Rigging / Staging

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14 March 2016

As one of Germany's most successful bands, with credits including Germany's first Moonman, MTV VMA for Best New Artist and EMAs in both 2008 and 2009, the Welcome to the Humanoid City tour is the biggest show this multi-award winning band has ever produced.

Brilliant Stages took the set designed by Misty Buckley and turned it into a full on touring show.

"This was the first time I have worked directly with Brilliant Stages and they were absolutely amazing," says Buckley. "Tony Bowern and Mel Welch were so accommodating and understanding of what I was

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14 March 2016

Peter Pan was held in the Marlowe Theatre Arena, a temporary venue, in use until the original theatre re-opens in 2011 as a much larger concern with a new programme of world-class shows. Peak Hire was approached by Theatre Tent to provide a rigging solution for the lighting and sound systems, as well as a track for flying Peter and Wendy above the audience.

The project required a compact, high load, anti-twist truss that would be strong enough to support the weight of the various production rig equipment. As an existing Lit

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14 March 2016

The concept was based around a journey through Lady Gaga's home city of New York and incorporated several iconic New York symbols, including an impressive model of a New York subway carriage with automatic doors constructed from a combination of aluminium and perspex, and a rolling staircase which mimicked a New York fire escape, with the addition of 4 ft long syringes which made up t

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14 March 2016

"Our Beta Testers give us extremely valuable feedback," says Gil Densham, president of CAST Software, "When we compiled the results from the Beta testing on R25 the response was an overwhelming thumbs-up. For CAST, it's all about producing the best product for our Members. From the feedback, we truly believe R25 is the best Release ever."

(Jim Evans)

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14 March 2016

The Sheldonian was built in 1664-68 for the University of Oxford, based on a design by Sir Christopher Wren. It is acknowledged as significantly important in terms of the classical influence it had upon other Oxford buildings, and as well as being a functional space for the University, it's also used for music recitals and other events and is available for private hires.

Cover It Up's Elliot Stennett says, "It's a great tribute to the skills and dexterity of our crew to be asked back for the third year to help prepare this very special building for the conference section of the event. It takes a good deal of patience

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14 March 2016

Sales of CD albums continued to fall in 2009, dropping by 6.1%. Digital income now represents over 20% of overall recorded music revenues, taking into account earnings from online downloads alongside mobile, subscriptions and advertising-supported services. An unprecedented 4.22 m

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14 March 2016

A key development for PLASA 2010 has been the enthusiastic return of major brands in both the pro audio and AV sectors, with a marked increase in the number of pro audio companies committing to stands.

One such company is Electro-Voice, exhibiting again after a one-year absence. Sean Maxwell, sales director at Shuttlesound, commented, "It's fantastic to be returning to the PLASA Show, a major international event where we see a huge number of our distributors

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14 March 2016

KORA Awards is the manifestation of an all-encompassing vision for Africa of the executive producer for the event, Ernest Adjovi and his dedication to overcoming the logistical demands of bringing a show of this scale to Burkina Faso.

It was the first time that the colourful K event had been staged outside South Africa. The show was directed for TV by Clive Morris and distributed via CFI (Canal France International) across Africa, France and parts of the US via 100 TV channels, as well as being enjoyed live by 3000 guests. David Bloch was stage director.

The Gearhouse team of 28 was project managed by Eyal Y

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14 March 2016

The convention, which is now in its 16th year is billed as the region's leading business event and offers delegates the opportunity to hear from inspirational speakers and be part of Yorkshire's largest networking event. Speakers at this year's convention include Sir David Frost, Michelle Mone business entrepreneur and regular panellist on BBC 2's The Apprentice You're Fired and Brian Blessed, actor author and adventurer.

Gavin Frost branch Manager of the R&B Group's Yorkshire office said, "This win signifies the continuing expansion of The R&B Group in

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14 March 2016

SP2 contains over 20 new usability features and enhancements, fixes numerous bugs, and introduces new support for Canadian Quick Book 2010 users.

Existing users will experience increased productivity through new drag-and-drop data management tools as well as improved application performance, says the company. New support for AutoCAD 2011 and QuickBooks 2010 will mean integrators can use SI5.5 to stay connected with the most current technologies. A new suite of integrated support and documentation features will help integrators take full advantage of the benefits of

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14 March 2016

Contestants for the 2009 awards showcased a wide variety of new products and product applications from the simplest problem solver to complex uses of technology that extended the boundaries of the entertainment technology field. Project nominations showcased everything from the lighting of the Grand Mosque to the staging of the Democratic National Convention and highlighted the collaborative nature of our industry.

Nominations may be made by anyone in the industry, but an ESTA member must be involved as the de

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14 March 2016

Al Laith Events Services effectively delivered the entire stadium infrastructure - including all the seating grandstands - that was built to stage the event, juxtaposed with the futuristic backdrop of the new Ferrari World indoor theme park on Yas Island.

The production company was Flash Events. The roof design was developed by Serious Stages' chief designer, Dragan Kuzmanov. Jo Marshall project managed for Al Laith, the site manager for Flash Events was Malcolm McInnes and Flash's production manager was Lee Charteris.

