Pharos - Leaderboard - May 2024

Rigging / Staging

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USA - ESTA will host a Midwest Rigging Intensive course on 25-27 August in Chicago. The weekend-long event will feature a curriculum developed by a group of dedicated instructors, all of whom are ETCP recognised trainers.
With a focus on practical learning for entertainment riggers, the sessions will feature Ben Brian (Reed Rigging), Tyler DeLong (DeLong Rigging Solutions), Brent ‘Mickey’ Henry (ETC), Ed Leahy (Chicago Flyhouse), Tracy Nunnally (Vertigo), Patrick Stewart (ETC), Shane Kelly (DePaul University), Rebecca Knipfer (ETC), and Verda Beth Martell (DLR Group). This event will provide enough hours to fulfil a technician’s ETCP Education Renewal Credits requirement.
Education sessions will include topics such as fall protection, hoists, loading by math, hardware, and more. The event will comprise two days of classroom training starting at 1 pm on Thursday a

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UK - The Lifting Equipment Engineers Association (LEEA) will hold a webinar for end-users in the entertainment industry.
Held live at 10am BST on 7 July 2022 via Zoom, the one-hour webinar aims to initiate conversations between LEEA members and end users, particularly those further up the supply chain. The webinar will explore how having the right lifting equipment and safe working loads in the entertainment sector is vital for successful productions and concerts - ensuring they run smoothly, efficiently and safely.
Furthermore, sourcing and training staff and contracting for ‘thorough examinations’ with LEEA members will give entertainment sector companies the confidence they seek, as members of the Lifting Equipment Engineers Association conform to its ‘gold standard’ when it comes to excellence in the Lifting Industry.
Attendees to this webinar will g

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UK - Flooring, tapes and labels specialist Le Mark Group has expanded its offering with a new line of British-made Sausage and T-bar markers from Dirty Rigger.
The new products deliver practical marking and rigging solutions for outdoor events and filming, as well as for busy theatre environments. Le Mark’s Jeff Demain explains: “We’re specialists in tapes for marking out stages but, as we all know, you can’t put tape on grass, or sand, or gravel, for example. So, this is a solution that has immediate appeal for the outdoor film, TV and event markets, and more besides.” That solution is a flexible, hard-wearing, colour-coded Sausage marker made from tough webbing and weighted with stainless steel shot. Robust but soft to the touch, its design includes a sturdy brass eyelet at one end, which can be quickly - and securely - spiked in precisely the right spot.

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UK - Specialist set designer Diagon has created a new 40,000sq.ft workshop in Erith, southeast London. The facility doubles the company's indoor footprint and will house specialist departments for carpentry, engineering, paint and CAD.
A provider of bespoke scenic build and installation services for the retail, exhibition and event sectors, Diagon works with clients including Christie's auction house, George P Johnson, the BRIT Awards and artist and stage designer, Es Devlin.
Tom Sabin, managing director, comments: “This fabulous new facility marks a huge milestone for Diagon. Coming just after our 21st anniversary, we have doubled our fabrication capacity, created a new studio department with incredible draughting and design capability and added some fantastic staff to the team. With a busy summer ahead, we now have the ability to further step up the scale and qu

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UK - PLASA Show is returning to West London from 4-6 September, and those wishing to attend can now register via the event's website.
Taking place at Olympia London’s Grand Hall, the entertainment technology tradeshow promises to deliver some of the latest technology, product demos, and delve into key industry issues. There will also be four showfloor theatres running over 60 sessions on a range of topics across the three days.
The event will provide plenty of opportunities for networking with leading companies from audio, AV, lighting, rigging and staging, each one showcasing popular products and new releases. Some of the brands returning this year include Robe, Ambersphere, ETC, AC-ET, Adam Hall, L-Acoustics, Sennheiser, Chauvet Professional, Leisuretec, Highlite, Polar and

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Europe - NEXT Truss has announced the acquisition of Dutch truss manufacturer Interal T.C. All Interal T.C. employees will remain onboard in the new organisation, the company reports.
Interal T.C. has been manufacturing truss structures for the events industry since 2003 and offers standard and custom-made systems, with “plenty of potential for future growth within Interal T.C. as well as for expanding NEXT Truss,” says a statement.
The Interal T.C. rental business will in future be operated by AED Rent, which will supply both new and existing customers with dry hire rental of trussing and rigging equipment from the local hub in Venray. Over time, the rental business could be expanded even further, with the addition of other AV products (such as stage and trade show lighting) from AED group, to support the local market.
The staff and contacts will remain un

