UK - Arena Seating has completed the installation of its permanent stadium BOX Seat system into Warwickshire County Cricket Club.

The installation of just under 1,800 BOX Seats was completed in July and comprised of 1,270 TBS903 Seats for the club's members bar and upper terrace and 523 of Arena's padded TBS908 Seats to VIP areas and member's lounge. This high-end range of permanent seating products for the sporting market has become the next phase in the redevelopment of the Edgbaston International Stadium.

Phil MacDonald, operations & development director for Warwickshire CCC comments, "It was clear to our development team that the BOX Seat from Arena would satisfy our stringent requirements where we needed the best for our premium customers. I know our main contractors have been very pleased with the speed and efficiency with which this seating has been installed."

UK - The Backstage Academy's new fast-track foundation degree in Live Events Production, set to be delivered at its training facility in Wakefield, has been formally validated by the University of Bolton.

The 15 month foundation degree, which is the only one of its kind, focuses on the artistic, creative and practical use of technology for live events and will be delivered in partnership with the University of Bolton.

According to Creative & Cultural Skills, the Sector Skills Council for creative and cultural industries, by 2017 there will be a need for 30,000 skilled backstage and offstage technical theatre staff to support live events. The Backstage Academy is aiming to train students who can help meet this demand.

Students will gain hands-on experience at the Backstage Academy thanks to its base at the LS-Live Studios in South Kirkby, Wakefield. The course, which begins i

UK - Le Mark Group, based at Houghton Hill Industries, has been shortlisted for a 2011 East of England International Trade Award. These International Trade Awards, sponsored by Santander Corporate Banking are the only UK wide business awards to exclusively recognize the success of exporters, importers and those trading overseas.

Despite the challenges posed by current global economic conditions, UK companies like Le Mark are still very much 'out there' competing on the International stage and the 2011 International Trade awards celebrate these ventures & successes.

The 12 regional finalists will be invited to the UK final at a prestigious Gala Luncheon and Awards presentation at the House of Lords where three national award categories winners will be announced. Le Mark were selected for the SME category, as a company who shown outstanding International Trade achievement with a

UK - The team behind the UK's National Student Drama Festival are seeking entries and support for the first ever International Student Drama Festival, which will take place next year from the 22-30 June in the UK.

The NSDF12 - ISDF - being presented in conjunction with Sheffield Theatres, RSC, LIFT, The Old Vic Tunnels and Menier Chocolate Factory - will feature a nine-day celebration of young people's theatre featuring the best of British work alongside exceptional student productions from across the world.

The Festival is an opportunity for young people to come together and present their work on the world's stage to an international audience of theatregoers, industry experts and peers. Participants don't have to be studying drama to be a part of it - they just have to enjoy it and want to watch it and make it.

NSDF12 - ISDF will feature over 100 performances of 20 internat

UK - SES Entertainment Services on Stand number 1J-11, are running a competition at this year's PLASA show, with one lucky winner walking away with a holiday in Sunny Florida.

For every order placed on the stand this year, an entry will be placed into the competition to win a two week stay in a five-bed luxury villa in Kissimmee, Florida in 2012.

Just 10 minutes drive from the Gates of the Walt Disney resort in Orlando, Florida, the home sleeps up to 10 people and has a very large pool. Just off the highway 192, you will be in the heart of all the major attractions within a few minutes drive. The home benefits from four bathrooms, full air conditioning and a games room. Dates for the stay are subject to availability (Summer dates are still available) and the prize does not include flights or car hire. The value for entry is subject to a minimum spend of £250.00, but mult

UK - InfoComm International will continue its programme of support for the UK's AV rental and staging community when it hosts a range of education sessions at this year's PLASA show next month.

The sessions will take place at London's Earl's Court on Monday 12 and Tuesday 13 September. They will be led by Andre LeJeune, CTS, InfoComm's rental & staging staff instructor, who has more than 30 years' experience of staging and presentation and has been responsible for many large-scale productions for corporate clients around the world.

Topics covered will include 'Lighting for Video in the Large Meeting Environment', 'Audio Techniques for Corporate AV Events', and 'Project Management for Stage Labour'. Each session will last 90 minutes and will earn attendees 1.5 RUs (Renewal Units) towards continued InfoComm CTS certification. All sessions are free to attend.

