UK - Tait Technologies has appointed two new members to its team at its UK office. Todd Vernon joins as project manager, after working for the last seven years as a lighting technician and rigger in both Australia and the UK. He has also worked as a video QC engineer for VER in Amsterdam. 2011 saw Todd working with the Tait Technologies team on the Doha Games project.

Also joining the company is new marketing manager for the UK, Kerryanne Nelson. Kerryanne will manage branding, communications and public relations for the group, as well as developing new marketing touch points for business development. Kerryanne is a New Zealander who moved from Auckland to London in 2011 and has previously worked in various marketing communication and event management roles for the likes of Expedia UK, MTV Networks and the Warner Music Group.

Tait Technologies was formed in 2010 by a collabora

UK - HHB Communications has announced the release of the new Mogami 3306 Ethernet cable drums, specifically designed for the most demanding mobile applications.

Available in 25, 50 and 100m lengths, the new Mogami Ethernet cable is flexible enough to lay flat on a floor, yet rugged enough for reliable performance, even with the frequent set ups needed in live sound and commercial venues. And it fully complies with TIA/EIA-568B Category 5e termination standards and performance characteristics.

The Mogami Ethernet cable is not a standard Cat 5e cable with a heavy-duty jacket; it is meticulously constructed to ensure that its four twisted pairs remain separated from each other, which helps to ensure consistent data rates, even under extreme conditions. Its durable construction also means that it can withstand being run over by a truck without loss of bandwidth, says HHB. Supplied

UK - Tower Productions have just completed supplying a package of synchronised generation and electrical distribution to the National Lottery Olympic Park run and Gold Challenges, the first ever events held at the new Olympic stadium.

Tower's James Mitchelmore managed the installation of eight machines around the stadium, including three 100kvas synched together for mission critical supplies. "It was a fascinating experience and great privilege to be involved with this auspicious event and be the first event power supplier to complete an event in the stadium," says Tim Shaw.

(Jim Evans)

UK - On 28 March 2012, Stage Electrics hosted the Association of Stage Pyrotechnicians 200th training course.

The one day Pyrotechnic Safety Awareness course was presented by well-known industry trainer Lincoln Parkhouse and took place at the Crescent Theatre, Birmingham. The course takes participants through practical hands on training sessions on the safe use and identification of pyrotechnics and their effects.

Twenty four delegates enjoyed the one day training event and were all presented with a certificate confirming their membership to the Association of Stage Pyrotechnicians and completion of the training course.

Hannah Parkinson who attended the course from the Redgrave Theatre, Bristol said, "The day gave me a good all round experience and knowledge and we'll all be safer in our workplace after being on this training."

"Stage Electrics sell a lot of

USA - J.R. Clancy was honoured at USITT's 2012 Annual Conference in Long Beach, CA, with the USITT Award for a lifetime of contributions to the performing arts. J. R. Clancy president Mike Murphy received the award on behalf of the company.

The USITT Award recognises a lifetime of distinguished contribution to the performing arts or entertainment communities in any capacity. The nomination notes that, in the case of J.R. Clancy, "the USITT Award recognises not just a lifetime but several generations of distinguished contributions to the performing arts and entertainment community".

The award nomination continues, "During this period, they have generously and willingly supported the Institute in many of its endeavours.... Their most recent support came in the way of funding for an initiative to enable secondary schools throughout the country to have their rigging

UK - Hall Stage will be exhibiting at PLASA Focus: Leeds 2012 with the innovative Chaindrive system for T60 & T70 track systems amongst the products on show. This new system enables heavy curtain motorisation through tight & complex curves, even in 'rearfold' format - without the need for additional & expensive 'off-stage' storage space.

Also on the stand will be samples of Skydeck wire grid floor systems (Hall Stage has recently completed a 1,200 square metre Skydeck installation in the UK) and the acoustically tested and analysed range of acouStac acoustic banners and rollers.

(Claire Beeson)

UK - Creative & Cultural Skills, Arts Council England, and Nesta have joined forces to commission new, independent research into the influence of the subsidised theatre on commercial theatre, with a view to gaining a greater understanding of the role of public investment in the arts.

