UK - Entwining the set & lighting design for one of the biggest bands on the planet with the concept of origami might seem to some a conceit too far, but not for those imaginative individuals charged with creating something special for Coldplay's recent jaunt around the globe.

Set designer, Misty Buckley elaborates on the premise: "The concept of the origami stars was very much an idea from the band. Steeped in Japanese tradition, origami is synonymous with transformation - taking something seemingly ordinary and transforming it in to something sculptural and beautiful. The star

USA - UK motion control specialist Kinesys is continuing to expand its Kinesys USA Inc. operation by welcoming David Bond to the team in the role of Head of Sales for North America.

Kinesys USA has received huge interest and many enquiries since being unveiled at the beginning of August, and bringing David to Kinesys is key to the company's planned medium term expansion strategy.

David will be leading the Kinesys USA sales department and travelling extensively to meet with and talk to customers throughout North America. He will be working closely with David Martin based at the Kines

UK - The London Eye has never looked better! The company behind one of the capital's top tourist attractions recently called upon the expertise of Unusual Rigging to help with a thorough clean of the London Eye's 90 steel cables in order to prevent failure and increase the expected lifespan of the cables.

Under cover of darkness, Unusual's Robin Elias and a team of riggers, headed by crew chief Phil Dickinson, worked every night over a period of 10 weeks, whilst ensuring the London Eye kept turning and attracting hordes of visitors during the day.

Mark Robinson, technical operations

UK - UK-based event safety consultancy Stagesafe reports the Health and Safety Executive's announcement that CDM Regulations will be enforced on the events and entertainment industry from April 2015.

The news was confirmed at last week's meeting of the Joint Advisory Committee on Entertainment (JACE) at the HSE in Westminster. The following report was produced by Michael Anderson and Lee Holloway, members of SAGE (Safety Advisors Group in Entertainment):

"This was an unexpected turn of events as it had appeared earlier this year that a "BEA" (Business Engagement Asses

UK - The latest in the successful series of PLASA Focus events will take place at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre, Glasgow on 2-3 December 2014.

Aimed at bringing together audio and lighting experts working in the live events sector at a regional level, the show is a chance to meet representatives from industry leading companies to seek out the latest products and services - as well as a premier networking opportunity.

Event Director, James Ashwood, comments: "There's a strong selection of lighting and audio companies at the Glasgow show including Robe, Avolites,

UK - SES has announced the opening of its satellite office within Pinewood Studios. With the continued growth of sales to the film industry, SES has taken space within the studios to better serve the production companies within.

Holding a wide range of stock, SES are able to deliver within a very short time of receiving the order, or indeed , customers are able to collect directly. Production companies often require equipment at very short notice, so to have items available immediately will save time and money, and reduce stress.

SES has available from stock, a wide range of power d

USA - Le Maitre is set to make several announcements at LDI this week, with new products right across the board from haze to flames to pyro.

LDI will see the unveiling of a brand new hazer - the EcoHazer, making a world first preview on Le Maitre's booth.

Le Maitre hazers are already known for their incredible output and low power consumption, not to mention the haze fluid which converts to produce the purest, most efficient and long lasting haze on the market. The new EcoHazer takes the environmental aspect even further and Le Maitre believes that it is the most energy efficient wa

UK / USA - PLASA's month-long elections to determine positions on its European and North American Regional Boards, together with its central Governing Body, concluded at midnight on Wednesday 19 November. Companies and individuals from PLASA's worldwide membership voted in the elections, which were conducted via a secure online poll.

There were four positions available on the European Regional Board. Ed Pagett of Panalux was elected for a second term as Chairman, Peter James of Shure Distribution as representative to PLASA's Distributor members and Malcolm Burlow of Highlite was voted

UK - Entertainment equipment expert Triple E is sponsoring London's Young Vic theatre this month by donating a complex ERAIL track system solution for the JMK Award winning production of Caryl Churchill's Far Away.

Triple E's MD David Edelstein was initially approached by the Young Vic's technical director Igor, and then Far Away's production manager Ed Borgnis to design, supply and install an irregular-shaped track solution for a scene in the play requiring equipment trickery to achieve an inspired effect.

Far Away is directed by this year's JMK new directors a

UK - Star Events provided a platform off Westminster Pier last week, for street trial cyclist Danny MacAskill to perform a spectacular water-borne loop-the-loop, aided and abetted by Microsoft's new Windows phone personal assistant, Cortana.

Fixed to a 500-tonne barge, the Star Events structure ran a ramp into the 5m loop, lined up with a round projector screen and the London Eye, accentuating Cortana's circular form.

Tasked with turning the event from paper to pontoon in just six weeks, Will Roberts, Production Manager for Microsoft's agency, Mission, sought out Star Events' signif

UAE - Effective October 2014 Eurotruss and Procom ME have signed a master distribution agreement for the Middle East.

Procom ME is established in Dubai with a significant presence in Beirut as well, and specialises in the fields of professional lighting, sound, video and rigging. Leading brands it represents include Clay Paky, Avolites and Meyer Sound. Procom also provides back up by a skilled creative and experienced team, plus comprehensive rigging solutions for all requirements in various fields and locations.

In addition to its turnkey solutions, Procom provides top of the line

UK - Based on a true story as well as the 2010 film of the same name, Made in Dagenham is a new musical comedy at London's Adelphi Theatre about the equal pay strike by the women who made car seats at the London suburb's Ford factory in 1968. The show stars Gemma Arterton as Rita O'Grady.