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The Netherlands - HOF has appointed Podiumtechniek as a distribution partner in the Netherlands. Podiumtechniek specialises in custom-made stage technology solutions.
Bob Ages, co-founder of Podiumtechniek, comments: “We believe that with creativity there are no limits to what is possible on stage and at events and that there is a solution to everything - either with regular products or with tailor made solutions - and often a combination of both. HOF is one of the rare companies that offers both and we are glad to have the HOF products in our portfolio now and a manufacturer in our network that can design and deliver custom made solutions.”
Edwin Duivelaar, export & sales manager at HOF, adds: “With Podiumtechniek we share the same philosophy which is that no project is impossible and the crazier the idea the better. We are impressed by the creativity of Po

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Europe - HOF has announced Treti as a new distribution partner for Italy. Treti has more than 40 years of experience in live events, trade shows, theatres and the film industry, and disposes of a distribution and service network throughout Italy.
Daniele Melis, managing director at Treti, comments: “We always carefully research the products that we choose to distribute in order to ensure we fully satisfy our customer needs. Therefore, it came as a natural choice to add the HOF brand and their trussing portfolio to our range of products.”
Edwin Duivelaar, export & sales manager at HOF, adds: “We are delighted to enlarge our European footprint with a very well established and recognized partner for the Italian market and look forward to a very successful cooperation and partnership with Treti.”

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Europe - Sixty82 has launched Arena Frame, a new stage concept designed for venues which value the benefits of a quick and easy-to-build stage system.
The straightforward design allows big stages to be built ‘in the blink of an eye’ - a 200m2 stage, for example, can be built in just 90 minutes with a crew of four and a forklift.
The system has a very small storage footprint due to its foldable frames, while it also offers the ability to build the stage and rig at the same time, greatly reducing the time needed to build any stage set.
The Arena Frame system allows every second frame to be omitted, allowing the creation of corridors underneath the stage in both directions without any loss of its load bearing capacity. For standard decking 2x1m elements are used.
The system is equipped with robust swivel castors and an internal lever system which allows

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UK - HOF has announced that Entedi is now a distribution partner of HOF in the UK and Ireland.
Marcel Wijnberger, technical manager at Entedi comments, “Another innovative brand to add to our portfolio. Reviewing MLT Prerig truss showed me how small differences can have a big impact on real world use. Our customers are going to be very happy. As customers who have already invested in this pre-rig truss can testify.”
Edwin Duivelaar, export & sales manager at HOF, adds: "Entedi joining the HOF Family is another important step in the internationalisation of the HOF brand, especially considering that the UK and Ireland are very important markets for the European event industry and many European tours will be planned and executed from the UK even after Brexit."
Entedi will distribute the HOF brands HOF trusses including the MLT2 and CJS clamps.

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UK - 5 Star Cases has announced the appointment of Allen Smith as quality assurance manager, to set product and process quality standards across its range of products and provide quality related guidance to 5 Star’s staff and management.
5 Star Cases services multiple industries from entertainment, medical, telecoms and robotics, to motorsport. Longstanding clients include Terry Tew Sound & Light, Universal Studios, Allen & Heath, Power Maxed racing, DiGiCo and Arden Motorsport. The company’s ambitious growth strategy and ever-increasing product portfolio, including a new range of wooden packing crates, prompted the search for a quality assurance manager.
“As part our long-term strategy, we have been investing in state-of-the-art equipment to ensure we can serve our customers with products that are manufactured to the highest quality standards,” says I

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Europe - Prolight + Sound 2022 attracted 20,000 visitors from 93 countries, according to the organisers.
After a break of two years, the Frankfurt event brought together companies and professionals from all segments of the industry. Wolfgang Marzin, president and chief executive officer of Messe Frankfurt, reflects: “By all pulling together, we have achieved something that, at the beginning of the year, many people thought would be impossible: the companies and associations of the event and media technology sector joined forces with us to show once again how much life and positive energy is to be found in this industry.”
“We are delighted we have succeeded with Prolight + Sound in triggering this important restart and that we can once again all come together with no restrictions. Both exhibitors and visitors were hungry for spontaneous meetings,” adds Linda Res