The survey will track the careers of people in the industry, and the talent that has emerged from it, in order to better understand the impact that public investment in the theatre sector makes.

The aim is to collect the views of a range of theatre professionals currently or previously working in the sector, as well as those who have aspired to do so, on how their careers have developed. The wider the range of participants, the more valuable the research will be, and the more we will know about the success story of British Theatre.

TBR and BOP Consulting, who developed the survey, will also unde

UK - Creative & Cultural Skills, Arts Council England, and Nesta have joined forces to commission new, independent research into the influence of the subsidised theatre on commercial theatre, with a view to gaining a greater understanding of the role of public investment in the arts.

The survey will track the careers of people in the industry, and the talent that has emerged from it, in order to better understand the impact that public investment in the theatre sector makes.

The aim is to collect the views of a range of theatre professionals currently or previously working in the sector, as well as those who have aspired to do so, on how their careers have developed. The wider the range of participants, the more valuable the research will be, and the more we will know about the success story of British Theatre.

TBR and BOP Consulting, who developed the survey, will also unde

Germany - Flightcase manufacturer 5 Star Cases enjoyed its busiest Prolight+Sound exhibition to date in Frankfurt, where the company showcased its latest custom designs and innovations, together with a selection of standard and classic 5 Star case ranges.

UK based 5 Star displayed another flagship VJ console, kitted out with top of the range Pioneer equipment in the form of two DVJ1000 media players hooked up to an SVM1000 AV mixer. 5 Star created two 10.4" TFT monitors in bespoke housings to match the console's CNC machined internal housing.

The two DVJs were angled to the same pitch as the SVM for flexibility and ease of operation. The system also included twin VESA type mounting arms and poles, which fitted into the rear of the main frame.

All this was then built into one of 5 Star's 'Heavy Industrial' specification flight cases - a top-of-the-range product that is r

UK - Designed with feedback from Dirty Rigger's Facebook and international research campaign, the Dirty Rigger development team has just launched the new Comfort Fit workman's glove.

Now offering added durability, the gloves feature a new and improved double synthetic-leather layer, increasing resistance to wear and abrasion whilst retaining outstanding levels of dexterity.

The gloves also retain Dirty Rigger's heavy duty nylon double stitching. Offering all Dirty Rigger users an even more comfortable and reliable form of work wear than ever before, the Comfort Fit range is set to fully replace the 'Original' range later in the year, says the company.

Dirty Rigger product manager Steve Marshall says, "We always get great feedback from our distributors and excellent ideas & suggestions from our social media followers. This sort of information is invaluable, working with

Germany - Milos continued its busy schedule of trade fairs and exhibitions, enjoying a very busy and successful Prolight+Sound Exhibition in Frankfurt.

The company showed many new and innovative products, together with the most popular elements of its extensive standard ranges.

Products highlighted included x.Truss, the MT05 tower system, OV50 ramps, crowd barriers, staging and roofing systems, the T12 modular connection system and a water tank.

The x.Truss attracted much interest. This is a series of very useful and flexible connectors and mounting devices that interface with MILOS popular QuickTruss systems and suited to exhibitions, conferences and trade show applications. The x.Truss extras allow for the mounting of a diverse selection of materials both vertically and horizontally onto the trussing spans, visibly or invisible, quickly and effectively.

The new light loa

UK - PLASA focus Leeds will see pioneering rigging designers Rope Assemblies launch a new super lightweight 'Lighting Ladder' aimed at riggers and lighting teams working in venues and on tour.

Distributed by White Light in London and Black Light in Edinburgh, the Lighting Ladder provides a much-needed flexible, space-saving and rugged rigging solution for lighting. Lightweight and extremely strong the Lighting Ladder comprises black, galvanised rope wire and 50mm aluminium rungs, which can be fixed into place at evenly spaced end stops. In addition the Lighting Ladder has been independently tested for weight loading.

"The success of the Lighting Ladder design is in its simplicity," says Siobhan Hitchen of Rope Assemblies. "It's quick to unpack and assemble. In addition the Lighting Ladder's robust versatility ensures it can be used time and time again and in a v

Germany - At precisely 4pm on Thursday 22 March, in front of a comprehensive collection of the press, a celebratory photo of the MDG team was emailed from the MDG headquarters in Canada to Heinz and Sabine Siller of cast C. Adolph & RST Distribution as they stood on the MDG stand at Prolight+Sound.

