UK - S+H Technical Support provided substantial quantities of its LED starcloth product to production designer Sid Scott of Scott Callaghan Art Production for the 2017 National Eisteddfod of Wales.
The nine-day event was staged in a large field near Bodedern on Ynys Môn (the Isle of Anglesey), around eight miles from Caergybi (Holyhead) and approximately 20 miles from Bangor on mainland Wales.
The main entertainment hub on site was the Pafiliwn, a 40m deep 1,800 capacity pavilion built by Neptunus Structures, which was new in 2016, and once again utilised throughout the Eisteddfod for a diverse mix of entertainment, from a Sunday service to rock concerts, stand-up comedy, etc. in the evenings as well as a variety of competitions – dance, poetry, music, etc. – during the daytime.
Sid created the Pafiliwn production design in close collaboration with lighting

UK - An attention grabbing 3.5m truss gantry will be one of the main attractions on A.C. Entertainment Technologies' (AC-ET) stand at this year's PLASA London as it prepares to offer live demonstrations of BroadWeigh's wireless load cell technology.
As BroadWeigh's UK product partner, AC-ET will be giving visitors to stand E30 the chance to see the 4.75 tonne and 3.25 tonne shackles work in a live environment mapped to BroadWeigh's LOG100 software.
Matthew Millward, rigging division sales manager for AC-ET said: "Our partnership with BroadWeigh has always been extremely important to us as a company, both from a brand perspective and from a frontier technology point of view. Over the seven or so years that we have supported the brand and showed the BroadWeigh product on our stands at tradeshows, it has become apparent that showing the system in a real world environment

UK - Doughty Engineering is set to unveil a new version of its popular Space Saver this month. The Space Saver Omega will make its debut on the company's stand at IBC in Amsterdam on the 15 September and on 17 September at PLASA London.
Mark Chorley, design engineer at Doughty said: "We introduced the original Space Saver this time last year – a really simple concept that we designed after considering how cumbersome a clamp can be to store and transport. The idea that it can be folded down and therefore easier to store and transport, has really been a huge benefit to our customers. But we always see room for improvement – we've made a few tweaks to make the item even more user friendly. It's all under wraps – a little bit cloak and dagger at the moment – but we're confident our customers won't be disappointed."
Doughty will also release a face-lifted Grip Head

UK - Ten 47 officially launches its Powerline QC connector to the market PLASA 2017. Having won an award for innovation at last year’s show and after extensive field trials, the two-piece Single Pole 500 amp connector will be shipping from stock in early October.
Building on the proven original Powerline connector series with familiar safety features such as mechanical keying, colour coded insulators and IP2X finger proof contacts, the Ten 47 " QC " range offers many enhancements over existing designs. New innovations include improved insulator strength, retained louvre band (IP protected), centred contact alignment, low connector mating forces and environmental sealing to IP68.
In addition, the proprietary sandwich contact retention system within a two piece insulator body allows replaceable front ends and eliminates the need for a "Cotter/dowel pin" common on simi

Belgium - The largest summer beach festival in Belgium and one of the most popular in Northern Europe, 2 Meisjes op het Strand, is known for more than just music.
Also drawing thousands of fans and attracting a large national TV audience on Flemish network VTM are the breathtaking harbour vistas at the festival site. At this year’s event, Michiel Milbou and his team at Never Fear Shadows did justice to the festival’s music and its surroundings with a stunning stage and lighting design that featured 410 Chauvet Professional ÉPIX Strip IP fixtures, supplied by Phlippo Productions.
Never Fear Shadows’ design concept for the festival was built around a 60m x 20m translucent stage structure built exclusively from the ÉPIX Strip IP fixtures. The structure provided sizzling visual support for the music of K3, Niels Destadsbader, Gers Pardoel and other stars. At

UK - At 37 years old, MDG knows all about longevity and the value of creating high quality products for its clients. With this in mind, MDG UK will be celebrating PLASA’s milestone 40th Anniversary with a selection of its award-winning and world-renowned haze and fog generators. These rock-solid machines continue to cement MDG’s long-standing reputation for the finest and most reliable atmosphere generators on the market.
The ATMe haze generator, the ME2 fog generator and the ICE FOG COMPACK low fog generator will be shown on Stand D50, alongside theONE award-winning dual fog and haze generator, and complemented by theFAN, the indispensible variable speed digital fan.
MDG’s ATMe haze generator is a development of the industry standard MDG Atmosphere haze generator. It shares the same compact dimensions, but with increased output and power efficiency, and the add

