UK - Having spent three years supporting Le Mark's export manager Matt Every, Hannah Attfield is set to take on her new role as international team leader.

True to say, flying has been a regular part of Hannah's last 18 months, seeing many air miles recorded visiting Le Mark's clients throughout Europe.

"It's always sad to say good bye to a colleague, especially one as experienced as Matt, we will all miss him. For me, moving into my new role as international team leader is both exciting and a little daunting. However, I love a challenge and a new opportunity!

"I am very hopeful that I will be able to meet many of my valued customers next month at the Pro Light and Sound Fair in Frankfurt. It's going to be an excellent event where I hope to meet old friends and new customers. If you won't be visiting Frankfurt, please let me know, as it's my wish to visit as many of

Germany - The latest additions to the CyberMotion range, the CyberHoist II and C-Trolley, will be presented at ProLight+Sound.

XLNT CyberHoist II is the new generation of the world's first intelligent chain hoist and is specifically designed for heavy-duty, world-wide touring and large-scale events. XLNT CyberHoist II allows a show designer to create precise, complex 2D and 3D movements at variable speed (1.5 ft/sec.), with multiple actuators in single, group or subgroup formations.

Extra creative power and convenience are enabled by combining products within the XLNT CyberMotion family. Features include a compact all-in-one design including motion processor; world-wide multi-voltage power supply (200-440V (+/- 10%) / 50/60HZ), absolute positioning (0.1 mm), elevated duty cycle (60%) for fast lifting of heavy loads and network controlled E-stop and Dead Man's Handle without ad

UK - Popstar Olly Murs' first ever UK TV performance of Army of Two, on ITV's Dancing on Ice, was set in motion by automation equipment from LS-Live.

The singer opened the show accompanied by his marching band of female dancers to perform his new single. As he entered onto the stage, the set was flanked either side by four of the dancers, who marched and danced up and down two 10' long travelators below that constantly moved throughout the song. Their fluid movement was mirrored by the ice-skating contestants who took it I turns to make their entrance onto the rink, all choreographed by Nathan Clarke.

Creative director for Olly Murs and staging producer for Dancing on Ice, Dan Shipton, wanted to add an exciting effect that hadn't been seen on the show before. He said: "Initially I was worried that there wouldn't be a company out there who could provid

UK / Sweden - Working in collaboration with the production team at this year's Eurovision Song Contest, PLASA is pleased to announce plans for a unique event: PLASA Focus: Backstage Malmö, taking place on 7-8 May, one week prior to Eurovision's live broadcasts, in Malmö, Sweden.

As one of the world's most-watched live music productions, attracting in excess of 100m television viewers each year, the Eurovision Song Contest has become a major annual showcase for the technologies at the cutting edge of the show production industry.

This year's Eurovision Song Contest, produced by the European Broadcast Union (EBU) and SVT, the national broadcaster of last year's winning nation, Sweden, will be preceded by PLASA Focus: Backstage Malmö - an opportunity for industry professionals to take a first-hand look at these technologies in context.

The event will include a series of excl

UK - Stage Electrics has been successfully delivering training for a wide range of technical entertainment disciplines nationwide for over 10 years. New courses include Equipment Suspension aimed at professionals working specifically with rigging equipment in the theatrical and live events industry.

"The Equipment Suspension training was a great success at The Hawth and everyone found it relevant and useful to our venue," commented Quentin Whitaker, The Hawth, Crawley.

Other training topics include courses and workshops on maintenance and troubleshooting with intelligent lighting. Health & Safety and manual handling training in the entertainment environment, as well as pyrotechnics safety awareness; all designed for individuals who are responsible for health & safety at their venue or an event, freelancers and technicians who want to burden their skill set.

USA - In addition to providing and installing a full counterweight rigging system, complete with track and drapery - InterAmerica also created a SkyDeck tension wire grid orchestra pit cover for the brand new Manatee Players Performing Arts Centre.

Using a SkyDeck over an orchestra pit is an exciting application that is continuing in popularity. It can be paired with a pit filler or other removable wood decking finished to match the stage floor. When the orchestra pit is in use, the wood decking is remove expose the acoustically transparent SkyDeck below. The SkyDeck panels act as a pit safety net while the framing members are strong enough to carry a 125 psf load.

