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Ireland - MTN Shop, an E-commerce platform offering workwear, safety products, and rigging & lifting equipment is following in the steps of some of the world’s largest companies by accepting cryptocurrency as an online payment method. Through Coinbase, the cryptocurrency exchange, customers will now be able to purchase products from MTN Shop with the likes of Bitcoin, Ethereum and Litecoin.
Speaking on the company’s decision to accept payment via cryptocurrency, Ron Rose, MD, stated, “Creating a crypto friendly shopping experience is just another step forward in caterin

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UK - Bill Harkin, designer of Glastonbury Festival’s iconic Pyramid Stage, passed away on Sunday 7th March. He was 83. 
Harkin grew up in Liverpool, attending secondary school in Sefton Park before embarking on painting and 3D construction studies, “with the occasional lunch time Beatles gig for 1 shilling at the Cavern.” Soon, Harkin was showing his work at The Liverpool Academy’s shows at the Walker Art Gallery as well as in art and architecture exhibitions for Liverpool University and The John Moores Painting Prize. “Then, somewhat briefly, I started a course in arch
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Europe - Chroma-Q has launched the Hang Force, a new accessory designed for use with the Color Force II and Studio Force II (48” and 72” models).
Restrictions with where you can hang the fixture on the truss due to the crossbar-section is now a thing of the past, thanks to the Hang Force bracket which allows fixtures to be hung from trusses where the position of clamps might not align with the original fixture clamp position, says the company. A series of slots allow the clamps to be re-positioned to fit anywhere on the truss pipe.
For added flexibility and speedy mounti

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UK - Unusual Rigging has welcomed the outcome of yesterday’s Budget and what it means for theatres and other arts venues. The chancellor’s pledge to give an extra £410m to the arts is intended to help the sector recover as lockdown eases.
The funds are earmarked for theatres, museums, galleries and live music venues. But, says Tom Harper, managing director at Unusual, for the funds to be used most effectively, the industry should be regarded as an ecosystem, echoing the National Theatre’s Rufus Norris’ idea that the funds should be pumped into productions and not venues.<

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UK - SensorSpace is a new cloud-based platform designed to ‘revolutionise’ the way riggers can access and manage data from Broadweigh's wireless sensors. Launched this month, SensorSpace can be used to remotely monitor the status of any Broadweigh sensor - load or wind speed -and help site managers and rigging managers make decisions or take action before, and during a show.
Elliot Van Laere, product specialist at Broadweigh, explains: “SensorSpace is a game-changer. It not only provides a way to visualise load cell or wind speed data in the cloud, so anyone with access can

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South Africa - DWR Distribution will present Basic Rigging Training in Cape Town, a two-day workshop presented by Robert Izzett which covers basic rigging hardware and calculations according to SANS 10366. The course, limited to 20 delegates, will be held at the on 15 & 16 March 2021 at the Cape Audio College in Observatory.
With a focus on safety, delegates can look forward to gaining a better understanding of the rigging laws applied in South Africa, and on a practical level, the handling and use of rigging hardware, shackles, steel wire ropes, trussing, endless round

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USA - Registration is now open for the New World Rigging Symposium (NWRS), produced by ESTA and USITT, which will take place online 6-8 April, 2021. The NWRS provides a virtual opportunity for riggers and those interested in the entertainment rigging industry to network, discuss current issues and new technologies, and help shape the future of the industry. The cost has been reduced to $99 and the symposium carries up to nine ETCP education renewal credits for re-certification.
Participants will be given a range of opportunities to further their technical knowledge in sessions on

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USA - Roy Bickel will receive the ESTA Lifetime Technical Achievement Award on 6 April, 2021, at the virtual New World Rigging Symposium.
The ESTA Board of Directors and Technical Standards Council created this award in 2017 to recognise individuals whose technical contributions have had a significant impact on our industry. The criteria include significant and sustained technical contributions for at least 25 years. The 2021 award will be presented by Rocky Paulson and Chris Schmidt, who have made the following statements about this year’s winner:
Rocky Paulson writes of