UK - Retford-based Rope Assemblies has been bought by the Unusual group of companies following the decision by its owners to take early retirement. Rope Assemblies has been supplying bespoke wire and fibre rope assemblies, plus a wide range of lifting equipment, to its customer base worldwide since 1986 and this will continue to be the case.
Alan Jacobi, managing director at Unusual, explained: "We recognise Rope Assemblies as a good fit to our business, it is managed well and served by an experienced and long standing workforce. Our intention is to allow Rope Assemblies to continue doing what it has been doing extremely well for the last 30 years. We will bring the brand under the Unusual umbrella but everything else will remain the same. We intend using the acquisition as a way of improving our market offer to existing clients and to cultivate the wider industrial sector.

UK - His aviator shades, curly mop and beard may appear to be cryogenically frozen in time but the renaissance of Jeff Lynne and his Electric Light Orchestra continues to move ever forward in popularity and – with assistance from Stageco – sheer physical size, as witnessed by 70,000 ecstatic fans at Wembley Stadium on 24 June.
Supported by The Shires and Keane’s Tom Chaplin, Lynne led his latest ELO incarnation through a two-hour set rammed with highlights from his vast catalogue of self-penned hits, including Mr. Blue Sky, Livin’ Thing, Evil Womanand Shine A Little Love, while Handle With Care served as a reminder of his brief but perfect career as a Traveling Wilbury.
The big talking point of the night, however, was the breathtaking, 16.5-tonne spaceship hovering above the band that evoked memories of ELO’s celebrated

France - With the appointment of AED France as Prolyte distributor next to its existing distribution partner Axente, Prolyte Group has established full distribution coverage in France, offering customers optimized access to the range of Prolyte products.
Prolyte Group’s trusted partner Axente, which holds the position as Prolyte distributor and ProLyft Service Point in France for a prolonged period, made it possible to succeed to open the French market for Prolyte and grow a trusted and steady customer base.
By adding AED Group to the distributing network in France, Prolyte hopes to open up more market segments by offering an alternative sales channel. “It’s really important for us to offer optimum service and flexible access to our product ranges,” states Ralph Stockley, Prolyte CCO. “By installing an extra distributor in the French market, we strive to ena

UK - BBC One’s musical show Pitch Battle recently completed a successful opening season with five pre-recorded episodes, plus the live finals. Live broadcasts have zero tolerance for malfunctions (just ask Mariah Carey or Janet Jackson) and gear must be 100% reliable. For this reason, lighting designer Mark Kenyon insists on ProPlex Data Distribution Devices for all his show data networking.
In addition to Pitch Battle, British television credits for ProPlex include six seasons on the hit show Strictly Come Dancing, five seasons of Saturday Night Takeaway and the new game show Big Heads – all designed by Kenyon.
“ProPlex just keeps working,” says Mark Newell, lighting gaffer and Kenyon’s chief systems tech. “For Pitch Battle, we used 10 ProPlex Opto-Splitter 2x8 RDM units, plus a user-friendly, versatile ProPlex IQ

Romania - Organising a range of large-scale festivals in a short timeframe, Romanian production company Arena Events relies on Prolyte products to support the elaborate and signature design of its stages and safety of its audience.
Forza Zu and After Hills in June, Neversea and Electric Castle in July and finally Untold in August mean a full production agenda for Arena Events. Prolyte Group works closely together with the mastermind behind these events, Corneliu Ladin.
Prolyte supplied much equipment for the above shows, with Untold being the highlight. Winning the award for Best Major European Festival 2015, motivated the Untold team to stage an even more impressive festival, including a line-up which encompasses almost every name on the DJ top 20.
“With the qualites and specs of the BGR70 truss type we we’re able to create a more elaborate design, being ab