Says Jo Marshall, "This was a very demanding event for us, and it

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14 March 2016

Crooks brings more than three decades of industry experience to J. R. Clancy. For the last 17 years, he has worked for a single group of entertainment lighting, dimming and energy management companies. In 1993, he joined Portland-based Entertainment Technology (ET) as their western regional manager and vice president, marketing. ET was acquired by Stamford based ROSCO Laboratories and later sold to a conglomerate called Genlyte. In 2007, Genlyte was acquired by Philips. Within the Philips Lighting group, Crooks has held several positions with Lightolier, Entertainment Technology, Vari-lite and other Philips-owned brands.

"Jim is a well-known figure in the entertainment technology industry, and we are fortunate to br

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14 March 2016

The large 20 x 35m (internal stage size) structure was built from Milos's MR3 roofing product which was specially purchased by P. Audio for this occasion.

The total height of the completed structure was 15m, giving an impressive 12.5m of headroom, and a weight loading capacity of 17 tonnes for the hanging of lighting, sound and video production equipment. A full programme of entertainment took place on the stage to celebrate the opening night of Red Ant for the enjoyment of an invited audience.

All four sides of the structure can be covered by flame-proof side nets if desired, and the intention is that P. Audio will in the fut

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14 March 2016

A lengthy list of new products were on show, many representing their first UK appearance following international launches, including 15 new products by Martin Professional; the SADiE 6 LiVE system; the UK debut of RCF's VSA 2050 Digital Steerable Column; Audio-Technica's updated 2000, 3000, 4000 & 5000 wireless systems; Clay Paky's first LED screen product - the Mirage LED curtain display; Trantec's Channel 38-ready S6 wireless system; GDS's latest additions

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14 March 2016

Mark Logan says, "We are delighted to be appointed as the AECC's ongoing security partner. The venue indicated they were looking for improvements in their customer service and security delivery. Showsec's Scottish team proved to the venue's management that they could achieve the consistency and customer based approach synonymous with the company's operating ethos."

AECC managing director, Brian Horsburgh comments, "As one of Scotland's leading event venues our decision to appoint Showsec as our security provider will ensure the AECC continues to offer our clients the highest standards of customer service, security and safety."

Since opening the company's Edinburgh office in 2009 Showsec has supplied a range of events and venues and ha

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14 March 2016

Blended with Glen Chadwick's 20 years' of event catering and logistical expertise, Fabulous Feasts will make the Jamie Oliver experience accessible to all types of events throughout the UK and Ireland. "I've been cooking for large events since I was a kid, and ever since then I've been really keen to take the event catering model to another level," says Oliver. "Twenty five years on, I'm now lucky enough to have the best team behind me, the most fantastic food suppliers, and loads of really exciting ideas.

"Our only focus is to make sure that our food lifts an occasion or an event, whether it's a big family wedding or a work party or a corporate event - we want to help make it as memorable as it can be for all the right reasons. We'll have

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14 March 2016

The panel of experts will examine and discuss the initiatives currently in place, review what other areas of industry are already doing and identify specific areas for future attention and development. The debate therefore promises to be both stimulating and informative.

Jane Thornback is sustainability policy advisor at the Cons

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14 March 2016

Gearhouse was again working for The Shalom Trust, and in close collaboration with its technical co-ordinator, Nik Fairclough of Northwind Recording who also mixed the FOH sound.

Gearhouse's project manager was Eyal Yehezkely. He oversaw a crew of 28, spanning multiple technical disciplines - audio, AV and screens, power, lighting and staging. The project management included internal and on site logistics, surveying and GPS mapping of the site, detailed layouts, design of the crowd seating, positioning of delay towers and structures and producing comprehensive site plans.

The primary technical challenge - with an expected audience of up to 400,000 - was to

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14 March 2016

Intended to encourage safety and best practice amongst the UK's estimated 2m ladder users, the code contains a foreword from HSE welcoming the Ladder Association's contribution to helping minimise and avoid falls from height.

Complete with a risk assessment template covering planning, setting up the job, carrying out the task and inspecting and maintaining ladders, the code offers easy-to-follow, practical advice in five distinct sections.

Whilst the document may be used as a s

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14 March 2016

Eric Porter, experienced independent rigger, trainer, assessor and committee member for the PLASA National Rigging Certificate, is leading the training school again alongside staff from AC-ET and Litestructures.

Keeping the same format as last year, the comprehensive two-day training programme is adopting an established course that has been attended by industry people from all over Europe. Content is aimed at professionals wanting to acquire specific know-how and expertise to use in their day-to-day roles. It is equally suitable for people in other industry roles who wish to understand this sector in more

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14 March 2016

Created by Crimson Collective, a group of Los Angeles-based artists, architects and designers, the sculpture was inspired by the Japanese art of origami and the legend that anyone who folds 1,000 origami cranes will be granted any wish they desire. But the huge creature, called Ascension, was intended to be more than iconic symbolism or eye candy. It was designed

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14 March 2016

Consisting of 2,300 individually hand ground optical crystals, each shrouded on both sides by high quality pieces of concave glass and covered with a reflective coating, Reflective Flow uses some 55,000 LEDs which are controlled by a bespoke control system. During the day, Reflective Flow is an organic art sculpture, constantly changing with its surroundings, but it is at night that it really comes alive. When light is introduced behi

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14 March 2016

The brief from set designer and Butlins' creative director, Phil Peacock, was for a series of lightweight, durable set elements, of the highest possible quality, able to take the strain of repeated installation and dismantling to fit in with Butlins' busy entertainment schedule.

"We worked very closely with our client from the design stage right through to manufacture to ensure that the finished products would match their aspirations," said Phil Green, senior project manager. "This was achieved, utilising our interpretation team's traditiona