Robe - LEADERBOARD - Feb 2025
Doughty - Banner - ABTT (27 May - 5 June)

Rigging / Staging

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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

Doughty - Banner - ABTT (27 May - 5 June)

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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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UK - Rory O'Neill has been appointed by Arena Structure's as commercial manager, an appointment which the company says is in line with its ongoing growth strategy. Specifically, O'Neill will be concentrating on developing projects outside of the traditional seasonal peaks, while also fostering relationships with existing clients'.

O'Neill has a varied background which includes eight years in investment banking. He has developed more obvious skills for his role with Arena Structures having worked on numerous events projects over 17 years, including being part of the production team for the 2000 Sydney Olympics. O'Neill commented on his new position: "I am thrilled to be given this opportunity to work with such a dynamic team, with a company that has secured such a varied clientele with such a vast range of products."

(Lee Baldock)

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Germany - ChainMaster has announced the introduction of the world's first dual drum Point Hoist Cable Winch. The device features two cable drums and an integrated cable guide on a second spindle running parallel to that of the drum. It overcomes, says Chainmaster, the disadvantages of single-drum point hoist cable winches, in particular the problem that, in the course of winding or unwinding, the cable inevitably moved out of position - causing the attached load to move as well and potentially creating poor load distribution.

With the new winch, which will be presented as a functioning prototype at Showtech in Berlin, the load cable always hangs directly beneath the suspension point. Chainmaster adds that it is exceptionally well-suited to the demands of touring, with the cable on the drum protected by a robust plastic cover that makes it impossible for it to spring out of the g

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UK - PLASA Media has received a warning about a con-man operating in the London area who has stolen several thousand pounds worth of equipment from a London-based AV hire company. The culprit gave his name as David Jones from BBC Worldwide, and presents convincing paperwork - and an internal answerphone message at the BBC itself - to back up the claim. He then collected, via courier, a range of equipment including laptop computers and plasma screens, and disappeared.

The BBC is aware of the problem, we are told. If anything suspicious arises, please contact Simon Brown at the BBC's investigations department on 0208 752 5094.

(Lee Baldock)

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UK - We Will Rock You made its debut on 14 May, 2002 in London's West End and Tomcat say it is now proud to be a part of the exclusive North American production in Las Vegas at Le Théâtre des Arts at the Paris Hotel and Casino. The show written by Ben Elton, featuring the music of Queen, has been playing to sold out crowds since September 2004.

Tomcat standard and custom trusses comprise overhead lighting, scenic elements, front of house lighting as well as several lighting towers. The main overhead lighting trusses utilize twenty four, 10', two 6', four 5' and two 2.5' sections of medium duty plated truss. These sections are configured to create spans of 85', 72' and two 60' spans in the theatre. In the house, seven 12' sections of curved MD plated truss create a 73' 10" arch for front of house lighting.

One lighting tower package included thirty six - 10' MD pl

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UK - UK staging and live events company Stagecraft, has launched a new subsidiary company, Stagecraft Theatre Services Ltd. The new subsidiary will be run by newly appointed director Martin Palmer, who has worked for Stagecraft's sales and projects department for five years. Stagecraft Theatre Services will offer a complete staging, lighting and sound supply and installation service to the educational, amateur and professional entertainment sectors.

Managing director of Stagecraft, David Goodrich, explained: "Sales and Projects has always been a very strong division of Stagecraft and we have been delighted with this department's growth over the past few years. We made the decision to split this area from the main company to enable it to continue to grow independently and so started Stagecraft Theatre Services."

Joining Martin Palmer at Stagecraft Theatre Services wil

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The Netherlands - XLNT Advanced Technologies, developer of the award-winning CyberHoist/InMotion 3D motion control system, has announced the appointment of its first German and French rental operators. Lightcompany of Neuss, Germany and A.T.S. France of Reims, France have taken delivery of their CyberHoist/InMotion 3D systems, joining Flashlight of Holland, Flashlight/APR of Belgium, Vertigo Rigging of the UK and Italstage of Italy as European rental operators of fully compatible systems. Both are strong and growing companies with first rate client lists and applications for the system will include corporate events, presentations, TV and music touring.

