UK - trackingThis has launched a new shackle labelling solution that solves the headache of identifying loose rigging items in the events industry.

LOLER (Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998) specifies that lifting accessories should be inspected every six months and that detailed records are kept. The problem is most small rigging items, such as shackles, don't have unique identifiers or serial numbers. Unless you can identify each item, it is not possible to maintain the detailed records required.

Traditional labels have not been suitable because shackles lack a flat area to stick a label to. If the adhesion area is small the labels do not stay on. Physical abuse, outdoor use and extremes of temperatures also make traditional labels prone to fading and distortion - making them unreadable.

As an alternative solution many companies mark such items with

UK - Launched last September, Current RMS has been working hard building new features into the system, now being used in over 400 event rental businesses worldwide.

To celebrate a year on, the Current team has launched a new website as well as the release of the new Resources Module. Now, Current not only manages all of the renting and sale of products but also the services that go with these jobs too whether that be crew, transport, venues or rooms.

Key features of this new Module include: View all your bookable resources and any job with unallocated services; Flexible service charging by; hours, days or distance; Simple resource allocation using drag and drop functionality; Handy iCal feed for all resource bookings; Use Stores to determine the whereabouts of your resource; Specify periods of unavailability for bookable resources.

The Current team look forward to demonstrat

UK - Star Events returns to Showman's Show on the back of a phenomenal season in 2015, which saw it providing infrastructure and ingenuity on grass, on tarmac and on water.

The Star stand, at the corner of Avenues B and G, will be focussed on the company's seating and fencing & barriers portfolio, the latter a component part of events from Cyclo-cross to Latitude Festival.

In the spirit of a taste test, at Showman's, visitors will have the opportunity to directly compare the industry's traditional, uncomfortable folding chairs with Star Events' tip-up, flat floor system, which comes complete with air insulated seats and backs.

This summer, the Star system was used across events including Greenwich Music Time, Nocturne Live at Blenheim Palace and Neil Diamond at Blackpool FC. In all cases the promoters reported superb audience feedback.

(Jim Evans)

UK - Triple E's ModTruss is being deployed as the 'universal building system' for the Theatres Trust stage, the Technical Theatre Awards/USITT stand and the Technical Theatre Awards stage at PLASA this year.

Triple E launched ModTruss - best described as full size Meccano - in the UK market at the ABTT Theatre Show in June 2015. It was immediately recognised as 'Engineering Product of the Year' at the ABTT Awards.

ModTruss was Triple E's most ambitious launch since the company was formed in 1984. The product is set to revolutionise theatre staging, set building, stage machinery, construction and event markets.

"We're very excited that visitors to PLASA 2015 will be able to experience ModTruss," says Triple E's managing director, David Edelstein. "The feedback at ABTT was overwhelmingly positive, not only from the wider industry but also from the ABTT Awards ju

UK - Flightcase, loudspeaker component and 19-inch rack manufacturer Penn Elcom highlights two exciting new products at the 2015 PLASA London expo - a brand new, super cool LED rack light, and the robust and innovative MOL3 latch with patented automatic cantilevered action.

These and a selection of other current Penn Elcom products will be prominent on stand L26 at the ExCeL exhibition centre, 4-6 October.

A seriously stylish and efficient rack lighting product to hit the market, the new Penn Elcom RADM-23 1U Raclite is designed to be fitted to any 19-inch equipment rack providing an elegant and practical solution for illuminating equipment in dark and dingy environments.

Twenty-five super bright cool-white (6500K) LED emitters provide a crisp wash optimised for clear vision of the kit in the rack, allowing the status of equipment to be checked at a glance.

A 130 - 150 deg

UK - Unusual Rigging is proud to announce that it is now meeting over 50% of its annual on-site power consumption with renewable energy via a solar PV system.

The 100KW solar PV system is installed on the roof of Unusual's new 1,056 sq m warehouse, which opened in June this year, and was energized on September 3.

Tom Harper, resource and sustainability manager at Unusual Rigging, explained: "This really is the icing on the cake in our drive to become a green business. Over the past few years, we have been implementing the key concepts of a circular economy - ensuring that all materials streams are efficiently managed and recycled, as well as striving to run entirely on the basis of renewable energy, mitigating negative effects on human life or our ecosystem. This implementation of the solar panels is our most recent step and will significantly reduce our annual C02 footpr

UK - Bend it like Beckham the Musical, which opened to rave reviews this summer, is a striking tale of female footballer Jess, based on the 2002 film of the same name. The musical takes the audience on her journey as she struggles with a big decision - live up to her family expectations of university and marriage or chase her dreams and follow in the footsteps of her hero David Beckham.