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UK - PLASA, the association for the live entertainment technology industry, and the ABTT (Association of British Theatre Technicians) are pleased to announce a collaboration that will bring the 2021 editions of both the PLASA Show and the ABTT Theatre Show under one roof from 5-7 September at Olympia London.
For 2021 only, this partnership between the two established associations aims to reduce pressure on the exhibition calendar as the industry’s eco-system recovers from the impacts of the pandemic and will bring the broad sector together for one landmark event.
As prev

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UK - PLASA, the lead association for the entertainment technology industry, is running a free webinar on Wednesday 24 February to help attendees better understand the basics of the new UKCA marking which is now required for certain products being placed on the market in Great Britain.
Following on from a series of webinars covering business, trade and HR, this session will explore terms and definitions that relate to the new UKCA and CE UKNI markings. PLASA will be joined by expert host Rob Hine, head of commercial partnerships at BSI (an approved body for UKCA), who will break do

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UK - To mark the centenary of Stephen Joseph’s birth and the 60th anniversary of the founding of ABTT, the ABTT Stephen Joseph Committee has announced an award to commemorate the life and work of the influential theatre practitioner and pioneer of theatre in-the-round.
A statement from the ABTT says: “Stephen Joseph was one of the most influential theatre practitioners of the last century. He was one of the founders of the ABTT and the Society of Theatre Consultants, now the Institute of Theatre Consultants. He promoted new writing, architectural standards and technical excel

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USA - The Entertainment Services and Technology Association's (ESTA's) Technical Standards Programme (TSP) has announced the 2020 recipients of the annual Above & Beyond Awards.
The TSP exists because hundreds of individuals from across the industry volunteer their expertise and significant amounts of time to write and improve standards that increase safety, provide interoperability between different manufacturers, solve problems, and make life easier. The awards are a chance for volunteers to celebrate those of their peers whom they feel have made a significant contribution

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UK - MTN Shop EMEA, an E-commerce platform offering workwear, safety products, and rigging & lifting equipment, has proved popular across Europe since entering the international market in 2017. Building on this success, MTN has recently launched its exclusive UK website, shopmtn.co.uk, to provide their UK customers with a Brexit-proof shopping experience.
UK visitors will now experience seamless navigation across multiple collections, with over 5,000 products from over 20 industry-leading brands av

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China - The team at French seating manufacturer Quinette Gallay was a contributor to a major project in China recently – the Shangyin Opera House in Shanghai.
The Opera House is part of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music – an institution which has been at the forefront of musical education in China since 1927. It has strong links to musicians and musical institutions worldwide.
In 2019, the Conservatory began work fitting out the new opera house, intended as an unmatched resource for both students and teachers. The venue would provide a place to practise and perform ope

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UK - Artists including Sir Elton John and Radiohead are putting pressure on the government to resolve the problems around post-Brexit EU touring. UK artists will face red tape and fees for visas to play in some EU countries.
Sir Elton John told The Guardian: "Either the Brexit negotiators didn't care about musicians, or didn't think about them, or weren't prepared."
But Culture Minister Caroline Dinenage said the government had "pushed" for a solution and the door was still "open". She told MPs on Monday that the government had put forward a "very straightforward" pla

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UK - Mad Dogs Television is a facilities house supplying camera equipment and crew for TV productions. When it was asked by its client Round World Studios to build a new kitchen studio for their regular cookery shows, Martin Huntley,founder of Mad Dogs TV turned to Doughty Engineering to supply some of the key equipment.
Martin explained: “Round World Studios regularly hires kitchen studios in London but had the desire to have their own studio. Through a pre-existing relationship, the company linked up with the Carbis Bay Hotel and Estate near St Ives in Cornwall, which has just

