Germany - Four of Europe's leading specialist rigging companies have announced they are to join forces at ProLight+Sound 2014 on a stand (Hall 9 -F90) described as 'big, black and beautiful'.

The companies are Interal TC BV, Michel.Ingenieure GmbH, Scan-Rig AB and Frontline Rigging Consultancy / ZFX Europe.

Several news announcements and new products will be highlights of the stand.

Interal will launch its new printed catalogue and will show its 5 tonne Rigging Tower, along with a range of standard products and custom projects.

Scan-rig will showcase a new range of rigging products from 2mm Safetybonds to 2T softsteels.

Frank Michel from Michel Ingenieure will be on hand to explain the new upcoming standards Eurocode 9 EN1090 CE Class 2 & 3 that will affect truss and construction manufacturing. Described by SteelConstruction.info as "one of the most significant chan

UK - Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway returned to TV screens on Saturday 22 February with the promise of a daring and dangerous head to head challenge for the stars of the show. Entitled Men on a Ledge, the terrified twosome (one of whom has a real fear of heights), were escorted outside onto the ITV studio roof and prepared to take part in a race from the top of the 90m high ITV tower down to the ground.

The stunt was planned and executed by Unusual Rigging's technical director Robin Elias, who explained, "Men on a Ledge is the latest in a list of Ant and Dec challenges we've worked on. We were presented with a 'wish list' by the show's producer about five weeks ago, outlining his vision for the challenge. It was our job to find a solution and design the systems to enable it to happen."

From the beginning of the project, Robin knew there would be

Europe - In response to growing industry demand, PLASA Events Ltd has announced that two new PLASA Focus events will take place in Europe during 2014.

The first of these new events - and the first PLASA Focus to be staged in mainland Europe - will take place this summer, when PLASA Focus: Brussels open its doors in the heart of Belgium's capital city, on 1-2 July. PLASA Events reports that initial interest from exhibitors has been very positive, with over 30 companies already applying for space in Brussels, including brands such as ADJ, Chauvet, d&b audiotechnik, Robe and Shure.

Having introduced the successful PLASA Focus event model in Leeds, UK, in 2009 and subsequently in various cities across North America, PLASA has long been aware of the market's desire for more of this type of event in Europe. The BeNeLux region was one of the first to be considered for a regional mark

UK - Blackout used its draping expertise to transform Earls Court Two, making it match ready for the World Tennis Day Showdown, 3 March 2014.

Launched by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) as part of its ongoing campaign to endorse the sport and increase participation, the second-ever World Tennis Day recreated history as iconic tennis pros including Andre Agassi vs. Pete Sampras and Novak Djokovic vs. Andy Murray, took to the court.

With sister events taking place simultaneously in New York and Hong Kong, this was the first time the event was held in the UK. The one day sporting spectacular also featured various interactive workshops and coaching sessions for guests to try out their tennis skills.

Working with long-term client Earls Court and event organisers Star Games, Blackout installed 2,500m2 of black wool serge drapes carefully shaped around the perimeter of th

Germany - With ProLight+Sound just a matter of days away, the Prolyte crew is waiting with eager anticipation for the show to begin. The sales teams are fully briefed and poised to demonstrate a range of new products. In adddition to those already announced, including the AETOS 250kg hoist and controllers, and the StageDex LinLine deck, the company will be re-launching the LiteStructures truss range, with a few new additions.

LiteStructures decorative and architectural truss has been relentlessly developed for over two decades to fulfil a broad range of requirements. The lightweight, light-duty LiteStructures systems are available in two ranges: Lite - which includes standard truss solutions, and Live - truss with circuit tracks incorporated, providing possibilities for integrated lighting solutions.

Two new products have been added to the LiteStructures Live truss range, the

Germany - UK based automation and motion control specialist Kinesys is exhibiting for the first time at Prolight+Sound in Frankfurt, reflecting a steady growth in its international business in the entertainment technology sector, and a massive interest in its reliable and innovative solutions.

Two major new products are launched at the show - Velocity 2 drives and the Mentor range of SIL3 safety controllers.

Kinesys will also be highlighting its EVO variable speed hoist system, its DigiHoist fixed speed digital chain hoist controller and its Libra range of accurate load measurement products.

The Velocity 2 line of powerful drives provides robust customised entertainment automation solutions for open-loop or closed-loop control of induction, linear and servo motors for winches, turntables, elevators and other stage machinery.