The system, which was launched at PLASA last September and won a PLASA Innovation Award at the show, offers a powerful combination of user-friendly 3D object-oriented programming (InMotion 3D) and precision movement (CyberHoist in

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Denmark - Nearly three tons of specialized lighting clamps and rigging equipment have been supplied to the new Copenhagen Opera House by Doughty Engineering of Ringwood, Hampshire, UK. The Opera House in Copenhagen is a gift to the country from the A. P. Moeller and Chastine Mc-Kinney Moeller Foundation (Maersk Mc-Kinney Moeller - the son of A. P. Moeller - is the owner of Maersk Airlines, shipping, containers, freight etc and is the richest person in Denmark.)

The building costs of the opera, which was handed over to the Danish people on 1 October 2004, are estimated to have been in the region of £300m. Doughty Engineering's Danish distributor, Highlight DK, say that the choice of Doughty product for the project was due to the purchasers giving the highest priority to safety and reliability than anything else. The equipment was specified by Soren Nylin, the technical consultan

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UK - The new Frog clips from Hall Stage provide "a simple and highly effective line connection for anything on a lanyard, including torches, tools and telephones - even riggers working at height," say the company. Rated with a shock loading of 22kN and designed to EN 362, Frog clips can be safely used as an alternative to carabiners and connect easily on to steel wire rope catenaries up to10mm - or belt clips for those heavy bunches of keys. Attached with an easy, one-handed action, Frog clips look set to find favour with riggers and technicians everywhere.

You can see the full range at the ABTT Trade Show in London, 15-16 of June.

(Lee Baldock)

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UK - LTM- Lift-Turn-Move - has launched its second catalogue, featuring 32 pages of products, services and information. This follows LTM's recent move to larger premises, just seven months after it's inception.

LTM's John Jones says, "The first catalogue took eight days from start to print. I hoped the second catalogue would allow more time but we only had three weeks as we wanted to be ready for the Prolight & Sound exhibition. It was complicated by waiting to finalize the move with all the new address details."

The catalogue details LTM's core area of business - electric chain hoists - for which it's a European importer and distributor of the CM Lodestar. In addition to the Lodestar, LTM sells a wide variety of lifting products including the cost-effective Lodestar Direct Control motor - which operates with a power cable only, and the BGV-C1 units, which meets the

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UK - The UK festival season accelerated into action this weekend, kick-started by Radio 1's Big Weekend in Sunderland. Star Events Group was contracted to supply the staging structures for the event, including a Vertech 20m x 15m ground support and stage in the main arena and a smaller Vertech stage of 12.5m x 12.5m in Arena 2.

In addition, Star Vertech also supplied 130sq.m of raised technical and production space at the rear/side of the main stage, wheelchair user and front-of-house platforms for both arenas, together with ramp and stair access to all raised areas. The main stage showcased some of the world's biggest acts including The Foo Fighters, Athlete, Basement Jaxx and Jamiroquai. Meanwhile in Arena 2 the crowds were treated to performances from some of the up and coming acts of the moment as introduced by Radio 1's Zane Lowe.

Steve Hill (production manager, Stage 2)

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USA - Since publicizing its involvement this past January with the first national tour of the award-winning Broadway musical, Wicked, Tomcat has been asked to manufacture custom items for an additional production. The need arose after tickets went on sale for the show's run in Chicago - and sold out immediately for the entire nine-week run, from 29 April through to 12 June. Given the high demand for the show, the producers decided to add another production that would stay in Chicago for an open-ended run, allowing the original tour to go on as planned.

"Wicked Tour Productions has been pleased with the equipment provided by Tomcat, so it just made sense for them to continue using the gear that has been working so well thus far," explained Brad Barnhill, US sales manager for Tomcat USA. "Our design team understands the challenging requirements for touring Br

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  3. LTM
  4. Manfrotto
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  6. Mojo Barriers acquire pit stop barriers
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