When production manager Gary Beestone realised the show would throw a number of interesting challenges at him, he asked Unusual Rigging to provide the entire rigging at London's Phoenix Theatre.

"I've worked with Unusual Rigging on a number of projects in both theatre and events and have always had a great working relationship with them. The show required complete rigging solutions for the overhead flying in the Phoenix and also for the set build, and with a variety of challenging flying p

UK - A powerful load cell monitoring system with improved coverage, increased security and a range of up to 800m will be showcased by leading load cell brand BroadWeigh at PLASA 2015.

Development engineers at BroadWeigh's parent company, Mantracourt Electronics, have developed a new radio module giving four times the range of the previous system. Improvements in the omni-directional antenna have provided increased performance in more challenging environments such as high concentrations of truss or wall. The system will be on show on the stand of BroadWeigh's exclusive UK distributor, A.C Entertainment (F30).

The upgraded radio module and antenna give improved signal integrity and coverage of installations, meaning that, in perfect conditions, a signal range of up to 800m can be achieved, as standard. In addition to this, the shackles and base stations can now be assigned a Gro

UK / USA - To allow PLASA to refocus and concentrate on the needs of their respective membership bases, the PLASA Governing Body announces that PLASA's North American and European Union Regional Boards will end their cooperation agreement and return to functioning as separate associations.

A statement from PLASA reads: "This move will allow the associations to set strategic direction to meet their individual demands. It affords more focus of resources in each market toward the activities that are most relevant and pertinent to members and it will allow for more agility and decisiveness.

This in turn will foster the health of both organisations and protect their futures. As we did prior to the start of the cooperation agreement, the two associations will continue to work cooperatively on issues of common interest for the benefit of their members and the industry."

(

UK - A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET) Ltd., a leading one-stop provider of professional equipment to the entertainment industry, will showcase a selection of the very latest lighting, audio, rigging and video solutions available from their vast portfolio of over 200 leading brands - in their large exhibition Zone (Stands F30 - F38), which also includes stands for their sister company, A.C. Special Projects Ltd., industry-sponsored 2015 Dunlop MSA British Touring Cars Championship (BTCC) racing driver, Jack Goff, and a number of leading lighting marques.

Staff from AC-ET's Lighting sales division will be present to demonstrate and discuss products showcased on dedicated brand stands within the AC-ET Zone for Chroma-Q®, Jands, ProLights / ArchWork, Spotlight and GLP, as well as a selection of products from other leading brands including Philips Vari-Lite and Luminex. In

UK - PLASA Show 2015 is just a few days away, but the organisers are working right up to the wire to bring in the best speakers for the PLASA Professional Development Programme. Four new sessions have just been announced, respectively addressing lighting, sound and video.

Emmy Award winning lighting designer Al Gurdon, of Incandescent Design, will discuss his design philosophy in State of the Art Today, Passé Tomorrow, covering what is lighting for, what should it do, why do we need it, as well as taking a look at whether your lighting is relevant and focused now, and if it will stand the test of time.

In Going Over To The Dark Side - From Lessons To Lighting, founder of DX7 Design Tom Sutherland will discuss how he dropped out of education to pursue a highly successful career in lighting, a decision taken neither lightly nor without opposition. This sessi

UK - At PLASA Show 2015, A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET) Ltd., a leading one-stop provider of professional equipment to the entertainment industry, is showcasing a selection of the very latest lighting, audio, rigging and video solutions available from its portfolio of over 200 leading brands - in a large exhibition zone (stands F30 - F38), which also includes stands for sister company, A.C. Special Projects Ltd., and industry-sponsored 2015 Dunlop MSA British Touring Cars Championship (BTCC) racing driver, Jack Goff.

Staff from AC-ET's Lighting sales division are present throughout the show to demonstrate and discuss products showcased on dedicated brand stands within the AC-ET Zone for Chroma-Q, Jands, ProLights / ArchWork, Spotlight and GLP, as well as a selection of products from other leading brands including Philips Vari-Lite and Luminex.

