UK - Thomas Heatherwick’s Materials House was commissioned by the Science Museum in London as an exhibit to show “everything that anything can be made of” for the Challenge of Materials gallery. The idea was that, instead of prioritising any one material to make the house from, and then exhibiting small samples of all the other materials within it, the studio chose to make the house itself from all of the materials.
The result - six-metre-high pieces of each material bonded together into a single element of many strata was built in situ on the first floor of the museum in 19

USA - The 2022 New World Rigging Symposium, taking place virtually on 5-7 April, will bring together professional riggers, engineers, manufacturers, venue managers, educators and students to further their rigging knowledge, hear about challenging projects, get up to speed on new technologies, discuss current industry challenges, and get their questions answered.
The session line-up features an array of subject matter experts sharing their knowledge on: Rope 201, Load Monitoring Systems: Know Your Limits, Rope Access in Entertainment: Training and Usage, Performer Flying Case Study

Germany - HOF is expanding its company management team with immediate effect. Dennis Klostermann and Isabel Inclan, two experienced employees are joining the management. Together with Björn Heinzmann, managing director and shareholder at HOF since 2003, they will lead the company as a trio.
Björn Heinzmann will continue to manage the areas of technology and finance. Dennis Klostermann, who has been with HOF since 2006 and was previously key account manager, will be responsible for sales and product development. Isabel Inclan was previously in charge of marketing and will now re

Sweden - Power distribution specialists StageSmarts has added Pierre Nyström and Jakob Aronson to the team at their manufacturing facility in Arboga.
Nyström has extensive manufacturing and testing experience from the electrical power industry, most recently from Alstom. Aronson is an experienced field service engineer who joins the company from Kone lifts.
“Guys of this calibre are very hard to find, and we’re super excited to have them join our growing team of craftsmen. Their extensive expertise will strengthen our company and help us innovate and build even better

USA - Area Four Industries has announced Will Todd as the new president and CEO of Tomcat US and Area Four Industries America. Todd has been with the Tomcat brand for more than 20 years, working through various departments. He began in sales covering the central region of the US, then moved to project manager, followed by product support supervisor, then design manager, then COO and now president/CEO.
“The best part about Tomcat is the relationships we forge in the industry and within our own building,” says Todd. “We strive to create relationships that are more than partner

Germany - Sixty82 has confirmed Berlin-based edelmat. as its newest reseller for Germany.
Edelmat. services include consultation, conception, implementation, as well as service, for rental and installation projects in the field of event technology. It is here that the human being is in the foreground, and edelmat.’s well-trained specialists maintain consistent contact with each and every client to develop budget-oriented and individual solutions.
Sixty82 and edelmat. have very similar values and goals, and the cooperation between the two companies has proved promising.

UAE - The United Arab Emirates marked 50 years as a nation with 50 days of celebrations, culminating in a spectacular live show from Dubai’s Hatta Water Dam in the Hajar Mountains featuring a floating stage and drone-launched fireworks, produced by live event specialists, LarMac Projects.
The show charted the country’s history in the lead-up to its inception in 1971 and across the subsequent 50 years.
For the country’s Golden Jubilee, the creative team - led by artistic director and designer Es Devlin and LarMac executive creative producer Jo MacKay - knew that the bo

UK - Independent rigging specialists Rigging Team has appointed Adrian Skelton to the role of project manager at the company’s Stevenage headquarters.
With an extensive career spanning over 25 years working within the live events industry, Skelton brings with him considerable expertise. Beginning his career in the world of touring theatre before gravitating toward the area of specialist rigging projects, he has more than 3,000 events under his belt, including numerous high profile engagements such as the G20 Summit and 2012 Summer Olympics.
Working previously as head of r

USA - Main Light has expanded its truss inventory with GT Plus truss from Tyler Truss. Both Main Light East and West now have the standard 10’, 8’, and 5’ lengths in stock in addition to bases, corners, Tyler’s indexable spigots, and necessary accessories. GT Plus truss features redesigned leg sleeves and locking leg collars that allow for smoother operation.
The GT Plus truss inventory purchase continues Main Light’s commitment to building inventory that offers benefits for their clients. “By having the moving lights safely and securely travel in the truss, this elim

UK - London welcomed in 2022 with a spectacular city-wide display, sending a message of thanks and hope to the nation and the world. Jack Morton, the global brand experience agency, helped to develop the original concept and worked in partnership with the Mayor of London’s office and a dedicated team of experts to create an extraordinary experience for the second year running.
The 13-minute show designed for home-viewing was broadcast live on BBC One and watched by a global viewing audience of millions.
Jack Morton’s creative show team worked in collaboration with On t

UK - With government advice putting the decision-making onto the shoulders of the public and consumer confidence eroding as a consequence, the live events sector is stressed to the limit, says industry organisation #WeMakeEvents (WME).
Despite a devastating 2020 and a challenging 2021, businesses in the industry have worked hard to exceed revenues last recorded in November 2019 by the same month in 2021. But, says WME, the current climate has already eroded this by 80% during December 2021 and is forecast to continue through January.
From the UK’s first lockdown in Spring

Croatia - Perinic Sistemi is the latest company to be appointed an exclusive distributor for Sixty82 and will be covering the Croatian market with immediate effect.
Perinic Sistemi has been operating in the Croatian market for over 25 years. Beginning life as a rental company for sound systems, the company expanded its business over the years to include the full range of equipment needed for the entertainment industry.
“The main reason we chose to be a Sixty82 distributor is because of the long term relations we have with the company’s top-quality and experienced personn