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UK - Harlequin Floors has launched a pioneering new floor system. Harlequin Liberty Switch is a professional multi-use floor that can be switched from a rigid theatrical floor to a sprung dance floor at the touch of a button.
This innovative and versatile floor has been designed for venues who regularly put on both dance and theatrical performances and so require both a sprung and a rigid floor in the same performance or rehearsal space.
Harlequin Liberty Switch is a modular multi-use floor system comprised of a base unit with the drive and control mechanism topped with a Harlequin Liberty sprung floor. The base units house a series of moving carriages connected by rods running on high-strength carrier rails powered by electric actuators located at the ends of each row. Each actuator and associated controller are linked to a master control unit located off-stage.

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UK - Area Four Industries UK continues to expand its operations with the appointment of Matthew Millward as head of automation to manage its EXE Technology brands.
Millward comments: “To be finally working with the world’s largest manufacturer of truss, staging and automation products has a great sense of achievement and pride. It is an extremely exciting phase for EXE Technology with the introduction of the All In One / One for All smart solutions.”
Sales & marketing director Glen Brown adds: “I am delighted with Matt joining the A4i UK team at this time. He is the perfect plug & play solution for this new role and joins with a vast knowledge and practical experience of entertainment / theatrical environments. Our customers and users will feel the benefits immediately with his level of professionalism and empathy.”

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Germany - Kinesys product engineering and Tait Navigator control technology will introduce new products at Frankfurt in Hall 12.0, stand C96.
Tait will reveal three adaptable winches: suitable for scenic movement, and with the requisite SIL3-rated safety features now mandated for performer flying. The team will also introduce new drives optimised for installation requirements and providing an impressive powerhouse for precision position control.
Visitors to the stand can enjoy a hands-on experience with Tait’s latest automation console, epiQ.
Joining the new machines on the stand will be the tour-proven Kinesys Apex hoist system, the Kinesys Vector control console, and the Kinesys Libra range of load monitoring safety tools that ensure all static and dynamic loads are continually and precisely measured in real-time.
The Kinesys DigiHoist fixed speed chain

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Germany - HOF will launch its new Post Dolly at Prolight+Sound 2022. The Post Dolly offers a variety of possibilities to create different structures and layouts on stage. It can be used for single lamps, but also as a stacked dolly with, for example, 1m standard conical tubes between the dollies to create different levels.
The components can be mounted standing or hanging on the 15mm plate. Further, the user can mount 2-point, 3-point or 4-point trusses in sizes 290mm or 400mm on the dolly in different positions, using the optional adapter plate.
Likewise, the MLT trusses can be positioned upright in centre or off-centre positions. Multiple Post dollies can be combined to create various constructions. The components remain in place during the show and during transport, saving a lot of time. The wheels are black & grey and therefore almost invisible on stage.

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Europe - Prolight Concepts Group has added Robolights IWB components to its product portfolio. These modular installation solutions are now in stock and ready to ship directly from the Prolight warehouse.
The new addition “bolsters our product offering in the stage, theatre and installation sectors”, says Prolight.
Robolights’ Julian Baycock comments: “Robolights are delighted that Prolight will be distributing our products, their ethos of holding stock on the shelf for same day dispatch allows installers to access the product range without delay.”

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USA/UK - ESTA and PLASA have announced the release of an updated Version 2.0 of the International Code of Practice for Entertainment Rigging (ICOPER), which is available as a free download at www.esta.org/icoper or www.plasa.org/icoper.
Submissions from the international rigging community were received in response to a call for comments in late 2021. The document’s authors, Nick Barnfield (New Zealand), Tiny Good (Australia), Chris Higgs (UK), Ed Kish (United States), Bill Sapsis (United States), and Roy Schilderman (The Netherlands) praised the commentors for their thoughtful consideration and the obvious expertise they brought to the task.
Chris Higgs notes, “Each comment was discussed at length in our zoom calls, which were facilitated by Lori Rubinstein from ESTA. Some comments acted as a catalyst, causing us to rethink and rewrite the language in the code, wh