Chris Lavel

UK - Northampton based rigging specialists Unusual Rigging has officially launched its new website (www.unusual.co.uk). The interactive site provides clients, prospects and potential employees with extensive new features, higher quality content and complete information on services, news and events. The improved navigation, access to content and rich media additions, such as videos of installations, will aid users in making the most informed decisions about their options, says the company.

Since its founding in 1983 Unusual Rigging has grown to become one of the largest specialist rigging organisations in the entertainment technology industry, serving projects and clients nationwide. The new website is designed to inform clients and prospects in a straightforward manner, with concise content, SEO-rich text and stunning photography.

Rose Bruford College will be featuring its two innovative new programmes in Performance Sound and Creative Lighting Control. These three-year BA programmes are unique in Higher Education, and with two year's of graduates working in the industry, says the college, they are already making their mark.

BA (Hons) Performance Sound reflects the growing importance of sound in every field of performance - from theatre to music concerts, from sports events to dance, and from site-specific installation to radio drama. The programme combines sound design, technology and operation, with a strong emphasis on live production, and has recently attracted the support of key players in the audio industry, including sponsorship by Harman Pro Group UK in the shape of a Soundcraft VI-1 digital mixer.

BA (Hons) Creative Lighting Control has been created in response to rapidly growing industry demand for s

USA - FocusTrack, the production lighting documentation system, has been chosen to create a record of the lighting on another hit Broadway show: the new musical Sister Act. The show is now playing at New York's Broadway Theatre after a successful run in London.

FocusTrack was specified by production electrician Michael Pitzer to document Tony Award-winning lighting designer Natasha Katz's work on the show. Pitzer has previously used the software on The Addams Family and the Broadway revival of Les Misérables. On Sister Act, the software took the information from the show's grandMA console, programmed by Hillary Knox, and identified more than 1600 lamp-focus positions across the show's 125 moving lights - an average of over 12 positions per light.

With the lighting complete, Pitzer organised a focus plot session where he connected FocusTrack t

UK - Prolyte Group brand manager Eric Laanstra frequently received enquiries for a smaller truss with a higher loading capacity and has masterminded the solution. With his team of engineers ,he has designed the H40R truss, a rectangular standard H40 truss with a programme of specifications based on the H30V, H40V and S36R truss.

The H40R has three-sided webbing. The thicker braces on the bottom side allow easy mounting of automated luminaires/moving heads and central loading, reducing the torsion effect resulting from one-sided loading in standard trusses.

The spigot orientation follows that of the S series truss, allowing easy assembly while the truss is still on the floor. The H40R measures 339mm high by 239mm wide. The diagonals are placed to allow room for a 30D truss to rest on the bottom chords.

The loading rate is comparable to the H40V, taking into account that, due

Europe - Tait made important contributions to the record breaking Take That Progress European tour this summer. Production manager Chris Vaughan reports, "This is a very complex production, I gave some specific scenic elements to Tait and having never worked with them before, it's been a good experience and we've both learned from each other."

Tait Towers project manager James Erwin started concept development with Chris Vaughan, Es Devlin, Malcolm Birkett, and Phil Broad four months ahead of the tour, working on three key custom show elements.

The custom B-stage was 40' 6" wide and37' 6" deep, based on Tait's proprietary Mag Deck. Incorporating eight 30"x80" lift decks and one 12'4"x7'11" centre- lift, the stage was designed with maximum use of limited space in mind to store theatrical props used during the show. To maintain clea

UK - J&C Joel have completed a major installation of stage machinery, rigging systems, acoustic solutions and theatrical textiles in Wales' conservatoire of music and the arts - the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama.

The Welsh College of Music & Drama (RWCMD) provides its students with specialist education and preparation for a career in music, theatre and performing arts.

In June 2011 RWCMD opened a £22.5m performance and rehearsal complex incorporating the 160-seat Richard Burton Theatre and the Dora Stoutzker Concert Hall. In a major installation J&C Joel designed and installed stage machinery and equipment in both venues to help establish them as facilities in which the college's students can perfect and perform their craft.

The Richard Burton Theatre provides teaching space for some of the UK's most exciting young actors and also hosts many of the RWCMD's annua

USA - The collapse in high winds of a temporary concert stage at the Indiana State Fair on Saturday claimed five lives and left almost 50 injured, according to US news reports. An investigation into the circumstances surrounding the collapse began on Sunday, and its findings will be watched with great interest by the event production industry.

