UK - Following their recent agreement to become master stocking distributor for Litestructures, Impact Products invited staff from the Wakefield-based trussing and staging manufacturer to its headquarters to further strengthen the inter-company relationship with a tour of their extensive facilities and an afternoon on the local go-karting track.

Impact's business manager Keith Williams was joined by Lee Brooks, Litestructures' sales director, in presenting the staff with the mechanics of the new deal, which sees Impact distributing Litestructures' product from stock held in its warehouse.

"This is a fantastic opportunity for both parties" commented Brooks. "Impact is a young and energetic company which has already established itself as a leading trade supplier of professional sound and lighting equipment. The addition of our product to its range effectively offe

UK Sunbaba was commissioned to provide over 4500m of branded signage for the Sky Sports Freewheel which took place on 21 September. The event was produced by experiential marketing agency RPM, Limelight Sports and the Greater London Authority (GLA).

An estimated 50,000 cyclists were given free rein of the city for a day as a central 12km route between the Tower of London and Buckingham Palace was closed to traffic. Some participants donned unusual costumes whilst others rode vintage penny farthing bicycles alongside the many families with children who were enjoying cycling without the pressure of heavy London traffic. Rest stops were placed around London offering refreshments and entertainment including live music, cycling limbo challenges and jugglers.

Sunbaba supplied 4000m of non woven Polyester which lined the main cycle route and 500m full colour Ultramesh covered

UK - Following a busy summer, temporary power specialist Power Logistics has moved its operations to new, expanded premises in Wiltshire in good time to serve the winter events market.

The new base is in the Chippenham area just minutes from the M4. The move was planned last year, when it became apparent that Power Logistics was rapidly outgrowing its previous operational base, as it experienced growth in the live music, public events and sporting sectors.

The new premises have two warehouses for storage and handling, allowing the company more efficient turnaround of equipment and quicker access to the motorway network.

"The move to new purpose-built offices and storage facilities puts us in an ideal position to offer the best value service to the winter market," says Mike Whitehouse, Power Logistics' business development manager. "The premises give us a numbe

USA - Milos America and Acuity AV will stage an open house event on 31 October to celebrate the launch of two Milos roofs and a staging system which are now available for rent in the eastern United States.

Manufactured by Milos Structural Systems, the MR1 and MR2 roofs and a complete xStage S3 platform system will be featured at the event which is hosted by Acuity AV at their facility in Manassas, VA.

(Jim Evans)

USA - Recently ESTA announced the creation of its Rock Our World awards to help honour groundbreaking achievement by its members. One such award honours innovative product design and Total Structures reports that its AIR Roof inflatable outdoor roof system has been chosen as one of the three nominees for this year's inaugural award.

The AIR Roof tackles a long-term industry challenge of how to provide an attractive 'sun shade' medium capacity outdoor roof system on a budget. This is achieved through the use of a non-rigid inflatable apex system, which is attached to the truss and provides the roof with the slope necessary to provide adequate rain run-off and protection to the stage below.

The Rock Our World Winners will be announced at the 2008 ESTA Annual Dinner, which will take place at Harrah's in Las Vegas on 23 October 2008.

(Jim Evans)

Competition News - The ESTA Foundation has announced the Behind the Scenes 2008 raffle prizes for LDI. The lucky winner of the Grand Prize will receive a $10,000 gift certificate with a premier travel agent that can be used to travel anywhere in the world. Second Prize is a $2,500 Amazon Gift Card and Third Prize is a $1,000 Amazon Gift Card.

"Often our industry is creating "a vacation look" for everyone else, so we are very excited to offer this great opportunity to get away on your own vacation," said Rick Rudolph, chair of the Behind the Scenes committee.

Tickets are $25 each or 5 for $100 and will be available throughout the LDI show at the Behind the Scenes booth #2810. A maximum of 2000 tickets will be available. Tickets will also be available at the ESTA Annual Dinner on Thursday evening and the Rose Brand party on Friday evening. LDI 2008 takes place from

UK - Crowd management specialist Showsec was awarded the gold medal for Best Event Security Team for the third consecutive year at the 2008 Security Excellence Awards.

