing Neonflex at PLASA. Marketed by Batmink, Neonflex is a flexible PVC light tube which closely replicates real neon, but uses LEDs as a light source. Much more rugged and roadworthy than neon, it was the obvious choice. LiteStructures made up an individual Neonflex letter, which Production North and the band agreed was just what they wanted.

Although the original design, a 20x10ft Perspex signature, was intended to be invisible when not lit, it was then decided, by the band and Production North's S

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Denmark - Drapes and rigging specialist Blackout was appointed by Endemol UK to supply all the soft goods for the stunning set at the opening event of HCA2005 - a celebration of the bicentennial of Hans Christian Andersen's birth. The event, staged in Denmark's national football stadium in Copenhagen, attracted 35,000 spectators, including a host of celebrity VIPs and members of the Danish Royal family. 600 artists performed 13 Hans Christian Andersen fairytales, celebrating the life of the legendary storyteller and poet.

Blackout's project manager Kevin Monks collaborated with Nick Levitt, and set designer Bill Laslett to help transform Parken into a magical fairytale environment. Working to Laslett's exacting specifications, Blackout supplied over 3km of silver voile. Specified for its silky texture and semi-translucency, it played a major role in his design, used by Blackout

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UK / Dubai - LTM - Lift Turn Move, the company set up by John Jones in September 2004, will attend its second PALME show next week (24-26 April, Dubai), and will be highlighting examples from its comprehensive range of CM Lodestar motors. A range of lifting and rigging equipment is available for sale from LTM, including Lodestar and Prostar electric chain hoists. Lodestar is now the entertainment industry standard hoist and can be found on most tours, events and festivals and in many venues around the world.

High integrity hoisting systems are also available, including equipment to BGV C1 German safety standard. Special features include double brakes, load sensing and multiple limit switches. Variable speed units and manual or computerized controllers are available to monitor safety features and drive the equipment. LTM has more experience of BGV C1 than anyone else in the UK. L

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UK - Arena Structures supplied over 23,000sq.m of temporary structures to this year's John Smith's Aintree Grand National, with sister companies Arena Seating supplying 1,250 grandstand seats around the course, and Arena Events managing corporate hospitality packages. Arena Structures first became involved with the event 10 years ago, and projects director Ron Smith still oversees one of the largest temporary structures installations seen at any sporting event.

Arena Structures installed a number of structures at Aintree including The Aldaniti Pavilion, The Sky Pavilion, The Red Square Vodka Mood Bar, The Cottage Pavilion and The Aintree Pavilion. Each pavilion was individually designed and built to cater for different needs such as varying hospitality arrangements, preferred situation along the course and each companies individual tastes and corporate identity. The Aldaniti Pav

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