UK - With a broad stock of event production and AV equipment, production company SXS has launched a dry hire service.
Available equipment includes arena-scale PA, high-resolution LED video walls, outdoor video screens, staging, marquees and one of the largest stocks of blackout drapery in the UK.
“We now have one of the largest and definitely the broadest of stocks of AV and production equipment in the UK. The equipment we are using is high-end, industry and standard and typically rider friendly,” says SXS project handler Nathan Dunbar who will be heading up the dry hire customer services with assistance from production executive Lucy Payne.
“I’ve been with SXS a while now and have been blown away by how well our team maintains some of the highest standards I have seen in every discipline in which we work. SXS is a genuine one-stop shop with technical an

UK - The Dirty Rigger developers have been in the thinking shed again, making “one of the most awesome tool lanyards you’ve ever seen”.
The Dirty Rigger screw-fasten mini loop is a 12cm long, super slim (4mm) steel wire rope that will fit through just about any of those niggly little loop holes and join together with a screw fastener.
To give the new mini loop justice, Dirty Rigger created a whole new lanyard to go with it. “We thought a 128cm (part-coiled to 70cm when unstretched) steel wire rope, fitted with a rated anodized aluminium alloy carabiner clip with captive eye, featuring 360 degree rotation and
The new Podger/Tool Lanyard should be ready for an official launch at PLASA 2017 (Stand E14: Le Mark Group).
(Jim Evans)

Poland - J&C Joel has announced the appointment of Step as its new bronze dealer in Poland.
Step was established in Poland in 2008 by its founders Marcin Konieczek and Grzegorz Sikorski, who are both long-time active members of the Polish stage and event market, working as light and sound engineers for live shows and events for more than 20 years.
In 2012 Step started to support theatres and rental companies, supplying them with a wide range of equipment including auditorium LED lighting systems manufactured by British GDS based in Bristol. Always focused on high quality products, Step has quickly become a reliable and dynamic partner for manufacturers.
Step will offer J&C Joel’s flame retardant fabrics, flooring and stage engineering solutions as well as their bespoke design, manufacturing and installation services as a complimentary solution to their

Europe - Milos has just released a technical video about their new MT-PA5030 PA Tower. In this video, Norbert Tripp (Area Four Industries technical director) gives an overview of the features of this new 5m (16.4’) Milos PA Tower and how it’s compact size perfectly suits the needs of small to mid-sized events and makes transport extremely convenient.
Check it out here: http://milossystems.com/hot-stuff/new-products
(Jim Evans)

UK -Floorbox has added Hesco TERRABLOCK products to its high security portfolio, delivering surface mounted barrier technology to the live events market.

TERRABLOCK® is the proven product of Hesco’s multi-million pound investment and rigorous testing. It stops a 15,000 lb truck travelling at up to 50mph in its tracks.

Available in a range of formats, TERRABLOCK® is a combination of an integrated vehicle barrier and a climb resistant weldmesh panel.

Flat-packed for delivery, TERRABLOCK® XL units are 1.2m high, 1.2m wide and 2.12m long. A trained crew can close off a 30ft wide carriageway with the system in just 40 minutes.

TERRABLOCK’s modular design means upgrades are simple in the event of a changing threat level.

John Davy, Floorbox Founder/Managing Director, comments: “Hesco’s primary focus is protectin

Hungary - A spectacular opening ceremony in downtown Budapest marked the start of the 17th FINA World Aquatic Championships, with 14 days of world class aquatic sports following the elegant, eye-catching event directed by Olivier Feracci from French event production specialist ECA2 and Hungarian film director Csaba Kael, CEO of cultural hub Mupa Budapest.
WIcreations was contacted by Guillaume Duflot from EC2A, responsible for delivering full technical production for the event, and asked to provide rigging and structures involving a number of bespoke black-steel elements, together with their extensive expertise and knowledge of working in large scale outdoor environments. The WI project was led by Koen Peeters, and on-site crew chiefed by Stano Kusik.
The stunning panoramic setting for the FINA OC show included a massive custom-built floating stage, moored on the Danu

USA - Six standards are available for public review on the ESTA website - click here. Five have comment deadlines of 25 September 2017, but one is a week later, 2 October. People materially affected by these standards are invited to review them and to comment on them, saying they are acceptable as they are or are in need of changes.
BSR E1.9, Entertainment Technology - Reporting Photometric Performance Data for Luminaires Used in Entertainment Lighting
This standard defines the minimum data to be presented on documents purporting to accurately describe the photometric performance of stage and studio luminaires used in the live entertainment and performance industries. This is a proposed reaffirmation of the standard first published in 2007. The closing date is 25 September 2017.
BSR