In addition, AC-ET is la

UK - The annual PLASA Riggers Forum taking place at PLASA Show 2015 is an open floor discussion on issues that affect everyday working lives in the entertainment rigging industry. The conference will be presented by 20 plus international speakers and panellists and will begin with a keynote presentation by Hedwig de Meyer, StageCo's founder and president, whose long experience of building ground-breaking structures for the entertainment industry speaks for itself. Sessions following this will focus on the management of chain hoists, the impact of CDM regulations, an update from PLASA on the NRC and trainee rigger scheme, as well as the subject of trusses and their design.

Now in its sixth year, it is the go-to event in the calendar for riggers, rigging companies, venue management and safety professionals alike. The Riggers' Forum takes place once again on Sunday from 2pm - 5pm f

UK - Triple E's ModTruss is being deployed as the 'universal building system' for the Theatres Trust stage, the Technical Theatre Awards/USITT stand and the Technical Theatre Awards stage at PLASA this year.

Triple E launched ModTruss - best described as full size Meccano - in the UK market at the ABTT Theatre Show in June 2015. It was immediately recognised as 'Engineering Product of the Year' at the ABTT Awards.

ModTruss was Triple E's most ambitious launch since the company was formed in 1984. The product is set to revolutionise theatre staging, set building, stage machinery, construction and event markets.

"We're very excited that visitors to PLASA 2015 will be able to experience ModTruss," says Triple E's managing director, David Edelstein. "The feedback at ABTT was overwhelmingly positive, not only from the wider industry but also from the ABTT Awards ju

UK - Highlighted on Area Four's stand (H10) is the EXE CELL - Load Cell Interface system. Fully integrated into an EXE Rise chain hoist body, the PLASA Award for Innovation nominated system is designed to give riggers the possibility to see in real time, the individual weight applied to the chain hoist during all rigging operations. It can be operated as a stand-alone load sensor, or as part of a load monitoring network of chain hoists. The system is truly integrated, with the load cell discretely built into the hook assembly and an LED display, built into a metal end cover that can replace the standard end casing of the hoist.

Also highlighted on the Area Four stand are a range of truss solutions from Milos, Litec, James Thomas Engineering and Tomcat. Visit the team on stand H10 to find out more.

For more information about PLASA Show or to register please visit

UK - Visitors to the Doughty Engineering stand (E20) at this year's PLASA can expect to see two new prototype products on display as well as its familiar range of clamps and award winning Modular Rigging System.

A new Zenith stand joins the company's range of winch stands. Mark Chorley, design engineer at Doughty said, "The Doughty Zenith MKIII winch stands have been in regular service all over the world for more than 15 years, including use in some of the harshest conditions on earth. The Zenith MKIV builds upon these years of experience, evolving the design further."

Boasting new, ergonomically designed locking knobs, stronger lockings springs for more positive action and a redesigned stand base to prevent tangling when stowing, the improvements have been designed to aid functionality, and longevity, while ensuring it maintains its position as the premier winch sta

UK - The PLASA Awards for Innovation & Sustainability 2015 and the Gottelier Award, sponsored by Lighting&Sound International, were presented at the PLASA Show at London's ExCeL yesterday evening.

This year, 31 products were nominated for the Awards for Innovation & Sustainability, with eight awards presented, including a final Gold Award for Innovation.

The winners had to satisfy the judges that they demonstrate a new style of thinking, that they improve technical practice, have introduced new technologies, materials or techniques, that they feature patents or unique intellectual property, offer a new commercial advantage, or improve safety.

This year's Gottelier Award winner was David Cunningham, an early pioneer of computer lighting systems who developed a number of landmark products for Strand during the 1970s and 80s, including the Multi-Q memory lighting system, the Mi

UK - The 2015 PLASA Rigging Conference was once again attended by approximately 120 delegates including rigging professionals, representatives from the UK Health and Safety Executive and from venues and rigging companies across Europe and even further afield.

Technical content included the engineering principles behind aluminium truss design and the legal responsibilities involved with integrating chain hoists and control systems. Delegates made the most of the opportunity to ask the HSE questions about compliance and enforcement of the CDM Regulations 2015 in the entertainment industry.

Those attending reported they learned a great deal from each session and the event was very well worth taking the time to attend.

