UK - Focusrite plc has announced the acquisition of UK-based Sheriff Technology Limited, trading as OutBoard, the company behind both TiMax immersive audio solutions and OutBoard stage rigging motor control products and PAT4 enterprise electrical safety testing. They will join the Audio Reproduction division of the Focusrite Group alongside Martin Audio, Optimal Audio, and Linea Research.
Founded in 2001 by Robin Whittaker and David Haydon, OutBoard is a UK-based company specialising in innovative entertainment technologies, which it sells globally. Operating under two sub-brands

UAE - In November 2023, aviation companies and organisations descended on the new Dubai World Central aerotropolis for the biennial Dubai Airshow.
The 645,000sq.m site, which features a purpose-built 42,870sq.m exhibition hall - about the size of seven football fields welcomed some 1,046 exhibitors from 60 countries and drew a trade attendee intake of 60,692. Such a massive event required an equally massive amount of rigging, with Tarsus Group contracting Unusual Rigging and Engineering to handle the task.
“In total we provided more than 900 rigging points - 750 of which a

UK - Celebro is a global broadcast TV company that rents out production and studio space around the world. All studios are located in prime city centre locations in Washington DC, New York and London - and all boast quality broadcasting equipment, including a wide range of kit from Doughty Engineering.
The London studio recently moved to a new location - from Portland House near Oxford Circus to the old Hospital Club in Covent Garden. And, because the team are such big fans of Doughty, they decided to take all their kit with them.
Wesley Dodd, CEO, Celebro explained; “We h

UK - Hosted in the Heineken Suite at Bristol City’s Ashton Gate stadium - the Stage Electrics Showcase will feature more than 25 of the leading manufacturers of lighting, audio, rigging, pyrotechnics and special effects. The showcase on 25 January presents an opportunity for visitors to get hands-on experience with the latest products from exhibitors, and to discuss their needs with representatives from all the brands.
The Stage Electrics Showcase is free to attend, registration is now open. Delegates who sign up to attend the Showcase before 20 January, will be eligible for fre

Slovakia - HOF has announced Adam A Syn as its new sales partner for Slovakia. Adam A Syn was founded in 1990 and has many years of experience in the distribution of professional event technology. The company works with TV studios, theatres and congress halls, and more.
Dagmar Pastorkova, CEO of Adam A Syn, says: "We offer top products from well-known brands. We are impressed by the innovative and high-quality products of the MLT Pre Rig Truss series from HOF, which save a lot of time and space."
Edwin Duivelaar, export & sales manager at HOF, adds: "Adam A Syn is a majo

UK - Prolyte is set to collaborate with long-standing partner Stage Electrics, one of the UK's premier Prolyte suppliers, for two exclusive campus events in Glasgow and Birmingham this January.
Prolyte and Stage Electrics invite industry professionals to join these insightful events, helmed by Prolyte's expert, Eric Laanstra. With over 23 years of expertise, Prolyte's seasoned product manager, promises a profound exploration into the intricacies of rigging, trussing, and staging.
The Glasgow event takes place 23 January 2024 at RCS Glasgow; Birmingham’s venue is MAC Birmin

UK - TAIT has announced plans to open a central London base in early 2024 at Tileyard London in the heart of King's Cross. This new office follows the trajectory of TAIT’s extensive growth both in the UK and globally.
TAIT’s current UK locations include super-factories, equipped for heavy entertainment engineering, in Wakefield in West Yorkshire and Haverhill in Suffolk, as well as training and R&D facilities in Hampton.
Born through strategic acquisitions of Stage Technologies, Delstar, Brilliant Stages and Kinesys, TAIT’s UK based team have played a key role in s

UK - Global investment group CDPQ has acquired a minority stake in Solotech. The goal of this transaction, which represents the largest investment in the company since 2013, is to support Solotech’s acquisition and organic growth strategy to expand its presence in various markets and create more value for its customers.
“With this investment - the largest in the last decade for Solotech - CDPQ will support the company in its next growth stage. Aligned with CDPQ’s priorities, this means not only shifting activities into high gear, but also facilitating the company