Engineered to deliver power and performance to h

Rich Pickings - Taylor Swift has returned to the top of Billboard's annual list of music money makers, a title she held in 2012 only to relinquish last year to Madonna. The 24-year-old earned $39.7m (£23.8m) in 2013 from a combination of music sales, royalties and touring, according to the trade publication. Country star Kenny Chesney rose three places to second place, while Justin Timberlake came third. Rock acts Bon Jovi and the Rolling Stones round out this year's top five.

Homecoming - Hit musical Book of Mormon is due to play Salt Lake City for the first time next year, near the location of the Mormon church's headquarters. It will run from July to August at The Capitol Theatre, less than half a mile from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' flagship temple. Written by South Park's Matt Stone and Trey Parker, the show pokes fun at two naive m

Germany - LumenRadio will debut "the smallest wireless DMX solution ever seen" at Frankfurt's Prolight+Sound this week.

Available exclusively from LumenRadio, the patent protected CRMXchip is the world's first wireless DMX ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) solution. By using the latest in chip technologies, LumenRadio has managed to reduce the size of a wireless DMX receiver to that of less than a fingernail.

With the 6x6mm CRMXchip, manufacturers can for the first time fully integrate a multi functional wireless DMX receiver into high volume products where cost and size are prioritized without compromising quality or performance. Built on the award-winning CRMX technology, the patent protected CRMXchip is fully compatible with all existing LumenRadio products.

"LumenRadio's CRMXchip is an industry first - a compact, developer friendly chip which

Germany - The short commands and on-the-fly lighting controls of ETC's Cobalt family are now packaged to take on tour. The new Cobalt 10 lighting desk features the same capacity and functions of the larger Cobalt 20 desk, but is compact enough to take on the road or fit into control rooms with limited space.

"Cobalt 10 is the sporty member of the Cobalt family," says ETC Cobalt product manager Sarah Clausen. "It has high resolution, 12 inch (30cm) multi touch displays that articulate, so programmers can easily pack it into a road case for a touring show or adjust the screens to better see the stage in a small theatre."

Cobalt 10 also has a smaller master playback area than Cobalt 20, with 10 motorised faders and 10 backlit, colour coded endless pots. It has 5,000 channels to control dimmers, LEDs, moving lights, media servers and more, on up to 32 universes

Russia - Within the newly constructed 42,500 capacity Fisht Olympic Stadium in the developing Russian city of Sochi, the XXII Olympic Winter Games drew to an end with the spectacular closing ceremony.

Just as he had done at the Opening extravaganza 16 days earlier, audio director Scott Willsallen (of Auditoria) designed the technological infrastructure, placing all the transmission on a 24-node Optocore dual redundant ring and working with two different creative teams to fulfil different objectives.

The formal operatic and cultural Opening Ceremony display, creatively designed by Konstantin Ernst and directed by Andrei Boltenko, made way for the more party atmosphere of the Closing Ceremony, directed by Italian Daniele Finzi Pasca. Featuring nearly 800 performers and representing hundreds of years of Russian history, it was an exacting task.

Italy had played a key role this

Germany - Major has introduced its new dedicated website to make finding all details of products and custom made solutions quick and accessible. For example, the product section has a concise overview of all major product segments (Dimmers, Luminaires, Rigging + Safety Ropes, Power Distribution, Cables + Connectors and Colours + Effects), or in the Navigation header, visitors can discover more about the company and its renowned service.

Major puts a main focus on clarity and accessibility. By clicking on the website's multiple links, visitors can drill deeper into a subject and get additional information.

Major is Lightpower's own brand. Major products are built in Germany and have earned themselves a great reputation on multiple international projects over the years. They offer bespoke solutions where no appropriate products are available. You can visit the new Major website

Germany - WORK Lifters will be part of ProLight+Sound 2014 (Hall 8, stand C-60) where the company will show the more recent lifting towers that the division has developed during last year. These new developments are focused on line array system's elevation to respond to the market needs which are increasingly growing in this specific area.

For this purpose, WORK Lifters has designed three new lifters with different load capacities and reached height.

WT 150 is a compact lifting solution for small line array systems. It fits in almost any vehicle, because it only measures 157 cm long when it is folded. This lifter is capable of elevating loads up to 200 kg. to 5 m. high. Dual reinforcing bars at the back of the tower help to withstand the weight of the load during operation.