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Italy - When Spazio Bizzarro, a red and white big top circus tent in Casatenovo, Milan, launched its latest project In The Air, it turned to BroadWeigh for its load monitoring requirements. The project, which was conceived in 2012, is a cultural sports and social centre, offering annual courses and workshops in contemporary circus and performative arts, including street art, music, theatre and dance.
Nicola Bruni, director of Spazio Bizzarro explains: “We knew we would need a reputable partner for this venture and selected Monkey Rigging to help us devise a rigging structure for our new indoor space, Il Delado. Working with Monkey Rigging’s Andrea Mammolenti, we came up with a solution that would give us a safe system for both the big top and Il Delado - the training spaces for this project.”
Andrea adds: “The challenge was to design a structure for th

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UK - When Matt Strigden of SRD Projects was looking for a track solution for a new drama venue at Channing School in Highgate, North London, he turned to Doughty Engineering.
Having worked with the Doughty team for years, Strigden, who heads up the projects department at SRD, knew that they were the right team for the job. He said: “I know Doughty well - the people and the products. I have known sales managers, Dan Phillips and Laurence Dyer for nearly 20 years. Both are extremely helpful whenever I have a design question and are really good at providing the answers we need.”
SRD Projects works across all sorts of sectors; theatres, education, fitness, houses of worship and retail, providing lighting and audio solutions in these spaces and so regularly find themselves turning to Doughty for the right kit. This project at Channing School involved restoring one of th

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UAE - Fantek Industrial, part of the Equipson Group, is playing a key role at Expo Dubai 2020 by supplying all the rigging and structures needed to create audiovisual displays and performance stages in both the Spanish and Angola Pavilions.
The Angola Pavilion pays tribute to its indigenous traditions by taking inspiration from Sona geometry, the ancient art of sand drawing that has been used by generations of its citizens to transfer knowledge. Using interactive spaces and a multimedia show that combines different audiovisual technologies, the Pavilion highlights how traditional wisdom can be used as a starting point to develop innovative solutions to local and global problems. The Angola Pavilion’s central square also features a Fantek stage where leading African artists host daily performances.
Spanish company Eikonos was responsible for designing and installing

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USA - The organisers of the 2022 New World Rigging Symposium (NWRS), which will take place online on 5-7 April, have announced the programme of sessions and the presenters who will speak at the event. Highlights for this year include a follow-up to the popular Rope 201 where Stu Cox, Eric Rouse, and Andy Schmitz will dive even deeper into the intended uses, benefits and drawbacks of ropes, lines, and ties.
Also featured will be the Rope Access session, featuring industry experts from around the country who will explore rope access use in the entertainment industry.
Loading into a university theatre can be significantly different from backing the trucks up to a commercially operated roadhouse. A panel of university venue managers will ask, and then answer, What makes them different? by focusing on the unique challenges of the university setting incl

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UK - Moulin Rouge! opened at London’s Piccadilly Theatre last month. The intimate theatre has been transformed into a world of splendour, romance, glitz, grandeur and glory - with Unusual Rigging brought onboard to help create a world where Bohemians and aristocrats rub elbows and revel in electrifying enchantment.
Jeremy Featherstone, senior design engineer at Unusual Rigging, explains: “We were contacted by production manager Matt Towell to help bring this extraordinarily heavy show into a relatively small venue. The idea was always to create the feeling that the audience is involved in the show - a recreation of the intimate feeling of being at the actual Moulin Rouge. The production weighs in at over 23 tonnes, but the Piccadilly’s grid was only really equipped to deal with half that weight - so we needed to come up with a workable solution.”
With U

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UK - FIX8Group has launched a new in-lift AV experience, designed “to deliver content to customers in a fully immersive, captivating and memorable manner”.
Called elev8, it enables clients ranging from museums to malls, airports to attractions to reach lift users with customised displayed messages.
The elev8 project involves the installation of audio-visual display solutions within an elevator, to which everything from simple static marketing video, 2D animation, landscapes, audio experiences and fully immersive 3D worlds can be delivered.
FIX8Group has already completed a major elev8 installation, at the St James Quarter, Edinburgh. This encompasses a new retail led, lifestyle district that fully integrates into and enhances Edinburgh’s City Centre providing an inspiring, attractive, and vibrant destination for locals and visitors to live, shop, eat, sleep
  1. Tank Trap now available on wheels
  2. ESTA documents released for public review
  3. New World Rigging Symposium set for April
  4. RZI Lighting expands Stagemaker inventory
  5. Unusual de-rigs six-tonne museum piece
  6. NWRS announces programme
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GLP - MPU - May-June 2024
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