Germany - Movecat, specialist in the field of stage automation technology, has announced its change of name to Moveket.
This decision is a direct response to the continuously increasing worldwide demand for stage automation solutions with the highest safety standards in the entertainment sector, says the company. The resulting global expansion of Moveket GmbH has led to increasing trademark challenges, which have been resolved by the change of name.
The suffix ket in the new company name stands for Kinetic Entertainment Technologies.
"The change of name is an importan

Germany - The HOF team continues to grow with technology expert Tim Otte joining.
Tim has been working in the field of event technology for many years and has extensive industry, sales and user experience. Many people will recognise him from these activities.
Tim is already very familiar with HOF's portfolio. He joins HOF as sales manager and will work on both national and international accounts.

USA - The first ever Power Trip music festival was considered epic before it even took place. Six of the world’s best known heavy metal and hard rock bands gathered to play on one stage, and 4Wall, Paradox and Elation had the honour of lighting the event.
Metallica, Guns N' Roses, AC/DC, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and Tool (subbing for Ozzy Osbourne) all played at the Empire Polo Grounds in Indio, California, 6-8 October, where up to 80,000 fans gathered each day. Power Trip marked the first concert in seven years from AC/DC.
Some 80 Proteus Maximus, 18 Proteus Excalibur,

UK - MCS Rental Software, provider of rental management solutions, has announced the launch of a new, innovative feature that will ‘revolutionise the way customers pick equipment to hire’.
The new feature introduces checklists to the picking process, as part of the pre-delivery inspections (PDIs), allowing users to perform comprehensive equipment assessments. This feature includes the ability to add specific notes for the picker(s), prioritise certain tasks for faster processing, and the creation of custom checklists. The checklists are versatile, supporting tick boxes, drop-

USA - With fellow General Device Type Format (GDTF) and My Virtual Rig (MVR) founders MA Lighting and Robe Lighting, global design and BIM software provider Vectorworks has announced that DIN SPEC 15801 officially recognises MVR as an open standard for the entertainment industry worldwide.
"The accomplishment of DIN SPEC 15801 marks a significant milestone in the continuous evolution of GDTF and MVR, as well as the overall advancement of the entertainment industry," said Vectorworks CEO Dr. Biplab Sarkar. "Since its inception, MVR has made remarkable progress in meeting the needs

Denmark - Motor Stage Automation (MSA) is a company that loves challenges. So Christian Vigsø and his team were delighted to be asked to design a bespoke flying runway solution for a recent massive show by popular Danish hip hop phenom Suspekt, for their only live appearance this year - at Parken stadium in Copenhagen.
In the process, MSA devised a new modular quick assembly touring product - M:CAT - which is now available exclusively from MSA, a fresh and innovative Danish enterprise working internationally and specialising in the art of designing and delivering stage and show

Europe - HOF will reduce the prices for standard truss by up to 15% as of 1 November 2023. This affects the truss systems HOFKON and HOFFORK (with the exception of the MLT series). The prices of the HOFKON 290-4 series in black will also be reduced by up to 15%.
This price reduction is a reaction to the current easing on the procurement market for raw aluminium. Both the HOFKON 290-4 series and the HOFKON 290-4 Black series are currently available from stock.
Dennis Klostermann, Co-CEO at HOF, says: "The last few years have been challenging for all of us in the industry du

USA - Mary Lou Figley is retiring from Stageco US at the end of this year. Mary Lou has successfully led Stageco US for over 31 years. During her 31+ years of service with the company, Mary Lou was instrumental in the success and establishment of Stageco US in Colorado Springs, Colorado and the satellite office in Manheim, Pennsylvania.
“It was essential for Mary Lou to find a replacement whom she felt could take over the reins and help grow the US marketplace,” says Stageco. “During that search, the leadership team and Mary Lou selected Micah Catterson.
Micah is an e