Mark Harding, managing director of Showsec said: "We are delighted to have won this award which is a true testament to the high quality, professionalism and consistency of our operational performance. Having also been re-accredited with our Investors in People, our clients are assured of the highest standards in all strands of our product."

(Jim Evans)

USA - Making scenery safe through operator training, regular maintenance and the use of top quality theatrical rigging is the hallmark of J. R. Clancy's worldwide business. That's why the company has chosen LDI to remind entertainment professionals to take safety seriously.

"No matter what kind of rigging system a performance space may have - counterweights, automation, a combination of the two or a customized system - we can't emphasize enough that you're hanging heavy set pieces over people's heads," said Tom Young, J. R. Clancy's vice president of marketing. "We're taking a light touch with our safety message, but we're very serious about the need to do annual maintenance, train rigging operators to spot problems, and keep everyone in the theatre safe from rigging accidents."

LDI attendees can see J. R. Clancy's PowerLift Automated Hoist with its outer c

UK / Czech Republic - Milos has launched a new brochure illustrating its numerous trussing products. Entitled Simple Solutions For Everyday Tasks, the contemporarily designed 14 page book contains a general snapshot and overview of the many potential uses for Milos products worldwide.

The release of the new brochure is linked to the new re-designed Milos website at www.milosgroup.com going live.

(Jim Evans)

Dubai - ChainMaster has just produced a BGV-C1 chain-hoist system comprising 56 chain hoists, a computer-based controller and a switching cabinet, for the ice rink in Dubai Mall.

The 500kg and 800kg chain hoists are equipped with absolute value encoders and the new ChainMaster load measurement system that has made it possible to reduce the overall height of the chain hoists by around 20 cm. The control and programming of the chain hoists is performed at a mobile computerised controller for installation work.

The recently opened Dubai Mall is part of the 20 billion dollar investment in downtown Burj Dubai that includes the world's highest building, the Burj Dubai. The Mall will accommodate over 1,200 businesses, 160 F&B outlets, attractions such as the Dubai Aquarium and the Discovery Centre, the largest jewellery market in the world, a Fashion Avenue and a 22-screen Cineplex.<

USA - D-Tools reports that Visimation Inc., a Seattle-based professional services company, has joined the D-Tools Certified Partner Programme. Visimation provides custom Visio shape development and integration with Microsoft Office applications Word, Excel, and SharePoint. The company is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner. In addition to custom services, Visimation's online store www.ShapeSource.com offers thousands of pre-made Visio shapes including network equipment and symbols for security and safety planning.

"We are very pleased to offer our customers the ability to become more productive with Visio through the customisation that Visimation can provide for special shapes, reports, and more," said Adam Stone, president and founder of D-Tools. "When our customers need something special related to Visio, Visimation is the go-to company that can deliver it."

USA - When the Theatre Arts department at American River College began making plans for its new performance space, an up-to-date rigging system was one of the department's top priorities.

"The old theatre had no fly loft," said Kathy Burleson, department chair and technical director at American River, a two-year community college with 30,000 students. "We're a teaching institution, and for most of our students, this is their first experience with lighting or rigging. We wanted a system that would enable our training process so the students could learn lighting, and experience both manual and automated rigging in a very safe manner."

The new 360-seat proscenium theatre has a 20 x 40ft proscenium and a rigging system with 42 line sets, Burleson said. "We have music events and lectures as well as full productions, so we have lots of fast changeovers. Our

UK - The Electric Proms have been running since 2006 and the third edition closed on Sunday 26 October. This festival is dedicated to creating new moments in music and more than 60 artists performed in London and Liverpool

Litestructures was approached by head of stage Ben Ranner at The Roundhouse in London to supply the main stage set for the venue. The stage, using LiteDeck, the modular staging system from Litestructures Hire department consisted of a tiered Orchestra riser supported by additional rolling risers. The set measured 8' high, 40' wide and 16' deep.