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USA - The Behind the Scenes (BTS) Mental Health Initiative wants language about mental health and respectful workplaces “to become a part of every toolbox talk or safety briefing because psychological safety is as important as physical safety.”
BTS says: “It’s not always an easy subject to talk about, so to make it easier for those delivering these talks we are suggesting topics and providing sample language that can be used as is or tailored to fit individual needs.
“It is important to acknowledge the mental and physical stressors and challenges faced by all of u

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Germany - Prolight+Sound, along with a number of other trade fairs planned for April and May in Frankfurt this spring, has been postponed until April 2022.
A statement from the organisers says: “Back in September 2020, a decision was reached by Messe Frankfurt and the industries involved to forgo any physical events at our home base in the first quarter of 2021. Now, following close consultation with customers, it has become necessary to postpone the international physical trade fairs planned for April and May – Prolight+Sound, the International Consumer Goods Show, Heimtextil

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UK - PLASA is hosting two free webinars this week on how to apply for the second round of grants from the Culture Recovery Fund (CRF).
Taking place on Wednesday 13 January from 10am-12pm and Friday 15 January from 2pm-4pm, these webinars will be hosted by Caroline Taylor, an independent expert with a proven track record in successfully applying for £15m in Arts Council England funding, including the first round of the CRF and the ACE Emergency Fund.
During each webinar you will explore the main application questions in detail which will help you submit a strong application

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UK - Stuart Gibbons, managing director at Le Mark Group Ltd, was awarded with an OBE for services to International Trade in the Queens New Year’s Honours List 2021.
Since Le Mark’s founding in 1982, Gibbons has always had a passion for exporting and expanding the company into international markets. The company has a reputation within the arts and entertainment industry for product excellence and award-winning British design and innovation. Now, in the additional role of a Department for International Trade Export Champion, Gibbons continues to encourage and advise British regi

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Greece - Prolyte has confirmed PA Solutions as an authorised dealer in Greece. PA Solutions is led by Kostas Tsaganos and Yiannis Benetas, who both carry more than 25 years of experience in the entertainment industry.
“We are thrilled to have PA Solutions join Prolyte’s family. We look forward to working side by side with Kostas, John and his team in Athens, and to seeing more Prolyte exposure in the South East region of Europe,” says Prolyte sales director William Voskuil.
PA Solutions CEO Kostas adds, “I was one of the first technical experts to install Prolyte p

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UK - PLASA is hosting two sessions on Brexit during December to help PLASA members prepare for the new trading rules which will come into play from Friday 1 January 2021.
The first session on Friday 11 December at 2pm is a 30-minute introductory Q&A which will allow members to ask questions on the new rules and how they should prepare. This session is free, but numbers are limited to 20 to allow everyone to ask their questions. Pre-registration is required via the link below.
The next session will take place on Thursday 17 December and will run from 2pm to 4:30pm, allo

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UK - Technical entertainment charity Backup has announced Round 2 of applications for its Hardship Fund is now open.
The fund was launched in October with the aim to provide limited financial assistance to production crew and those working in the technical supply chain across the UK entertainment sector. Set up just ahead of the then-concluding Self-Employment Income Support and Job Retention schemes, it originally targeted those in the community who had been unable to receive any state or charitable assistance.
But Round 2 will be open to workers who have been awarded up

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USA - Custom safety netting specialist InCord recently made their annual donation to Behind the Scenes reflecting a percentage of profits from sales of its Theatrical Safety Netting Systems.
Joe Menhart, InCord’s theatre division sales manager, comments: “We are delighted to provide this support to BTS especially when so many more are in need due to the ongoing global pandemic. Our hearts go out to all those who benefit from the grants and resources provided by BTS.”
Rick Rudolph, the Chair of Behind the Scenes, says: “InCord’s obvious commitment to safety through
  1. STNDBY looks to dress crew and creatives
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  4. Carallon becomes employee-owned firm
  5. MJ Event Gear opens outdoor music venue
  6. Unusual Rigging takes to the skies in Dubai
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