In addition to issues surrounding the build and stability of the structure itself, the question of why the event was not stopped and the audience evacuated far sooner will surely form a major part of the investigation.

It is reported that organisers had urged audience members to seek shelter just minutes before the sudden winds hit the stage structure - far too late, as it turned out, for an effective evacuation. With news reports claiming that forecasters at the National Weather Service had predicted the strong winds of 60-70mph up to t

UK - SES has signed a sole distribution deal with PLS. PLS are one of Europe's leading manufacturer of dimmer packs and associated products and the full range will be shown at this year's Plasa on the SES stand (1J-11).

PLS which manufactures and brands for other leading manufacturers, will have an impressive range of product available which will be complemented by SES 19" rack mount distro.

(Jim Evans)

Australia - Jands Staging, together with The PA People, are rapidly approaching completion of the new Assembly Hall at the Sydney Grammar Senior School in College Street, Sydney.

The building is being constructed by Southern Cross Projects and sees Jands again working with Peddle Thorp & Walker (PTW), City Electrical, and The PA People to deliver "a world class performing arts and music venue". Jands previously worked with PTW on both the Sydney Theatre and City Recital Hall.

This project includes the installation of JLX-PRO Lighting Bars, Jands H500PVX Hoists, and SAX P1 Controllers together with Jands Dimmers and ETC Control.

The PA People have developed a Vocal PA with Jands Technical Resource Group using JBL VRX and CBT loudspeakers, BSS Blue and Crown Amplifiers.

(Jim Evans)

UK - Event & Management Services is enjoying busy times. The E&MS projects team has been invited to deliver the celebratory party for Kraft Foods as they move their UK headquarters from Cheltenham to Uxbridge after 37 years. Emma Cook, project manager for E&MS is supplying a series of fully equipped Big Top venues on Cheltenham Racecourse, with circus themed entertainment including aerial acts and fire eating plus catering services.

Over the last few months, E&MS has been supporting the Sceptics in the Pub regular meetings that have been held at D fly in Cheltenham. These discussions provide opportunities for people who are "interested in science, scepticism, rationalism and critical thinking to socialise and discuss matters of interest, usually with a guest speaker".

12 July at the Montpellier Chapter Hotel in Cheltenham saw the Launch of The sustainable S

UK - London-based draping and dressing specialists Cover It Up (CIU) supplied and rigged a luxurious drape interior for the Gatsby Club, a VIP dining and social entertainment environment that ran during the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships.

Cover It Up was working for Detail, who specialise in providing high end facilities to prestigious sporting events. The venue, run by event hospitality specialists Keith Prowse for the duration of the Wimbledon Fortnight, was a 400 - 600 capacity glass fronted De Boer structure that was located in the grounds of the adjacent Wimbledon Cricket and Golf Club.

The themed colours were spacious white, cool green and effervescent yellow. With the aid of flexible drape rig configurations, the room could also be sub-divided into different areas and tailored exactly to individual group booking requirements.

Cover It Up decked the space out usin

UK - This year's PLASA Rigging Conference, 12-13 September 2011, presents many of entertainment rigging's pioneering icons. Industry heavyweights - Alan Jacobi, LVO, Steve Colley and Chris Blakeley - will headline this year's unmissable conference that will give you the opportunity to hear from over 40 industry experts and provide an invaluable international networking opportunity.

Over the action packed two day conference, sharing their creative visions and a wealth of experience, speakers and panellists will include:

Michael Anderson, Ilan Bahar, Derrick Bailes, Rinus Bakker, Nick Barnfield, Chris Böettger, Ron Bonner, Harry Box, Simon Caldwell, Andy Charlesworth, Neil Darracott, Don Dimitroff, Tony Dickson, Robin Elias, Sally-Ann Dod, Cristiano Giavedoni, Amedeo Guizzi, Roger Hamilton-Smith, Marc Hendriks, Chris Higgs, Scott Johnson, Sven Knight, Oz Marsh, Abigail Matthews

UK - Showsec helped the Olympic 2012 celebrations get off to a flying start, as they ensured the safety of thousands of guests at the One Year to Go countdown event in Trafalgar Square in London on Wednesday 27July, 2011.