Litestructures hire manager Ben Brooks comments: "It was a real pleasure working on the 2008 BBC Electric Proms in such a prestigious venue as The Roundhouse. We supplied a spectacular looking stage set made entirely from standard hire products; this allowed us to provide the benefits of a bespoke stage de

UK - Point Source Productions supplied the lighting and rigging equipment for The Heroes Ball which took place at London's Hurlingham Club in September.

The evening took the form of dinner for 800 VIP guests followed by a band and a Charity Auction which aimed to raise £250,000 for Help for Heroes - the charity formed in 2007 to raise money for the rehabilitation of wounded ex-servicemen across the Armed Forces.

Lighting designer Jono Kenyon was brought in to design the lighting for the band, the charity auction and the general dinner states, and had the added responsibility of acting as production manager for the evening.

The brief was to keep the costs as low as possible since all funding would come directly from the charity, yet to produce a stylish event suitable for the large number of dignitaries attending. The lighting was designed to play a signif

Israel - An In2Structures Maxi Dome made its debut in Israel as the VVIP Arena backstage at Paul McCartney's recent concert in Tel Aviv.

In2Structures is a South African based custom structures design and manufacturing company that is part of the Gearhouse SA Group. The 800sq.m capacity two-bay Dome at the McCartney show was supplied to Tel Aviv-based staging and rigging company Stage Design, provider of most of the overall event's technical infrastructure.

The Dome - launched by Gearhouse In2Structures as a fully flexible, aesthetically pleasing, structurally robust solution for all types of events - offered 12.5m of headroom and was located behind the main stage.

Its interior was fully fitted out and dressed by Market King complete with comfortable seating areas, a large central bar, a buffet area and a chilling one. A full lighting rig was hung on a circular truss above t

UK - As part of its ambitious plans for 2009, The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust will be opening a new exhibition and visitor centre at Shakespeare's Birthplace. Following a competitive pitch, the Trust has appointed UK creative design and AV specialist Sarner to redevelop the visitor centre and give the Bard a modern makeover.

The attraction, entitled Life, Love & Legacy: A New Introduction to William Shakespeare, is due to open in April 2009, and will see visitors journey through five zones in an immersive experience bringing the history of Shakespeare to life. Set within the grounds of the house where Shakespeare was born, the visitor centre is the centrepiece of the five houses that The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust opens to the public in and around Stratford.

Utilising its in house creative and AV departments, Sarner has designed a fully automated dark 'walk through'

UK - For the MTV Europe Music Awards at the Liverpool Echo Arena Mojo Barriers provided a black aluminium barrier system to meet the needs of the security and television teams.

The company installed 155m of aluminium stage barrier, 100m of cable ramps and 200m of pedestrian barrier, for the ceremony, which saw Paul McCartney receive an Ultimate Legend Award, with other honours going to Britney Spears, Kanye West, Pink and Lil' Wayne.

"It was important that the barrier fitted in with the overall look of the production," says Kevin Thorborn, Mojo Barriers' UK manager. "We were delighted to be able to respond flexibly when MTV Europe specified a black aluminium barrier. Meeting the production values of our clients is a key part of our service."

(Jim Evans)

Romania - Litestructures has developed a new manufacturing base in Slatina, Romania, to supply its European customers. The new 30,000sq.ft factory was officially opened by the Mayor of Slatina, Darius Bogdan Valcov and the British Ambassador, Robin Barnett, in the presence of Ion Prioteasa, president of the county of Dolj and Ioan Ciugulea, Vice-President of the Olt County Council, Romania.

Commenting on this initiative, Litestructures managing director, Adrian Brooks observed: "Even in these hard economic times, perhaps even more so, Romania remains an attractive area for inward investment. Slatina has many connections with the wider aluminium industry, so we were confident of finding the skills and support we needed for this venture."

Christmas 2008 marks the fifth anniversary of Litestructures' relationship with Romania. The Romanian factory will take over product

UK - Stage Electrics supplied its first ice rink of the season to the annual Metro Ski & Snowboard Show, recently held in Olympia, London. Stage Electrics worked with DMG World Media to provide their client, Trespass (suppliers of outdoor clothing), who were exhibitors at the show, with a large 240sq.m ice rink. The rink was divided into two smaller rinks to allow one for skating and one with two curling lanes.

