The initial idea for the ground support came from a sketch from the customer and a photo of the area in which the stage was to be installed. The brief was simple - design a structure that would sit on their newly built stage giving the bands a concert atmosphere in a small venue but also to give cover from the weather, be it rain or shine. "We were supplied with a few site photos and a basic idea of how they would like the structure to function," said Patrick Lockwood, sales engineer for Tomcat UK. It was only when I did the site visit that we found that due to conditions on site, their ideas were not suitable so we redesigned and drew it on the spot."
Lockwood designed a system with a pitched roof to create the illusion of a large imposing stage within a limited space. This roof design has the added benefit of directing rain away from the performance area, protecting both the performers and the equipment, which is important because when it rains in Ibiza - It rains! For this reason, a small clamp on roof system was included to protect the sound engineer on the side stage. The original brief also called for a cantilever at the front of the stage to give added protection from the elements and to give better lighting positions, whilst still being capable of carrying two speaker clusters of 350kg each. This was not a problem for the lightweight yet load-bearing Tomcat one range of trussing and was easily incorporated into the design.
Mike Darling, production manager for Ibiza Rocks, said on the importance of the Structural Report: "The structural report serves to reassure that we have developed a high quality venue for this year's event. I have confidence that the system is safe and has the capacity to do exactly what we need it to do whilst complying to all UK standards, so when it came down to it, the decision to go with the Tomcat system was an easy one."
Ibiza Rocks' summer programme includes bringing famous bands to Ibiza to perform for one night, drawing crowds in from all over the island. The programme was kicked off on 10 July with New York-based band We are Scientists and special guest Ricky Wilson from the Kaiser Chiefs. Gigs for July and August include Boy Kill Boy with Dirty Pretty Things, The Streets, Radio one DJ Zane Lowe, Kasabian and Fratellis.
(Lee Baldock)