The photo showed the staff holding an Inukshuk, a Canadian monument made of unworked stones which represents the energy of stone in a human image, traditionally used by the Inuit for communication and survival. The message read: "MDG is proud and honoured to offer this Inukshuk to cast C. Adolph & RST Distribution for our 20 years of partnership and many more to come!"

That same Inukshuk, having been transported in hand-luggage from Montreal to Frankfurt, was then presented on the stand to Heinz Siller by MDG's Martin Michaud. Michaud explained that, "In modern times,

UK - PLASA Focus will see the introduction of two new products from Doughty Engineering, Stand S-C25.

Being previewed at PLASA Focus is the BetaBar, a bar mounted dimmer unit which integrates Zero 88's Betapack into an internally wired bar (IWB) format and offers up to six channels with DMX control. The result of collaboration with Zero 88, the BetaBar may be specified as an option on custom or standard IWBs and will be ready for shipping in the fourth quarter of 2012.

Also being seen for the first time in the UK is the Baby Quick Trigger clamp. Complementing Doughty's Quick Trigger range of clamps, the Baby Quick Trigger clamp is intended for use on smaller truss sizes and is adjustable to diameters from 25mm up to 38mm. With TUV approval pending, the Baby Quick Trigger clamp will be available in polished aluminium or satin black.

(Jim Evans)

UK - The Stage Technologies 2012 schedule of UK training courses started off recently featuring A Beginner's Introduction to Automation and An Introduction to Stage Technologies' eChameleon Software, both of which took place at the company's London office. There are still some spots available for the June and September sessions of these popular courses.

The suite of hands-on events also includes the Chameleon 5 to eChameleon Conversion Course. All three courses aim to provide complete beginners right through to experienced automation practitioners with the key concepts and latest updates. Participants may choose from dates in June and September 2012.

The events are competitively priced. A 10% discount is available for members of the Stage Management Association, Stage Jobs Pro, The Association of British Theatre Technicians, and The Broadcasting Entertainm

UK - Maltbury will once again be exhibiting at PLASA Focus: Leeds (17-18 April 2012).

"This year we have some exciting new projects to show you including our work with electricity generating pavements - Pavegen," says the company.

Maltbury Staging has made its name in the performing arts field, but in recent years has worked on a number of collaborative projects in a range of very different areas.

"It is true that these projects often involve people standing on a raised structure but nowadays it is as likely to be a fitter in a factory, an engineer down a railway shaft or a group of excitable people producing electricity simply by stepping on a paving stone," the company adds.

But this is no ordinary paving stone. Pavegen is a revolutionary way to generate electricity: requiring no connection to the national grid and needing no special effort by those g

Germany - Prolight & Sound in Frankfurt was visited by Le Mark's Matt Every and David Cartwright earlier this month. Fischer, who have more than 24 years of success in the field of professional lighting and sound, are one of the company's recent Dirty Rigger distributors and were exhibiting the whole range on their stand.

"Dirty Rigger were really well received and having them on the Fischer stand gave real credibility to the range," says Every. "We are looking forward to working with them over the coming years to build the brand in Germany."

(Jim Evans)

Brazil - The beginning of February saw AP Security being asked to represent the UK on a trade mission to Rio de Janeiro, the host city of the 2016 Olympics. General manager, Andy Stevens, was lucky enough to be AP's representative and, whilst there, met with senior members of the Rio Organising Committee, as well as all three levels of Government.

"Rio will stage an incredible Games," says an impressed Stevens. "The country's passion for carnival and celebration will see to that and, with the iconic backdrop of Copacabana Beach, Sugarloaf Mountain and the legendary Maracana Stadium all supplemented by a brand new Olympic Park, it will certainly bring Rio to the world."

Referring to the 2012 Games, he added, "There is a huge amount to which Rio is firmly looking towards London to learn and understand. Rio's private security industry operates very differ

UK - Visitor registration for PLASA Focus: Leeds 2012 closes at 5pm today. Don't miss out, register for your free visitor badge today and experience the largest get-together of entertainment technology professionals in the North.