The ice rink including all pipe work, 200KW of chilling equipment and barriers, was installed in just three days. In addition, the Trespass sponsor logos and curling targets were painted using a soluble paint and frozen into the ice.

John Burgess, account manager at Stage Electrics commented: "Olympia is a difficult venue to install an ice rink in, because of the lack of available drainage for the ice and the issue of having very little control over the ambient tem

UK - Touring dance troop Random Dance has launched a new touring show, Entity, headed by Royal Ballet choreographer Wayne McGregor.

A fusion of art and technology, the show features heavily on three large mechanical set-pieces with which the dancers interact. Random Dance approached Litestructures to design and manufacture these three main pieces.

The technical solution is a combination of new and established technologies. Utilising Litestructures LiteTower base and truss masts, combined with a totally custom multilink mechanical setup, creates what are effectively large aluminium 'nodding donkeys', not dissimilar to those seen in oil drilling operations.

Standing at a maximum overall height of nearly 7m and each capable of lifting a 10m wide x 2m high wooden wing weighing nearly 100kg, these pieces can be built just a couple of hours. The systems incorporate a numbe

UK - 5 Star Cases has delivered four Panasonic TH-50P plasma screen trunks to Hertfordshire-based production/event management and technical services company, Production Plus.

The new Tour Grade trunks each house one 50-inch screen display, and include separate compartments for detachable speakers plus an integral space to incorporate a fitted mounting bracket.

5 Star's MD Keith Sykes says: "We enjoy working with companies like Production Plus who follow the same basic ethos and principals of excellence that we do. Consequently there are many parallels between the way we run our respective businesses, and we all strive to complete projects to the highest standards."

(Jim Evans)

Canada - The Eastern Canadian City of Moncton, New Brunswick, which hosts the annual Magnetic Hill Music Festival, has purchased 90 metres of barrier from Mojo Barriers.

The outdoor Magnetic Hill site has welcomed major concerts by the Rolling Stones, who attracted 85,000 people in 2005, and this year's Long Road out of Eden Tour by the Eagles, attended by 55,000 visitors.

The sale of the refurbished steel barrier, from Mojo Barriers' US office, was driven by the venue's need to be able to provide the highest level production facilities to visiting acts. The relative remoteness of the Canadian site was a potential obstacle for touring artists but the venue's newfound ability to offer the best available in-house barrier facilities will considerably ease the logistical burden for visiting international tours.

"Magnetic Hill Music Festival is one of the largest events in E

Ireland - Litestructures has announced the appointment of Castle Stage Hire as its new hire partner covering both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Established in 1992, Castle Stage Hire has become one of Irelands leading suppliers of mobile stages. Part of its continued expansion relied on the acquisition of an industry standard demountable decking system, and LiteDeck was the choice. The deal was put together between Castle Stage hire MD Cormac McCormick, Litestructures and UK master stockholding distributor Impact Products.

Taking an extensive stock of over 60 LiteDeck, along with leg frames, handrails and step units gives Castle Stage Hire a complete decking system to allow them to provide a turnkey solution to any client requirement.

Cormac McCormick comments: "We researched the market and have invested in LiteDeck as we recognise it to be not only a to

UAE - With everything hurtling rapidly toward a digital destination it's as well to remember that the laws of physics are what govern our ability to stage concerts, not ones and zeros. Where can you hang your 30-tonne LED screen and how can you hang it, are two questions that make a case in point.

These are exactly the questions Rick Wade (project manager) from Production Technology in Dubai asked himself when he learned he was about to have his busiest run-up to Christmas ever. Shows by Queen and Paul Rogers, Kylie Minogue, and George Michael, in the space of three weeks; and all of them had committed to provide a full production show, not some scaled-down version for the Middle East.

"For a production manager like Albert Lawrence with Queen, taking a show like theirs around Europe is relatively straightforward," said Wade, "in that the resources of companies l

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