IAStage designed the Manatee Player's SkyDeck pit cover in conjunction with project architect, John Toppe. Like all SkyDecks, this one is a modular system. Panels can be removed if ever required. This special applic

UK - Motorised systems specialist Triple E has launched a new wireless control for its popular TracDrive motor systems.

Triple E - which has a 30-year history of inventing engineering solutions for the entertainment industry - has already put the system in production prior to its debut appearance at PLASA Focus in Leeds at the end of April. The system is a simple plug and play unit that attaches to the XLR socket on all TracDrive, Edrive, and SDrive motors.

Triple E's motor units all use pre-stretched polyester rope with a grade and colour coded braid made only for Triple E. The rope offers near silent operation and is more user friendly than steel wire rope.

"Many venues require additional control positions or even the ability to operate anywhere in a building or auditorium so the simple 'plug and play' wireless system with a hand held pocket size remote is the answer,

UK - ShowTex will be exhibiting at PLASA Focus: Leeds 2013 to demonstrate its collection of stage and cinema screens for front, rear, or twin projection as well as the enhanced HiSpeed Roll Up hardware system for fast screen motion. The company also specialises in panoramic glassless mirrors, giant mirrors, and projection foils for glow-in-the-dark fabric effects and glasslike inflatables. ShowTex will also present its improved EasyDrape system in Leeds.

The new EasyDrape now features a versatile coupler and telescopic horizontal drape supports with double Velcro. The flexible couplers make it possible to install the EasyDrape system in several directions at the same time allowing for multiple corners with one coupler. A variety of EasyDrape applications can now be built up by just one person. Expo drape and starcloth curtain heights of 2 to 5 meters can be easily obtained by ad

UK - Event support staff and services provider, Showforce has been officially recognised by London 2012 organisers for its work on the opening and closing ceremonies.

Showforce has been granted a licence under the Supplier Recognition Scheme (SRS), which was launched following a deal between the Government, British Olympic Association and the International Olympic Committee. The first of its kind in Olympic history, the SRS formally recognises eligible suppliers for their roles in the successes of London 2012 and Showforce has been given the designation "supplier of event and technical crew (Ceremonies) to the London 2012 Games".

Throughout the course of the ceremonies, Showforce provided in excess of 530 crew members for various elements of production including build-up, breakdown and rehearsals as well as during the actual ceremonies. Members of the team set the 'G

UK - Crowd management specialist, AP Security has announced that it is to once again provide crowd safety services for the Forestry Commission's summer season of live music, working across all seven of its stunning woodland locations around the UK.

Launched in 2001, this highly successful series of events, which runs during the months of June and July, has grown from four sites to seven. AP was originally contracted in 2003, and in 2009 its remit was increased to cover all sites. Since then, the relationship between The Forestry Commission and the AP team has continued to blossom and AP is delighted to be able to continue this bond into 2013.

"Forest Live has gone from strength to strength and the Forestry Commission is now one of the UK's top music promoters," says AP's national sales manager, John Phillips. "The surroundings invariably make for a relaxed atmos

UK - Stage Technologies has announced its 2013 schedule of UK-based training courses, to take place at its London office in July and October. Popular courses Introduction to Stage Automation and Introduction to eChameleon are joined this year by a more advanced session on 3ds Max Toolkit and Stage Technologies Sculptor Suite, which aims to give participants the opportunity to create, live-record and edit multi-dimensional paths and profiles.

Prices have been frozen at 2012 levels, with single day courses costing £75 plus VAT and two day sessions £150 + VAT, with a 10% discount available for members of The Association of British Theatre Technicians (ABTT), The Broadcasting Entertainment Cinematograph & Theatre Union (BECTU), PLASA and Stage Jobs Pro (SJP).

Stage Technologies' training development manager, Alex Hitchcock said, "With automati

Germany - At Prolight+Sound, WORK Lifters will present its three new models: WT 150, WT 550 and WT 700. These lifters complete the WT series (initially composed of two models WT 500 and WT 600) in order to adapt the lifter to the different sizes of Line Array systems.

WT 150 is billed as the most compact lifting tower of the market for Line Array systems. It fits in almost any car, because it only measures 157 cm long when it is folded. It allows installing small size Line Array systems (up to 200 kg) with maximum convenience. Like the other lifters of the WT series, it is a top quality lifting tower which perfectly protects people and loads.