USA - PRG (Production Resource Group) has appointed Ariane Coldiron as senior vice president, corporate events. Coldiron will head the corporate events division, reporting directly to PRG CEO Stephan Paridaen.
Coldiron was most recently SVP, brand experience at Freeman where she worked for nearly a decade. As SVP, she drove the company’s highly successful agency business, developing and implementing go-to-market and long-term strategies while managing a large and complex portfolio of accounts including industry giants like Google, SalesForce, Sage, and HP. She also held tenures

USA - Offering increased thickness and weight capacities, ADJ has upgraded the selection of safety cables available as part of its Accu-Cable range. With a focus on strength, reliability, and value, the new safety cables are designed to offer ‘complete peace of mind for all professional lighting and production applications’. The TÜV approved range features three different weigh loading options, which all share the same robust and practical design.
Safety cables are an essential component of any entertainment technology installation, which ensure protection for equipment and p

South Africa - CS Productionz, a company that specialises in conferences, corporate productions and exclusive events, has expanded its equipment inventory to accommodate its busy schedule.
With offices in both Durban and Johannesburg, the company recently made an investment in Prolyte StageDex and a Beavis II 32A 3-Phase Distro from DWR Distribution.
Clyde Shunmugam initially founded the technical supply company back in 2009 in Durban, and the opportunity to continuously meet new people and to learn from other industry professionals to fine tune his own service, has kept hi

Australia - The SRS Group and Showtools International have announced their mutual partnership has been extended to grant Showtools International exclusivity to distribute all SRS Group brands including the SRS Rigging range of products for Australia.
"Having established the SRS Power and SRS Lighting brands as reliable and affordable products for the Australian market over the last two years, it was a logical step to include SRS Rigging so we are able to distribute and promote the entire SRS Group portfolio from under one banner," comments Showtools International managing director

Spain - ETC distributor Stonex selected ETC stage machinery and lighting to complete the Lekuona Fabrika Cultural Centre in northern Spain. Prodigy P2 hoists, QuickTouch+ controls as well as ETC luminaires were selected for the project.
Based in Errenteria near the north coast of Spain, the Lekuona Fabrika is a multifunctional cultural venue which frequently hosts exhibitions, festivals, productions and more. The venue is a 613m² open-plan flexible space that can be divided into three rooms offering up to six different configurations using movable walls and retractable seating bl

Europe - Showgear, an all-round supplier of stage essentials, expendables and accessories, has introduced its biodegradable confetti, ‘transforming celebrations into eco-conscious experiences’.
In a world where sustainability is paramount, Showgear’s new biodegradable confetti allows revellers to celebrate with a clear conscience and to elevate their events while minimising their environmental footprint.
The new biodegradable confetti proudly carries the respected TÜV OK-biodegradable SOIL certification, assuring users that it will completely decompose in the soil,

Europe - The new ByB Boost your Booth System from HOF is designed for exhibition booth construction, showrooms as well as stores or shops with high demands on appearance and flexibility.
The assembly of the ByB Boost your Booth System is ‘very easy and fast and can be done by two people’.
Lighting technology and other equipment such as screens or advertising banners can be positioned flexibly and precisely.
The ByB Boost your Booth system offers space-saving transportation. An exhibition booth of 5x5m, for example, can be easily transported in an estate car.

The Netherlands - Cisco Live 2023 took place in the Amsterdam RAI from earlier this year. Thearent, a company that specialises in the rental and sale of materials for professional purposes, transformed an area of the RAI for the event using Wentex Se Frame Modules.
Cisco Live is an event for IT professionals that focuses on education and training. With various topics being covered over the course of five days, it was necessary to have a number of different areas available for participants. Using a total of 5500 Wentex Set Frame Modules, Thearent transformed a single, large area o

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