The WT 550 is able to lift heavy loads (400kg. - 5.98m. high), its compact size (166 cm folded) is may

UK - Hoist UK has announced that Louise Dickson has been appointed general manager of the company.

Hoist UK director, Paul Jordan comments, "Louise has been with the company for over six years now; we recognised her potential almost immediately and we have guided her progress through the company letting her gain a thorough knowledge of the company through various roles leading up to this present position.

"Louise's ability to not only head the sales team, but also her leadership skills, industry and product knowledge make her the perfect candidate to take on the role as General Manager for Hoist UK."

Louise Dickson comments, "I am excited to take on this new role as general manager; I feel I have now gained the necessary skills and have great mentors in Paul and Tony. I have been with Hoist UK for almost as long as it has been trading, I have seen the com

The Netherlands - The new DuraStage PRO-Stage platforms from DuraTruss are both lightweight and solid, with a TÜV-tested loading capacity of 500kg/sq.m (tested under ISO EN14122). The stages are designed to be used both as touring stages and in permanent installations. A universal aluminium profile with module clamps allows for setup in seconds and the adjustable legs level any unevenness in the floor by a simple turn of a screw.

The black anti-slip hexagon style surface is permanently waterproof to allow for outdoor use as well. DuraStage PRO-Stage platforms come in many different shapes, allowing you to design your very own customisable stage.

A wide range of accessories such as various types of stairs, rails, connectors and adapters, as well as a wide range of legs, complete the line. Furthermore, the company adds, owners of older stages, can easily extend their range with

Germany - Just in time for Prolight and Sound in Frankfurt, DuraTruss announced the hiring of Karsten Steinbach as sales and marketing manager.

Karsten, who has extensive experience in the trussing business from both his education and former employment, has wasted no time in getting started in his new role, having already been involved in the planning of the upcoming show where DuraTruss will exhibit a host of new products.

Along with the internal and external DuraTruss sales team, Karsten's main role is to support key customers and guide larger projects. Furthermore, he will be working together with product development to increase the number of products offered. In the area of marketing, Karsten will work closely with ADJ Group Marketing to increase market presence of the brand, including launch of the new DuraTruss catalogue this summer.

Dirk Kast, CEO of the ADJ Group, of

UK - The latest version of the BroadWeigh Log monitoring software (BW-LOG100) has been released to complement the BroadWeigh Load Monitoring System. BW-LOG100 is now more than just a data logging software package and offers many additional features.

BW-LOG100 software, developed to support the BroadWeigh wireless load monitoring system, allows the viewing and logging of up to 100 channels of data from multiple wireless acquisition devices including load cells and anemometers. A web server feature now allows this data to be viewed remotely from a computer, tablet or any web enabled device.

The BroadWeigh portable wireless system offers real-time, simple, effective and accurate load monitoring for rigging professionals, safety officials and site managers enabling them to monitor and log the precise loads on any given rigging point.

Central to the design of the BroadWeigh syste

Germany - Backstage Academy says a lack of industry training provision in countries outside of the UK - and particularly outside of Europe - has resulted in a number of enquiries for overseas courses.

The Academy runs degree courses and short courses that cover the variety of creative and technical skills needed to work backstage in live events production. Based at state-of-the-art facilities in Wakefield, North UK, it also offers custom training programmes for entertainment industry professionals seeking to boost their knowledge or career prospects, with training in rigging, event safety, temporary electrical systems, stage pyrotechnics and much more.

The Academy launched to a European and global audience at the Prolight+Sound show in Frankfurt last week.

Said PR & marketing manager Rachel Esson, "In the first two days of the show we took enquiries for training from pr

UK - The Royal College of Music is one of the world's greatest conservatoires, training gifted musicians for international careers as performers, conductors and composers. The RCM's buildings, facilities and location are the envy of the world, as much for their aesthetic beauty as for their location directly opposite the Royal Albert Hall.

So when new acoustic panels were installed in the iconic building's Amaryllis Fleming Concert Hall, Unusual Rigging was brought on board by Arup Theatre Consultants to devise a solution for installing them without impinging on the beauty of the hall.