WT 550 lifts from the ground loads of 400 kg (+130 kg compared to WT 500) up to heights of 5.20m. Like WT 150, it fits in almost any car, because it only measures 166 cm long when it is folded.

WT 700 is the new lifter designed for the

UK - Leading European flightcase specialist 5 Star has delivered a new order of cases to Sutton, Surrey, UK, based rental and technical solutions provider Point Source Productions to house a variety of new lighting equipment including control and both conventional and moving lights.

Point Source has been using 5 Star for the majority of its case requirements for the last seven years. In fact, the very first cases that 5 Star built for them are still going strong and are in regular use today - a real testament to their robust build!

Says Point Source Productions' MD Stephen Capel: "When you order a rugged, well-constructed case from 5 Star - that's exactly what you get! The quality, attention to detail and longevity is absolutely worth it."

Point Source embraces the same philosophy as 5 Star in striving to provide the very best quality of service and options for the

UK - Heavy metal band Saxon descended upon the LS-Live studio in Wakefield to make and film the music video to their new single Sacrifice.

Heavy on special effects, the video is set to a stark backdrop where the band members and a ghostly female figure perform from LS-Live's LiteDeck stage, which they covered in sand. The video's sacrificial theme harks back to the Inca generation.

The band, from nearby South Yorkshire, had spent over a year writing and recording their 20th studio album, also called Sacrifice in LS-Live's new sound-proofed band rehearsal room, where they worked with the company to refine the facilities.

The album was produced by frontman Biff Byford, with Andy Sneap mixing and engineering by Jacky Lehmann. It has been praised for its raw thrash metal sounds and guitar work, topping the charts in Germany.

(Jim Evans)

UK - Technical production specialist Universal Event Productions (UEP) based in Tring, UK, is celebrates 15 years in the live events industry in style - by staging a two-day music extravaganza, Chilfest, on 5-6 July 2013. The event was instigated by UEP's MD Steve Butcher, and will also help raise money for two charities, the Iain Rennie Grove House Hospice Care (IRGH) and AWA - Women supporting Women against domestic violence.

The festival site will be Pendley Activity Meadow - owned by event sponsor Pendley Manor - with a capacity of 7000 for each of the two nights. The programme for Friday 5 July will include a line-up of contemporary pop artists including Little Mix, Loveable Rogues and Heather Small, while Saturday's 1980s themed evening will feature Tony Hadley, Howard Jones, Rick Astley, Midge Ure, Carol Decker and Hazel O'Connor.

All the technical infrastructure for Ch

Germany - At Prolight+Sound 2013, The A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET) stand (E63, hall 9.0) will feature a selection of products from the leading brands which it distributes including Chroma-Q, Jands, BroadWeigh, SGM, Columbus McKinnon and PixelRange.

The award-winning Chroma-Q Inspire LED house light and the new AutoLED II moving head fixture will both receive their EMEA tradeshow launch on the AC-ET stand.

The Inspire house light is a powerful multi-purpose creative lighting tool that provides a choice of beautiful whites, soft pastels and bold saturates - all from one fixture. With fully homogenised colour mixing and a choice of three different lens options, the Inspire provides an excellent selection of stunning mixed colours and 'true' whites, with no unsightly colour separation shadows. It also features an energy-efficient compact LED design providing reduced mai

UK - Less than five years ago, Olly Murs was just a self proclaimed 'normal bloke' auditioning for UK's X-Factor. In his initial appearance on the show, Simon Cowell claims Murs was the "easiest yes" he's ever given. Since then, things have certainly changed for this soulful pop artist. With three albums and a sold out arena tour in 2012, Olly Murs and his 2013 tour of US and Europe is reaching new heights.

With large moving scenic elements and a tall video orientated set, Olly Murs' production dimensions are certainly ambitious. Ant Carr, tour production manager via Production North, is making sure the tour takes every necessary precaution with system safety. During rehearsals he engaged Load Cell Rental (LCR) to provide an accurate assessment of the dynamic loads.

"The rig itself is typical for an arena tour," explains Carr. "Tour rigger Mark Wade fr

UAE - Unusual Rigging & Engineering LLC has announced the appointment of Howard Dandy as its new project manager and senior rigger for the EMEA region.

