Rigging / Staging

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14 March 2016

The arrangement was a development of the relationship between LD Bryan Hartley and Flashlight that began on last year's successful tour with Lenny Kravitz. "I was delighted with Flashlight's service," says Hartley, "so I recommended them for the Zappa gig."

The tour - entitled Zappa Plays Zappa, Tour de Frank - included a sold-out night at London's Royal Albert Hall on 2 June in which the venue's refurbished organ was pressed into service for one number, Louie Louie, just as it had been when Zappa Snr. played the venerable hall.

Tour manager Maryjo Spillane and production manager Glynn Wood headed the crew. Woo

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14 March 2016

During the course of the Summit, the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) - the body responsible for delivering the new venues and infrastructure for the Games, launched a draft version of its Procurement Policy - which outlines how it will manage the whole procurement process, including its selection and award criteria.

With the UK Government spending £3bn on the physical infrastructure for the Games, PLASA is keen to profile the creative and technical expertise of its membership and is preparing a guidance note for members to help them maximise their chances of winning key contracts. It will also be working with them to ensure they are fully aware

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14 March 2016

The Wickerman was the most recent of a string of high-profile temporary power contracts supplied by Tower including the provision of cable, distribution and lighting (for use by others) to; T-in-the-Park, The Johnny Walker Golf Tournament at Gleneagles, The

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14 March 2016

The initial idea for the ground support came from a sketch from the customer and a photo of the area in which the stage was to be installed. The brief was simple - design a structure that would sit on their newly built stage giving the bands a concert atmosphere in a small venue but also to give cover from the weather, be it rain or shine. "We were supplied with a few site photos and a basic idea of how they would like the structure to function," said Patrick Lockwood, sales engineer for Tomcat UK. It was only when I did the site visit that we found that due to conditions on site, their ideas were not suitable so we red

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14 March 2016

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14 March 2016

Star Events Group director, Pete Holdich said: "The Scottish market has always been incredibly important to us and we have been looking at ways of reducing the financial premium of operating there for some time. Stage Hire Scotland is the only existing Scottish service company we have found that aspires to the same level of service and safety as we do and we are all lookin

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14 March 2016

Harlequin's new publication, Specifying Dance Floors - a Guide for Architects,was launched for the Theatre Engineering and Architecture Conference (see July-August issue of L&SI). The guide covers the sprung floors in Harlequin's range; giving test results, specifications, and case studies.

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14 March 2016

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14 March 2016

The tour promotes the collaborative album of the same name from the Dire Straits front-man and 11-time Grammy award-winner, Emmylou Harris. The pair have been compiling duets for seven years.

Lighting designer Simon Tutchener was asked to produce a simple look for the stage - with no video production onboard - the visual scenography was all down to lighting - and he in turn again asked Lester Cobrin at Bandit to help realise his design.

The design was based on using two very elegant eight metre diameter A-type interlocking circular trusses - which Bandit had custom fabricated. Tutchener wanted an architectural feel to the stage that defined the space. The circles symbolised the fusion of two of the greatest l

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14 March 2016

With the visit of the religious leader, Morari Bapu, the organisers changed the festival to a more corporate style format including the erection of an enclosed Arena TFT structure 95 metres long, 50 metres wide and 16 metres in height to the apex, accommodating 8000 people.

In order to power the whole site, two pairs of generators were used, one of which was a one megawatt set, which provided all the power to the catering facilities, lighting, sound and the all important air conditioning, given the recent temperatures.

To illuminate the Arena TFT structure and stage both decoratively and safely, over 250KW of lighting was used.

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14 March 2016

The entire Courtyard Theatre project is estimated to have cost in the region of £6m and following careful planning it is envisaged that a large amount of the equipment and materials will subsequently be reused in other RSC theatres and to support its works in London and on tours in the UK and around the world.

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14 March 2016

Pro-audio, specialist lighting and entertainment suppliers from around the world can find a strong and growing market in mainland China. Companies from China, Germany, France, Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore, Sweden, Taiwan, the UK and the USA have already signed up to be a part of Prolight + Sound Shanghai.

Prolight + Sound Shanghai will feature a Taiwanese Pavilion fo

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14 March 2016

Specialz were commissioned to provide a multifunctional cube for use on the latest Pet Shop Boys 'Live' 2006 tour. The cube, which is internally illuminated, functions as a giant projection screen, a band prop, and dancer platform. The cube subdivides into four (4m x 4m) separate parts which are moved around the stage during the show.

Whilst these unique items look s

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14 March 2016

The single-handed operation of the tri-press means that riggers can produce terminations quickly and easily whenever they need them, including on-site and at the point of application. The press has a number of interchangeable dies, which makes even crimping electrical terminations both quick and easy.

The tri-press has a number of features that add to its versatility - it can be supplied with a range of dies for various applications; the press automatically retracts once the crimping operation is complete; it has a crimping force of 35kN with a cycle time of four seconds and can complete 85 crimps per battery charge. The tri-press also comes with a RAM1 batt

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14 March 2016

The expansion comes as PLASA Show organisers Clarion Events report the highest ever number of pre-registered visitors - up by 13% on 2005, with technical and creative teams from major venues and high-profile projects among the first to register.

