Rigging / Staging

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14 March 2016

When Kylie kicked off her latest tour in the UK, crowd barrier specialists Mojo Barriers ensured fans with front row views were kept safe, installing 80m for the front of stage at the Liverpool Echo Arena. An additional 80m of stock was then added, bringing the total to 160m, which will be used across the European leg of her tour, culminating on 17 November at Zurich's Hallenstadion.

The barriers, a mixture of straight and specials such as corners and gates, allows the production team - headed up by Kevin Hopgood - to create a configuration that includes golden circle, t-shaped thrust for a catwalk and extended front of house. As requested by Hopg

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14 March 2016

New exhibitors announced this week include Adlib Audio and HDPro Audio, Orbital Sound and FBT Audio UK, who will join the all-star list of exhibitors already at the show - including Robe, Ambersphere, White Light, Avolites, Chauvet, AED, Sennheiser, Bosch, NL Productions, JHS ProAudio, Warehouse Sound, LMC Audio, Polar Audio, Black Light, Trusslite, Total Solutions Group, UK Rigging, TMB and many more.

PLASA's Professional Development Programme will deliver two days of presentations, technical demonstrations and panel discussions, all designed to help visitors build their industry knowledge and improve their skill set. This year's programme focusses on the hot topi

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14 March 2016

Card Aid has been helping charities increase their funds from the sale of their Christmas cards for over 30 years and John Simpson, Chair of Behind the Scenes UK, believes proceeds from the sale of Christmas Cards via the Card Aid Website will really make a difference to Behind the Scenes which only launched in the UK in October.

"Sending Christmas cards is a long held tradition and Card Aid allows us to keep the spirit of Christmas alive - as cards can be purchased online, either in the form of a pack of cards or as e-cards which can be sent on a pay per click basis. Whilst we are happy to accept donations in

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14 March 2016

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 seemed an obvious choice because of A Sky Full of Stars."

With the idea of stars as a feature of the design, the next step was to create a working reality. Buckley continues, "Initially the production considered a kind of thin plastic sheeting to make them more resilient to the ri

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14 March 2016

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 Kinesys USA Inc. headquarters in Atlanta who will be focusing on the operations and training aspects of the company. Together they will continue to develop the company's US brand and expand its market coverage. Both David Bond and David Martin will also work closely with the relevant departments at Kines

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14 March 2016

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 manager at the London Eye said, "We knew right away that Unusual was the right company for this complex job. In 2012, Unusual worked here with STREB, for an event which saw acrobats perform on the steel cables. I found them to be a very professional company and had no doubt that they had the r

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14 March 2016

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 Assessment) industry impact assessment process engaging with the event industry trade associations may have led to a decision not to enforce. But HSE stated that they had since received legal advice that not enforcing would breach European law and expose the government to international prosecution.

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14 March 2016

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, Ambersphere, White Light, Black Light, Chauvet and Sennheiser, along with key dealers such as TMB, LMC, Warehouse Sound, Apex acoustics, HDPro, FBT and Polar Audio and rigging, trussing and special effects companies. Add to that the free to attend two-day seminar program and the rigging conference -

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14 March 2016

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 distribution, cables, socapex products, DMX, Gaffer tape, cable ties and Cee form connectors. SES can be found in Block G, room 102.

(Jim Evans)

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14 March 2016

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 water-based hazer on the market today!

The EcoHazer consumes a low 100-150W, a rate that other haze units on the market with a similar output simply can't match, with many requiring up to 1500W - that's ten times the electrical energy! The EcoHazer uses a completely new heating system borne out of L

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14 March 2016

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 as the Dealer/Retailer representative. Robert Kronman joins the Board as the new Individual representative.

Four positions were also up for election on the North American Regional Board with Todd Spencer of PSAV elected as Vice-Chairman, Tracey Cosgrove of Rosco Laboratories as Secretary, Orestes

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14 March 2016

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 award winner Kate Hewitt, with a design by Georgia Lowe.

"In the play there is a procession of people wearing hats, and the play leads us to understand they are on their way to be executed," explains Ed Borgnis. "Given that we are staging the show in our Clare Studio, with no space f

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14 March 2016

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' significant experience with Thames' events and Vert ramps.

Roberts comments, "With that sort of deadline, you're designing, costing, scheduling, building and delivering in parallel and Star gave me a lot of confidence in the tender process. Their pricing was good, they have a big track record of ma

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14 March 2016

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 support backed by an extensive stock of Eurotruss products and a service centre in one of the largest showrooms of its kind in Middle East.

Eurotruss sales representative Charbel Zoghbi will continue as sales & support representative to guarantee the presence of Eurotruss in the market for custome

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14 March 2016

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 sister company Delstar Engineering to provide fabricated steelwork, tracks and engineering.

Stage Technologies' BigTow Classic, BT2-200 and BT2-390 winches as well as motors and hydraulics automate the 39 axes. Seven AU:tour 6 cabinets are stationed in the Adelphi's basement to power the system, and i

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14 March 2016

"France is a very strong market for Doughty Engineering and we felt it was important to officially launch this range on the home turf of some of our best customers", said Julian Chiverton, sales director, Doughty Engineering. "The Modular Rigging System is set to revolutionise the way stage sets are rigged and is paving the way for highly innovative lighting design. We are now fully stocked and rea

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14 March 2016

He also led the field in bespoke Tension Wire Grids, initially for Stockholm Waterfront Congress Centre in 2010, then Harrogate International Centre and most recently the Attenborough Centre.

Alan Jacobi, managing director of Unusual, said: "Mike's sometimes gruff outward appearance belied his true self. He was an inspirational character, always ready to help

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14 March 2016

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 your knowledge.

Questions concerning certification and testing may be directed to Meredith Moseley-Bennett, Certification Manager at etcp@plasa.org or 212.244.1505, ext. 705.

(Jim Evans)

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14 March 2016

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 Lab Ltd, removes the uncertainty suffered by traditional anchorage methods such as stakes and provides an effective, easily portable alternative to ballast, which is expensive to transport.

The Structural Anchor System 2000 is the first manually deployed screw anchor-based system. Specially fabrica

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14 March 2016

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 flash and dance by passengers who tweet Christmas greetings to #T2Christmas. After dark the tree will come alive with a gentle wash of light giving it an enchanting glow.

(Jim Evans)

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14 March 2016

Another blockbusting Strictly season for the BBC sees S+H working with BAFTA Award winning set and scenic designer Patrick Doherty - a regular client - for whom the Ilfracombe, Devon-based company is supplying around 6000 Pea-Lights for the regular weekly episodes broadcast from Entree Studios. The Pea-Lights are integrated into the set walls of Patrick's impressive ballroom de

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14 March 2016

"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 services with very similar work ethic and philosophy for doing business, with a track record for providing excellent products and customer service."

Fellow director Tony Dickson comments: "This union reflects both companies' commitment towards sustainable growth creating a world class inn

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14 March 2016

Included in the technical refurbishment was a brand new stage, a complete overhaul of the entire stage electrical system, the installation of a new flying system and a new stage lift. As most of the productions brings their own sound system and lighting, attention has been paid to installing a comprehensive network for video, sound, data, dimmers, patch panels and lighting looms. Cable used included Van Damme Cat 6 Data and Digil

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14 March 2016

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 discovery and deportation by the Nazis. The intimate and powerful production not only utilises Anne Frank's own words from her diary but also plays out against a life-size backdrop of the Frank family's flat.

The audience views a series of projection screens that part to form a proscenium at various times