Matthew Nicholl, head of estates at the Royal College of Music, said, "The Amaryllis Fleming Concert Hall is a performance space of the highest international standard which can accommodate large orchestral and choral concerts. It's an exquisite space with a beautiful barrel shaped roof and

UK - When theatre consultants Charcoalblue were enlisted by Canterbury Christchurch University to assist with the relocation of the performing arts teaching facilities from Folkestone to the Canterbury campus, the company brought Doughty Engineering on board to create a low cost, low weight and reliable system for overhead rigging in the campus' Anselm Hall.

The performing arts and technical production courses at the university require carefully designed spaces for teaching and research and Anselm Hall, a space previously used for exams, presentations and lecture style teaching, fitted the bill with its small technical infrastructure and raised stage.

Ian Stickland, theatre consultant project manager at Charcoalblue said, "We were tasked with creating a more suitable space for the students and research fellows in the performing arts department. As such the existing Anselm

Qatar - The Gallowglass Group has opened a new overseas office - in Qatar. Heading up Gallowglass Middle East is general manager François Perron, previously deputy operations director with GL-Events for the 2012 London Olympics, and before that, general manager with Cirque du Soleil for over 20 years.

François Perron said, "We're delighted to be finally opening our doors in Doha. The Gallowglass Group's UK head office has been establishing commercial links in the Middle East for some time now, and had already delivered one major project in Qatar last year."

At the end of October 2013 Gallowglass supported the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE). Contracted directly by the Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC) over 40 technical staff, ranging from riggers and stage managers to translators worked on the summit, which was the largest event to be held at the

Europe - VDC Trading has announced the appointment of Leif Friestad as its new managing director. A multi-linguist originating from the south of Norway, Leif has held senior management roles at United Technologies Corporation, Johnson Controls, Lapp Group, a leader in industrial cabling with a turnover of 800 million pounds, and as CEO of Canford Audio.

Leif's new role is to oversee and assist the continuing growth of VDC and of the Van Damme brand in a number of markets as well as maintaining its position as a brand leader in the audio industry.

VDC Trading CEO Niall Holden commented, "Leif is of great value to the organisation as he has both International experience and an understanding of the electronics industries as well as professional audio. I believe he is ideally equipped to help me take VDC forward as we develop and expand our domestic, marine and international

UK / Russia - The Star Events Group team are back in the UK following a challenging build of their multi-level studio system in Sochi.

The 10 individual studios situated in the middle of the Olympic Coastal Cluster venues were of varying sizes and were used by many affiliated broadcasters of the games.

The structure was built of standard VerTech parts and was shipped at very short notice making the build schedule quite tight. Shortly into the build the Star team had to cope with a huge storm which damaged other parts of the Olympic infrastructure.

Project manager Gavin Scott was on site throughout the Games and commented that the structure was a very busy and lively place around the clock, with broadcasts going out to a wide range of time zones, many of which featured interviews with current and former athletes as well as Russian and international celebrities.

(Jim Evans)

Germany - UK automation specialist Kinesys reports a busy and successful first Prolight+Sound exhibition in Frankfurt.

The manufacturer - which enjoyed substantial growth in 2013 - launched two important new products at the show, which together with their existing dynamic product ranges, attracted lots of interest and helped create a lively buzz in Hall 9 of the Messe exhibition centre.

"We were extremely pleased with the quantity and quality of the visitors to the exhibition and their international nature," comments Kinesys MD Dave Weatherhead, who was on the stand together with a team from Kinesys Sales and Projects.

Product marketing specialist Steve Fowler adds, "We met many new contacts as well as touching base with some of our existing clients, and have already had some serious inquiries as a result of being at the show."

Kinesys is known for its

Germany - At this year's Prolight+Sound Sommer Cable once again presented their product portfolio at a large booth. On an area greater than 100s.qm one could see many products and ideas around the topics of cables and lines, connectors and connection technology, signal processing as well as mechanical solutions for mobile and permanent installations.

The focus of attention lay on the latest developments in the Cardinal DVM in-house brand.

As of now the popular DVM 120 series is broadened by the single-channel model versions DVM-120-DIS and DVM-120-DISH. Owing to their transformers from Swedish premium maker LUNDAHL, these high-quality DI boxes offer excellent audio specs in a very compact and solid housing. Already the standard DVM-120-DIS DI box can meet the highest requirements due to very low distortions, a high headroom and an almost ideal frequency response.

The high-Z

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