UK - Romsey Abbey is a magnificent 12th century church – the largest parish church in Hampshire and home to a vibrant congregation. It has also been used as a performance venue by Music in Romsey (MIR) since the early 1970s. MIR hosts an extensive series of concerts there throughout the year. Musicians involved range from local choirs and bands to international soloists and orchestras. However, the group has always struggled to 'raise' their performers due to a lack of any special staging.
Bob Smith, stage manager for Music in Romsey said: "In the past we've had to use whatever we had to hand – literally – old beer crates with sheets of hardboard laid over the top come to mind. We then had some wooden platforms made which could be stacked and placed on trolleys and these were used at every concert when staging was needed until about four years ago. They were 1.3m squar

USA - After announcing the Joanne World Tour six months ago, Lady Gaga stayed mum on the details of this major production. As the Rogers Arena doors opened on 1 August, 2017, the hashtag #JOANNEWorldTour interrupted social media threads and trended worldwide as followers raved about Mother Monster’s extravagant set and stage design.
The stunning aesthetics of the Joanne World Tour gave many attendees goosebumps as the set and stage, built by TAIT, took over the entire arena. The full layout consisted of a very dynamic and kinetic main stage, three flying bridge platforms which double as projection displays, two satellite stages and an LED integrated b-stage.
Lady Gaga opened the Joanne World Tour with a show-stopping performance of Diamond Heart on what looked like a typical TAIT stage platform until the stage went ‘Gaga’ and moved into different configura

USA - Kent State University chose three, side-by-side James Thomas Engineering PRT roof structures for their recent commencement ceremony.
PRT systems are James Thomas Engineering Pre-Rig Super Truss roof systems with 38.1mm (15 inch) towers. They measure 12.2 x 12.2m (40 x 40ft), with the centre roof having an additional mid-stage span. The structures are tied together with Pre-Rig SuperTruss, which forms the sound bays.
All structures were provided by KO Management.
(Jim Evans)

UK - Equipment manufacturer and supplier Hoist UK announces the appointment of new general manager John Ball with immediate effect.
John will manage the business’s sales and marketing teams, contribute to overall business strategy and lead business development activities which include delivery of Hoist UK’s sales, commercial and customer strategies.
With over 25 years in the lifting equipment industry, John is recognised throughout the market and a welcome addition to the growing Hoist UK team. Commenting on the new appointment Paul Jordan, said “Having known John professionally for many years I’m delighted to welcome him to the role of General Manager and have every confidence that he will contribute effectively to our growth and development.”
John added, “It’s exciting to join a growing business with such a strong established position with the lif

UK - CPL (Central Presentations) working for creative event producers Bright, took its experience and knowledge of festival productions and delivered full technical production - sound, lighting, rigging and some AV - for the 2017 OVO festival.
The event, now in its third year and a big hit with OVO’s staff, families and friends, was again staged at Mojo Active, Almondsbury near Bristol. CPL and Bright are regular collaborators and there is a great synergy between the two companies in their respective roles and end-goal of ensuring that event environments are smooth, entertaining, memorable and fun for all guests.
CPL’s project manager Mike Radford commented: “We were delighted to be involved again, and enjoyed working closely with Bright’s team led by their PM Mike Matthews. The brief was to bring all the production values of a premium festival to this event

Canada - Ontario's Canada Day celebration at Queen's Park has been a tradition since 1967 and commemorates the formation of Canada as one country on 1 July 1867. The event draws audiences in their thousands, offering music and dance performances, roaming performers, games and children's activities.
This year, the festivities extended into the evening, with musical performances to celebrate Ontario and Canada's 150th anniversary. Bespoke Audio Visual was brought on board by the Ontario Provincial Government to provide all the audio/ visual/ lighting/ staging and technical support – site-wide – for the event, and with a bigger lighting package in use to illuminate the event into the evening, the company turned to BroadWeigh to supply load cell monitoring and logging for their rigging package.
Andrew Bernacki, production manager at Bespoke Audio Visual, explained: "Wi

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