The show's track record of hosting major international product launches, and wide interest in this year's new features, have helped drive the pre-registration increases. The new features are led by the new Integrated Systems Area; a greatly expanded PLASA Seminar Programme with a dedicated Technologies for Worship programme; the first PLASA appearance of NEET (National Exhibition of Entertainment Technology); and new features for DJs.

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14 March 2016

Theatrical projects have included West End shows, installations for the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford and the servicing of ongoing existing touring theatrical shows. Kinesys equipment is increasingly finding its way onto high profile events like the Chanel fashion show at Paris Fashion Week, and work at both the Royal National Theatre and the Royal Opera House.

International shows as diverse as Showboat and War of the Worlds have benefited from the huge flexibility of Kinesys' motor control, and the equipment is regularly working in the USA, France, Belgium and Spain.

Concert touring continues to be a d

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14 March 2016

For the final part of the band's world tour, EFM engaged in meticulous planning to get the band, crew and equipment for Guns N' Roses between four venues in four different countries over a five-day period. Responding to every change of plan, right up to the last minute; EFM handled every element of the logistics for the band and its equipment.

Meeting the tour in Oslo, a charter plane was supplied to carry the band's 25 tonnes of cargo which included backline, lighting, pyrotechnics, staging and PA equipment, whilst another charter flight carried the 47 crew for the tour, and a VIP plane was organised for the band members. These three charters took the band between

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14 March 2016

Mojo Barriers was contracted to supply the 80m aluminium front of stage barrier for the whole Stadium Arcadium tour. They have been holding back crowds in front of the stages as the band played to sold out crowds across Europe in football stadiums, arena's and festival headline spots.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers have grown in popularity throughout Europe over the past decade, and the release of their new album this summer fuelled fans passion to see the band performing the new numbers.

Amidst four nights performing at London's Earls Court Arena the band's tour production manager of six years, Bill Rahmy, said: "I don't think there's any one in the same league as Mojo Barriers. Their barriers are of

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14 March 2016

Vice-president Adrian Forbes-Black explains this further expansion: "We have known for a long while that although we have been very strong in the Western and Central areas of the country, the three-hour time difference from the East coast has definitely been a factor in our further growth. With that in mind, earlier this year we consciously decided to look at opening an office somewhere in the Eastern time zone. When the opportunity to employ someone of Elmer's calibre and experience arose the decision to open the office in Atlanta made perfect sense. It's our hope that being in Georgia will allow us easy access to the large markets in Florida and Tennesse

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14 March 2016

The Arena Rigging course covers the basics of fall protection, hardware, hoists, trusses and the math involved, and effective methods to communicate the standard to be met to the crew, the work to be done, and their roles in getting it done. The course is designed for riggers with 1-3 years of practical rigging experience. The instructors are rigging experts Bill Sapsis of Sapsis Rigging and Eddie Raymond of IATSE Local

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14 March 2016

Visitors can expect a warm welcome from the LTM team who will have a special cake on the stand to help celebrate the occasion, as well as a selection of their wide range of Lodestar hoists, motor control systems and other rigging equipment and accessories.

The LTM team will also be on hand to discuss their latest training initiatives, an element that key individuals in the company have pioneered in the industry for the last 12 years.

LTM offers a range of lifting and rigging equipment including the Lodestar and Prostar electric chain hoists, which are being highlighted at the show. High integrity hoisting systems are also available including equipment to BGV C1 German safety standard. Special features include double brakes, load sensing and multiple limit switches. Variable sp

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14 March 2016

Based on his experience of more than 20 years working with Avolites and some of the largest companies in the lighting industry, Lodge believes that his new GSL Power Distribution company will bring something unique to the event marketplace. "We have developed (and are currently working on) a selection of new products and services that we know the leading rental operations are demanding," he comments. "They want easily customised products that are robust and reliable and GSL Power Distribution will provide practical solutions and developm

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14 March 2016

For the Commemoration of the First Anniversary of the London Bombing on 7 July in Regent's Park, Summit supplied the Department of Culture Media and Sport with a 13 metre high ground support system for a BBC hot-head camera, plus four SmarTmasts for the stage area. The Masts were used to support the VDosc PA arrays supplied by Delta Sound. Production manager was Chuck Crampton.

At Leeds Castle, Summit deployed four SmarTmast 1s and two SmarTmast 2s - a two legged goalpost format structure constructed from 20.5 cm SuperTruss - plus two SmarTmast 3s. The 3 is also a goalpost construction - made from 52 cm truss, designed for heavier duty applications like

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14 March 2016

The 4-Bay Space Roof was supplied complete with 12m x 6m goal post PA and video wings, ramp, handrails and disabled platform. It also featured Serious's new improved anti-slip steps and a new solid handrail design. The roof offers 14m of headroom - plenty of height for lighting - and a distributed SWL of 11 tonnes per arch, with a centre load of 6 tonnes.

Serious also took care of the decking, using a combination of their standard Black Deck as well as their new Super Deck. The Super Deck ran at a 6m depth across the front of the stage. This is specially d