The conference will move to Olympia with the PLASA show in September 2016 where it is expected that the event will attract even more delegates as it has year on y

UK - Eurotruss has announced its expansion into the UK with the launch of Eurotruss Sales UK Ltd. Based in Northampton, the new UK facility will stock a wide range of popular product allowing for instant despatch, or customer collection.

Truss structures can be very complex; Eurotruss offers both ideas and solutions as part of their comprehensive service. The appointment of many new preferred partners across the globe shows Eurotruss are an innovative company, committed to growth in the market place.

"This move brings us ever closer to our customer, meaning we can be far more responsive to their needs by offering them, both locally stocked goods and expertise," said Martin Kuyper, CEO and founder of Eurotruss.

(Jim Evans)

UK - Blackout supported Achieving for Children, a Community Interest Company (CIC) creating a professional style performance stage with theatre curtains and drapes in its new youth centre.

Achieving for Children (AFC) is a social enterprise, set up to help provide better social, educational and community outcomes for children within the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames and the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Following a recent investment from Richmond Council, AFC alongside of Richmond Council leading on project management and delivery of the project took action to revamp part of the popular youth centre - the Heatham House gym, to provide better facilities for the young people who attend, as well as those within the local community.

Heatham House is a Grade II listed building, situated in Twickenham, and is accessed by over 1,000 young people each year. Over the

UK - Three successful days in early October saw the PLASA Show bring its three-year stay at London's ExCeL to a close, with the promise of a revamped and reinvigorated event at Olympia for 2016.

New for this year, the innovative zoned layout of PLASA Show 2015 was clearly a success, allowing show visitors to easily find the exhibitors they wanted to visit. In turn, this meant exhibitors enjoyed the attention of high quality visitors throughout the show.

"We were extremely busy all day. We changed the way our stand looks for this year and it's worked fantastically," said Koy Neminathan, Sales Director for Avolites and Avolites Media after the first day.

As in previous years, PLASA Show Platinum sponsor Robe occupied a large area and Robe CEO Josef Valchar pronounced himself very pleased.

"We had a really positive reaction to the stand, with people truly thril

UK - When the drama facility at Elgin High School in Moray, Scotland, underwent refurbishment earlier this year, Jock Wallace, installations manager at Edinburgh based Black Light was asked to devise a way of providing raised and lower lighting within the studios. With cost and ease of use being significant factors, Jock turned to Doughty Engineering to build a bespoke solution.

Jock explained, "Having worked with the team at Doughty on several other educational projects, I had no hesitation in recommending them to FES Facilities Management, our client who was in charge of the refurbishment."

He continued, "Having looked at various other options, the Doughty Lighting Hoist ticked all the boxes - well priced and designed with the end user in mind. It also has the option of single phase power which made sense for this specific application, saving us time and money

USA - On 25 September, ANSI's Board of Standards Review approved the reaffirmation of the 2010 edition of ANSI E1.30-4, EPI 26, Device Description Language (DDL) Extensions for DMX512 and E1.31 Devices, and the revised version of ANSI E1.37-2, Entertainment Technology - Additional Message Sets for ANSI E1.20 (RDM) - Part 2, IPv4 & DNS Configuration Messages. ANSI E1.30-4 does what the title says: it defines protocol-specific extensions to the Device Description Language for describing DMX512 devices. ANSI E1.37-2 is another part of the multi-part, open-ended E1.37 standard. It provides Get/Set parameter messages for configuring network interfaces, routing information, and DNS settings on devices with IPv4 addresses.

Both standards are now published. They may be downloaded at no charge from http://tsp.plasa.org/freestandards; the free download is sponsored by Prosight Specialty I

USA - LDI 2015 will see the North American premiere of the latest upgrade to entertainment motion control systems expert XLNT Advanced Technologies' CyberHoist II system on Booth #142.

The new incarnation of the world's first intelligent, variable speed, robust chain hoist and control system, CyberHoist II CH528 (2015), has been specifically designed to overcome the creative, logistical and physical rigours of automation design for entertainment environments, large scale events and touring.

Since the system's successful preview launch at Prolight+Sound Frankfurt 2015, XLNT's research and development team has continued to fine tune its pro-user-valued features.

Although the system still features its signature strength, smooth operation, intuitive plug and play interface and compact design, under its hood is a range of improved software and hardware features, each steered by X

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