Registration is free, choose from 20 free seminars and meet 130 exhibitors across two sold-out halls. Plus, who says there's no such thing as a free lunch? Free lunch will be served from 1pm on both days of the event.

PLASA Focus: Leeds 2012 takes place at The Royal Armouries in Leeds on Tuesday 17 & Wednesday 18 April. Don't miss the essential industry event for the North of England. A full run down of the products, the seminars and the people can be found on the website, alongside visitor registration:

(Claire Beeson)

UK - Backstage Academy has started accepting applications for its Live Events Production Foundation Degree, due to start in November 2012. It has also launched a range of short courses for Spring 2012.

Based at the LS-Live rehearsal studios in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, the Academy benefits from its links to some of the world's leading productions and production personnel, tailoring courses to suit the evolving demands of the sector. Courses take place in its state-of-the-art training centre and Apple Authorised Training Suite, adjacent to the studio where the likes of Kylie, Dizzee Rascal, P!nk, Robbie Williams, Lady Gaga and Tinie Tempah have all rehearsed.

The Foundation Degree in Live Events Production, which is validated by The University of Bolton, is delivered on site at the LS-Live facility. It is pioneering in its links with industry, its fast-track intensive format,

USA - In order to keep the ETCP examinations fresh and current, the Subject Matter Experts have written new questions for the Arena Rigging examination. ETCP is set to launch these questions 1 July 2012. To gather the statistical data necessary to properly score the exam, it is essential that as many arena riggers as possible are tested during the month of July. To further this initiative, the test administration fee of $675 for groups of 10 or more will be waived for the month of July. Candidate application fees will still apply and score reports will be delivered in six-eight weeks.

The new test form for Theatre Rigging will be available late summer or early fall and the offer to waive the administration fee for that exam will be made to organisations at that time.

ETCP will send a proctor to you, but space must be provided by your organisation. You can find a list of testin

UAE - Now celebrating its tenth year as the GCC region's longest-running trade show for sound, lighting and AV professionals in the event and integration industries, PALME Middle East is again proving its appeal to regular exhibitors, such as Unusual Rigging & Engineering - which has an office in the region, run by Alan Thomson - and Dutch manufacturer, Prolyte Group.

Unusual Rigging & Engineering has made a major impact in the Middle East, where it is the local partner for Doughty, Liftket and Wybron, whose products will be demonstrated on the stand. It has also just been appointed regional rental company for Kinesys motion control products.

Recent major projects for Unusual include the 2011 Dubai Airshow, for which the company was contracted to provide all rigging and associated services, and was also responsible for the auditing of all suspended items in the four main halls

UK - A.C. Entertainment Technologies' rigging division, the exclusive UK reseller for Kinesys, is all geared up to provide demonstrations of the new Kinesys DigiHoist digital hoist controller range.

At the core of the system is a digital communications link that enables multiple units to be daisy chained together. The units will automatically assign channels according to their position in the daisy chain. The high resolution OLED displays offer comprehensive channel feedback including channel number, status and load cell information.

The DigiHoist platform has been designed from the ground up to be upgradable. Options include encoder inputs, as well as Ethernet and LibraCELL connectivity.

The digital link incorporates self-healing emergency stop connections eliminating the need for shorting plugs in the system. Safety features include hoist presence indication, limit monitor

UK - Unusual Rigging is providing the infrastructure to ensure that Cameron Mackintosh's spectacular new touring production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera flies around the UK without a hitch.

Newly designed for the show's 25th anniversary, the tour will visit 10 cities over the next 13 months, having opened at Plymouth's Theatre Royal in March to rave reviews.

"Phantom is an extremely heavy show, weighing in at more than 25 tonnes," explains Unusual Rigging's senior project manager Simon Stone. "There's one piece of scenery downstage that weighs eight tonnes and has to be supported by a separate mini grid secured to the building. The famous Phantom chandelier, which has to swing in a treacherous fashion over the audience, weighs 500kg alone! Plus there are a couple of huge automated trucks on stage with a combined weight o

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