Dandy, who assumes the role with immediate effect, has been with Unusual Rigging in the UK for two years and is qualified to NRC Level 2. His new responsibilities will incorporate all aspects of project management from site visit to completion across Unusual Rigging & Engineering's busy and diverse project portfolio. Recent projects in the region have included the Mall of the Emirates, Ferrari World Abu Dhabi and Dubai Airshow.

Dandy joined Unusual Rigging in the UK as an apprentice rigger in 2010, progressing rapidly to project and production rigger, before becoming head rigger in 2012. Past projects with the company have included the opening of St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and the London 2012 Olym

UK - Automation specialist Kinesys has strengthened its marketing team with the appointment of Nisha Suthar as marketing & communications assistant.

In her new role, Suthar will be responsible for strategic communications - developing media relations, external communications and launching a new social media strategy for 2013.

Sutharhas previously worked as a marketer for the publication, MoneyWeek and prior to that has a journalistic background which includes working at BBC Local London News.

Cristiano Giavedoni, director of marketing and business says, "The creation of a dedicated communications role is a direct consequence of the continuing growth of Kinesys and our wish to increase brand awareness. Nisha is a pleasure to work with and has already begun providing a fresh look at our communications strategy."

Suthar adds, "I am excited to join the Ki

UK - Automation specialist Kinesys has announced a new Positioning & Ethernet option for its advanced digital chain hoist controller system, DigiHoist.

DigiHoist, known as one of the most flexible and safe chain hoist control systems currently on the market, has just increased its adaptability with this Positioning and Ethernet option.

It allows DigiHoist controllers to offer accurate chain hoist positioning via encoders which are installed in the chain hoists under the unit's control.

Encoder options include Quadrature Incremental and SSI Absolute. For historical compatibility, the system can also read Pulse encoders.

Data from the encoders is fed directly into the DigiHoist controller which can then have upper and lower software limits programmed to prevent over travel of the hoist. Additionally, the DigiHoist will stop all movement if the system detects a lack of hoist

UK - Manchester based lighting and rigging company dbn designed and installed lighting to illuminate Manchester Town Hall for the Virgin Media event No Likey, No Lighty, where football fans tweeted in their support for the outcome of the local derby match between Manchester City and Manchester United.

The building was lit proportionately in red (Man U) and blue (Man City) the evening before the match reflecting these results.

dbn's project manager Andy Kennett and his team worked with Roy Fernley of Event Technical Support who co-ordinated all the technical elements for creative communications agency, Bray Leino.

Kennett designed the lighting scheme, for which even coverage was the most important factor as it was essentially a press photo opportunity.

He chose 20 x Studio Due CityColor floods, 22 x SGM Palco LEDWashes, 16 x Clay Paky Alpha Beam 700s and two CP 1200

Germany - At ProLight+Sound 2013, Doughty introduced a set of new and stronger truss adaptors to its existing range, offering riggers a wider choice for theatre rigs and outdoor events.

The new adaptors are made from solid, high tensile aluminium and fit all major brands of triangular and square truss, enabling it to be lifted into place safely and securely. With a choice of three hanging sizes - 250, 500 and 1000kg - the new truss adaptors are fitted with slim line clamps. The 250kg size is available as either a fixed or a swivel version and comes ready fitted with a 28mm Euro spec spigot.

As with all Doughty branded products, the new truss adaptors are manufactured in the UK and available for immediate shipping.

The German entertainment industry is Doughty Engineering's biggest export market and continues to grow year on year. With seven distributors in Germany and one in

USA - ProSight Specialty Insurance, a global specialty insurance carrier in the film and live events industry, has announced that it is partnering with PLASA, the global leader in developing technical standards for the entertainment industries. The organisations have collaborated to advance PLASA's Technical Standards Programme to increase safety throughout entertainment production. Together ProSight and PLASA are ensuring that every professional in the business has access to all PLASA Technical Standards by making them available to anyone free of charge.

According to Lori Rubinstein, executive director of PLASA, North America, "Our alliance with ProSight will have a significant impact on the entertainment industry by allowing all those involved in the creation of entertainment events free access to standards that will make their lives safer and easier. We are thrilled that

Germany - Le Maitre reports a very successful Prolight+Sound, with much interest shown in the new Salamander and HazeMaster, which were launched at the exhibition.

(Jim Evans)

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