France - Dushow recently helped deliver the world’s biggest concert, Global Citizen Live, as lead technical partner for the Global Citizen Live event in Paris.
Serving as the main official service provider for the broadcast event which featured Ed Sheeran, Elton John, Black Eyed Peas, Christine and the Queens, Doja Cat and Måneskin, as well as special guest performances by Angélique Kidjo, Charlie Puth and Fatma Said, and raised more than US$1bn to fight climate change, famine and vaccine inequity.
Dushow partnered with its video-specialist subsidiary, Alabama, and siste

UK - Doughty Engineering was the supplier of choice for Audio Light Systems when the company was contracted to kit out a lecture theatre and public event space at Norwich University of Arts (NUA).
Neil McLucas, project manager at Audio Light Systems explained: “We were brought on board by NUA to supply and install cabling infrastructure with numerous facility panels, production lighting boxes, a bespoke truss/ hoist system, sound reinforcement and AV infrastructure, to allow for a multipurpose space.”
Audio Light Systems has worked with the team at Doughty on several pro

USA - Registration is now open for the 2022 New World Rigging Symposium, which will take place online on 5-7 April 2022. Produced by ESTA and USITT, the NWRS brings together professional riggers, engineers, manufacturers, venue managers, educators and students to further their rigging knowledge, hear about challenging projects, get up to speed on new technologies, discuss current industry challenges, and get their questions answered by a host of subject matter experts.
The NWRS also offers valuable information to those working in other areas of the industry who want to further the

Serbia - Sixty82 has continued the expansion of its global distribution network with the appointment of PSP Elektronik as its exclusive distributor for the Republic of Serbia, with immediate effect.
PSP Elektronik started its company in 1990 with its main activity being the service of pro audio and video equipment, before expanding into the sales and hire of this equipment to meet the increasing demand in the entertainment industry market for professional products.
On becoming Sixty82’s distributor for the Republic of Serbia, PSP’s Miodrag Tarailo says: “I have known

USA - Responding to requests from riggers across the globe for additional time, the comment period on the International Code of Practice for Entertainment Rigging has been extended to 31 December 2021.
Copies of the current version of ICOPER and the Excel form for submitting comments can be downloaded from www.esta.org/icoper. You can also email icoper@esta.org to request a form be emailed to you. Completed comment forms should be emailed to icoper@esta.org.
ICOPER has been downlo

UK - A daredevil walk the plank challenge which kicked off this year’s I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here on ITV, was designed and rigged by Unusual Rigging.
ITV bosses are no strangers to the feats that Unusual is able to pull off, having contracted director Robin Elias as crew chief on several stunts for various different shows. Robin said: “Pre-pandemic, ITV had brought me on board to work with them on the show in Australia. Then when Covid hit in 2020 and the show hurriedly relocated from Oz to Wales, none of the trials involved any rigging - there simply wasn’t

Russia - Manufacturer of trussing and staging systems Sixty82 has expanded its global distribution network with the appointment of Stagemarket as its exclusive distributor for the Russian Federation, with immediate effective.
Stagemarket has been a provider of professional staging solutions to the Russian market since 2010. Throughout this time, Stagemarket has proven itself as one of the main players for high quality equipment and bespoke structures.
With over 21 years of experience in the live events industry, Stagemarket has a wealth of experience and technical knowledge

UK - Stage One Creative Services has announced a partnership with automation specialist Mark Ager, who will take an associate consultant role. The partnership is intended to elevate Stage One’s automation capabilities
Known for designing some of the first modern automation systems, Ager’s expertise has seen him play a key role in the engineering development of the innovative Bridge Theatre, London, and establish one of the foremost suppliers of live entertainment automation systems, Stage Technologies. In 2009 he and co-author John Hastie published Automation in the Entert


UK - Prolight Concepts has added the Kuzar - K-10 7m 500kg ground support tower system to its product offering. The K-10 is an easy-to use ground support tower requiring only one person to setup. It is erected using the integral winch, hoisting the tower over the base’s pivot joints into the vertical position, whilst the rigid steel base gives stability.
The rest of the tower is built with 30 × 30cm Kuzar truss composed of 50mmØ thick tubes with integral brake runner, giving the user an overall height of 7m. Once the tower is erected, the max. 500kg load is lifted with

South Africa - Faith Broadcasting Network has consolidated a vast following of approximately 264m viewers worldwide since its inception two decades ago, with satellite, terrestrial and digital broadcasts reaching worshippers all around the world. With headquarters in South Africa, and studios in the USA and the UK, MyFaithTV is the largest religious broadcaster on the African continent.
To accommodate such growth, the Faith Dome - the ministry’s base in East London, South Africa - has been undergoing renovations for many years. Parts of the premises have been refurbished to hou

USA - The 2022 New World Rigging Symposium, produced by ESTA and USITT, will take place online 5-7 April 2022 whilst the USITT Conference and Stage Expo will take place in person early March. “We’ve heard from presenters and attendees alike that continuing the NWRS conversation virtually is the best choice,” say the organisers.
“The 2022 virtual symposium will allow the widest range of entertainment technicians to further their rigging knowledge, hear about challenging projects, get up to speed on new technologies, discuss current industry challenges, and get their questio

UK - The new fly tower at Theatre Royal Drury Lane has been dedicated to Unusual Rigging founder, Alan Jacobi, LVO (read Rob Halliday's report on the theatre's two-year refurbishment in LSi November 2021). Jacobi passed away in April 2020 and due to the restrictions imposed by the pandemic, a funeral was restricted to immediate family only.
But last Monday, in the company of 500 friends, family, colleagues and industry

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