The action unfolds against a lively soundtrack of 1960s-inspired song and dance numbers and brightly coloured sets. To automate the latter the show's production manager, Matt Towell selected Stage Technologies to supply a 39-axis overhead, stage level and sub-stage automation control system; and sist

France - The award winning Modular Rigging System from Doughty Engineering has made its debut across the Channel this week as it launched at the JTSE show in Paris on the 25 and 26 November. With the range on display on the stand of Doughty's French distributor AXENTE, visitors to the show were able to see for themselves the benefits offered by Doughty's Drop Arms and H Frames, which have been whipping up a storm since their launch at PLASA in the UK and LDI in America.

"France is a very strong market for Doughty Engineering and we felt it was important to officially launch this

UK - Unusual Rigging has announced, with deep regret, the death of Mike Philpott. Respected and liked by Unusual's clients and consultants alike, Mike joined Unusual in 2001 as a project manager specialising in QS type works and bid responses for stage engineering projects. In 2010 his experience and technical knowledge won Unusual the contracts for both the Convention Centre and Grand Canal Theatre in Dublin, projects which ran concurrently and which Mike handled with his usual good humour, tenacity and dedication.

He also led the field in bespoke Tension Wire Grids, initially for St

USA - If you have been thinking about testing to become ETCP certified, now is the time to apply, as fees will increase $50 per exam on 1 January, 2015. You have up to one year from your acceptance date to take your examination, so sign up today to save. Applications that are postmarked before January 1, 2015 will receive the discounted rate.

ETCP Certification is a fundamental aide to employers who are looking for qualified technicians for lead positions. It guarantees a reliable level of expertise and skills because the exams are specific to this industry and a fair assessment of yo

UK - ANCA Structural Anchors has launched a "revolutionary" new structural anchor which brings easily certifiable ground anchorage to the temporary structures industry for the first time. The first model, System 2000, is available now.

From now on, marquee companies, event organisers, building contractors and inspecting authorities can easily measure the structural forces exerted on a temporary building below the ground as well as above the ground, says the company.

The Structural Anchor, created with expertise provided by temporary structure designers Special Structures L

UK - Heathrow Airport and Fisher Productions worked together to bring some Christmas magic to travellers over the Christmas period at Terminal 2: The Queens Terminal.

Building on Terminal 2's vision, in conjunction with Heathrow, The Fisher team have designed and installed a giant vinyl Christmas tree which stands over 90ft high in the covered courtyard to T2, close to the Slipstream sculpture by renowned British artist Richard Wilson.

Fisher have added a very modern interactive touch to this traditional looking tree, overlaying it with festoons of lights that can be triggered to fl

UK - S+H Technical has supplied specialist draping and 'soft' lighting effects lighting to several high profile TV shows recently including Strictly's Blackpool special as well as for the regular weekly show broadcast from Elstree Studios; the main Children In Need telethon studio; popular talent competition Stars in Their Eyes back on air in 2015 after a nine year hiatus; new ITV talent show Get Your Act Together and Bette Midler's first ever ITV special One Night Only.

Another blockbusting Strictly season for the BBC sees S+H working with BAFTA Awa

UK - Truss UK Ltd, sister company to Hoist UK Ltd, has announced that it has acquired 100% shareholding of AJB Precision Fabrications Ltd. The combined companies are now conducting business together under the name Truss UK Ltd, with their main office located at 2 Wrynose Road, Old Hall Estate, Bromborough, Wirral, Merseyside, CH62 3QD.

"This is a merger of two innovative and professional companies which have a history of successfully working together over the last six years," says Truss UK director Paul Jordan. "Both companies have a very high standard of products and s

UK - London's Dominion Theatre has recently completed the biggest refurbishment and restoration project that the theatre has seen since it opened in 1929. This multi-million pound, four month long project sees the theatre transformed to its original 1920s grandeur with over half a million pounds spent on upgrading the technical infrastructure using over 36 kilometres of Van Damme cabling from VDC Trading supplied through Edmundson Electrical, Greenwich.

Included in the technical refurbishment was a brand new stage, a complete overhaul of the entire stage electrical system, the install

UK - In December 2013 Stage Technologies' sister company Delstar Engineering was commissioned to provide a huge scenic structure for the set of ANNE, a new play about the life of Anne Frank. Produced by Imagine Nation, with set design by Bernhard Hammer and directed by Theu Boermans, the play is performed at the new 'Theater Amsterdam', a purpose-built venue in the Westerlijke Houthavens district of Amsterdam.

The play covers the two years that Anne Frank and her family hide in an attic in Amsterdam, as well as some events prior to their secret life and following their discover

UK - Amp Pack Cases and Packhorse enjoyed a successful PLASA show at Excel London in October. Both companies were showcasing their wide range of innovative cases and received a fantastic response.

John O'Neill, Founder of Amp Pack Cases, commented: "The show was a very successful event and we received a great response for our products. As well as showcasing our range of Amp Pack cases we were exhibiting the Packhorse range, which also witnessed a great deal of interest from potential clients. We very much enjoyed the show, meeting new and existing customers and are definitely pla

UK - Flightcase Warehouse (FCW) is pleased to announce the achievement of ISO9001 accreditation.

"By demonstrating and verifying our compliance to the requirements of ISO 9001, FCW are actively advertising the company's commitment to quality, traceability and continual improvements," said FCW's Sam Austin.

ISO 9001 promotes the development of continual improvement, customer satisfaction and traceability through the implementation of various management system processes.

"ISO9001 accreditation will drive Flightcase Warehouse forward and assist in constantly improving

UK - It was announced on Friday that the UK's first government-backed National College for the Creative and Cultural Industries is to be established at The Backstage Centre, High House Production Park, opening in September 2016.

Managed by Creative & Cultural Skills on behalf of a consortium of employers and industry organisations including Live Nation, Royal Opera House, White Light and the Association of British Theatre Technicians, the new National College will provide specialist training in the technical skills needed by the creative and cultural industries. This is in response to

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