Over 6,000 people attended and among the crowds were a plethora of special guests and VIPs including Prime Minster David Cameron, London Mayor Boris Johnson and Jacques Rogge, president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

The countdown, organised by Greater London Authority (GLA) in conjunction with Innovision event management company and Westminster Council, was televised live on BBC One. It saw David Cameron make a brief speech on the current planning and budgeting for the games, followed by dancing, live music from The Feeling and the unveiling of the 2012 medal designs by British artist David Watkins.

Dayo Adelugba, Showsec's head of se

Batmink Distribution, one of the largest UK distributors of professional audio, lighting and effects equipment, will introduce a number of new products at PLASA 2011. New brands on show include Visage Lighting, Vector Audio, Pro-Flite Flightcases, Pro-Stage Portable Staging and Lumaform LED Illuminated Furniture.

Of particular interest is the Visage LED Multipar RGBAW - a new PAR unit that delivers a truly impressive light output from 18 x 8w LEDs. 12 x RGBW and 6 x RGBA 4 in 1 LEDs produce full spectrum colour mixing and control is achieved through DMX, auto programs, sound to light or master slave functions. The black multipar housing is more robust than conventional PARcan bodies and completes this tough, powerful unit.

Another brand making its PLASA debut is Lumaform. Offering a range of LED illuminated furniture in a variety of styles; Lumaform is at the cutting edge of this exc

At next month's PLASA Show, with the introduction of its latest model, the SL50, Stageline launches a new range of mobile stages, the Light Series. The Light Series will add other cost-effective and light-weight mobile stage solutions to Stageline's product range.

The Stageline SL50 portable stage measures 6.1m by 4.9m (20' by 16') and features a fiberglass roof, light & sound rigging, full banner capability and an option of two roof heights. It can be towed by a SUV or pickup and sets up in 30 minutes, says Stageline.

"The reduced trailer dimensions make it very easy to park in tight locations. With the new SL50, owning a Stageline mobile stage is within everyone's reach and delivers a fast return on investment."

UK - Stageco and Tait Technologies are further cementing their European strategic alliance by exhibiting together at this year's PLASA exhibition from 11th - 14th September 2011.

The two companies opened a joint London office in May, building on years of working alongside each other across a range of projects, and will be sharing a stand together for the first time.

"The joint approach will highlight Stageco and Tait Technologies' vast experience supplying the event industry, and will offer the production sector the opportunity to network with key staff that will be available to discuss engineering solutions and future projects," says the company.

Stageco and Tait, respectively, supply staging solutions and scenic motion technology, including to major projects such as Take That's record breaking Progress Tour, U2's 360° tour and Batman Live.

The two companies

Belgium - Even while the news of the stage collapse tragedy in Indiana was still being digested by a shocked production industry, the almost unbelievable news of another stage collapse in Belgium reaches us - again the result of a severe storm, and with reports of five fatalities, as of Friday morning, and over 70 others injured.

Although they had not yet been named, it has been reported that the five dead are all Belgians: four died at the scene and one died later in hospital.

Video footage recorded at the Pukkelpop Festival, at Hasselt, Belgium, yesterday shows the site being struck by very heavy wind and rain prior to the collapse of the stage. The storm hit at around 6pm local time. Belgian news reports have said that the strong winds uprooted trees which then smashed into the stage structure: photography from the aftermath of the storm seems to show trees amid the stage d

UK - Capital FM's Summertime Ball at Wembley Stadium was the first major outing for LS-Live's new modular Space Roof stage system.

Keith Wood of promoter AEG and production manager Sarah Hollis of Production North hailed the installation "a huge success", with Hollis stating it was the fastest build she had witnessed of a stage of such size at Wembley.

The 23m wide stage hosted performances by JLS, Jennifer Lopez, The Wanted, Nicole Scherzinger, Ne-Yo, Katy B, Cee Lo Green and Enrique Iglesias.

The stage included side wings to accommodate one of the biggest video screens that Wembley has seen (provided by XL Video), PA supports for speaker hangs (supplied by Adlib Audio) and incorporated specific loading points as requested.

LS-Live introduced the Space Roof to the UK earlier this year, following their merger with Acorn Event Solutions. Acorn's Andy Nutter, who i

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